Cairns

Scene from our tour bus.

 Cairns: Location: Queensland (Northern Australia) The gateway to tour companies. A land full of crocs and frankly, backwards people. But hey, life would be boring if everyone moved in the same direction. Before I get into our adventures, a note to my American readers. If you see the word "Cairns," resist your gut instinct to pronounce that 'r.' In Australia, 'r's don't exist. So yes, you end up saying "CANS" and wondering where the rest of the word went. But enough of that, onwards!

We arrived and checked in again to an 8 person room, which is what we actually paid for this time. There was a guy here already. His name is Fisher and he’s pretty nice, your typical Californian. And there was a girl from Ireland. I simply adore her accent. This place is definitely happening, with a bar across from the actual accommodation. Both are called Gilligan's. We have a balcony though, and the bathroom isn’t too shabby. The room itself is bigger and the hangout spots are nice. I really don’t mind it but it’s definitely not the quietest place to sleep. We ended up swinging by the Night Owl, a convenience store that's open 24/7, the next morning around 7 am before our Daintree tour to grab something cheap to eat for lunch later that day. I got a meat pie for 3 bucks, so there you have it.

Our tour guide shows up and his name is George and he’s an aboriginal. He was so knowledgeable about everything. The best tour guide I’ve ever had. Period. And such a sense of humor. The guy was wicked hilarious. And so we were off to the Daintree Rainforest. I was so psyched.  There were some Asians, Germans and other various Europeans on our trip. There was also a sweet older American couple. I think they were my favorite. (Not being biased, I swear.) We were in for a good time. 



The first thing we did was stop in at some walking trails that led down to a flowing stream with large rocks to lie out on. The rainforest rose above us, the wooden planks clanking under our feet. The website said to wear jeans, which is what I told Shayna after reading about all of the poisonous things that tend to lurk in rainforests. (Just about everything is poisonous.) Anyway, we get there and everyone is wearing shorts but George. He had jeans on. 



Mountain stream where we stopped to swim.

Anyway, since it was our first opportunity to get wet and we had suits on under our clothes, we simply shimmied out of our jeans and threw on thongs. I think Shayna was mad that I made her wear jeans. Oh well. Safety first. It was the most picturesque little spot to stop and chill. The water was pristine and the rocks perfect for sunbathing. Shayna and I were hopping from rock to rock, taking pictures. There was this rock I really wanted to get to, but it was tricky and the water looked to have a bit of a current. So I stretched for it, my foot slipped and for about five seconds I was caught in the river’s current completely helpless. 

It’s like that moment right before you catch yourself when you’re falling back in a chair. That little moment of fear that trickles down your spine and causes adrenaline to pulse through your limbs. My arms reach out and I clung to a boulder, realizing it was all over and I could stand again. Haha crisis averted. At most I would have floated a little further down and had to clamber up onto another rock. No big deal. 

Anyway, Shayna saw what I was doing before and thought for some odd reason that she could do it. Ten seconds later… AHHH JORDAN! It was a cry for help. A desperate moment. But then she found she could stand, in a spot right next to where I ended up. We laughed  and laughed at ourselves and how silly we were. When we finally dried off and headed back, George stopped us and pointed up into the trees. And just like that I saw a Diamondback Python. WHAT? George explained how they weren’t poisonous and only dropped out of trees to strangle their prey. Looking up from directly underneath the tree it was curled around, I wasn’t exactly comforted. 

We then piled back in and took off for the next spot. The whole first part of the day we were traveling on Alexandria, the name of one of the mountains; it lies just opposite of Cape Tribulation. We stopped in at this little cafe that had a great place to look out and see both mountains. George set up tea and coffee for us. It was delicious. Besides the veiw, the best part was the free Timtams. I got to talk to George a little more. I was so keen to learn more about the aboriginal people and the fact that he has so much history stored away in his head is amazing to me. I wish I could be one of those people. Unfortunately, I’m not. 

Anyway, he pointed out all sorts of Australian flora. Everything from orchids, to epiphytes, to pineapples, to palm trees and coconuts. He even picked some Mulberries that we could eat. They were so good. The red die stained my fingers and reflected the Australian sun. George then took us to Mossman Lookout. It was a great photo op. But I think the best part was knowing that the bit of ocean we were looking out onto was the exact spot where Steve Erwin died. It was humbling and extremely sad to know someone I watched as a kid had died so close to where I was standing. I had no idea he was in Cairns. The spot was also consequently where Fools Gold, with Matthew Mcconaughey and Kate Hudson, was filmed. Go figure. 

We then went for lunch on this quaint little beach where the rainforest me the white sand and beyond the signs warning of crocs, the turquoise water was bordered by mountains. It was beautiful. At the picnic table where everyone was grabbing the grub we could’ve paid 10 extra dollars for and didn’t, we saw a Goanna. It even caught George off guard, haha. He was huge and powerful. We decided to take our meat pies out to the beach and eat instead of stick with the lizard infested tables. Shayna and I flung off our shirts and shorts and walked into the water. It was so warm. I was a little timid at first, waiting for a croc to snag me. But then George told us that it was mating season for crocs, so they spent most of their time really deep in the water instead of surfacing. 

Anyway, I looked around and saw Australians out in the water. There was even one man with his baby. The water was so shallow and warm. It was like sitting in our own little Jacuzzi that had a tide. I just floated around, accustomed to the sun and water and scanned the water around me for dark ominous shapes. None ever showed up.  

 We then traveled to Mount Tribulation. George told us stories the whole way, pointing out things left and right. We got to hike through the trails in the rainforest where I saw so many of the species we’ve been learning about in Bio class. I saw the buttress roots, and stag-horn ferns, epiphtyes, creeping vines and heart shaped stinging plants. They were all there. And I even saw the green ants and ate one that bit my tongue before my teeth could crunch it. And yes, it did tasted like lemons, just like George and my zoologist Bio lecturer said they would. Oh, it was magical walking through those big trees, surrounded on all sides by green. I felt like I’ve been doing that a lot lately . But I could never tire of such a thing. At one point George went off the trail and pointed out something none of us could see. Showing us with his hand, he pointed out a huge spider that was black and gold. The Golden Orb Weaver. My god it was huge. Bigger than our writing spiders back home. 

Apparently, according to George, that was a small one. We weren’t in the right season for big spiders. Thank God. I kept waiting the whole time we were walking to see a cassowary, but alas, I never did. Oh well. I saw plenty of signs telling us not to run over them. They must’ve been invisible. 

We then got on a boat and went for a tour on the Daintree River. You have to realized this place is known as being a crocodile haunt. It's so familiar, in fact, that they name the crocs there. Everything from Scarface to Fat Albert. Apparently, a family that lives on the water who gives tours had two young sons. They used to take their kids swimming a little beyond the river even though everyone warned them not t.o This was a few years back, but the five year old and eleven year old were swimming while their dad was fixing something on the pier and the dog started barking like crazy. The croc heard the sound of the dog and decided to swim inland. It aimed for the dog and missed it just by the nape of its neck. The teeth marks could even been seen on its collar.

Because it missed, it now had its attention on the five year old who had been close to the dog. The croc dragged him under and back out to the river. They never found the boy, but after bagging and tagging all of the crocs to check DNA, they found the little boy's in the belly of a 4.5 m croc. That’s huge. 

So here we are, floating on that same river known to be the territory of at least 4 feisty crocs and all of their family. Lucky it wasn’t croc season, eh? We ended up spotting three. One was a baby, the other two rather small. We didn’t see Lizzy who was the mother of the babies, but something tells me she saw us. Frankly, I’m kind of glad. Crocs aren’t my thing. I think I’d rather face a shark. At least they take a clean bite. Crocs drag you under and thomp you around then chew on you a bit, even if you’re still alive. George kept telling us croc horror stories. 

Apparently, there was some sort of pool where all the Australian men who worked putting up fences all day would go after work. It was known for being safe. However, when a guy went missing, they found his truck parked next to the pool. And there was blood and his fingernails imprinted on a tree. Apparently, the croc had grabbed hold of him and he had latched onto a tree to try to keep from being dragged away. The croc was so strong the guys fingernails had been ripped out. Ew. They threw dynamite in the pool and a 4.5 m croc was found. He’d drifted in with the flood they’d previously had. The moral of the story? Don't go swimming in Cairns unless you can see the bottom!

We also saw a green snake in the tree above our little river boat. I was surprised at how well hid all of the Australian creatures were. Their camouflage is ridiculous. It makes me super glad I decided to do everything in Cairns with a tour guide. We then got out met George again and had coffee once again with some free biscuits (cookies.) The sun was on its way down so it was really nice. We then got back in and headed down the mountain to check out Port Douglas. It was a cute little town right on the water. My God, it was beautiful. I saw myself living there, watching the boats rock in the bay, content with the sun setting over the water every day. And I never even got out of the bus. Our last stop was another little look out over a bit of the gold coast. It was amazing as ever. 

We then piled in a final time, and listened to George’s final aboriginal stories. I have them documented on my iPod so I will probably type them up a little later. But they were so poignant, and made my heart throb. For the people who passed on these stories. For the people that knew of the spirit world but had maybe never visited it. 

I grabbed free food at the hostel that night because they wouldn’t take cards when I tried to buy one of their fancy 10 dollar meals. It was rice and chilly. Not even close to as good as dad’s. Oh well. It was free and that’s all that mattered. We ended up sitting right under the 'do not eat' sign (yay for being observant) and this big burly black bouncer (try saying that three times fast) lumbered over to us, wagged his finger like we doing something naughty and pointed at the sign. We took our plates, hung our heads and skedaddled. A simple, 'hey ladies, you can’t have food here' would have sufficed, but no... Oh, and this guy had on shades, too. It was freaking 9 PM. Real cool.

So we ended up sitting at these wooden tables surrounded by plasma screen featuring Michael Jackson when he was still black and actually had talent. It made for an interesting dinner. Then we headed out to the night markets that I’d seen as we passed by them on the bus. I’m getting really good with directions. It’s surprising me. It’s like I can really grasp city layouts as long as I’ve been shown the place on a map. Usually I like to keep maps of the places on my person. It’s the best protocol. It’s also good to have the numbers of your accommodations with you too, so they can guide you in if you get lost. Yup yup. Things you learn while traveling. 

I ended up picking up a cheap bracelet, so now I have bracelets form everywhere but Melbourne. Yay. I have so many souvenirs I don’t know what to do with them. When we got back in, we realized two more guys had moved in during the day. One of them was totally wasted. He bumbled around dancing, showing us the gargoyle move and talking crap the whole night. He even got into it with Shayna about the NFL. It was quite hilarious. The German girl was uber annoyed with him, but everyone else thought he was funny. We called him Skippy. He was from Sydney and we have no idea what his actual name is. His friend, who was Irish, was the one that kept him in line. It was hilarious. They left the following day so we didn’t have to put up with him for that long. He also gave me a free tent. I’m wondering if I’m going to be able to take it with me on the plane…. probably not. I will try anyway! Because Wilson’s Prom is calling my name. 

Anyway, I downloaded my pictures and called it a night. Today we did nothing but lay out by the city lagoon, which I knew how to get to because the Irish girl gave me directions when I asked and gave me her map. I got terribly sunburned because apparently I should have put sunscreen on in more places than my shoulders, chest and face. Go figure. It was 34 C and I fell asleep in the sun. Not exactly the best plan in the world. But it’s ok. I picked up some aloe vera and smeared it all over my body. I also picked up some sunscreen, so there you go. Twenty buck attributed to keeping my skin from burning up and flaking right off my body. 

Today is the Jewish holiday Ramada, so I told Shayna I would fast with her. I’ve never done anything like it before. But I’m drinking water. She didn’t. She’s very traditional but nonreligious. Anyway, I would like to say I did it for God. But I don’t see how he got anything out of it when I didn’t replace it by prayer or worship. Instead I dozed by a poolside and browsed shops for souvenirs and spent 45 dollars on an underwater camera. So there you go. I will talk to Him about it, and when the time is right in my spiritual life, maybe I will fast again and replace food with spiritual food. Then it will actually progress our relationship. Until then, I’m simply being courteous. 

So I ended up renting an underwater camera for our reef experience the next day. It was 45 dollars and you get to keep the 4G memory card as opposed to the 65 dollar one the company was trying to sell us. So win. We then got a free dinner at Gilligan’s. Oh my gosh, it was so good. It said snag and mash. I knew that meant sausage, but I had no idea it went with super fantastic mash potatoes and gravy to boot. What’s more, the bar man was awesome and gave me a free coke with ice!! Ah, awesome dinner. And after fasting, it tasted like paradise. Then we went out because we were in the splurging mood and relished in the comfort of a delicious freshly made crepe. Oh my, it was good with bananas, whip cream and chocolate. Amazing. I was so ready for whatever the trip would bring us next. 

That night, it was only the German girl and us. The Irish girl left her hat, so I got it. Yay. We woke up super early Wednesday to catch the tour bus to the reef at 7:50 am. Only thing is, they never showed up. So then we scrambled to call the company which we ended up getting wrong because Quicksilver was actually the parent company to the company we had booked with, so they didn’t have us under a reservation. ANYWAY. Long story short we ended up departing from Port Douglas instead of Cairns and ended up being on a slightly more costly tour with a lot of older people who prefer the air condition. Regardless, the reef was awesome. So much variety. After nearly drowning a few times from ingesting too much saltwater, I finally got the hang of using the snorkel and even dived down a few times while holding my breath to chase a few fish. 

Ah it was amazing, I ended up with around 280 photos on my 4G. I think it was worth 45 dollars. We also had access to this really huge and fancy buffet on the boat. They even had Australian prawn. Those were delicious. We also got a morning and evening coffee with free biscuits. I was definitely pleased. We sat on top of the boat both to and from the reef. It was so peaceful seeing the blue mountains and water surrounding you on all sides. The water was so clear and the wind  gave your hair a life of its own. We sat across from this family with three kids. They were so funny. It reminded me of my family, and I couldn’t help but think they would’ve loved it. Especially since there was nothing dangerous we came in contact with . No sharks, turtles, eels or stingrays. I was a little disappointed with that. But it’s honestly probably for the best. Something tells me, that if we’d gone with the other tour and spent more time out on the reef at another spot I would’ve been stung or bitten somehow. That’s just how my luck goes, or lack thereof. The only reason my experience was anything close to tame was because God had enough sense to look after me when I decided to plunge into Great White territory. Haha. But explore His creation I must. 

We got back and they had this weird beef curry for dinner. I was still partially full from our huge buffet lunch since we were fatties and went back for seconds, so I just decided to only eat half and go out for crepes again. Yippie! This time it was strawberries and chocolate. Yus. We met a guy from the Netherlands, Robin, while at Gilligan's trying to crunch through the disgusting curry. He used his silverware properly and was overly friendly. It was nice to have company, though. Too bad we were leaving the next day. But he seemed nice enough. 

We actually ended up having the hostel to ourselves that night. It was weird having six empty bunks and the whole balcony to ourselves. Almost a little lonely. But we got to scavenger through all the free crap people left behind. I got an Australia towel, a tent, a hat, a book and a blanket! Go me! We packed ourselves and prepared for our checkout for 10 a.m. the next morning. By this point, I was so sunburnt on my back that sleeping was nearly impossible, so what were our plans for our last day in Cairns? The beach, of course. 

Don’t worry. I lathered down in aloe and then sunscreen before we went. We arrived at Palmcove beach by bus a few hours later and caught lunch at a lovely little cafe. It was delicious. I had bacon for the first time since being here on a BLT with avocado. The whole time the weather was stunning and the ocean breeze was blowing in on us. It was serene. We then flopped out on the sand, Shayna in the sun and me in the shade of a palm tree and spent our whole day on the beach. It was quaint with a pier to our left and mountains meeting the white sand on our right. I felt like I was in a dream the whole time. 

I think I was so tired from the whole trip and from not getting any sleep from my sunburn that I mostly slept and casually read through a free book I picked up in the room. I didn’t even step a toe in the water. But that was also probably due to the sign that warned of crocodiles and stingers (jellies). Yea, that may have had something to do with it, too. Ha. 

We caught dinner in Cairns at a cheap little fish and chips joint, collected our stuff from Gilligan's where they let us store it for the day and waited for the airport shuttle bus to pick us up. Of course, while we’re waiting we get chatted up by two rugby players from Adelaide. They were so keen on talking to us that one of them gave his business card to Shayna and the other actually carried my at this point huge and heavy bag to the bus for me. Of course, they were both completely pissed and I doubt they’ll remember us. But, you never know. Too bad we didn’t meet them a day or two earlier. 

The flight back was uneventful as I read the rest of my book for the next three hours while I sat next to a girl ready 50 shades of grey. I swear everyone in Australia seems to have a copy of that book and you see it advertised in every store. Yet, even though it’s popular, the people who read it all seem to have a guilty conscious because they try to hide what they’re reading when someone is near. Haha. I want to be like, it’s ok, you’re not alone, 90 percent of Australians are doing the same. 

We then caught a cabbie with some other girl from Unilodge who happened to be taking the same flight we were. We ended up being pretty lucky because the cabbie driver charged us 60 dollars to get back talking about some bull crap airport parking “fees.” Whatever, at least we were splitting it between four people. 15 dollars was still cheaper than the 20 dollar Skybus we were thinking about taking. We got back a lot faster, too. And like that, we were back at Unilodge. Back in Melbourne. Back to reality. But not really. Because even though I had too many approaching deadlines to count, I still smiled before going to sleep that night. They're like a continual loop that keeps playing in my mind, the words:

I'm in Australia. I'm in Australia. I'm in Australia.

And this concludes my Spring Break, or Holidays as Aussies like to call it. My next update will be from this week I've just managed to make it through. I hope you are all doing well back home, wherever home may be! For now, farewell! :)