Alyssa Lai, 2011 North Queensland student blogger, writes:

We’re in Yungaburra still, and yesterday, we spent almost five hours hiking the steepest hills I have ever seen. We trudged through huge, muddy puddles, sticking to the sides of the trail, clinging for our dear lives to trees and bushes to avoid getting wet and muddy. (It didn’t work. Hence, the muddy shoes pictured left!)

When we finally got to the undisclosed location (it was a surprise), it was well worth the hike. Words won’t do it justice, and neither will a picture, but it’s the best I can do, pictured right, so enjoy!

After our long and trying hike, we visited the home of an extremely knowledgeable and interesting Aboriginal, Phil Barlow. He spoke to us about some history and culture, and then we ate a deliciously mouth-watering meal. The lamb was cooked in the ground for hours before dinner and when they pulled it out, the aroma itself made us salivate.

We also learned how to throw a boomerang and play a didgeridoo while we were there. Since I have absolutely no coordination whatsoever, it was an epic fail. However, I successfully played the didgeridoo. If you know the technique, you know that it’ll make your lips numb if you keep doing it for a long time. It was all good fun, and then Phil told us what our totems were. A totem is basically an animal that describes you, your personality, and your spirit. After talking for a bit, he decided to give me a stingray, an animal who likes to travel and can go for miles but likes to stop and rest, too. It’s really interesting how Aboriginals are so connected to the land, much like the Native Americans in the States.

In the next few days, we will be staying at Australian families’ farms. Some of us will be working with cattle, chickens, guinea pigs, and even buffalo! More to come on that!

Tonight, we’re all going to a local restaurant and watching a rugby game. Must go and get ready!

Cheers!