Cairns

The first part of my mid-semester break (April 3-18th) consisted of a trip to paradise aka Cairns (pronounced Cahns...get the H sound in there, like when Stewie says whip!)

We left bright and early April 3rd. The morning was off to a rough start when the power in our flat was not working. I figured out how to fix it, but the dryer couldn't be turned on our the whole flat went dark. After a stressful 45 minutes, we were finally in the cab to the airport. We arrived in Cairns and it was pissing down the rain. What a bugger. At least it was quiet warm, so being wet didn't make you cold!

We stayed at the Mantra Esplanade. It was a LOVELY hotel. It was set up a bit different, though. After getting your key card, you found your room number and swiped a card to get into a mini lobby for 2 rooms. On one side was a fabulous suite: kitchen with full fridge, stove, etc as well as a bathroom with washer and dryer, a bedroom, and a living room/dining area and deck! The other room was simply 2 beds next to each other, a bathroom, a deck, and a tv with a couple chairs and a table. Since we were all friends, we shared awesome rooms, though.

The day was spent exploring. The GSE group went and ate together, then Ryan and myself walked around Cairns. The city is very touristy, but I quite liked it. There was a lot to do and the night life was booming. Funny enough, Ryan and I ran into my flatmate, Vegard. He ended up joining us for a "few" beers in Jon's hotel room. We played some pretty fun games and just enjoyed one another's company.

Come morning, it was off to the Great Barrier Reef! But first, Jon organised a chocolate Easter egg hunt for all of us in his room! It was quite fun, considering we're all in uni. The weather was still on and off rain, but I suppose it doesn't matter when you're underwater! We grabbed a quick breakfast then headed to the wharf. It was a 90 minute boat ride to the platform on the reef. The waves were massive, so my tummy did get a little wobbly, though nothing major. I was very excited to do an introductory dive and to my surprise, it was only $169 for 2 dives (30 mins each approximately?) I had saved a bit each time my parents sent me money so that I could be sure to do so, but unfortunately, if you are asthmatic and have used an inhaler within 5 years, a doctor must grant you permission to dive. I was heartbroken, but I still had I still snorkeled and had an awesome time at the reef.

The coral and fish were beautiful. Sometimes the coral was literally arms length away from me on the surface. The fish were so colorful. There was one HUGE fish named Wally. He was a blue groper and reminded me of a dog...only he's a fish. He didn't mind if you swam next to him or pet him, and let me tell you, he was quite soft to the touch! Since I could not dive, myself and Jen did a snorkel excursion outside of the fenced in portion of the reef. We snorkeled along the wall and I got to experience some completely different coral formations compared to that around the platform. We were out there for about 30 minutes. It was amazing.

After a full day at the reef, we headed back to the shore. I took a dip in the Lagoon, which is a giant swimming pool next to the swamp, since you obviously can't swim in the swamp. Afterwards Ryan, Jon, and myself hit up a nice Italian place followed by the casino. It was kind of crazy being inside a casino. I showed my ID and everything. I only lost $10. I won it back and put it right back in. Oops. It is really easy to spend a lot. You lose your money quick! It was a neat experience, though. I would have liked to play 21, but I was on a budget!

We were supposed to go white water rafting the next afternoon, but the massive amounts of rain caused dangerous conditions on the Tully River. Our rafting was cancelled so Jon rented a van and we went on a cable car ride up one of the mountains and saw the river we were supposed to raft on, as well as some awesome waterfalls, trees, spiders, etc. It was very relaxing. Then we continued to the Daintree Rainforest. There were a ton of natural waterfalls due to the excess rain, but at least they were pretty. I saw an emu crossing sign and a BEWARE crocodile sign. Unfortunately, we could not make it to Cape Tribulation, as yet again, the stupid rain ruined it for us. Cooper Creek was flooded so we could not drive across the road. We all decided to try to walk, but the currents were very strong so the van wasn't going to make it.

All and all, I had a great time. I wish the weather would have been nice, but we can't win them all!

Oh, and wetsuits are NOT sexy.