Saturday, September 27, 2008

Sea Kayaking!

Our first adventure into the Indian Ocean was a FREEZING and amazing success! :) Neither of us have kayaked before, but by the end of the day, Team Thomas had mastered the art of rowing in sync! We didn't tump over once! Despite the burry weather, we had SO much fun - and we are both going to be tremendously sore tomorrow after rowing our way through the waves and currents of the ocean. Right after we had gotten into our kayak and were waiting for everyone else to set off in theirs, we saw a dolphin swimming around us! It was completely incredible! We just sat in amazement as it went in and out of the water and then finally swam away. I have always wanted to see a real live dolphin in the wild, and it swam right next to our boat! We kayaked over to Sea Lion Island first and saw tons of pelicans. Apparently, it's their mating season right now and they're all "courting" as the guide put it, to try and find the perfect mate! We then paddled around the island and saw a massive sea lion! Simply amazing! After that, we kayaked across more of the ocean and explored Penguin Island. Who knew there were penguins in Australia?! They're called "Little Penguins" and can only be found here! They're precious! We adventured around the island and explored through the ocean and then had our first true Aussie Picnic! Can I just say that they totally know how to do the perfect picnic! The sun finally came out to warm us up while we were eating and of course, it disappeared as we got back in the boats to leave. We froze our tails off! We kayaked back past Sea Lion Island and saw another one taking a nap on the beach and then headed back to shore to come home. It was a perfect day - Ty and I will have awesomely sore biceps tomorrow! I had goosebumps and was shivering for most of the day, but it's one part of this adventure that we'll never, ever forget!

Looking out at Sea Lion and Penguin Islands

T-man is ready for the challenge...

...and he looks so cute playing the part!

Our tour guide made us say a prayer to the Indian Ocean before we set out

K in the front to photograph, T in the back to steer and bring the muscle

All the pelicans checkin' eachother out

It's not as easy as it looks!

How cute is he?! Almost as cute as Journey!

He speaks like she does too!


I wanted to get out and pet him....apparently that is not allowed being that he's wild.

Ty, James and Pete ready to find some penguins

Here they come!

Are they not adorable!!?!

Freezing while exploring for penguins...where are they?!

Look closely and you'll find them hiding under the rocks!

More exploring around the island...

If you look close enough, you might see the goosebumps!

How pretty!

Feeling like Lois & Clark, Christopher Columbus, or one of the other famous explorers we learned about in our history classes.

Yay! Picnic time!

Beautiful Penguin Island

A spectacular way to end the day. Wow.




4 comments:

Nona and Papa said...

Karis and Tyson~ that is so cool. I am so happy that you have the blog up and running so we can keep up with you! What beautiful pics and even though you were freezing it will be a day to remember! Love Mom & Dad

fleur said...

What a fun way to begin your adventure! We look forward to hearing all about the rest of them and are soooo excited for this opportunity for you guys! We miss you!

Rufus said...

I am glad you are able to finally do all of these fun things after the disappointment you suffered right before you left when the Katy Kiyaking Club closed due to the Hurricane and you never got to experience it. While Australia has dolphins, penguins, and sea lions, just remember that they can't hold a candle to our many domestic dogs spread throughout the suburbs in various back yards, or the occasional dead possum or armadillo you might see on the road as you drive around!

Seriously this is all pretty cool considering its your first week and you've already knocked out 2 of the big attractions. Slow down, you have a year!!!!!

Pame Recetas said...

I don't think the big guy would have let you pet him anyway...