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Published: April 22nd 2009
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Cairns- wildlife center
this is a cassowary- they are part of the endangered species So this was an amazing trip. The journey began on Holy Thursday when I flew into Cairns late that evening. When I arrived at my hostel it looked really nice. They had a bar and kitchen where you could order food. When I got to my room it was a different story. The other 5 girls living in it had there stuff everywhere and didn't turn the fan or air con on?!?! After it cooled down it became a little more livable. The next morning began bright and early at when I got picked up for my tour to cape tribilation which was in the rainforest at 715am. The first stop we made was at a wildlife center where they had crocs, birds, koalas, and all types of wallabees and kangaroos. It was a really great park and a good way to start the day. The next stop we made was at the beginning of the rainforest when we stopped to take a quick hike to see some of the water and tress in the area. After this we went to this amazing hotel to have some lunch. The hotel was surrounded by the rainforest and was beautiful. It reminded me
of something you see on tv but never get to visit. It was all open with the breeze coming through the trees off the water into the open dining area. Right outside the dining area was the swimming pool that was surrounded by trees. There was also a small path that led to the beach. The actual places/huts that you stayed in where across the street and I didn't get to see what they looked like but I'm sure they were amazing. From there we went to another hike throught the rainforest that was really different but interesting. The last stop we had was on a river boat to look for crocodiles. This seemed really exciting but its not the season where they are out and about. The water is still to warm so we only saw a few small ones. That was the last stop for the day before we returned back for which I had a bite to eat in town and went to bed. I thought about going out but in Australia the bars have to have a special licence to be open on Good Friday which most don't. I think its kind of weird that you
can't have a drink in Australia on Good Friday without ordering a meal?
The rainforest was really nice. For most of themorning it actually did rain. So everything seemed fresh and more green which I think made the experience a bit more exciting.
Saturday was also an adventure. I was supposed to get picked up for my tour at 725am but somehow wasn't on the list so I didn't get picked up until closer to 8. Today I was going snorkeling and possibly SCUBA diving in the Great Barrier Reef. When i got to the boat I didn't know what to expect but it was great. I ended up taking a seat with a bunch of Americans. One couple was from northern CA and were just on a 2 week holiday. I might end up seeing them next week when they come down to Melbourne. There was another 2 that were studying in Brisbane and just on a holiday. One was from Wisconsin and the other CA. We all ended up having fun on the trip together...but back to the trip. When we got on I wanted to do a dive but when apparently in the state of Queensland if
you have asthma you can't dive. So I was out. So what I did was just snorkel. The first site we went to was ok. At first when we got in I was a little nervous because the water was muddy a bit and I didn't know what could be in there but the closer we got to the reef the clearer it became. The first spot though overall wasn't as good as the second except for 1 thing. When we were getting out of the water there was a huge fish about the size of Buster swimming around right where everyone was jumping in. The crew feeds him everyday so he continues to come back. It was amazing!!! You could "pet" him which i guess is just touching him haha. and you could swim right next to him. Ok well the second dive was way better. The water was clearer and the reef was bigger in this area. It was within touching reach and I accitdentally kicked the reef a few times with my flippers. We saw things such as sea cucumbers, big clams, and colorful fish. The coral wasn't as nice as I expected though. The water has
been warm lately and when it gets to warm the reef gets stressed and begins to lose its color. So it wasn't as bright as pictures show it to be.
The next morning I had an early flight into Darwin. Since I took so many pictures its easier to split this up into 2 blogs. So the trip to Darwin will continue in the next blog. Enjoy!!
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