Isaiah 11

I may have mentioned this before, but one thing I’ve had to adjust to was the ways in which people interacted with me.  People are so nice here – a little too nice; people are so keen on helping you get somewhere or just talking to you. As a result, two realizations have come to mind.

The first is that, in some way, it has caused me to question my character. How? I wonder if people are genuinely interested in getting to know me or are simply obliging me because that’s the way they’ve been brought up.

Second, I question their intentions. Why are they so willing to help?  Are they motivated by altruism or do they want something more?  What motivates them anyways?

I think most of us have been raised to be careful, think critically, be on guard. And while I understand the necessity of these actions, I can’t help but to think of what life would be like if we didn’t have to question people or their motives.  Where the only kind of fear we had was one of awe in the Lord. And I wait in anticipation for the day where

The wolf shall dwell with the lamb,

And the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,

And the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together,

And a little child shall lead them.

- Isaiah 11

Phillip's Island Tour

Here's another post about where I've been (sorry if these are getting old and repetitive for you… I haven’t been so keen on posting my insights, but those’ll come later)!

This is an emu. He knows what I did a few weeks ago to his cousin.

This is Tyipa. Koala apparently He’s a trained koala, so no, he isn’t vicious. His kin can be quite feral though. According to many Aussies, the word koala means doean’t drink, and most of these little guys get all their water from the eucalyptus trees.  They sleep about 20 hours a day, have two opposable thumbs on each hand for extra gripping, and fingerprints that are often indistinguishable from a human’s.  As opposed to kangaroos, both koalas and wombats are both marsupials with backward facing pouches.  Look at his regal posture!

Speaking of wombats, this is Rita. Doesn't she look like an old man?

She’s a Southern Hairy-Nosed Wombat who unfortunately is endangered.  Her pouch opens in back so that it doesn’t fill with dirt.

Also the Moonlight Sanctuary Wildlife Conservation Park (where these animals reside), I got the chance to feed wallabies. HEHE. Tis a baby one! Shofat.

Red-necked wallabies are smaller than kangaroos or wallaroos and are known for their black nose and paws. My question: why are they called red-necked wallabies?

This one grabbed onto my hand with both of his paws!

On the way to Phillip Island, we almost witnessed a fatality.

I have about 25 pictures of wallabies so I'll just move on.

This feral thing is a Tasmanian Devil. We got pretty lucky, since they don’t come out during the daytime.  According to its description, this guy likes “the taste of rotting meat in my mouth, crunching skulls, and licking out the brains.” Baby tas devils are called imps. As of late, Tasmanian devils are susceptible to a highly contagious cancer and are on the verge of being extinct.

I also got my foot stuck in a marsh on my way out of the Sanctuary.

 

It was like a free mud bath for my feet. You may call me frugal.

After the Conservation Park, we headed down to the Nobbies, a part of the Phillip Island.  Here we walked along the boardwalk,

and spotted Little Penguins nesting here! I may have mentioned them before, but these things average 30cm tall, and are the smallest penguins in the world!

The little groove marks that look as if created by water runs are actually the little itty bitty beauts hopping up the mountain and creating paths with their feet.

(ok maybe I wasn’t done with them. A wild wallaby we drove by!)

We ended the night at Phillip Island by joining these here folks doing some penguin watching. After about a half hour of sitting and waiting, we watched as 1500 of them hopped onshore and made their way through the various brush areas to find a home for the night.  Because of their small size, they arrive in cohorts for protection; reminds me that there's power in numbers.

I don’t have many pictures from here on out because they were not allowed (the flash frightens the little darlings) but I snapped a quick shot of one (without flash!) before being reprimanded for my outright defiance of the Island’s laws.

awlookatdahelloo!

Glory

to God, because He is doing wonderful things here.

He is more than healing relationships; He is redeeming them.
He is more than strengthening his followers; He is adding to their number daily.
He is not just challenging me; He is growing me.

I have been in awe these past few weeks at all that He has been and is doing here, and it leaves me eager to know what else He has planned for me and for Melbourne these next few months.  Lent has been hard, and the things God has been calling me to are both blessings and struggles, but the fruits of labor are already visible. And boy, are they nourishing.

May I be like Nehemiah, faithful and strong, and may Melbourne be a Jerusalem in which you dwell and protect.

Ask me what's going on! I would be honored and excited to share them with you.

email: idiesto@gmail.com

also, I LOVE snailmail:
Iana Diesto
812 / 746 Swanston St.
Carlton, VIC 3053
Australia

The sound of a loud drill that seems like it's 100 feet away from my head is such a lovely sound to wake up to in the morning. Every Wednesday morning. At 7:45 AM. And when you're sick the continuous pounding is sadistic music to your ears. Especially after the joy of hearing strangers partying it up in the courtyard that your room faces till late at night. Every night.

Here's to an early start to my day!

The Great Ocean Road!

Welcome! You are about to partake in a spectacular virtual tour with me on the Great Ocean Road. Strap in; this is going to be a long post. But before we begin, here are a few terms and conditions you need to accept:

1. I was too distracted to pay much attention to the history, so I didn’t take many notes from our tour guide. However, since I’m desperate to keep what few of you I have interested in this blog, I have included a few facts (via Wikipedia, most likely) and thoughts on these places.
2. Words and pictures on this blog will not do justice to the beauty I actually saw (…but since you are not physically here you readers just gotta get take what you can get). Therefore, I will not be held responsible for any feelings of admiration, wonderment, awe or praise.  If any of these do occur, please contact Jesus immediately.

If you choose to accept these terms and conditions, continue scrolling!

HERE WE GO!

Here’s a map of the places we’ll be seeing, and the blue lining along southernmost edges marks our course, from Torquay to Port Campbell:

This is our tour guide Tracy.  She picks us up bright and early at 7 AM in the city, about an hour from where about seventeen others and we are to begin our 12-hour scenic extravaganza along the coast of Southeastern Australia.

We start off at Bells Beach in Torquay. Famous for its prime surfing conditions, world surfing competitions are held here often.  It’s super windy, and if you tried surfing here for your first time, you’d probably die.

Then we stop at the Memorial Arch. According to one plaque’s inscription, the Great Ocean Road was built by three thousand Australian soldiers and sailors who returned from the First World War. For these otherwise jobless men, the project offered a source of income and rehabilitation back to every day life.

At this point, we have arrived at a secret location whose name I unfortunately cannot divulge. Nonetheless; here we play seal and sit on the rocks, basking in the sun. I hope by now you have put on sunscreen; because the hole in the ozone layer falls nicely on Australia, this place has some of the highest cancer rates in the world.

As we drive along the coast, we have ample opportunities to hop out and examine the landscape set before us.  We pass places like the Howard Hitchcock lookout, Cape Patton, and Apollo Bay.  The last one mentioned is quite famous. We’re not quite sure why though.

Before stopping for lunch, let’s take a detour to a seemingly random and deserted region.  There isn’t anyone for some miles around to hear you scream, but trust that if you do shout, it's out of pure joy. Why?

See ‘em yet?  Well here are some better pictures:

Lunch at the Cape Otway Lightstation is the standard Aussie BBQ (which anticlimactically is a hot dog on a piece of sandwich bread). Nonetheless, we are pretty keen on coming here since it houses the oldest, surviving lighthouse in all of Australia.  Cape Otway was a welcome sight of relief for European immigrants who spent months at sea.  The lighthouse was fairly high, and coupled with a maritime effect it was windiest places one can experience.  The strength of the waves and wind here made shipwrecks all too common here.

After all that food, let’s take a walk through the Great Otway National Park and work it off. We are supposed to see the Big Tree here, which stands over 60 meters (196 ft), and here it is!

…Ohp. I guess what's left of it.
Let’s just move on to the Twelve Apostles at Port Campbell National Park. If you’re a tumblrfan and follow scenery or travel tumblrs, chances are you’ve come across photos of this place.  It’s by far one of the most gorgeous sites now etched in my memory.

Interestingly enough, the naming of this place has no religious affiliation.  But that’s not to say God isn’t dwelling in his masterpieces.

These limestone rock stacks, created by erosion, are continuing to erode at 2cm a year.  Good thing you saw it before it’s all gone!

The Loch Ard Gorge, named after the ship that was wrecked here. Of the 54 passengers, only two survived.  After beings washed ashore, 18-year-old Tom Pearce climbed up out of the gorge (an undeniable miracle but a feat impossible today due to erosion) to alarm local pastoralists.

Our final stop before heading back home is the Gibson Steps, named for, well, its steps, which you can see if you click closely enough.

So that’s it! Thanks for taking the tour with me!  Excuses for the abrupt ending; my internet's quite slow and this took about 12 hours to upload (coincidentally the same length of the tour!). Now, the glorious three-hour ride home (or click that red X in corner).

Last Queen Victoria Market

A few friends and I went to the last Queen Victoria night market.  Last time, I had a kangaroo burger. This time I had:

An emu burger. It tasted like chicken, which kind of makes sense considering its origins. I liked it better than the kangaroo burger.

Seafood Paella (paella de marisco). I think this, along with the "Korean" potato twists, were the MVPs of the night market.

Sangria. Red wine, fruit, and brandy.  Since I didn't buy it (someone didn't want it and handed it to me), it was worth trying out. I don't know what these were supposed to taste like since I've never had one, but I'm glad I didn't spend money on it.

Dutch pancakes. They're pretty much fat mini pancakes slathered in butter, drizzled with chocolate and sprinkled with (or rather buried under) powdered sugar.

If I die soon, you'll know that it was these things that killed me. But what a way to go.

The Quickest Update:

I crave Girl Scout cookies.

...I'll update again soon.