Australia

I can’t imagine the year getting off to a better start than it has so far. Pokerwise, I cashed the PCA Main Event, then went back to the U.K. for the UKIPT Edinburgh where I ended up coming in second. After that, a bunch of my friends were travelling down to Australia for the Aussie Millions. My good run continued in Melbourne with some decent cashes, including the Aussie Millions Main Event.

Lifewise, I’ve had one of the best experiences I can remember. One of my close friends and I decided to explore the East coast after the Aussie Millions, and wow, did I fall in love with that country. It was a true escape: no internet, no television, no connection to the outside world for two weeks – something that I sorely miss. Our itinerary was very loose and taking travel advice from whatever fellow wanderers whose paths happened to cross. We hung out with hippies and surfers in Byron Bay, scuba dived for the first time and sailed around the Whitsunday Islands off the coast of Queensland.

Our final stop was Cairns, in Queensland. My favorite place on the entire trip was a spot just north of there called Cape Tribulation. It’s barely a town, more like a collection of huts, right in the middle of the Daintree rainforest. It’s so wild and beautiful and very inaccessible. It feels like humans have attempted to settle this area for centuries but were never successful. It’s oppressively hot and sticky and there are signs everywhere warning of salt water crocodiles… not ideal when you just want to lie and sunbathe on the beach!

The locals were constantly telling stories like, “Two weeks ago someone’s dog got taken” to “A few months ago someone’s child got taken, so stay away from the rivers!” Experiencing the untouched rainforest for myself was incredible and I really hope it stays that way. It’s a wild place full of strange and wonderful animals that’s more beautiful than you can imagine. If you have any sort of arachnophobia that you wish to cure, I would also recommend going there. You will get so accustomed to walking into golden orb nets (and therefore, the spider) which span gaps between trees that any phobia will evaporate once you get home to normal sized creatures. Take a look at the below!

In short, the journey has made me appreciate and confirm even more the thing that I love the most. It’s being utterly in the moment, with someone you cherish, away from civilization and its distractions and just feeling nature. I’m so grateful to have been able to experience it so fully.