Kangaroos!

This is a mama and her two joeys in the middle of a small town called Boonooroo on the Queensland coast. We had driven there to get a look at Fraser Island from across the channel, and we had the good luck of seeing some town kangaroos.

I was happy to see them alive; up to this point, I had the impression that kangaroos were strictly road kill in Australia. 

Snorkeling:) :) :)

If you ever find yourself with the opportunity to go snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, or any other reef for that matter, DO IT. What an incredible experience. We began the day with an Australian that looks a lot like Lucas Black... :) Before booking this trip, I met an Austrian woman named Emma on the bus ride to Daintree Forest. She is also a teacher, has a strong, compelling personality, and has turned out to be a great friend on this adventure. So we booked our snorkeling trip together--my first snorkel ever, let alone on the Great Barrier Reef, and one of several for Emma.

  Lucas Black

Anyway, Mr. Black (I never caught his name) told us a few things about the reef, drove too fast over the rutty roads, then dropped us off at the Ocean Safari center where we were given wet suits (wetties in Australian--they shorten everything that can be shortened), and shown a picture of Mackay Reef, which we were to visit that day. Cam, our tour guide, explained the benefits of that reef, i.e. they were the only tour that went there, so it is very exclusive, basically undamaged, and the creatures aren't afraid of people. This is Mackay Reef:

It looks a bit different now but basically the same. Instead of a long, linear "island" there is now a single island or cay that is round and emerges above the water about three or four feet; the sand is a product of coral that has been ground to a fine, white grain. 

The boat ride out was wild. I opted to ride on the side of the boat, which meant I was clinging to a rope with one hand and a cloth handle with the other. At times it felt like we were hitting the ocean floor when we hit the trough of a wave, but it was incredibly fun and adrenaline inducing. The skipper (my Austrian friend Emma used skipper instead of captain) drove like a man possessed, played chicken with the waves, and blared music for the 30 minutes it took to reach the reef. All this resulted in a tiny bit a fear and a large bit of excitement. This is an image of the boat we took to the reef:

When we finally got out there, Cain, our skipper, gave us a rundown on snorkeling safety and hand signals that indicate certain states of being: one hand held to top of your head, your arm in a loop, means you're okay, an inexplicable gesture with your hands means turtle, hands held like fins on top of your head means shark, and waving your arms and screaming "help" means, well, "HELP!!" 

After all this, I was pretty apprehensive, being out so far into the Pacific, out of sight of land. I'm not a strong swimmer, I'm from a land-locked state, and the water was so blue and so deep. But Cain handed me a pool noodle, told me I'd be fine, and sent me over the edge. I can't put into words the feeling of plunging into the absolute unknown. I've done it before when I bungee jumped in South Africa, but the ocean was somehow scarier, more unknown. At least I could see the ground rushing towards me when I bungee jumped. But the ocean is murky at certain depths and even the smallest imagination can conjure terrifying monsters from that water. 

But Emma was right ahead of me, and seeing her put on her snorkel, I did the same. What followed was like magic. I could see, and what I saw was fascinating. The best way I can think to describe it is like a community. The fish had their areas, their pockets between the green, blue, orange, pink coral. They lived in symbiosis, trimming the coral, keeping it clean, while cleaning each other and coexisting in this incredible coral reef that exists on a plane somewhere between land and water. It was at first strange to hear myself breathing, like Darth Vader had taken up residence in my head. But I became comfortable much more quickly than I would have expected and began to notice more and more. I saw parrot fish, blue starfish, giant clams, and a sting ray.

Giant clam and blue starfish.

 But best of all, I saw five sea turtles, their backs like desert mosaics, their eyes large and shining. They scratched their bellies on the coral, they drifted around, looking bored, then interested, then bored again. We didn't matter to them; they were oblivious of us as we followed them around like a school of fish. The only problem I found with the turtles was I could not keep from smiling, which flooded my mouth with ocean water. A rookie mistake, I'm sure, but there was no helping it.

After the initial snorkel, we went to another, deeper spot on the same reef, and this is where we saw the biggest of the giant clams. In one spot, Cam told us there were 32 clams, the largest measuring 3-4 feet across. Their colors are brilliant: blue, pink, white, purple, and varying shades of many others.

After two hours on Mackay Reef, we went back to Cape Tribulation. I was exhausted and cold, but happier and more satisfied with snorkeling than I had expected to be. This final picture is of me and the crew that were on the reef that day, September 15. I hope you enjoyed this blog. Feel free to comment at the bottom and ask questions! I'm sorry I haven't blogged for awhile; the last two places I've stayed have charged way too much for wifi so I stubbornly refused to pay. But keep in mind, although I try to be consistent, sometimes it is difficult. I will do my best!

Daintree National Forest

Hello! I haven't written for a few days, and there is so much to tell. Where to begin? Well, first of all, there are countless Germans in Australia on Work and Holiday just like me. I ate a Wagyu steak with Sandra, a girl from near Leipzig, flabbergasted a man named Holger from Dusseldorf when I told him that yes, my community only has 200 people, and shared an entire afternoon doing Aqua Zumba (basically Zumba in the water) and other Cairns activities like going to the market and going out, with a girl named Carolin from Western Germany. I can't describe how friendly and personable people are; it is simply impossible to be alone. In fact, I find it difficult to find the time to sit down and write.

But now I am in Port Douglas, a smaller town north of Cairns.

It is a beautiful little town with many shops and the most incredible foliage. There are palm trees everywhere; the countryside is covered in sugar cane and tea. 

I spent the end of the week, starting Sunday, in Daintree National Forest at the Beach House, a hostel arranged in cabins along Cape Tribulation. I booked a tour through the park and was picked up by George, my tour guide, at 8:00 outside of Tropical Days Hostel in Cairns. George, an Aboriginal man, proved to be an educated and compelling tour guide. In fact, it was difficult to keep up with the information he was providing. Some examples: there were two crocodiles on the Daintree River named Barnacle Bill, so they named them BB #1 and #2 until #1 died (it made things much easier, sad as it was); he was born ON Ellis Beach North of Cairns; the main crops include sugar cane, tea, bananas, mangoes, pineapples (lesser crop), and cocoa beans; the Daintree was named after Richard Daintree, a geologist from Scotland, and it takes 12 months for sugar cane to reach maturity.

After hearing innumerable facts about the area, we took a nature walk where we saw a cassowary! I was told that it was very unlikely I'd see a cassowary, so it was a rare experience. George told us it was a male because it was accompanied by its baby. Apparently, the males take care of the children after they hatch. A lesson to be taken from cassowaries, boys. 

This is a picture I took with my iPhone. It isn't perfect, but you can still see the crest on top of his head; it is meant for protection while the cassowary runs through the jungle, which it does at an angle nearly parallel to the ground. They have also been named the world's most dangerous bird because of a claw they have on the toes of each foot. This claw has been proven to be fatal if applied to humans, dogs, etc. They can run at about 30 mph through the jungle and can jump nearly 5 feet in the air. They are shy, though, and rarely seen, so I feel lucky to have seen one.

After that, George dropped Regine, an Austrian woman I met on the bus, and me off at the Beach House on Cape Tribulation. We soon booked two tours, one for snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef on Monday and a night walk for Monday night. I feel that the snorkeling deserves its own blog post, so you can wait for that one :) I need to go to bed now-it is difficult to have time to sleep here since there is always something going on and always someone who wants to participate. Here are pictures of Cape Tribulation--it is a remote beach with very few people around, and the scenery is exceptional.

Loving Australia, Missing Montana

I've been in Australia now for three days and have met so many nice, welcoming people. I love being here and being amongst people who have the same interests and some of the same goals as I do. I'm not homesick, per say, but Montana is on my mind:)

A beautiful morning in Cairns.

Cairns

Yesterday, I flew into Cairns, Queensland, Australia! It is beautiful and temperate here. The weather is currently at 73 degrees and showers pass through here and there (it is raining right now).When we were flying in, I noticed right away that Cairns isn't a big city, and I was really relieved. There are about 170,000 people here. It doesn't feel like a city.

I immediately met a bunch of backpackers who were staying at various hostels but only met one that was staying at the same hostel as I am. It is called Traveler's Oasis; it is within walking distance of the ocean and is very close to the shopping center.

I regret to report that the only wildlife I have seen so far are birds--no wallabies or kangaroos. And they're your run-of-the-mill little tweeting, singing birds that wake you up very early. I did see some pigeons. Not that you care about that.

While I'm here, I plan on taking a diving trip out the Great Barrier Reef, visiting Daintree Rainforest, and just relaxing and wandering around Cairns. I'm thinking I'll be here about five days.

It took me 34 hours of flying to make Australia; my longest flight was 12 1/2 hours. That was not what I would call fun. I felt like my back was always on the verge of spasm and that my legs could possibly fall off at any given point. There were good movies provided, though, so I spent the hours watching movies and reading when there was light.

Now, I'm listening to it rain. And rain. And rain. It's beautiful.

Hope you all have a good Thursday, and I'll enjoy my Friday.

Sarah