Rainforests and Reefs

I arrived in Cairns a few days ago after taking my last overnight bus across the Australian coast. As Cairns is farther north than anywhere I’ve been, it’s also far hotter than anything I’ve experienced so far. I’ve been trying to stay in the air-conditioning as much as possible because as soon as I step outside, I’m sweating. Even if I’m not moving a muscle, I’m sweating. It’ll be even worse I’m told when I land in Darwin today.

Two days after I arrived I decided to take the Kuranda sky rail up to the village of Kuranda and the scenic railway back down. Anthony, my travel buddy in Cairns, and I saw some beautiful scenery both ways. While the scenery was something to look at, I could have done without the visit to Kuranda. We had taken the 9:45 sky rail up and were supposed to take the 3:30 train back down, but we opted to leave early and caught the 2:00 train instead. Kuranda was a cute little town with tons of shops and markets, but there really wasn’t a whole lot to do to keep us occupied for hours and hours.

The day after we visited Kuranda, we headed out early in the morning for our Cape Tribulation trip. The trip wandered along the coast from Cairns to Cape Tribulation stopping first at Mossman Gorge. Then we headed toward the World Heritage Daintree rainforest for a guided walk through the area. We stopped briefly for a swim in the world’s second most pristine river. The water was cool and refreshing but the current was strong so we had to stick to certain areas. Anthony and I swam as far as we could into the current and then let it carry us back down to where we started. I was actually really tired from the exertion. I felt like I was swimming in one of those simulated current exercise pools, where you swim and swim but don’t move an inch. We also took a Daintree River Cruise and spotted crocodiles, flying foxes, snakes, and native birds in their natural environment. It was really exciting to see a crocodile just floating in the water undisturbed by our presence. The day also included lunch and a stop at the remote Daintree Ice Cream Company that sold unheard of flavors such as black sapote and wattleseed. After, we were dropped at our accommodation in Cape Tribulation.

The next day we went on the boat, Rumrunner, for our Great Barrier Reef tour. Though I’ve already scuba dived and wasn’t keen to do it again, Anthony is a certified diver, so I just snorkeled on the reef. The Rumrunner tour operating out of Cape Tribulation is one of the best tours of the Great Barrier Reef because they are one of only two tour boats that are licensed for the area. Therefore, where we set out is a less traveled and trampled area of the reef. Though I didn’t see as much marine life as when I was in the Whitsundays, the coral off the coast of Cape Tribulation was absolutely amazing. The colors were so vivid and varied; it looked like someone colored the coral with crayons. The first time I went out snorkeling I chose not to wear a wetsuit but I soon regretted it after entering the water. It’s stinger season in the waters, but I was assured that the chances of being stung were 1 in 135,000 so I decided to wear a bathing suit only. I like the freedom of not wearing a wetsuit. However, soon after entering the water I started to feel little pricks and stings all over my body. I freaked and headed back to the boat convinced I was dying of a jellyfish sting. One of the crewmembers told me that I would KNOW if it was a jellyfish, as the pain would be unbearable, and it was probably just sea lice or some other parasites taking a nip or two. When I snorkeled for the second time, I made sure to wear a full body wetsuit and it made for a far more enjoyable experience.

That night we were dropped in Port Douglas and caught a bus to our accommodation. On the way to our hostel, as we were rounding a roundabout, a minivan slammed right into the bus we were on. I had been staring out of the window and watched the whole thing happen. Luckily no one was hurt, but Anthony and I had to wait for another bus to come and pick us up. The woman driving the minivan claimed that she didn’t even see our bus. How you don’t see a big, white bus (not just a car, but a bus) right in front of you is beyond me. We didn’t stick around to see what happened because we were picked up soon after. Unfortunately we only got to stay in Port Douglas for one night and didn’t get to see much of it because it rained the whole time.