Swimmin in the rainforest

Well fly-fishing didn’t work out in Cairns. Dad went early Thursday morning to look at renting a boat and he said the boats were crappy and he wouldn’t even risk putting us all in one to go fishing. So, instead we had a relaxing day at the lagoon. We suited up and headed out to enjoy the 90-degree weather. The lagoons in these towns are amazing. They are salt water that is pumped in from the ocean and then filtered. They have fountains in them, sandy beaches to lie on and the landscaping around them is beautiful. This particular lagoon is actually right by the waterfront and there is a walkway that runs right down the entire waterfront. It would be perfect for running if it weren’t so ridiculously hot here. So we got some sun, read our books and enjoyed the ocean breeze. We then headed out for some quick lunch.

Australia has done wonders for my skin, hair and nails. My skin is clear and tan for the most part, my hair has grown so much faster and is lovely and sunkissed and having bitten my nails my whole life, I’ve had no stress and they grew out. So I decided that since I have nails I might as well go get a manicure. I then went back and met up with my dad by the pool while my mom went to the spa for a massage. Then it was back to the room to try to upload some pictures with this crappy Internet. I have so many awesome pictures I want to upload, but the Internet here just doesn’t like me. As I was finishing uploading the first set, my mom got back from her massage. Evidently we got two discounts at the spa so she booked me for a facial. Woohoo! I ran off to the gym and had a fabulous workout and then went to the spa for my facial. Although most guys would probably claim that spas are pointless and a waste of money, I think they are amazing. Combine the soothing music, candles and pampering atmosphere and you can’t help but relax. After changing into my robe, I sat in the “sanctuary” and read a book on tips to be happy. Not that I need many of those but I figured it would be a fun read. Then I headed back with Saeco (pronounced psycho, seriously) for my facial. She put a million different creams and lotions on my skin, but each of them felt healing and luxurious. Then I got arm and hand massages. She finished up with a full facial massage. It amazes me how estheticians can move their fingers in a way that feels like they have eight hands rubbing your face. One of her moves felt like an alien creature massaging my cheeks, but it still felt good. The “express” facial was actually 60 minutes so I’m considering that a win. And damnit if I don’t feel beautiful!!

We also had a first for my parents in Australia. We had dinner at a place called Barnacle Bill’s. The name doesn’t sound fancy, but the menu sounded pretty good so we gave it a try. BEST MEAL EVER. Except maybe that expensive seafood buffet lunch dad and I had at the hotel in Brisbane. All three of us loved our meals and my parents didn’t complain about a single thing at dinner. It was a small victory, but an important one as well. We ended the night with our typical Baskin Robbins.

We got up this morning (Friday) at a bright and early 6am. By we I mean my mother and I. Dad, of course, was up at his normal 3:30am and read and “piddled” until it was time to wake us up. We enjoyed our free breakfast and suited up for the rainforest! Our coach picked us up about 7:15am. It was a 21-seater bus and the ride was a little rough. Dad kept saying that if Kendall were with us, she never would have made it. With all the bumping and sharp turns, most of us on the bus felt a little sick by the end. We met a nice couple behind us who was from Western Australia. Our driver was Joe who used to be a pastry chef but got bored of it and has directed tours of the rainforest for almost 10 years now. He is also Italian so he’d tell us about things as we passed and then tell it again in Italian for the 4 Italian passengers on our bus. On the way up to the rainforest we passed Dolly Parton Island (nicknamed so because it looks like two big boobies) and Boyscout Island that looks like a little pointed boyscout hat. We picked up more passengers along the way until the bus was full. Then we traveled up the Great Coastal Road again and looked at all the beautiful beaches.

Our first stop was Mossman Gorge where we did a guided rainforest walk. We saw fig trees, Tarzan vines and the beautiful clear river that flows through. After the guided tour we got about 20 minutes to ourselves. So I went swimming in the rainforest. It was cold but absolutely refreshing. The water is completely clear and has barely any fish because the rainforest offers so little nutrients to the water. I dove off rocks and swam all the way across while my parents took pictures. I made them dip their toes in, but they opted out of jumping in. But really, how many people can say they swam in the rainforest?? I can. :)

Then we loaded back on the bus and headed to our next destination, the Daintree River cruise. On the river they talked about us seeing Estuarine Crocodiles, snakes, beautiful birds and all the trees indigenous to the river. As our guide took us along we searched eagerly for crocodiles. The biggest Croc in that river is about 12 feet long so that’s who we wanted to see. It was high tide, which makes them even harder to find. We saw Mangrove trees and what makes Daintree unique is that they have 33 different types of Mangrove trees. We saw a few birds in the trees but mostly it was a botanical journey through the river. We had a few false alarms with what our guide called “log-odiles.” At the very end, we still hadn’t seen much in the form of creatures so our guide took us to where they had seen a baby crocodile on the cruise before us. We finally found him and I tried to take zoomed in pictures of him. Dad swears it was a rubber one they tied up, but it looked pretty real to me. Then we headed back to the land to board back on our bus. There were six people on our cruise that had driven there so they stayed on the boat to head back to their cars. We found out later that on their way back to their cars they actually saw a big crocodile. It figures . . .

It was finally time for lunch. We were starving and excited about the buffet. It was nothing special, but it filled us up at least. We were at a resort in the middle of nowhere so the only things to do were swim in the pool or go down to the beach. As we were walking to the beach I spotted a huge lizard so the whole family got to see it. We then drove a few miles up the beach to see Cape Tribulation. The bad thing about beaches here in North Queensland is this: this time of year they are filled with jellyfish, some of which are deadly and almost impossible to see. So, you could be sitting on a gorgeous beach with clear blue water, and if there isn’t a stinger net, you can’t swim. Not to mention the crocodiles you have to worry about. Then mix in the 25 species of deadly snakes and you have a potentially fatal vacation. But, there were still some fabulous views, and no one was stung or eaten on our trip.

Our last stop was the Discovery Centre. As we walked in the main entranceway, my parents recognized the lady behind the desk. On our way from Brisbane to Cairns we met a lady named Jayne on our airplane. My dad was using my mom’s Kindle, which is a machine to download electronic books that can hold thousands of different books. The lady was asking about the Kindle and then told us about how she lived out in the bush and we chatted about our upcoming vacation. Jayne was behind the counter at Discovery Centre. When she said she lived out in the bush, she wasn’t kidding. We all laughed and took a picture together. What are the odds that my dad runs into someone he knows in the middle of nowhere? We then got to follow the trails through the rainforest and climbed a 70ft tower to view the canopy. It’s amazing to see a rainforest from the canopy. I really felt like I was on the Planet Earth series. We tried our best to see the Cassowary (deadly bird that is related to an Emu) but there were none to be found. Apart from butterflies and some interesting trees and flowers, we didn’t get to see any more animals.

The bus ride home was pretty brutal and dad finally found a place he couldn’t sleep. We stopped a few times along the Coastal Road for pictures but finally made it home. We packed our bags, had another fabulous dinner out on the town and then dad and I hit up the casino. We had $8 to spend on the slots. At our first machine I said, “I don’t understand how people get addicted to this. It’s not even that fun.” The woman to my left gave me a death glare and acted like I just killed her best friend. I apologize for offending you, lady, but I really don’t understand the addiction to a game of complete chance.

The next few days are gonna be tough, but awesome. We leave tomorrow around noon and arrive in Christ Church, New Zealand about midnight. The next morning we have a tour starting at 8:30am so we’ll be lacking in sleep but I’ve heard the city is gorgeous. More to come after New Zealand (where hopefully I get to skydive) then it’s off to our final destination: Fiji!!