Encounters with Steroid-Enhanced Creatures

Last night CJ and I returned from a soccer game (Gold Coast v. Melbourne) that my roommate Nahall took us to. When we walked in, CJ found a HUGE spider on the wall of my dining room- easily the biggest one I've ever seen. While I was freaking out about the child-size tarantula from 5 meters across the room, CJ destroyed it with a plastic bag (the weapon of choice for big, manly heroes like himself). After that ordeal, the two of us started our long walk toward CJ's place to watch a movie. Just as we turned the corner onto the main road, an enormous bat with a 4 ft wingspan flies straight at us before swooping up into a tree. Bats here are like pterodactyl bats- think I could probably ride one. As if that wasn't enough interaction with nature for one night, a monster rat almost ran over my foot as it crossed over the bridge to CJ's apartment.

WHY is every creature I'm afraid of 10x its regular size in Australia?!

 

On a more positive note, the other night we went with friends to "Natural Bridge," which is up in the mountains and deeply embedded in the rainforest -- about an hour drive from Bond. We arrived to the famous national park which holds the Natural Bridge long after sundown, so it was quite an adventure navigating through the trails in pitch black. After weaving through the rainforest, we found ourselves standing beneath the park's most valuable attraction: a natural stone bridge -- the home of the GLOW worms. From within this dark space, we saw the inside of a waterfall that pours over one side of the bridge. The tiny glow worms live in the stone and are visible only in the dark... they're actually insect larvae and momma insects in larvae-form. They look like neon green constellations -- so pretty!