Cairns

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We arrived in Cairns in the evening and it was clear to see that this was a party town as even at 8pm there were people stumbling in the street. We had booked to stay at Gilligan's hostel which titles itself as the 'Ultimate Backpacker Experience.' It was a very nice hostel with everything a traveler could want nice rooms, a pool, big kitchens, loads of computers and of course a great bar/nightclub attached to the hostel. Our first evening in Cairns was the England vs Germany game so we had no time to waste and so after a quick shower we found ourselves prime seats in preparation for the game. By the time the matched started there was a huge selection of Germans standing at the front as against stereotype they had not turned up early to get the seats and the English mostly seated in the back. It made for a great atmosphere with each group tense with excitement and even the standard three Englishmen with their chests painted with the St George's flag. In many ways the great atmosphere before the game helped to make all the English even more depressed when the goals started going in.

The next day was our first where we had nothing booked to do so it was nice just to lie and have a recharge day as Cairns was definitely going to be tiring. So I chose to enjoy the sun and read my book while the girls went to watch Sex and the City.

After the inevitable night out the next day Caz and I headed off to visit the Great Barrier Reef. It was a big difference from all my previous diving experience as there was well over a hundred people on the boat which made for a bit of pandemonium when you tried to get your gear ready and get into the water. However once we were under the sea the usual calmness was found and I was able to enjoy some beautiful coral which is the real highlight of the area as the rest of the sea life is nothing to shout about. In many ways the diving is not necessary as most of the best coral is no more than 4 metres down and so you can see pretty the same views whilst snorkeling as diving. After a fantastic lunch the crew attracted some Great Trevally's to the boat by throwing them the left over prawns. They are incredible fish as they look like small sharks and are amazingly fast it was definitely the coolest fish I had swam next to. In the afternoon I went for another dive and Caz was even persuaded to try it and she loved it so another diving addict was born!

Our action packed time in Cairns continued as the next day we set off with our Irish friends Paddy and Shane to visit Cape Tribulation which is a rain forest north of Cairns. It is the oldest continuous rain forest as it is around 140 million years old. After a 2 hour drive made hilarious by our awesome driver who seemed to have a great story every ten minutes about the surrounding area. We arrived just south of the rain forest to go on a crocodile safari. Having never seen a crocodile before I was pretty excited to see these terrifying animals. The first beast we came past was called Scarface so named after he was scarred badly following a 3 week battle a few years ago when he won his territory. He was a massive 4 metres. Thinking after the stories of his previous battles we presumed he was the king of the the river until the guide showed us Fat Albert who at 6 metres is an absolute monster controlling a huge area over the river as his personal territory. Beyond these two crocs we also were able to see a baby croc who apparently only has a 1 in 1000 chance of making it to adulthood and a 1 year old who was around a metre in length and was hiding in the bushes as his defence mechanism.

After the crocodile safari we headed into the rain forest through a dirt track that wound through the forest. The rain forest is home to many animals unique to this area but most famously the Cassowary which is the third tallest and second heaviest bird in the world. It is very endangered so the locals are very protective of it especially as it is the symbol of the local area. You are very lucky to see one and unfortunately our luck was not in on this trip. We arrived at our hostel for the night expecting to have some other activities organised as we had paid $180 dollars to go there but the hostel was pretty budget and if we wanted to do anything there it would cost an arm and a leg. We decided to do some sea kayaking as this was the most energetic activity and also the cheapest!

With an early night under out belts we set off to do the kayaking our guide was a typical local who seemed like he had spent his whole life living in the rain forest as a result was a bit spaced out at times. The kayaking was Caz and I in one boat and Shane and Paddy in the other and as I had sea kayaked in Vietnam I thought I was an old hand and promised Caz we would not capsize. It all started well with a nice stroll round the bay then we decided to go round the headland which the guide said would get a little rough - it did a lot. Within a few minutes of clearing the nice secluded bay the sea became very rough and we capsized very quickly - Caz was not impressed and then to make matters worse it was near on impossible to get both of us back in the boat with the waves as they were. It was a bit of a disaster and we were both happy to return to the bay for a gentle paddle. We were lucky enough to see a turtle very briefly as he stuck his head above water. After the Kayak our guide treated the boys to the joy of smashing some coconuts with a machete whilst Caz enjoyed a shower with fresh coconut milk. After the kayaking we headed back to Cairns stopping off to visit Port Douglas which was a nice upmarket town for the affluent crowd but as result not much for us travelers to do but look into the shops and restaurants at things we cannot afford!

We headed out that night for our last night with our Irish friends it was a great night and good way to send of the guys. The next day Caz and I headed to Fitzroy island having no idea what it was or what we could do that and we both felt pretty flat as our best friends from the trip had left. Fitzroy island turned out to be rubbish as there was nothing to do other than snorkel but as we did not have the gear that was a bust. However the return ferry was not till four and due to it raining all day we sat in the very overpriced cafe doing nothing for 8 hours definitely the most boring day of my travels so far!

The next day Caz left to go to Asia which meant after nearly 5 months of travelling I was for the first time on my own scary times. The next day I went on another diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef but this time to much further north on the reef. The coral was again very good dive but much like before the dives were a little overcrowded which I found would spoil my dive as I was constantly having to stop and start or avoid people this also I found led to my air running out much quicker than usual. My general opinion of diving the reef is that it is great to say you have done it but you don't see much more than you would if you were snorkeling.

The next day I said goodbye to Cairns after 10 days of great adventures and lots of crazy partying next stop Darwin.

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Photos

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Great Trevaly

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Scarface

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Fat Albert