A Semester Down Unda': Highlands Tour

'ello again! it is offically 2 months today (monday) that i have been in this fabulous place..the time is literally flying and i have no idea where it is going! i have around 3 months left but i dont want to think of the time but rather enjoy every minute that i get here. the past week has consisted of going to class, laying by the pool, eating dinner, and watching movies--cant say its been a bad week! this past weekend a group of us went to the highlands and had an all day adventure through a variety of places. starting off we went to a lake that used to be an old volcano and had a nice morning swim. i swam across the whole thing and felt better that i was finally able to actually swim in open water! the rest of the group was awe-struck that i swam across and back in 20 min but it was literally like a warm up set for what i am used to at practice ha. after that we went to see a "fig tree". this is a slow moving tree that strangles other trees as it grows moving slowly across the rainforest--truely a sight to see. we then went to a pub for lunch and made our way to a volcanic crater. i kinda saw it as a cliff that had nasty murkey water at the bottom of it but it was the remains of a crater in a massive explosion cause by a volcanic eruption. it was 60 meters deep which is about 196 feet. we took a little trek into the forest along a path and then came up to the sight. we were throwing rocks down and seeing them fall into the water, now i realize this sounds pretty elementary and boring but it was really neat--i guess you had to be there to understand it ha. after that we went to a lookout on top of the moutain and it was truely breathtaking we got to overlook the southern region of the atherton tablelands (now i have no idea where this actually is or where i was but it was BEAUTIFUL!) see pictures below for a slight indication of what i was witnessing. the lookout led us to this fresh water waterfall that of course mermaid me had to jump in and swim under and climb to the highest rock-->so worth it! the last place journeyed to was the Babinda Boulders which are massive granite boulders with a swimming hole and a picturesque path through the rainforest. this part reminded me of back home as it was kinda a lake setting with lilly pads and gross stuff on top of the water unlike the beaches and oceans i have been seeing daily. overall it was a wonderful trip that had a lot of informative information and images i will never forget. that was pretty much the summary of the last week. this weekend is easter weekend and we have friday and monday off so a couple of us are planning a trip or a couple adventures to get out and see the sights offered here!
the weather is finally nice with no more rain, no humidity, and nothing but pure sunshine and a cool breeze! for this i have been outside pretty much everyday and trying to see has much as possible. i cant believe it is april already and time is just slipping by! hope all is well back home :)