Down Under? Not at all, mate! The Land of Oz is on top of the world. You see, it’s all a matter of perspective. When you’re in a place that looks like the bottom of the world, and you look up, it’s downhill from there. ‘Up Over’ may be a more apt moniker for Australia because any place that stretches from the Great Barrier Reef to the Outback seems to go on forever. A country sometimes confused for a continent, it’s certainly much bigger than the Mercator map gives it credit. One measures distance here in hundreds, even thousands of kilometers. In between well-known landmarks like the Sydney Opera House and Uluru, the fabled Ayer’s Rock, are scores of places to visit and things to see. It might be tempting to catch a flight from place to place and make a brief stop in a city with an airport like an electron orbiting an atom, but it’s easy to miss the molecule. Better to take the time to enjoy the incredible landmass that is Australia. Move beyond Crocodile Dundee and Vegemite to savor all that this fabulous place has to offer.
When my family and I went to Australia in October 2012, we spent a few days in Cairns in the far north of Queensland. One of the highlights was our daytrip to the Great Barrier Reef about an hour off the coast by ship. We went snorkeling and took a submarine ride along part of the reef.
Here’s a video clip of the reef on the World Adventurers Channel. The scene reminded me of a scene out of the movie Finding Nemo…or perhaps the other way around. More on Australia soon, but until then enjoy the clip!
Great Barrier Reef, Cairns, Australia
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M.G. Edwards is a writer of books and stories in the mystery, thriller and science fiction-fantasy genres. He also writes travel adventures. He is author of Kilimanjaro: One Man’s Quest to Go Over the Hill, a non-fiction account of his attempt to summit Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, and a short story collection called Real Dreams: Thirty Years of Short Stories. He also wrote and illustrated Alexander the Salamander, Ellie the Elephant, and Zoe the Zebra, three books in the World Adventurers for Kids Series, and a 3-in-1 collection featuring all three. His books areavailable in e-book and print from Amazon.com and other booksellers. Edwards graduated from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in China Studies and a Master of Business Administration. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.
Did you know that World Adventurers has a YouTube Channel with travel video clips from all around the world? It’s true! The World Adventurers YouTube Channel features a growing list of clips featuring travel destinations and more.
Now that I have an iMac that makes video editing easy, I plan to post more travel clips. Every 1-2 weeks I will upload a new video from somewhere around the world. Some may be embedded in my blog posts; some will not. You’ll have to see for yourself! Click here to subscribe to the World Adventurers YouTube Channel.
Here are just a few of the travel videos:
Thai Royal Barge Ceremony: The 2012 Royal Barge Ceremony on the Chao Phraya River in Bangkok, Thailand. A parade of barges rows to Wat Arun, one of Thailand’s most important Buddhist temples.
Thai Royal Barge Ceremony
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef: A video clip from the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Cairns, Australia taken underwater from a submarine in October 2012.
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Fire Dancing: Fire dancing performance during our 2012 trip to Ko Samet, an island in the Gulf of Thailand off the coast of Pattaya. Fire dancers perform along the beach for tourists enjoying their evening meal.
Fire Dancing!
Traditional Paraguayan Dance: A video clip taken in Paraguari, Paraguay, in July 2008. The mixture of traditional dresses, music dominated by the harp and guitar, and songs in Guarani, an indigenous language, are mesmerizing.
Traditional Paraguayan Dance
2012 Chinese New Year: Fireworks in Shanghai, China at midnight on January 23, 2012, to celebrate the Chinese New Year, the Year of the Dragon.
Edwards graduated from the University of Washington with a master’s degree in China Studies and a Master of Business Administration. A former U.S. diplomat, he served in South Korea, Paraguay, and Zambia before leaving the Foreign Service in 2011 to write full time. He lives in Bangkok, Thailand with his wife Jing and son Alex.
World Adventurers 