Take Me Back to Cairns

My lovely readers, I have been holding out on you. As I unwind from last week’s adventure in New Zealand, I realized I never finished telling you about when Ryan was here. After a lot of calculations and one spontaneously booked flight, we were heading north to the Great Barrier Reef and the city of Cairns.

Our two major excursions for the week were hiking through the rainforests of Cape Tribulation and scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef.

Cape Tribulation:

Sometimes I feel like we have the worst luck any couple can have and then other times everything turns out perfect. Cape Tribulation is two hours north of Cairns, and the day we went it was pouring down rain. The northeast part of Australia is super tropical a.k.a. rainy season all year round. Here’s where the luck part comes in. Every time we got out of the bus to explore an area, the rain magically would stop until we were safely back on board. I swear this happened EVERY time and we had a lot of stops.

In order to reach Cape Tribulation, you have to cross the Daintree River by ferry. On the way up, we stopped for morning tea and a river cruise to look for crocodiles! How Australian does that sound. The Daintree River is really, really brown so you couldn’t see anything under the water which made it perfect for lurking crocodiles. Scar Face is the 12 feet long alpha male of the river which we thankfully didn’t run into. I was sitting right on the edge. Ryan kept spotting “log-odiles,” bless his heart.  

{Crocodile River Cruise on the Daintree River}

Once we made it across the river, Cape Tribulation was our next stop. You might be thinking “Doesn’t tribulation mean grievous trouble and suffering; why would anyone want to go to a place like that?” Well my friends, you would be correct. When Captain James Cook was sailing up the east coast to claim the land of Australia for the British, his ship The Endeavor hit a coral reef during the night. His crew worked tirelessly through the night to keep the ship afloat. By morning, The Endeavor had been freed from the reef. Captain Cook looked out to the nearby land and named it Cape Tribulation for all the woes that had befallen him.

{Striking a pose where the rainforest meets the reef}

As this little history story illustrates, Cape Tribulation is the point where the tropical rainforest meets with the Great Barrier Reef, both of which are World Heritages Sites. This is the only place in the world where this happens!

{The lush green rainforest}

Australia never ceases to amaze me with all its wonders.  Ryan and I have been tramping through the forests and rivers that the beautiful wetland area of Queensland has to offer.

{Staying dry at Mossman Gorge}

The day we went was St. Patrick’s Day {I know I am sooo late with this post}.  At our stop in Port Douglas, we were given an hour break to explore the main street and marina. In true American drinking style, the two of us found the first pub and ordered a pitcher of green beer. After two beers, it was back on the winding road with one spot en route to Cairns.  

{I’d like to think I’m windblown and not frizzy}

Great Barrier Reef:

Another early morning for Ryan and I, this time we took to the water. This was the moment I had been waiting for. I became scuba certified just for this reason: to dive the Great Barrier Reef. What a bucket list thing to do!

{Under the Sea}

Both Ryan and I were doing two snorkels and one dive. The first two sites we stopped at, we snorkeled. The water was so clear in the Coral Sea that I could see everything down to the bottom.

{Zebra fish, blue water & Coral}

The first reef was my favorite. The fish were so numerous. The parrot fish was my favorite because they were so colorful. Their bodies were a fluorescent blue with bright pinks and purples that dazzled underwater. We also saw a white tipped shark (!) and sea turtle; both of which I failed miserably to get on film.

{A school of Parrot fish}

It was decided that I would do an introduction dive with Ryan at the third reef. He did so amazing for his first time diving even though he was SUPER nervous. I was surprised how quickly all the technical aspects of diving came back to me. I hadn’t been diving since October. I will admit I got a little nervous right before I stepped off the boat and into the water. No worries though. It was so surreal to swim all the way down to the bottom of the reef. Our guide pulled a sea cucumber off some coral and let just touch it. The suction cups felt so creepy. I wasn’t a fan of that.

{Coral Reefs & Stinger Suits}

I must say that the color of the coral was a little disappointing. When I think of the Great Barrier Reef, I think bright orange and red colored coral. The Outer Reef, which is where we dove, is suppose to be better than the Inner Reef because less people make the longer boat ride out there. So I was a little disappointed with the color of the coral, but the coral itself is so intricate. There are just layers and layers stacked on one another.

{Orange coral & itty bitty little blue fish}

I am so blessed to have gotten to do this once-in-a-lifetime experience with someone I love!

{Ryan & me}

A note to anyone who is planning on diving- Don’t buy a disposable underwater camera like Kodak. The picture quality is horrible. I wish we would have spent the extra money and rented a legit {read: huge} digital underwater camera. For only $20 more than a Kodak, you can take as many pictures as you want. It’s the best choice for your money and experience especially if you have a group to split the price. Plenty of shops in town offer rentals.

{Gorgeous day in Paradise}

Cairns doesn’t have a beach which I was surprised about but they have a lovely boardwalk called the Esplanade. The main feature to the esplanade is the swimming lagoon with five steel fish squirting water from their mouths. Also, all the restaurants are down the road running parallel to the esplanade so you can’t miss it.

{The famous Cairns fish}

Sorry this took so long to post but I must say it’s nice to reminisce. All I can say is take me back to Cairns.

Cheers for now,

Kim

{Hostel Review: We stayed at Gilligan’s in the heart of Cairns. Unfortunately, Ryan and I had a bad experience there. The customer service was horrid. We waited for 30 minutes to get checked in. Plus their wireless Internet was out the whole entire week which made it hard for Ryan to watch March Madness. Gilligan’s does have a great bar and all the rooms have private bathrooms. Overall, not my favorite.}