On Monday we left Cairns and headed up to Port Douglas, about 100 km up the coast. Within the first 5 minutes here, we discovered we had waisted our time in Cairns and should have just come directly to Port Douglas! For the same price as our tiny room down in Cairns, we have a full 1-bedroom suite with a jacuzzi tub, full kitchen, and outdoor dining set at the Hibiscus Garden Resort. We're two blocks from the city center one way and Four Mile Beach the other.
Tuesday was our second day out on the Great Barrier Reef. This time we took a high-speed catamaran out to the outer reef about 40 km off the coast. The boat took us to three different sites along the reef for variety. At the second site, I went for an introductory scuba dive which was quite a thrill! We moved the trip up a day just so I could do this without having to worry about leaving 24 hours before flying. It took a little getting used to pressure down around 8m depth, but the scenery quickly made me forget. We spent about 30 minutes down there exploring giant clams and watching stingrays. The rest of the day was spent snorkeling with Christina around the reef.
Today we had our second truly lazy day of the trip. We "hired" (rented) a tandem bicycle and rode it down to a wildlife sanctuary about 6 km away. It was a very open zoo (no cages or fences) and we again were able to feed kangaroos and wallabies. There were also freshwater and saltwater crocks, but luckily those were in cages! We biked back right on 4 Mile Beach back to Port Douglas.
The great thing about having our own kitchen is we get to enjoy Christina's cooking again! We've stopped a a local seafood store everyday and gotten everything ranging from fresh prawns and mahi mahi to the local specialty, barramundi. We've had all sorts of great meals the last few days and saved a lot on eating out!
Tomorrow we're heading back down to Sydney for our last four days of the trip. We really don't want to leave the tropical paradise up here, but are looking forward to our urban adventures. Just wish time would slow down...
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 25, 2008
From a different perspective...
First of all, I would like to make it known that yesterday was not the most thrilling of all our tours, but the most terrifying. I nearly died multiple times! I don't think either of us realized how "exciting" the rafting trip was going to be. If we had, I don't think I would have let him sign me up.
Second, it must be made known that the tour company has a video of all the "spectacular" boat crashes and flips, and also the top 100 ways people can fall out of a boat. Dave's fall certainly won't make the video (he just kind of slid out) but I almost made the video a half a dozen times.
Now you must excuse me while I attempt to get the water out of my ears.
Christina
Second, it must be made known that the tour company has a video of all the "spectacular" boat crashes and flips, and also the top 100 ways people can fall out of a boat. Dave's fall certainly won't make the video (he just kind of slid out) but I almost made the video a half a dozen times.
Now you must excuse me while I attempt to get the water out of my ears.
Christina
Whitewater Rafting!
Yesterday was the most thrilling part of the trip so far! We were picked up at the hotel at 6:30 am and whisked off to the town of Tulley about 150 km south of here. After being fitted with wetsuits and helmets, we headed up to the Tully River for a day of whitewater rafting. Having been rafting before, we expected to spend the day lazily floating down the river with intermittent rapids to stir things up a bit. It turned out to be quite the opposite! We spent most of the day in class 3 and 4 rapids with intermittent areas of calm water.
From the very start, we were getting tossed about in the rapids. Our boat had 6 Americans and two Aussie guides. We should have known this was a different kind of rafting when they made us jump out of the boat and practice rescue techniques! By the end of the day, at least two of the five boats had flipped and a good number of tourists got tossed out of the boat, myself included. I made it all the way until the last class four rapid of the day and then fell out when our guide tried to intentionally flip the boat. Luckily it was toward the end of the rapid and I just floated down to the next calm pool.
When we weren't rafting, we stopped by the side of the river for rock jumping. I even got Christina to jump off a 30 foot cliff! They also had us get in the water and float down some of the rapids on our back. The worst part for Christina was when they had us all sit at the front of the boat and go over a waterfall to knock us all out. Somewhere in the chaos, I apparently pushed her under the boat and she had to fight to get back up.
In the end, I had a fantastic day. I can't say the same for Christina, but at least she's still speaking to me. I don't know if I'll ever get her back on a whitewater trip though!
From the very start, we were getting tossed about in the rapids. Our boat had 6 Americans and two Aussie guides. We should have known this was a different kind of rafting when they made us jump out of the boat and practice rescue techniques! By the end of the day, at least two of the five boats had flipped and a good number of tourists got tossed out of the boat, myself included. I made it all the way until the last class four rapid of the day and then fell out when our guide tried to intentionally flip the boat. Luckily it was toward the end of the rapid and I just floated down to the next calm pool.
When we weren't rafting, we stopped by the side of the river for rock jumping. I even got Christina to jump off a 30 foot cliff! They also had us get in the water and float down some of the rapids on our back. The worst part for Christina was when they had us all sit at the front of the boat and go over a waterfall to knock us all out. Somewhere in the chaos, I apparently pushed her under the boat and she had to fight to get back up.
In the end, I had a fantastic day. I can't say the same for Christina, but at least she's still speaking to me. I don't know if I'll ever get her back on a whitewater trip though!
Up to the Rainforest
The hotel finally figured out that we were getting free internet and cut us off. Hence the no posting for a couple days. We found a great internet cafe in town though...
On Saturday, we headed up to the Kuranda Rainforest. The bus dropped us off at the Freshwater train station about 20 km from town and we boarded the "historic" Kuranda Railway. It was a very scenic trip from the coastal lowlands around Cairns up to the heart of the rainforest in Kuranda. At the top, the city of Kuranda is a textbook definition of "tourist trap". There were shops touting all sorts of boomerangs and Australian souvenirs...all made in China of course! We did manage to find some authentic Australian items mixed in with the bunch. The neatest part of the day was our visit to the Koala Sanctuary. They have a rescue operation for Koalas and for a little extra money, you can get your picture takes cuddling with them. Christina and I both did it and took a great picture that will probably end up on our Christmas card :-).
After a few hours shopping and hiking around the rainforest, we boarded the Kuranda Skyrail to get back to Cairns. Think of a skiing gondola and suspend it 125 feet above the rainforest and that pretty much describes the skyrail. There were two stops along the way. One at the overlook to Barron Falls, which was not very impressive due to the low water levels. The second stop was in the middle of the rainforest for more hiking. Eventually we ended up back down in the Cairns Lowlands and got on the bus back to town.
On Saturday, we headed up to the Kuranda Rainforest. The bus dropped us off at the Freshwater train station about 20 km from town and we boarded the "historic" Kuranda Railway. It was a very scenic trip from the coastal lowlands around Cairns up to the heart of the rainforest in Kuranda. At the top, the city of Kuranda is a textbook definition of "tourist trap". There were shops touting all sorts of boomerangs and Australian souvenirs...all made in China of course! We did manage to find some authentic Australian items mixed in with the bunch. The neatest part of the day was our visit to the Koala Sanctuary. They have a rescue operation for Koalas and for a little extra money, you can get your picture takes cuddling with them. Christina and I both did it and took a great picture that will probably end up on our Christmas card :-).
After a few hours shopping and hiking around the rainforest, we boarded the Kuranda Skyrail to get back to Cairns. Think of a skiing gondola and suspend it 125 feet above the rainforest and that pretty much describes the skyrail. There were two stops along the way. One at the overlook to Barron Falls, which was not very impressive due to the low water levels. The second stop was in the middle of the rainforest for more hiking. Eventually we ended up back down in the Cairns Lowlands and got on the bus back to town.
Friday, May 23, 2008
A Day at the Beach
The rain stuck around this morning, so we decided to have a somewhat lazy day. Christina found what turned out to be the largest farmers market in Queensland and we spent a couple hours wondering the booths and getting fresh veggies. We will have a full kitchen at our next hotel in Port Douglas, so she was stocking up for cooking dinners. We found all sorts of interesting things like banana leaf fruit (think artichoke about 4 times the size!).
After the market, we found a bus to take us to a beach about 10 miles North of Cairns. We're still getting used to the roads being backwards...especially confusing when every intersection is a roundabout. We ended up at a lovely stretch called "Trinity Beach" and stayed for a couple hours reading our books. The weather never completely cleared, but the rain stopped and it was quite pleasant. We found a little burger shack and discovered another quirk about Australia. Instead of french fries, everything is "chips" and apparently nobody down here uses ketchup. The closest we could find was "tomato sauce" and it was 10 cents a packet! We figured out it's a clever way to tax Americans :-).
We're just going to have a lazy evening tonight and get ready for our adventure tomorrow. We're taking a train up to the Karunda Rainforest to cuddle with koalas and visit an Aboriginal park...
After the market, we found a bus to take us to a beach about 10 miles North of Cairns. We're still getting used to the roads being backwards...especially confusing when every intersection is a roundabout. We ended up at a lovely stretch called "Trinity Beach" and stayed for a couple hours reading our books. The weather never completely cleared, but the rain stopped and it was quite pleasant. We found a little burger shack and discovered another quirk about Australia. Instead of french fries, everything is "chips" and apparently nobody down here uses ketchup. The closest we could find was "tomato sauce" and it was 10 cents a packet! We figured out it's a clever way to tax Americans :-).
We're just going to have a lazy evening tonight and get ready for our adventure tomorrow. We're taking a train up to the Karunda Rainforest to cuddle with koalas and visit an Aboriginal park...
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Great Barrier Reef Part I
We just returned frou our first trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. We boarded our boat early this morning and headed out to Michaelmas Cay, about 2 hours from Cairns. We couldn't believe how many boats head out to the reef every single day. There must have been more than a hundred vessels ranging from small sailboads to massive catamarans holding over 400 people. We chose a medium-sized cat with about 60 people. Michaelmas Cay is an Australian National Park and designated wildlife refuge for nesting birds. The island was stunning shite sand and beautiful turquoise water (it really did look like the marketing picutres on their website). Our boad dropped anchor offshore and shuttled us to the beach. From there, we were able to snorkel out over the reef. The water was somewhat colder than we expected (compared to the Carribean at least), but we were mostly comfortable without wetsuits. It wasn't bad until we got out of the water and into the wind!
We saw some amazing fish and coral that is impossible to describe in writing. You'll just have to wait for the pictures :-). We had fun with the underwater case we baught for our digital camera. We got some great pictures swimming next to a sea turtle. After lunch, we boarded a semi-submersable boat that took us on a guided tour of the reef. We arrived back in Cairns just in time for dinner and sorbet.
We saw some amazing fish and coral that is impossible to describe in writing. You'll just have to wait for the pictures :-). We had fun with the underwater case we baught for our digital camera. We got some great pictures swimming next to a sea turtle. After lunch, we boarded a semi-submersable boat that took us on a guided tour of the reef. We arrived back in Cairns just in time for dinner and sorbet.
Impressions of Cairns
We've now been in Cairns for 2 nights and have been very busy. Our hotel is about 2 blocks from the Esplanade along the waterfront. There is no real beach here, but a nice park that runs along the water. All the nice beaches are apparently North of here, where we're headed in a few days. Cairns itself is a funny city. There are so many tourists here that it hardly feels like we're in Australia! The biggest giveaway is the cars on the wrong side of the road and the local accents. We've also been learning the local lingo. You don't "rent" anything here, you "hire" it. So we may hire some bicycles later :-).
The restaurants all have menus in English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish. And that's just a sampling of the languages you hear around town! The food along the main drag seems ridiculously expensive, but we've found some good local restaurants that are more reasonable and have great food. We went to a nice restaurant last night and I had Kangaroo, Crocodile, and Emu meat. Those are definitely a first for me! They were all good, but the Kangaroo was the best of the three. Christina had a platter of seafood ranging from clams to lobster and crab. We've made it a habit to stop by a local sorbet shop and try a different flavor every night. So far we've had PawPaw and Passionfruit.
So far our only sign of jetlag has been a wave of narcalepsy sweeping over us around 8:00 every night. We're trying to work our way up to 10 so we won't fall asleep on some of our evening tours!
The restaurants all have menus in English, French, German, Japanese, Chinese, and Spanish. And that's just a sampling of the languages you hear around town! The food along the main drag seems ridiculously expensive, but we've found some good local restaurants that are more reasonable and have great food. We went to a nice restaurant last night and I had Kangaroo, Crocodile, and Emu meat. Those are definitely a first for me! They were all good, but the Kangaroo was the best of the three. Christina had a platter of seafood ranging from clams to lobster and crab. We've made it a habit to stop by a local sorbet shop and try a different flavor every night. So far we've had PawPaw and Passionfruit.
So far our only sign of jetlag has been a wave of narcalepsy sweeping over us around 8:00 every night. We're trying to work our way up to 10 so we won't fall asleep on some of our evening tours!
Flights to Australia
We have finally arrived here in Cairns, Australia for the beginning of our 2 week adventure Down Under. Our car broke down two hours before we were supposed to takeoff from Tucson, requiring an emergency battery replacement. We got to the airport about 45 minutes before our flight but had just enough time to get through security and on to the plane.
Our flights down here were not nearly as bad as we expected. After a short jaunt from Tucson to LAX, we spent 5 hours in LA before boarding our flight to Sydney. We were in the very last row of the Qantas 747-400 (row 75!). It turned out that we couldn't have found any better seats! Being the last row, we had extra storage below below our seats, leaving all the space in front of us for legroom. There was also a large exit door next to us, leaving plenty of room to get up and stretch at anytime. We were very impressed with Qantas! Even in coach, we had personal TVs with a selection of 60 movies and 200 TV shows. Both hot meals were delicious and there were snacks whenever we wanted them. It will sure make it hard to go back to the US airlines! We had a brief layover in Sydney before boarding our flight to Cairns. We were dreading this last segment after our trans-Pacific flight, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable. We were on a large 767-300 with about 100 of the 250 seats filled. Whenever we got bored, we just changed seats for a different perspective. After 29 hours of travel covering 9300 miles, we finally arrived in Cairns. We were shocked that customs only took a couple minutes and they didn't even quarantine our peanuts! A driver was waiting at the airport to whisk us off to The Hotel Cairns. Now it's off to explore the city...
Our flights down here were not nearly as bad as we expected. After a short jaunt from Tucson to LAX, we spent 5 hours in LA before boarding our flight to Sydney. We were in the very last row of the Qantas 747-400 (row 75!). It turned out that we couldn't have found any better seats! Being the last row, we had extra storage below below our seats, leaving all the space in front of us for legroom. There was also a large exit door next to us, leaving plenty of room to get up and stretch at anytime. We were very impressed with Qantas! Even in coach, we had personal TVs with a selection of 60 movies and 200 TV shows. Both hot meals were delicious and there were snacks whenever we wanted them. It will sure make it hard to go back to the US airlines! We had a brief layover in Sydney before boarding our flight to Cairns. We were dreading this last segment after our trans-Pacific flight, but it turned out to be quite enjoyable. We were on a large 767-300 with about 100 of the 250 seats filled. Whenever we got bored, we just changed seats for a different perspective. After 29 hours of travel covering 9300 miles, we finally arrived in Cairns. We were shocked that customs only took a couple minutes and they didn't even quarantine our peanuts! A driver was waiting at the airport to whisk us off to The Hotel Cairns. Now it's off to explore the city...
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