As is my way, here is my yearly post. I don't know why I can't seem to make it more regular (oh no wait I know why. I have no time because I work like a crazy person. Did you know I just started a doctorate degree? FUN TIMES, and by that I mean I don't know what sleep is anymore). ANYWAYS I know you're asking yourself, "What was Carla's latest marathon?!" Well, your wait is over, dear reader.
ARE YOU READY?!
I went to AUSTRALIA! And it is a weird place. To keep it simple, I'm going to tell you about the 6 craziest things that happened on the trip. I highly recommend you go. But, like, be prepared for everyone to tell you about all the animals that can kill you over there. It seems to be a national pastime, telling tourists how scary their animals are and then saying "but really, you should be fine. Do you want to hold this giant bat?"
Meet Jackie, the House-Pet Bat. More on her later...
1) Ayers Rock is a land of ruby beauty.
Katajura
Um, I didn't know a desert could be unfathomably beautiful, but Ayers Rock is distinctly magical. The red sand envelops you in what seems an extraterrestrial glow. I ran my 7th marathon here, and it is without a doubt my favorite to date. What was even more captivating than the magnanimous rock formations (Ayer's Rock, Katajura) was the night time sky. There is no, NO, light pollution in Yulara (where Ayer's Rock is) so you can see the Milky Way with the naked eye. Holy guacamole it was fantastic. Even more amazing was the after-race celebration dinner I went to where an astronomer gave a stunning presentation of the night sky and explained not only the astral constellations but their aboriginal mythos. If you can get out there, you should go. But only in the winter. I hear the flies during the summer are horrifically plague-like and you cannot walk anywhere without swallowing a mouthful. Here we have example one of how Australian wildlife wants to kill you.
*a lone didgeridoo plays from a distance*
2) I bottle-fed baby bats
Baby bats are like little lemur-mice that just want your love
So, Australians have a great affinity for their native animals, and I happened to volunteer at a bat sanctuary with a woman I will nominate as the Bat Queen and Authority on All Bat Knowledge in the Universe. She operates a animal rehabilitation center just near Brisbane and while she does take in a variety of Australian creatures in need (kangaroos, flying squirrels, possums, kookaburras) bats are really her primary focus. She has over 300 bats on the premises and I was nominated to help feed and care for the baby bats. As I am not vaccinated for rabies, I couldn't interact too much with the adult bats (though I did spend a great deal around them). I was, however, aloud to hold what I can only describe as a Baby Bat Burrito and bottle fed the baby bats. The Bat Queen and her full-time volunteers were currently bottle-feeding 15 baby bats 7 times a day. It was extraordinary. More unbelievable than the bats themselves was the fact that none other than Johnny Depp made a visit to her clinic when he was filming Pirate of the Caribbean: The One Where Johnny Depp Smuggled In Two Dogs During Filming And Australia Freaked Out. Depp made an appearance in full Jack Sparrow attire and visited with a bat that is now lovingly known as Jackie (proof that this bizarre meeting happened). I hung out with Jackie and she has not let this fame go to her head.
The baby-bat incubator. This was in the dining room. The DINING.ROOM.
3) I Went Skydiving and Realized What True Fear Is
I don't know what possessed me but by the end of my 3 week trip in Australia, I concluded my time in Queensland by throwing myself out of a plane at 15,000 feet. I can confidently say I was not very nervous up until the door of the plane opened and I had to dangle my feet outside. Then that drop. Holy shit. The human body is not meant to free-fall like that. But, after my body went into what I can only describe as sheer-adrenaline-induced-survival-mode, plummeting towards the earth while looking out over the Great Barrier Reef was spectacular. Of course when the shoot opened and I was confident I would probably NOT die, floating to the Earth was one of the most peaceful experiences I've even encountered. The fact that my diving instructor was absolutely the most attractive man I met in all of Australia was also a plus. Fun Fact: I sang him an opera aria on the way down and he was QUITE pleased. So, I think we both came out as winners.
Free-falling through the air with attractive men is my new favorite way to travel
4) I Scuba Dived the Great Barrier Reef!
One of my missions with these marathons is to also see some natural wonders before mankind inevitably destroys them. Thus far, I have seen the Amazon and now the GBR. I have Antarctica on my list for March 2017. Those are the top three. The GBR is exactly what you think it will be like. I swam with sharks and turtles and giant clams and a stunning array of fish. My scuba instructor kept pointing out all the fish from Finding Nemo as if Disney was paying him. Note: there are a lot of Clown Fish in Australia and your diving instructor wants you to notice them! I was slightly scolded for high-fiving the sea turtles but sometimes you just have to do what you know in your heart is right.
Me and this turtle are bros for life now
5) Animals Everywhere
I will just combine together the rest of my animal adventures. This trip quickly turned into Carla Wants To Touch All the Creatures. I don't know why I have NO fear of animals, but I think it's a problem. On this trip, in addition to the animal interactions I have already mentioned (re. sharks, bats, sea turtles) I road a camel (which I learned cannot spit but in fact will projectile vomit on you if distressed. Take note: Camel bile is the real enemy), held a koala, hand-fed kangaroos and wallabies, pet flying squirrels, fed a Kookaburra (they angrily slam the scraps of raw meat you feed them against the ground several times before devouring it. Birds are way scarier than we give them credit for), held an owl, and was chased by an Emu (again, birds = terrifying).
The Carnivorous Kookaburra. Yeah, it's weird.
6) I Swam in Secluded Waterfalls in Queensland
Now, let me say, this "swim" was less "oh, I must enjoy the beauty of nature" and more "this water is so cold but I have to do it because Australia and waterfalls and I'm on vacation". Freezing does not accurately describe the temperature of the water, but I did it. All while the tour guide and a nice German girl watched me with mixed horror and humor. If a German thinks something is too cold, then you are basically swimming in ice cubes.
Me pre-swim. Post-swim I was fluctuating between a shade of blue and purple
And there you have it. There was also an aboriginal dinner and the eating of some kangaroo and crocodile meet, but for the most part I think the major takeaways from this trip where 1) ANIMALS, 2) NATURE and 3) Australians are so nice you cannot practically comprehend it. Every interaction with an Aussie is "no worries" and "no drama" and "Vegemite is delicious". I don't understand it.
Clearly I am more enthralled with our meeting than the kangaroo
FINALLY I am very VERY happy to announce that Baby Luke is in remission after his SECOND BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. The word miracle was invented just for his unbelievable resilience. He is now a whole 2 years old. Praise the Lord indeed.
Eating Birthday cake like the true champion he is
So....look forward to my next post in, oh I don't know, 2017 when I inevitably tell you about Antarctica and how I stole a penguin because, as we have seen, I have no impulse control with animals.
YOU WILL LET ME LOVE YOU!
P.S. check-out @run.carla.run on instagram for more AH-MAY-ING pictures. I think I actually didn't even remember to put a picture of me running the race in this post! Whoops. Well, here you go (just so you can know that I actually did run a race and didn't spend my whole vacation smothering animals with my undying devotion).
The best part of running a race is finishing it. That and the bragging rites.
