More Musings from Australia
December 25, 2006
Wow, wow, wow!!! This was certainly not a traditional Christmas at all, but it was an excellent one! We started our liveaboard today and it has already been worth every penny…and it’s only day 1 of 3!!!! We packed up, leaving a bunch of stuff at the Holiday Inn and headed over to the marina at about 7:00 am. It was a bit challenging to find someplace that was open for breakfast, but we finally did. It was the slowest place in town, but since it was also the only place in town, it worked just fine…and the boat didn’t leave without us even though we were late! ;)
When we got to the pier we were ushered aboard the Compass with lots of other people. They took our money, briefed us, and then we went up top to watch Cairns disappear. The ride out to the reef took about two and a half hours…which only served to build the excitement to a fever pitch! By the time we got out to the dive spot and found “The Reef Encounter”, our home for the next three days, we were so excited we could hardly wait to get in the water. Instead, they briefed us again, showed us to our rooms, and then fed us lunch. The saving grace is that it was a yummy Christmas lunch…turkey, roast beef, ham, seafood, potatoes, etc…
After stuffing ourselves, we went to change, slather on the sunscreen, and to one more briefing. Then it was finally time for my first real open water dive. Jill and I got suited up in our wetsuits (more as sun protection than anything else) and got in the water. IT WAS SO AWESOME!
We took off on the prescribed route and there were millions of fish everywhere! My favorites from Sea Camp, the parrot fish, were abundant. The coral is beautiful and very colorful. After a while, we found him! Nemo was hanging out in an anemone! Very cute! Much too quickly, it was time to get back to the boat.
We got back on board and the boat headed for the next reed. I had enough time to fill Evelyn in on what we had seen before it was time for dive two. This time, Jill and I decided to go without wetsuits. It worked out so much better! On the second dive I held a huge sea cucumber; saw Nemo, a unicorn fish, a sea turtle, a lion fish, a moray eel, an angel fish, and lots of other that I don’t know the name of. When our time was up, Jill and I went back to the boat long enough to get rid of the scuba equipment, put on more sunscreen (aren’t you proud of me Knurse?!?!?!), and then we went snorkeling. That was fun too! The whole experience is SO cool! I want to work on this boat!
When we got back from snorkeling, the first ones in to scuba dive and the last ones out after snorkeling, we hopped in the hot tub until they announce it was dinnertime. We had dinner and decided to go on the night dive that was offered. Another briefing gave us the basics. Since neither of us had ever done that before, we hired a guide. He turned out to be useless. After about 5 minutes, he grabbed my secondary air source because he was out of air. Hmm…some guide…we had to swim back so he could get another tank. We then proceeded with our dive. Apparently the light attracts a predator fish called a great trevally. They use the light to prey on other fist. Two were following us the whole time and we were later joined by another. I was a little disappointed with the night dive because the guide didn’t show us anything interesting and we found a sleeping cuddlefish on our own. I also spotted a shark about 5 feet away. He was a white-tipped reef shark about 4 feet long. That and watching the great trevally eat other fish was pretty cool!
After a quick shower I headed up to the top deck to check out the stars. Now I find that in addition to a fish identification book, I need a star guide as well! They have so many more stars in Australia than they do in Japan or the US! ;) Oh well, it’s getting late, so I’m going to sign off for tonight! Merry Christmas all!
December 26, 2006
We awoke this morning in time to take the morning dive. It was another beautiful day and we were really excited to see all of the sleeping sharks that were promised to us. We were not disappointed! Lucky, they didn’t seem to mind being awakened by the sound of our regulators and bubbles. The other fish were out in full force as well! It is so pretty down there! Since it was the first dive of the day, we had to go deep and we saw little sting rays and big potato cod. Visibility was great and it was an awesome dive!
After breakfast, we took our second dive and were shocked to find that the visibility was even better! Wow! Since the sun was higher, there were even more colors visible, and it was gorgeous! I’ve lost track now of what we saw during which dive, but here are some of the main events: clown fish (of many shapes and sizes), parrot fish (my favorites – I love their coloring and the way I can hear them crunching away at the coral), giant clams, unicorn fish, moray eels, sea turtles, threadfin butterfly fish, regal angelfish, great trevally, blue-lined surgeon (Dori!!!), orange-spine unicorn fish, Moorish idols, puffer fish, blue starfish, orange starfish, bird wrasse, moon wrasse, barred wrasse, coral rabbitfish, fox fish, coral cod, greasy cod, and many others that I couldn’t identify.
A new favorite fish, however, was Wally the Maori Wrasse. He was huge and incredibly friendly! He hung out under the boat and waited for divers to head back after a dive and play with him. I got to do it several times because Jill and I were paired with a Scottish guy a couple of times and he sucked more air than we did. Wally would just swim by, let you pet him, touch his fins, and even lead him around. I brought him up once so that one of the snorkellers could pet him. Another new favorite is the Christmas tree worms. They look just like Christmas trees and if your wave your hand in front of them to create a current, they suck themselves back into the coral and disappear.
So basically, we got four dives today (after which we would snorkel) and spent the other one snorkeling. We decided to skip the night dive because you can’t see as much, but when the time came for that, we were very disappointed to have to stay on the boat. Especially because the kitchen staff threw scraps overboard and there were lots of sharks (I think they said they were gray whaler sharks) who came to eat. We could see the torches of the night divers under the water and we were dying to be in there. Oh well! We gave up and went to bed early since we were exhausted from all of the diving and snorkeling.
December 27, 2006
We got three more dives before they kicked us off of the Reef Encounter. Visibility got even better and that was enough to entice Jill to stay aboard to work as a hostie. Apparently, if you agree to do dishes, clean rooms, serve meals, and whatever else, you can stay on the boat for free. They guarantee two dives per day and say that usually you will get three. I would have been tempted to think about it, but Evelyn and I already had other reservations lined up. I felt even better about that when I heard that one of the other hosties said that she wasn’t sure if it was worth it! Que sera sera! Jill ended up starting before we left and we didn’t even get to say goodbye.
After being transferred from Reef Encounter to the Compass, we got one more snorkeling stop at another reef. Since we weren’t told the name of it, I dubbed it “Mediocre Reef.” The fish were okay and visibility was okay and we were happy to get back on board to head to Cairns. Our first shower at the Holiday Inn was heavenly, pizza was yummy, and then it was early to
bed again…apparently scuba diving and salt air can really take it out of you!
December 28, 2006
Despite an attempt to sleep in after several days of early starts, Evelyn and I were up and out by 8:00 am. It was rainy this morning, so we were really glad we had rented a car! We had breakfast and then packed up our junk. After getting the car, we headed north to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation, and enjoyed the drive between the mountains and the ocean – very pretty. Port Douglas was really small, but after rereading the guide book, we decided that we needed to stop once more to check out a few more things on the way back. Cape Tribulation is even smaller, and required a drive through the rainforest. Apparently, Cape Tribulation is where Captain Cook ran his boat up onto the Great Barrier Reef. There is nothing there but a pretty little bay (or, um, a pretty little cape????) and two bins of flip-flops apparently left by day-trippers to the reef.
Satisfied that we had made it to our destination, we decided to look for a place to stay. Since we were in the middle of the rainforest, pickings were slim, but we were fortunate. The Cape Tribulation Rainforest Hideaway had one room left. The owner informed us that it was a “quite a hike” and offered to show it to us. After walking for quite a while, Evelyn and I were a bit nervous, but then a “unique owner-built solar-powered jungle house” appeared. It is unlike anyplace that I have ever been, seen, or stayed. The building is octagonal and there are no windows - it is completely open. The bottom floor has a shower that is walled on one side and open to the rainforest on the other. Upstairs there is a couch that is really a single bed, a table and benches carved out of wood, a simple kitchen with a sink and camp stove, and a toilet room. On the very top floor there is a double bed (mattress only) and a night stand. That floor only takes up half of the octagon and therefore looks down on the kitchen. The whole thing was just too funny to pass up!
We hiked back to the car, paid our money, chose our belonging carefully, and headed back into the rainforest to our home for the night. After dropping our stuff and taking some pictures, we headed down to the “pool”. We knew there was something wonky when we realized that even the sign referred to it as a “pool” (quotes included)! It turned out to be a little creek that puddled a bit near the house before continuing down the hill…hmmm…don’t think I’ll be going in there. It looked like a perfect place for a beaver to live and oddly enough, I spotted one!
Our explorations finished, we headed out to find some dinner. Landing at the Dragonfly Café, we waited for our food amongst the sounds of the rainforest. Then the restaurant was visited by one of those bright green tree frogs that you always see in books. I don’t know where he came from, but suddenly everyone was getting up to go take his picture. I don’t like frogs, but I have to admit, he was cute!
After dinner, Evelyn and I headed back “home”. By then it was dark and we were glad we had grabbed the torch (think flashlight - apparently Australians don’t realize that torches should be powered by fire rather than batteries). Luckily we made it inside before the torch gave out. I have been sitting here blogging ever since. Every so often there would be a new and different sound coming from the rainforest, but since it is dark, we couldn’t identify it. Since we haven’t had any unexpected visitors, I guess it is safe to go to sleep…goodnight!
December 29, 2006
Well that was quite an interesting night…I fully comprehend the “rain” in “rainforest” now! Since our Rainforest Hideaway was completely open (and yet amazingly mosquito-free and cool enough to sleep), we heard everything happening out in the jungle. The rain poured down several times, but didn’t enter the house/hut…um…octagonal abode? We also heard the frogs and birds and bats calling and croaking and chirping. But the oddest thing of all was the sound of stuff crashing to the ground. I guess it was just branches, but it startled me out of dreamland a few times. Even after hearing the strange noises, I had to take the trek back to the car after realizing that my bed didn’t have a sheet or anything. I grabbed the torch and disobeyed every rule my dad taught me about walking quietly in the forest…I was as loud as I could be! Luckily, the scariest thing I saw was an ugly toad. :)
In the morning, it was still raining, but we were up with the sun. Eager to find new adventures, we decided to head out early. One hurdle was the shower…it too was wide open to the forest. I must say, that was a first, but luckily it was rather warm outside!
After hiking back to the car with our stuff, we ventured into the main house. We had decided that finding a crocodile was the top order of business, so when the owner offered to book a tour, we asked which was the best and took him up on his offer. In the meantime, our search for breakfast landed us in a store where you could sign up for jungle canopy surfing...that sounded like it would be right up my alley and we booked that too.
Breakfast ended up happening at a cute little beachside café and then I sat on the beach listening to music and watching the waves roll in and out…it was so nice…just like FL! Too soon, it was time to go croc hunting! For the first half hour or so we were afraid it was just that…a croc! But then we saw him…hanging out with an egret (I think) and sunning himself. Many pictures later, we headed back to the beach and over to the meeting spot for jungle surfing.
I really, really liked flying over the rainforest! After getting suited up with our harness and helmets, we trekked up to the first platform. I was really confused that it was listed as being 2.5 m high and then we went DOWN to a platform that was 12.5 m high. It became clear that since we were on a hill, the distance from the platform to the ground was being measured and not actual height relative to a fixed point. That confusion cleared up, we took zipped along from platform to platform taking pictures, getting rained on, and enjoying the view. One of the sections went over a river and they stopped us in the middle to take pictures and swing above for a minute, but my favorite was the last section…they let us go upside down! Hehehehe…that was a lot of fun! I highly recommend hanging around in the jungle if you ever get the chance! ;)
After jungle surfing, we changed into dry clothes and headed out of the rainforest. We wanted to find a hotel before it got too late, and we ended up in Mossman Gorge. It was a little town, but it had a Chinese restaurant where we enjoyed not only the food, but watching the locals. Back at the hotel, we played with our pictures and then fell asleep before finding out if Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery got together in Entrapment.
December 30, 2006
Today was devoted to swimming in beautiful places (um…other than the Great Barrier Reef)! We started out by wandering along the Mossman River…very pretty and it completely reminded me of Deep Creek in North Carolina. After finding the swinging bridge over the river and hopping around on that, we decided that we didn’t need to hike any further up and decided to head back down for a swim. The water was really cold, but it was so much fun to play around in the current and see if I could escape certain death by swimming into the last safe spot to get out before going over another rocky area.
After that, we headed to Millaa Millaa to see the famous curtain fig. It was very impressive…so much so that I dropped my camera below the boardwalk and had to climb the fence to go retrieve it…all the while trying to avoid the stinking trees (we think they are like poison ivy, but we aren’t sure). That accomplished, we headed out to find Yungaburra and the waterfalls nearby. Yungaburra turned out to be the cutest little town we had seen so far, so we decided to find a hotel before heading to the waterfalls.
We got a little lost looking for the falls, but it was a beautiful drive. The hills and green grass and winding roads seemed to me to be exactly what I picture Scotland to look like, but Evelyn said it was just like Ireland – close enough, I suppose! One thing that I found very funny is that for most of the way, the speed limit on the very skinny, very hilly, very windy road was 100 kph! The highest speed on the HIGHWAYS in Japan is 80 kph! It was a very fun drive!!!
More fun, however, was swimming under the waterfalls. Millaa Millaa Falls (Millaa Millaa means many waters) was the first and actually had the best “pool” to swim in. The falls were pretty and there wasn’t anything in the water. Zillie Falls were next, but the path to the bottom had been taken our by lots and lots of downed trees. We aren’t sure, but we think that they might have been destroyed by the big cyclone last year. Either way, we could see the falls, but not get to the bottom. Lastly, we hit Ellinjaa Falls. There was quite a hike down, but again, it was worth it. I actually think they were the prettiest. It was raining quite a bit and I was cold, but I couldn’t resist one more swim! It was actually a scary one though, because this time I couldn’t see what was behind the falls, but I could tell that there was a cave. It took me a minute to talk myself into swimming back there, but once I did, I was glad. The view was awesome!
Totally freezing, we headed back to the hotel to change and then head to dinner. The pub was the only place we found open, but the food looked good. One thing we have noticed about Australia restaurants is that they are very, very, very, very slow! You really need to order several hours before you are hungry! Oh well…one flaw in an otherwise amazing country…no place can be perfect!
Wow, wow, wow!!! This was certainly not a traditional Christmas at all, but it was an excellent one! We started our liveaboard today and it has already been worth every penny…and it’s only day 1 of 3!!!! We packed up, leaving a bunch of stuff at the Holiday Inn and headed over to the marina at about 7:00 am. It was a bit challenging to find someplace that was open for breakfast, but we finally did. It was the slowest place in town, but since it was also the only place in town, it worked just fine…and the boat didn’t leave without us even though we were late! ;)
When we got to the pier we were ushered aboard the Compass with lots of other people. They took our money, briefed us, and then we went up top to watch Cairns disappear. The ride out to the reef took about two and a half hours…which only served to build the excitement to a fever pitch! By the time we got out to the dive spot and found “The Reef Encounter”, our home for the next three days, we were so excited we could hardly wait to get in the water. Instead, they briefed us again, showed us to our rooms, and then fed us lunch. The saving grace is that it was a yummy Christmas lunch…turkey, roast beef, ham, seafood, potatoes, etc…
After stuffing ourselves, we went to change, slather on the sunscreen, and to one more briefing. Then it was finally time for my first real open water dive. Jill and I got suited up in our wetsuits (more as sun protection than anything else) and got in the water. IT WAS SO AWESOME!
We took off on the prescribed route and there were millions of fish everywhere! My favorites from Sea Camp, the parrot fish, were abundant. The coral is beautiful and very colorful. After a while, we found him! Nemo was hanging out in an anemone! Very cute! Much too quickly, it was time to get back to the boat.
We got back on board and the boat headed for the next reed. I had enough time to fill Evelyn in on what we had seen before it was time for dive two. This time, Jill and I decided to go without wetsuits. It worked out so much better! On the second dive I held a huge sea cucumber; saw Nemo, a unicorn fish, a sea turtle, a lion fish, a moray eel, an angel fish, and lots of other that I don’t know the name of. When our time was up, Jill and I went back to the boat long enough to get rid of the scuba equipment, put on more sunscreen (aren’t you proud of me Knurse?!?!?!), and then we went snorkeling. That was fun too! The whole experience is SO cool! I want to work on this boat!
When we got back from snorkeling, the first ones in to scuba dive and the last ones out after snorkeling, we hopped in the hot tub until they announce it was dinnertime. We had dinner and decided to go on the night dive that was offered. Another briefing gave us the basics. Since neither of us had ever done that before, we hired a guide. He turned out to be useless. After about 5 minutes, he grabbed my secondary air source because he was out of air. Hmm…some guide…we had to swim back so he could get another tank. We then proceeded with our dive. Apparently the light attracts a predator fish called a great trevally. They use the light to prey on other fist. Two were following us the whole time and we were later joined by another. I was a little disappointed with the night dive because the guide didn’t show us anything interesting and we found a sleeping cuddlefish on our own. I also spotted a shark about 5 feet away. He was a white-tipped reef shark about 4 feet long. That and watching the great trevally eat other fish was pretty cool!
After a quick shower I headed up to the top deck to check out the stars. Now I find that in addition to a fish identification book, I need a star guide as well! They have so many more stars in Australia than they do in Japan or the US! ;) Oh well, it’s getting late, so I’m going to sign off for tonight! Merry Christmas all!
December 26, 2006
We awoke this morning in time to take the morning dive. It was another beautiful day and we were really excited to see all of the sleeping sharks that were promised to us. We were not disappointed! Lucky, they didn’t seem to mind being awakened by the sound of our regulators and bubbles. The other fish were out in full force as well! It is so pretty down there! Since it was the first dive of the day, we had to go deep and we saw little sting rays and big potato cod. Visibility was great and it was an awesome dive!
After breakfast, we took our second dive and were shocked to find that the visibility was even better! Wow! Since the sun was higher, there were even more colors visible, and it was gorgeous! I’ve lost track now of what we saw during which dive, but here are some of the main events: clown fish (of many shapes and sizes), parrot fish (my favorites – I love their coloring and the way I can hear them crunching away at the coral), giant clams, unicorn fish, moray eels, sea turtles, threadfin butterfly fish, regal angelfish, great trevally, blue-lined surgeon (Dori!!!), orange-spine unicorn fish, Moorish idols, puffer fish, blue starfish, orange starfish, bird wrasse, moon wrasse, barred wrasse, coral rabbitfish, fox fish, coral cod, greasy cod, and many others that I couldn’t identify.
A new favorite fish, however, was Wally the Maori Wrasse. He was huge and incredibly friendly! He hung out under the boat and waited for divers to head back after a dive and play with him. I got to do it several times because Jill and I were paired with a Scottish guy a couple of times and he sucked more air than we did. Wally would just swim by, let you pet him, touch his fins, and even lead him around. I brought him up once so that one of the snorkellers could pet him. Another new favorite is the Christmas tree worms. They look just like Christmas trees and if your wave your hand in front of them to create a current, they suck themselves back into the coral and disappear.
So basically, we got four dives today (after which we would snorkel) and spent the other one snorkeling. We decided to skip the night dive because you can’t see as much, but when the time came for that, we were very disappointed to have to stay on the boat. Especially because the kitchen staff threw scraps overboard and there were lots of sharks (I think they said they were gray whaler sharks) who came to eat. We could see the torches of the night divers under the water and we were dying to be in there. Oh well! We gave up and went to bed early since we were exhausted from all of the diving and snorkeling.
December 27, 2006
We got three more dives before they kicked us off of the Reef Encounter. Visibility got even better and that was enough to entice Jill to stay aboard to work as a hostie. Apparently, if you agree to do dishes, clean rooms, serve meals, and whatever else, you can stay on the boat for free. They guarantee two dives per day and say that usually you will get three. I would have been tempted to think about it, but Evelyn and I already had other reservations lined up. I felt even better about that when I heard that one of the other hosties said that she wasn’t sure if it was worth it! Que sera sera! Jill ended up starting before we left and we didn’t even get to say goodbye.
After being transferred from Reef Encounter to the Compass, we got one more snorkeling stop at another reef. Since we weren’t told the name of it, I dubbed it “Mediocre Reef.” The fish were okay and visibility was okay and we were happy to get back on board to head to Cairns. Our first shower at the Holiday Inn was heavenly, pizza was yummy, and then it was early to
bed again…apparently scuba diving and salt air can really take it out of you!
December 28, 2006
Despite an attempt to sleep in after several days of early starts, Evelyn and I were up and out by 8:00 am. It was rainy this morning, so we were really glad we had rented a car! We had breakfast and then packed up our junk. After getting the car, we headed north to Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation, and enjoyed the drive between the mountains and the ocean – very pretty. Port Douglas was really small, but after rereading the guide book, we decided that we needed to stop once more to check out a few more things on the way back. Cape Tribulation is even smaller, and required a drive through the rainforest. Apparently, Cape Tribulation is where Captain Cook ran his boat up onto the Great Barrier Reef. There is nothing there but a pretty little bay (or, um, a pretty little cape????) and two bins of flip-flops apparently left by day-trippers to the reef.
Satisfied that we had made it to our destination, we decided to look for a place to stay. Since we were in the middle of the rainforest, pickings were slim, but we were fortunate. The Cape Tribulation Rainforest Hideaway had one room left. The owner informed us that it was a “quite a hike” and offered to show it to us. After walking for quite a while, Evelyn and I were a bit nervous, but then a “unique owner-built solar-powered jungle house” appeared. It is unlike anyplace that I have ever been, seen, or stayed. The building is octagonal and there are no windows - it is completely open. The bottom floor has a shower that is walled on one side and open to the rainforest on the other. Upstairs there is a couch that is really a single bed, a table and benches carved out of wood, a simple kitchen with a sink and camp stove, and a toilet room. On the very top floor there is a double bed (mattress only) and a night stand. That floor only takes up half of the octagon and therefore looks down on the kitchen. The whole thing was just too funny to pass up!
We hiked back to the car, paid our money, chose our belonging carefully, and headed back into the rainforest to our home for the night. After dropping our stuff and taking some pictures, we headed down to the “pool”. We knew there was something wonky when we realized that even the sign referred to it as a “pool” (quotes included)! It turned out to be a little creek that puddled a bit near the house before continuing down the hill…hmmm…don’t think I’ll be going in there. It looked like a perfect place for a beaver to live and oddly enough, I spotted one!
Our explorations finished, we headed out to find some dinner. Landing at the Dragonfly Café, we waited for our food amongst the sounds of the rainforest. Then the restaurant was visited by one of those bright green tree frogs that you always see in books. I don’t know where he came from, but suddenly everyone was getting up to go take his picture. I don’t like frogs, but I have to admit, he was cute!
After dinner, Evelyn and I headed back “home”. By then it was dark and we were glad we had grabbed the torch (think flashlight - apparently Australians don’t realize that torches should be powered by fire rather than batteries). Luckily we made it inside before the torch gave out. I have been sitting here blogging ever since. Every so often there would be a new and different sound coming from the rainforest, but since it is dark, we couldn’t identify it. Since we haven’t had any unexpected visitors, I guess it is safe to go to sleep…goodnight!
December 29, 2006
Well that was quite an interesting night…I fully comprehend the “rain” in “rainforest” now! Since our Rainforest Hideaway was completely open (and yet amazingly mosquito-free and cool enough to sleep), we heard everything happening out in the jungle. The rain poured down several times, but didn’t enter the house/hut…um…octagonal abode? We also heard the frogs and birds and bats calling and croaking and chirping. But the oddest thing of all was the sound of stuff crashing to the ground. I guess it was just branches, but it startled me out of dreamland a few times. Even after hearing the strange noises, I had to take the trek back to the car after realizing that my bed didn’t have a sheet or anything. I grabbed the torch and disobeyed every rule my dad taught me about walking quietly in the forest…I was as loud as I could be! Luckily, the scariest thing I saw was an ugly toad. :)
In the morning, it was still raining, but we were up with the sun. Eager to find new adventures, we decided to head out early. One hurdle was the shower…it too was wide open to the forest. I must say, that was a first, but luckily it was rather warm outside!
After hiking back to the car with our stuff, we ventured into the main house. We had decided that finding a crocodile was the top order of business, so when the owner offered to book a tour, we asked which was the best and took him up on his offer. In the meantime, our search for breakfast landed us in a store where you could sign up for jungle canopy surfing...that sounded like it would be right up my alley and we booked that too.
Breakfast ended up happening at a cute little beachside café and then I sat on the beach listening to music and watching the waves roll in and out…it was so nice…just like FL! Too soon, it was time to go croc hunting! For the first half hour or so we were afraid it was just that…a croc! But then we saw him…hanging out with an egret (I think) and sunning himself. Many pictures later, we headed back to the beach and over to the meeting spot for jungle surfing.
I really, really liked flying over the rainforest! After getting suited up with our harness and helmets, we trekked up to the first platform. I was really confused that it was listed as being 2.5 m high and then we went DOWN to a platform that was 12.5 m high. It became clear that since we were on a hill, the distance from the platform to the ground was being measured and not actual height relative to a fixed point. That confusion cleared up, we took zipped along from platform to platform taking pictures, getting rained on, and enjoying the view. One of the sections went over a river and they stopped us in the middle to take pictures and swing above for a minute, but my favorite was the last section…they let us go upside down! Hehehehe…that was a lot of fun! I highly recommend hanging around in the jungle if you ever get the chance! ;)
After jungle surfing, we changed into dry clothes and headed out of the rainforest. We wanted to find a hotel before it got too late, and we ended up in Mossman Gorge. It was a little town, but it had a Chinese restaurant where we enjoyed not only the food, but watching the locals. Back at the hotel, we played with our pictures and then fell asleep before finding out if Catherine Zeta Jones and Sean Connery got together in Entrapment.
December 30, 2006
Today was devoted to swimming in beautiful places (um…other than the Great Barrier Reef)! We started out by wandering along the Mossman River…very pretty and it completely reminded me of Deep Creek in North Carolina. After finding the swinging bridge over the river and hopping around on that, we decided that we didn’t need to hike any further up and decided to head back down for a swim. The water was really cold, but it was so much fun to play around in the current and see if I could escape certain death by swimming into the last safe spot to get out before going over another rocky area.
After that, we headed to Millaa Millaa to see the famous curtain fig. It was very impressive…so much so that I dropped my camera below the boardwalk and had to climb the fence to go retrieve it…all the while trying to avoid the stinking trees (we think they are like poison ivy, but we aren’t sure). That accomplished, we headed out to find Yungaburra and the waterfalls nearby. Yungaburra turned out to be the cutest little town we had seen so far, so we decided to find a hotel before heading to the waterfalls.
We got a little lost looking for the falls, but it was a beautiful drive. The hills and green grass and winding roads seemed to me to be exactly what I picture Scotland to look like, but Evelyn said it was just like Ireland – close enough, I suppose! One thing that I found very funny is that for most of the way, the speed limit on the very skinny, very hilly, very windy road was 100 kph! The highest speed on the HIGHWAYS in Japan is 80 kph! It was a very fun drive!!!
More fun, however, was swimming under the waterfalls. Millaa Millaa Falls (Millaa Millaa means many waters) was the first and actually had the best “pool” to swim in. The falls were pretty and there wasn’t anything in the water. Zillie Falls were next, but the path to the bottom had been taken our by lots and lots of downed trees. We aren’t sure, but we think that they might have been destroyed by the big cyclone last year. Either way, we could see the falls, but not get to the bottom. Lastly, we hit Ellinjaa Falls. There was quite a hike down, but again, it was worth it. I actually think they were the prettiest. It was raining quite a bit and I was cold, but I couldn’t resist one more swim! It was actually a scary one though, because this time I couldn’t see what was behind the falls, but I could tell that there was a cave. It took me a minute to talk myself into swimming back there, but once I did, I was glad. The view was awesome!
Totally freezing, we headed back to the hotel to change and then head to dinner. The pub was the only place we found open, but the food looked good. One thing we have noticed about Australia restaurants is that they are very, very, very, very slow! You really need to order several hours before you are hungry! Oh well…one flaw in an otherwise amazing country…no place can be perfect!
