Noosa

Today is my last day in Noosa, the equivalent of our Florida, complete with all of the geriatrics. I'm waiting on my bus to take me north to a place called Rainbow Beach where I'll stay for a few days before heading to Fraser Island for the safari. Noosa has been unbelievable. My first night here I met some pretty cool guys; 3 Swedish guys who looked like they belonged on the cover of GQ, a Scot and a German. We drank quite a bit at the hostel and then wandered the town trying to find a party somewhere but we were let down when we figured out that we were the party in town.

The next day I met up with my group for the canoe trip. It was a pretty small group, four people, but a very good international mix. It had a German carpenter, a French engineer, and a Swiss bio grad student named Natalie (the poor lone girl on the trip). The trip itself was amazing, winding through the 'Everglade' of Noosa. The lakes and rivers that we traveled on are called the River of Mirrors and it was just that. The red, tea colored water held a perfect picture of the surrounding vegetation; consisting mainly of smooth white trees and small brush. Our canoes would break the serene picture, making it seem as if the mirror sheet of the water was starting to melt, sending waves through the trees and sky. The trees seemed to writhe their way horizontally above the water, twisting in apparent agony before succumbing to their black sugary death. Unfortunately, we did not see much wildlife except for some large lizards, birds, and a massive eel that I was not able to capture. Camping went well for the most part, besides the rain storms on the first night which made the rest of the trip wet and dirty. The group seemed to mend together well and I even learned a new favorite Swiss/German phrase: Hosa Aba! I got back to the Hostel early yesterday afternoon but was way too exhausted to do much of anything so I found a beach and slept there most of the day and took it easy that night chatting with people. I even found a girl who was studying Classics, which if you don't know is a rarity.

Today I woke up early and head to a nearby National Park that was simply stunning. There was beach after beach, very small in size and empty, surrounded by dense forest on one side and a clear, turquoise water on the other. The coastal walks and forest hikes were really spectacular but the feeling that they gave me was remarkable.

It seemed to be a feeling that we are always longing after, futilely lunging forward with both hands to grasp before it scampers away. The feeling that begins in your chest and fills your whole body until you feel that you can not take it any longer. The world seems to stop, your body shuts down, and the only way it escapes is an unstoppable and unexplainable, silent smile. Standing a few hundred meter above the rhythmic waves below, this feeling came over me and I realized that I have been holding this evasive feeling my entire time in Noosa. From the profound silence of the river, to the clarity of the stars above, to that moment on cliffs edge, and it was honestly one of the best feelings in my life. A combination of profound inspiration and love is the best way I can describe it. And from what I've been hearing, the feeling will continue on.