Raging thunder adventure

---

Sunday was the first day of the adventure and it was free to look around Cairns, I took the opportunity to get myself food for the next week and a half, having made a small meal plan to make shopping easier. I also met my room mates and went around a bit of Cairns with them before heading back to sort out my clothes for the next day.

White water rafting on the Tully river, these are grade 4 rapids, with the grading system only going to 6 which are generally deadly. It took 2 he's to get to the pub, where we had breakfast, and the extreme rafters left. On the next leg of the journey (about 45min) we were given numbers which corresponded with the rest we would be using for the rest of the day, I was given the number 1. Once off the bus we started to get ready for rafting, we all took off or tops and put on thermal yellow tops which were very warm! And them put on the very stylish life jackets, with helmets! We grabbed our paddles and headed to the boats. (for those of you concerned, we had a safety briefing on the bus which explains how to use life jackets and helmets and paddles and the correct way to travel down rapids if not in a boat). We got into the boat and then spent a few minutes learning how to paddle and what directions we would get and how to respond. For example get down, means get down to the bottom of the boat with the paddle in the air. Get left, means everybody on the left side of the boat.... Generaly pretty easy to understand. We headed down the first rapids, called alarm clock, and then down the second, one of the girls fell out, we stopped in the calm section and saved her, before we all jumped out and headed down some low grade rapids without the boat, to prove we knew what to do! Once back in the boat the journey continued, and at one point the guide tried to tip the boat, he failed and not one of us fell out :-P
On the same rapid, every other boat tipped or people feel out and we helped rescue a few people, one we had to transfer back to their boat mid river (on a calm bit). We stopped for lunch after 4km, it was a traditional BBQ not dampened by the drizzly train we had all day, (which was actually warm...But did make it feel a bit like England). After lunch we continued on a further 8km with much more paddling and bigger rapids, which didn't make lunch feel like a good idea! We were offered the opportunity to jump off a big rock into the river, not wearing glasses or contacts I squinted ahead and spotted the rock, it wasn't too big and I agreed to do the jump. As we pulled up to the rock I realised I hadn't spotted the rock, and it was huge! But I had already committed myself to the jump, so I hopped out the boat climbed the 4.5m high rock and jumped into the river below, whilst thinking what the hell have I got myself into.. Our raft finished first :-D and we quickly carried it up to the trailer waiting to take it back. And got into some dry clothes before heading back to the pub to view the pictures from the day. The other 5 people in the boat had been one family and wanted the pictures, because they bought them I got mine for $10 saving me $90 I offered to pay more but they insisted I take the big saving. Which was a wonderful surprise and very generous of them :-)
As they dropped us back at our hostels I was the last dropped off, in a huge coach, which made me laugh :-D

Tuesday was sea kayaking, do I headed down to the reef fleet terminal on the 7am bus, checked in to the Fitzroy ferry, who have me a white wristband, meaning I could hire any equipment for no extra cost. Once we finished the 45min transfer right the island we had a quick wander, but we had to meet 15min after landing for the briefing for the sea kayaking. It was similar to that of the white water rafting with arm signals for I'm OK, help I'm drowning, stop, go, gather round. The life jackets were also that same and the paddles. We quickly set off and the first boat capsized within minutes.The instructor quickly helped them back into the boat before we set off. I was in a boat with a girl who found the paddling a bit hard, she was lovely but I did a fair amount of padling on my own. At the first meet point we were last and over shot so reverses neatly to meet the others. The instructor wad laughing, most people struggle with going backwards yet we seemed to find it easier than going forwards! The weather was against us as we continued towards little Fitzroy, the wind almost forcing us back, and again our little boat was last to meet with the others waiting a while for us, so the instructor said we could swap with the guy in the front of his boat, so I did (I was stearing and found that it made paddling even more hard) after a quick swap in the middle of the sea we continued around the island and further into the wind, it even began spitting as we got further around. Little Fitzroy was in sight but we knew we couldn't battle the weather any longer and turned round to head back, we found a nice cove to snorkel in but the tide being low and the winds high it was a battle to not end up impaled on the reef, we quickly decided to kayak back to the beach but for lunch.
After lunch we hired some paddle boards and tried to get the hang of them. I managed to stand, even paddle, although my combined standing times were about 1min I spent a fair amount of time swimming back to the board and trying to find the paddle. After handing the boards back we tried out the sea trampoline, which was sagging a bit in the middle and had seen better days, most people were using it as a dive/jumping platform, which we followed suit and jumped in before heading back to the beach, I changed into dry clothes before getting the ferry back.

I got up at 3.30am for a 4am pick up, I had packed breakfast and lunch into my bag the night before and thankfully my little travel pillow from aunty Penny. I napped on the bus for the 2hrs to our destination, where we waited to hear about a lanch site. Today was got air ballooning, I was doing my best to not think about it. After each talk I slipped back into napping, until at 6.45 I was awake. I put the pillow away and looked around me, I had no idea where I was, but I could hear over the radio that there was still too much wind. A further 1.5hrs passed with similar messages on the radio, until they broke the news, the gap for a balloon flight had passed, it was to windy. I want sure if I was relived or sad. They offered to rebook, but the weather was due to get worse on the only days I had free so I declined.
I was dropped off in kurunda along with 2 others. Kurunda was not awake, no where was open apart from one very expensive cafe. I ordered a juice and tukked into my packed breakfast! We wandered around the closed town before heading to koala land. We still had to wait 15min for it to open. Once inside we fed wallabies and kangaroos, before being able to hold a koala bear :-D
We continued to wander around the markets in the town which were now opening! Then the 2 girls had to get the skyrail as they had to be back earlier than I did. I wandered a bit more around town getting a hair braid and a Croc skin bracelet before having lunch on a bench. I decided to have an ice cream for pudding and then headed to the skyrail. After getting my ticket I waited in line, the man in charge of people getting into the skyrail asked if there was a 2 in the queue, I said I was a 1 and he told me to jump to the front and hop onto the skyrail, everyone parted and I headed onto the skyrail. I was in a carriage with a family who helped keep my fear under control and talked to me when the carriage stopped or when the wind was too high. I got off at the first stop and wandered around the walk way to the view points. They were spectacular. I headed back and joined the que. Everyone in front of me got into a carriage and I realise I was going to be on my own for the next leg! I sat in the middle and concentrated on taking pictures, trying to ignore the howling wind or the sway of the carriage. And was exceptionaly relived when the next stop came into view! I ran out the carriage and down onto the walk way and then calmed myself down as I walked through the rain forest. I got myself ready and headed back into the skyrail, once again on my own. The final decent was huge and the rain forest canopy fell away from the carriage making the wind worse and the carriage swayed horrendously. Then at the bottom they made me wait to take a picture.. Finally free I waited for the bus back to my hostel.

Thursday was passions of paradise, a sailing boat that takes you out to the reef for snorkeling and scuba diving. I was informed that I wasnt allowed to scuba due to my asthma so I went on the glass bottomed boat tour, then snorkeling. The reef was amazing and the photos don't do it justice. There were 2 snorkeling locations both of which were wonderful and the sea was less rough making the experience much more enjoyable than last time. We then sailed back to Cairns.

---