What an incredible trip! I’ll start out with a thank you to everyone I spent the last week with – Kathleen, Mitchel, Turner, Fran, Ole, Ben, Elana, and Vild – for making the trip everything that it was, absolutely unforgettable. To tell everything that happened would keep you here for much too long, so I’ll do my best to hit the highlights and show you what happened in Cairns!
Things started out well for me after pulling an all-nighter as I packed and sorted out my room before meeting Kathleen and Ole for the 4:30am train to Sydney for our flight. I figured I would sleep the whole train and plane ride, but it turns out there are plenty of colorful people on the way home from the bar at 5am on Saturday morning, so we were thoroughly entertained on the way to the airport and I had no trouble staying awake. We arrived in Cairns with no trouble and left directly for the lagoon and craft market a few minutes’ walk from the hostel, Gilligan’s Resort. It turns out that there isn’t really a “beach” in Cairns where we were staying, but we were able to scope out the lawn and huge pool, the lagoon, and look at the intricate craft stalls bordering the grassy area by the pool. I found a dress for Harbour Cruise, one of I-House’s semi-formal events coming up in a few weeks, and enjoyed a coconut refreshment with Kathleen and Mitchel!
We had a big group night out that first day at the club connected to Gilligan’s where they were showing soccer games all week – so good since it’s the UEFA Champion’s League Cup right now! We had a generally lazy Sunday at the lagoon, and after our group dinner and a drink, I chose a quiet night in with my book in preparation for Monday’s snorkeling trip on the Great Barrier Reef! I’d seen pictures of clear blue water, of fish swimming on the coral, and of sail boats on blue water with nothing but blue skies; it’s nothing compared to being there and seeing it in person. Pictures don’t begin to do it justice. We got on the catamaran at 8am and took a two-hour ride out to our first snorkeling location. The seven of us from our group sat in the front in the nets, so I reckon we had the best view of anyone on the boat. We all watched the water and other passing boats on the way out, then made our way to the back of the boat where there were already big fish swimming around us. I managed to get my mask fastened and practiced breathing before trying to get into the water; I spent a good part of my last snorkeling experience hyperventilating and nearly suffocating while trying to breathe through my nose. It doesn’t work so well when it’s covered with no access to the air. Either way, I felt way more comfortable this time and leapt right into the water next to the big fish.
Then I remembered I’m afraid of fish and the ocean. And these fish were HUGE. Like huge as in if I sat on it, I couldn’t have covered the whole thing. Cue panic attack, inhaling water, water flooding my goggles, and heaving chest, the whole bit. I popped up out of the water once I figured out which way was up and focused on the nearby beach, the land where I’m comfortable and not scared. Except I forgot that this particular beach island was a bird sanctuary and covered with thousands of birds either waddling around or flying and flocking together, and I also happen to be afraid of birds. The panic continued. So I closed my eyes and treaded water, hoping that my kicking feet would be enough to ward off the killer death fish that were way too close to my legs. I caught my breath and began a monumental conversation with myself. The short version of this conversation is that I told myself to calm down and relax: people go snorkeling everyday and no one gets eaten by those big fish (probably). I told myself that I was only afraid if I let myself feel that way, and that I would have a lot more fun if I could just appreciate the beauty of everything around me without being a spaz. I even tried to figure out what exactly I was afraid of in the water (this was a no shark area), and I couldn’t even come up with a valid answer. So, I decided not to be scared, and I opened my eyes.
From then on, I saw some of the most breath-taking colors of coral, anemones, and I even found a Dori-fish and a stingray! We snorkeled for two hours at our first location, and I feel like I could have stayed for the entire day. Still, I knew there was another location, so I swam back to the boat where I forgot the gigantic fish were and had a minor relapse. I know I wasn’t going to be scared, but good God they were really big fish. I eventually made my way through the fish and back onto the boat where we had lunch and made our way to another reef in the middle of the ocean. I had another pep talk with myself until I was convinced that it was okay to be swimming around in the middle of the ocean where you can’t see the bottom, nor any land save for a few mountain peaks in the far, far distance. Thinking about these things actually makes my palms sweat, so I’m pretty proud that I managed to overcome my fears and man up to the big scary ocean, as silly and insignificant as it may seem. The second location offered similar and equally incredible views of the underwater wildlife, and the hour in the water went by so quickly. Afterward, we boarded one last time to head home, where every last one of us passed out in the nets, catching some more sun and much needed rest. I can’t think of a better way that we could have kicked off our spring break trip!
On Tuesday, we woke up again early (if you ever need a cheery, irritating song to wake up a large group of people, check
THIS out – your group might hate you, but it’s nothing if not effective) to go on Captain Matty’s Barefoot Tours to four waterfalls around the area. This was another breath taking tour, complete with multiple swimming and photo opportunities! Captain Matty, our tour guide, was also by far the most entertaining guide we had the entire trip. Full of fun, interesting, and obscure facts about the area, plants, wildlife (including psycho death killer cows – they’re plotting some kind of attack with the birds that always hang around their pastures, don’t you know!), and Aboriginal and Australian history, Captain Matty kept us thoroughly entertained as we drove through the country and mountains between locations. The tour lasted the entire day and was complete with a stop at the local pub for lunch, as well as morning and afternoon tea. If you’re ever in Cairns, take Captain Matty up on his tour! You can also find him on Facebook and check out the day’s photos for free. Okay, enough plugging about CAPTAIN MATTY’S BAREFOOT TOURS ;)
On Tuesday night, we participated in The Ultimate Party’s pub crawl to five different bars/clubs in Cairns. Since we got back from the tour late, we missed the first bar, but took full advantage of the party atmosphere at the last four bars and on the Chicago-style double-decker bus that drove us between locations. We eventually ended back at Gilligan’s, and we even ran into a dozen other I-House people who we knew were staying in Cairns but didn’t travel with. Overall, it was such a great night!
Wednesday was our last day without planned activities, so we all switched gears to relax-mode all day and either hung out at the lagoon or did some souvenir shopping. Some of the boys rented mopeds, but I was content to lounge by the pool, which was more like the family vacations I know and love. That night proved another quiet one for me in preparation for our three-day excursion beginning the next day.
We had another early morning on Thursday as we piled onto the bus to be taken to the rainforest for white water rafting! Once at the river, we suited up in our helmets and life jackets and hit the water. I’ve been white water rafting with the family a number of times in West Virginia, so I was mostly feeling excited rather than nervous or afraid. Our group had to split since there can only be six people in a raft, and my group of six was paired up with the medic, Tim, as our guide. It was another blistering hot day in Cairns, so the water felt beyond refreshing. The first real rapid of the day was a class IV (on a scale of VI), so we hit the water (?) running! The adrenaline from paddling through the rapids surged immediately and it felt so good to be doing something physical and active after a relatively lazy and chill week. Still, the group paddled like champions the whole way, splashed plenty of the other boats with our as we raced and passed them, conquered a jump rock, flipped the boat on purpose at our guide’s suggestion, and went “surfing” – that’s where you paddle upstream into a rapid and the raft stays lodged in the white water because of the current and you get absolutely pummeled by the water, like you’re standing under a waterfall. Oh, and I’d guess we killed upwards of 600 flies. Apparently there are six weeks during the year that the March flies come out and, lucky us, we picked one of those weeks; for you all back home, these swarms were about the equivalent of the seventeen-year cicadas that come out, so 600 is actually a reasonable estimate for how many of them we killed. Despite fighting off those nasty little blood suckers, I chalk up the day to a success. Well done team!
Friday was, you guessed it, another early morning as we checked out of Gilligan’s to begin another tour up the coast of Cairns to Port Douglas and then the Daintree Rainforest. We took in the sites up the coast and stopped at a few different look out points as we drove. All gorgeous scenery with mountains overlooking beaches that line the bluest water you can imagine. As we drove further, mountains and rocks turned more into rainforest that bordered the beaches, giving it a totally tropical feel. I found out on that tour that we were only sixteen degrees from the equator! It blew my mind that the sun was actually directly overhead at noon, the way you’ve always been told it’s meant to be since you were a kid. Anyway, after driving a fair bit (and catching a nap on the bus!) we arrived at the Wildlife Habitat in Port Douglas. Which was also largely a bird sanctuary. Good God were there a lot of birds! And they were left to just stroll around and fly as they pleased, meaning they could stalk and sneak up on you when you finally thought you’d found a safe area where they wouldn’t be flapping around. Ew. I (mostly) kept my composure and appreciated the fantastic colors, until I saw one of the scariest birds I’ve ever seen. The cassowary. This thing looks like a dinosaur and is apparently meaner than anything. Seriously, YouTube “cassowary attack” and you’ll find plenty. Anyway, aside from the birds, there were koalas and kangaroos, of course…and I held a koala! It’s illegal to hold one in New South Wales, the state where I live, but not in Queensland. Definitely the highlight of the day.
Also on the tour that day was a crocodile cruise, which we went to immediately after the Wildlife Habitat. There we met our second favorite tour guide of the week who had plenty of puns and innuendos to share with us as we went looking for wild crocodiles. We found one buried in the trees near a nest and one in the open water. Talk about scary looking, dinosaur-like creatures! We learned a fair bit about crocs, their habitats and eating habits, as well as plenty about the vegetation and other animals of the area before climbing back on the bus to be taken to our hostel in the rainforest. We had a dip in the ocean, a ten minute walk from our rooms, and chilled for the night.
Early Saturday morning, most of us woke up to catch the 7:45 bus to go zip-lining, or jungle surfing as they called it, in the rainforest. The three guides were all fun and friendly as they suited us up in our harnesses and helmets, each labeled with a different character or celebrity. I was Princess Leia for the day! Once strapped in, we walked up the mountain to our first platform where they hooked us to the line and we crawled hand-over-hand UP the zip-line to the first real platform so we could descend on the rest of the lines. We went down in pairs for the first two lines and had plenty of chances to take picture and video. The third line, where we first went by ourselves, was the fastest line of the tour and, I think, from the top of the highest platform, which was about 20 meters up a tree. On the last line, everyone was sent down upside down, which was beyond disorienting but a great way to wrap up the zip-lining tour.
Our guides dropped us back off at the hostel where we grabbed our towels and headed to the beach where we baked in the sun for the rest of the afternoon. We were picked up from the rainforest that evening and dropped back in Cairns where we went out for a big group dinner and had one last hurrah in the hostel before our 5am flight back to Sydney the next morning. Looking back, it already feels like a hectic surreal blur. I don’t think I’ve ever had a busier, earlier, action-packed vacation in my life; I felt like a needed a vacation from my vacation when we came back! Luckily, Monday was Labour Day here, so I had a two-day school week and am feeling back in the swing of things. Noteworthy events this week, other than my massive pile of reading and looming deadlines, were the masquerade-themed 21st birthday celebration on Wednesday night and last night’s Soapbox.
This Soapbox wasn’t quite the same or as energized as the last one, but I did get up to speak, so thanks Ves and Kathleen for putting me on the signup sheet…without me knowing! I told a spring break story as per Kathleen’s request, and despite my shaking hands, my voice managed to stay even and not break, which is what usually happens when I speak in front of people. I’ll cross impromptu speech off my bucket list, along with everything else that happened in Cairns! Academically, things are going really well, too. I received my mark for my lit review from my writing theory course and earned a D (as in distinction, the second highest mark!), and my instructor asked to use my paper as an example next year, too. I’ve only just begun to realize how much I’m breaking out of my shell and coming into my own person since I’ve been here and I can’t be thankful enough for the experiences I’ve had already. With less than two months left in Australia, I feel like the luckiest person in the world and can’t imagine how different things would be if I’d never had the opportunity to come here. Thanks to everyone here for making this experience what it is, and to everyone at home for your unending love and support! I couldn’t do it without you all =)
