Oz East Coast Trip

Ahh Australia, the lonely continent whose isolation has led to the evolution of some of the deadliest flora and fauna on the planet. After encountering some of these species in person while visiting the Daintree Rainforest, I started to wonder if there was such thing as too much evolution? For example:

The Stinging Tree
Looks like a normal plant, but its unassuming leaves and stems contain tiny silica hairs that become imbedded in the skin, releasing a poison 10 000 times more potent than poison ivy. There is no known antidote except using wax to remove each individual hair, which breaks off the silica in the process. The remaining needles can cause pain every time the skin contracts for weeks, months and even years.

Australia has 8 of the 10 most deadliest snakes in the world. One of the most feared is the Taipan Snake, which contains enough venom in one bite to kill 100 men. Isn't this a bit of an ... overkill? Get it?

Crocodiles
Ever since the Australian government banning the killing of crocodiles in the 1970s, the population of these reptiles has exploded across the coasts of Queensland. Australian 'salties' are the largest crocodiles in the world, famed for their quick tempers and fierce intelligence. Every Aussie I've met has a favourite crocodile story to tell. The most memorable one involves an elderly woman who was walking across her property one night to checking her crab tracks, when a 4.2 m croc lunged from the riverbank. She managed to fend it off using her walking stick. Luckily, her walking stick was a double-barreled shotgun.

There is one animal which comes with no warning label, that I like to call the Dangerously Cute Koala. Once I laid eyes on this creature I could not even resist the hefty $20 AUD price tag to be able to hold and cuddle the Dangerously Cute Koala in my arms.


Facts about Dangerously Cute Koalas:

• They need 16-20 hours of sleep each day (and look dangerously cute whilst doing so) because their diet of eucalyptus leaves is so low in energy and nutrients
• After a short 35 day gestation period, koalas give birth to a dangerously cute jelly-bean sized infant
• When feeling threated or territorial, koalas have one defensive tactic - defecating on unwanted intruders
  

-V

30 Hours in Transit

After a while, flying overseas starts to feel like being in prison. There are few windows, an overwhelming sense of isolation, and the silence is pierced with occasional screams of neighboring passengers (usually babies). The only way to truly gauge the amount of time passing is when meals are brought about, approximately once every 4-6 hours, depending on the airline. Which brings me to the topic of this post, something that brings about revulsion to many, but curiosity in me - airplane food.

I will generally eat anything that's in front of me, and don't discriminate food-wise (unless bananas are involved), so I give you an unbiased review of airplane services, meals included.

Air Pacific
I flew with these guys for about 12 hours (given the fact that I was served two meals), and their service is top-notch. They had no qualms about giving me a window seat, and in fact I had an entire row to myself for the ocean-crossing flight. Each passenger has their own personal entertainment screen, and I had Flight of the Conchords, The Office and Hannah Montanna (don't judge) to help me pass the time. They also asked for ID when they gave me champagne, which is pretty cool considering I became legal over 5 years ago.

Meals were pleasant:

Meal 1: Veggie sandwich (cucumber, tomato, sprouts), vegan lemon cookie (delicious!), canteloupe and honeydew fruit dish, chips and orange juice.

Meal 2: Sauteed spinach and tomatoes with homefries (excellent!), raspberry yogurt, semi-frozen canteloupe dish, orange juice, bun and butter.

They even gave us our own little treat bags that included moist towellettes, sleeping mask, headphones, a blanket, and for some reason, freshly washed socks (I smelled them to make sure).

Air Quantas
This airline is a smaller, crappier version of Air Pacific that I used to hop from Fiji to Brisbane. I thought the flight would take two hours, but to my dismay I forgot to account for the 4 hour time difference. Sitting next to a drunk burping up Heinekin for the entire flight duration did not help.

Meal: Sauteed eggplant and onions with corn and tomatoes, accompanied by a mysterious mound of potato-cheese-spinach. I truly enjoyed the mystery. Also included pineapple, papaya and mandarin fruit dish, bun with butter, and orange fruit 'drink.' They also handed out casava chips, which I devoured in transit to St. Lucia. I requested vegetarian meals for this trip. One look at my neighbour's pale, rubbery, uncooked (and uneaten) sausage and eggs confirmed that I made the right decision.

American Airlines
Pictures may not be included - OH, JUST LIKE EVERYTHING ELSE ON THIS AIRPLANE! Care for a sandwich? A chocolate bar? Some pretzels? You can enjoy them all on your 4 hour flight to LA - if you pay for them. Want to watch the inflight movie? You can try to lip-read the script, or pay $2 per audio headset. Pillows and blankets? Nowhere to be seen. This is the reason why I was driven to smuggle in liquids and golden delicious apples (later confiscated).

Some advice for travellers while flying:
-Always, always smile when you're asking for something. This helped when they waived my $50 USD fee for overweight luggage.
-Ask for a window seat when possible. Windows don't mind if you accidentally drool on them while sleeping. Also, my dad once asked for a window seat and was upgraded to business class, a feat I have yet to achieve.
-Use the buddy system. This will ensure that you are awoken for your airplane meal. Especially important if you're a starving student and don't to pay $5 for coffee and a muffin at LAX.