The next leg of our adventure was taking us from Springlands Hotel in Moshi, Tanzania (4am start) to Cairns, Australia - that is a big change over a short period of time! Since our Tanzania trip was not part of our "Around the World" ticket, we were more cautious with our connection flight from Johannesburg to Cairns, Au. We arrived from Moshi, Tanzania to Johannesburg, SA on Dec 29, 2009 and left Johannesburg to Cairns, Au on Dec 30th. This meant an overnight in a hostel in Johannesburg. Although the hostel was good - they picked us up and dropped us off at the airport, I still did not feel all warm and fuzzy when in Johannesburg - I am afraid that it lived up to it's reputation of not a very nice city. But again, we did not stay for a long time, so I will save my judgements.
We travelled on Qantas and it was a good flight and was fairly uneventful for the most part. We had our own little movie screen with options of what and when we watched the movie or TV program - we could pause, fast forward, rewind - cool! Maybe this is common practice now on long flights, but it was my first experience. The food was good and they even provided a little snack pack after dinner for the remainder of the flight so to avoid interruptions - cool! I won't get into it, but Delia did suffer a bad case of nausea from the time we left Johannesburg and was not able to enjoy her food or the entertainment, but the young Aussie bloke that sat beside us had no problem taking care of Delia's unwanted food *grin*. We arrived safe and sound in Cairns and we stayed 2 nights in a hostel to get our bearings and to organize where we were going to spend the 5 days on the mainland before we headed off to Tasmania, Au. The hostel was great, but the hostels do have a way of making a 44 year old feel really old - ha! It was clean, nice and close to everything. We did walk around Cairns and see some sights, but for the most part, it was just too touristy and muggy for our liking - we just wanted to get out. We arrived on Dec 30th so it was close to New Year's and it is known for a touristy part of Australia, so as you can imagine, it was loud. We decided that we would rent a car and head up to the Daintree Rainforest and Cape Tribulation. Before we left Toronto, Delia researched a place in the Daintree that we decided would be a great place to spend New Year's. Although the owner; Vaughan did not really want to rent it to us at that time, he agreed that he would - yeah! So, on the 31st we headed up to the Daintree - passing by Port Douglas and Mossman Gorge - both that are highly rated, but we only have so much time - so we went on to Daintree. Vaughan's driving instructions were great and really - just follow the coast line - even for Delia and I, we would have had to work hard to get lost! As we crossed the river and entered the Daintree Rainforest, it instantly felt great. The views of the sea and the lush forests were incredible - and it was soooo quiet. The road was narrow and had several twists and turns, but it was definitely worth the trip. After a 2 hour drive from Cairns we arrived at Coral Sea Views - the chalet that we would spend 3 nights including New Year's Eve. The drive to Coral Sea Views was beautiful, but when we arrived - as quoted by Joey Tribianni and Chandler Bing from the show "Friends" when they sat on their lounge chairs for the first time.......oh, ohhhh, ohhhhhhhhh......it was that sweet. Vaughan; the owner, met us at the driveway and showed us to our private chalet. He has 2 chalets, but we were the only ones there. It was off season which was one of the reasons Vaughan preferred not to rent it to us at that time - he came home early from his vacation to accommodate us - and that was just the beginning of his generousity! The place was truly a piece of heaven. We had a bedroom with ensuite, living area, bar that lead to 2 hammocks on our deck. Our views of were the sea, the rainforest and Thorton's Peak. We had access to the BBQ and Vaughan gave us breakfast in the morning - fresh fruit and cereal and toast - perfect for me! Vaughan gave us tips of things to do including places that only the locals knew about. Being New Year's Eve the night that we arrived and being off season and the fact that the Daintree Rainforest is quiet to begin with, we were not so sure what was going to be available. Vaughan did suggest a restaurant close by called the Lync Haven - he called to make sure that it was open and all that they requested is that we come before 7pm so they could also enjoy their New Year's Eve celebration. The food was outstanding - we decided on the steak! We finished off our New Year's Eve night with sipping wine and lying in our hammocks looking out into the rainforest's night sky......it was so quiet......a New Year's Eve like no other!!! We toured the Daintree and ate at the Lync Haven again the day after New Year's - this time for the recommended chicken parmesean and my first choice; local fish.....mmmmmmm good! On New's Year Day, most things were closed, including the Rum Runners; the company that we wanted to scuba dive the Great Barrier Reef with. So Vaughan sent us on a trail to a waterfall that is not known to the tourists, it is not marked and is a little difficult to do....hmmmm.....the physical part did not scare me, but the whole "unmarked trail" thing did make me nervous....Delia and I are not the best when it comes to directions, but hey, we were in for an adventure so we gave it a try. The days before it had rained quite a bit so the river leading up to the waterfall was high. This meant that instead of following the river all the way up, we had to bushwack a bit along the edge of the water. We walked half in the water and half along the shore, but after 2 1/2 hours up the river and getting into forest that got so thick we were afraid that we were going to get lost forever (even saw a wild pig and the vines were so thick that we kept getting caught), the river dried up and the bolders were getting very large, we we decided that maybe it was time to turn around. For those that know me, this is very difficult to do. I did a bit of, "lets just try around this one more bolder, maybe right around this next tree...", but when you couldn't hear a waterfall or even a stream of water, even I was skeptical - enough that I could be convinced to turn around. Although we did not make it to the waterfall, I did enjoy the walk - it was a true adventure through the rainforest and there was no one else around. When we got back to the Coral Seas we had to admit defeat to Vaughan. As I described our route and where we got to, he said that we were about 500m from the waterfall - he said just before you reach the waterfall the river goes underneath and the bolders are big and you can't hear the waterfall - he apologized for not telling us, but again, we still had fun - nothing that a good meal and a glass of wine cannot cure - ha! Vaughan offered us a Coral Trout that he caught for dinner. We barbequed it and it was great as you can imagine.
In the Daintree they were also known for their homemade ice cream - well, that's a "no brainer" - I had to try it. They were excellent, but I have to be honest; Sonia's (Delia's Mom's) is better! The last thing we did was to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef in Cape Tribulation. They picked us up and drove us to the beach, it was a 45 min boat ride and then it was 2 to 3 hours of diving and eating and enjoying the views from the reef. Delia and I did 2 dives. Okay, okay, okay....I will admit it......scuba was something that Delia wanted to do - not so much me. I love water, but I like to swim on top - I am not totally incapacitated by fear underwater, but it is not my favourite place. About 10 years ago, Delia and I took scuba lessons, but we did not do our open water, so for this trip, we did a beginner dive. It was a quick review of the regulator, equipment and general safety, then it was out into the water. We put on our equipment, headed out to the deck and climbed down the ladder. At this point, I thought I was going to die with fear. The tank was heavy, the vest was tight I couldn't breathe and don't even get me started with how silly I looked...just kidding - fashion was the last thing on my mind! I don't feel this way that often, but I did then and it was not a nice feeling. I did alot of self talk and of course did not say anything. I am not sure, but I think on the outside, I looked pretty calm - calm enough to not freak the instructor out anyways as he let me dive. So I got as far as falling into the water and hanging onto the ladder. Before we let go of the boat we had to successfully perform 3 skills from the 2nd rung of the ladder. Once we did this, we would progress down to the 3rd then the 4th rung, follow the rope down to the pail and once we gave the thumbs up, we would let go and start our dive......alot of time to turn around.....I was thinking! So here we were in the water, hanging onto the ladder. Delia was first to perform her skills and of course she was a pro - she was in her element. As I watched her do her skills it was at this point I thought....okay, this is it....I can't do this....I am just going to go back on the boat and snorkel....I know I am being silly, but I can't do this, but dammit, my stubborn personality just won't let me quit! So there was only one way to go......I was next......skill#1 - fill and clear mask - okay, that one was easy, skill#2 - regulator out of mouth, count to 3, regulator back in mouth, blow out to clear regulator - done....skill#3 - regulator out of mouth, let regulator float away - locate regulator, put regulator back in mouth and blow to clear....okay, cool, did that. It was now our decent - I felt like a primary school kid not wanting to let go of mom's hand on my first day of kindergarten, but once I did - it was fantastic. It was instant; my fear went away and I was swimming with the fish on the Great Barrier Reef with not a care in the world - I am not kidding - it was that fast! The unknown is always what causes fear most of the time! So now that I was a pro - ha - I was already to do a second dive. The instructor must have been impressed as on the second dive he gave me less weight on my belt as he thought I could regulate my breathing well enough to control my place in the water - NOT! The second dive was good, but a bit harder as I was constantly fighting to stay low. One time when the instructor was trying to show us something, I was waving my arms like a freak to keep myself down - hoping that he would figure it out, but they were too interested in whatever they were looking at - when I just couldn't stay down any longer - I started to float away when Delia pointed to me - he finally swam up, grabbed me and pulled me down. It was actually quite funny. After our 2 dives we were allowed another 30 min to snorkel before we had to go back to the boat and head for shore. The other nice thing about our diving trip was that because this was there last run out before the end of the season, there was only 15 of us - we had alot of attention. Our adventure did not end there. As they drove us back to our place in the van we saw the famous Cassowary bird. This bird is the largest land animal in Australia - yes, bigger than a kangaroo - that is one big ass bird! It is a difficult bird to see and some locals say that it took them 5 years before they saw one and some locals say they have never seen one - and we saw not only the Cassowary bird, but the adult male and the chick! Of course I did not have my camera, but I do have it in my memory!!! With only 5 days on the mainland, we definitely enjoyed every second. We headed back to Cairns for our flight to Hobart, Tasmania! Although I would not change a thing and we have enjoyed every second, it will be nice to stay in one place for a longer period of time! We are in Tasmania for 1 month!!!
In the Daintree they were also known for their homemade ice cream - well, that's a "no brainer" - I had to try it. They were excellent, but I have to be honest; Sonia's (Delia's Mom's) is better! The last thing we did was to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef in Cape Tribulation. They picked us up and drove us to the beach, it was a 45 min boat ride and then it was 2 to 3 hours of diving and eating and enjoying the views from the reef. Delia and I did 2 dives. Okay, okay, okay....I will admit it......scuba was something that Delia wanted to do - not so much me. I love water, but I like to swim on top - I am not totally incapacitated by fear underwater, but it is not my favourite place. About 10 years ago, Delia and I took scuba lessons, but we did not do our open water, so for this trip, we did a beginner dive. It was a quick review of the regulator, equipment and general safety, then it was out into the water. We put on our equipment, headed out to the deck and climbed down the ladder. At this point, I thought I was going to die with fear. The tank was heavy, the vest was tight I couldn't breathe and don't even get me started with how silly I looked...just kidding - fashion was the last thing on my mind! I don't feel this way that often, but I did then and it was not a nice feeling. I did alot of self talk and of course did not say anything. I am not sure, but I think on the outside, I looked pretty calm - calm enough to not freak the instructor out anyways as he let me dive. So I got as far as falling into the water and hanging onto the ladder. Before we let go of the boat we had to successfully perform 3 skills from the 2nd rung of the ladder. Once we did this, we would progress down to the 3rd then the 4th rung, follow the rope down to the pail and once we gave the thumbs up, we would let go and start our dive......alot of time to turn around.....I was thinking! So here we were in the water, hanging onto the ladder. Delia was first to perform her skills and of course she was a pro - she was in her element. As I watched her do her skills it was at this point I thought....okay, this is it....I can't do this....I am just going to go back on the boat and snorkel....I know I am being silly, but I can't do this, but dammit, my stubborn personality just won't let me quit! So there was only one way to go......I was next......skill#1 - fill and clear mask - okay, that one was easy, skill#2 - regulator out of mouth, count to 3, regulator back in mouth, blow out to clear regulator - done....skill#3 - regulator out of mouth, let regulator float away - locate regulator, put regulator back in mouth and blow to clear....okay, cool, did that. It was now our decent - I felt like a primary school kid not wanting to let go of mom's hand on my first day of kindergarten, but once I did - it was fantastic. It was instant; my fear went away and I was swimming with the fish on the Great Barrier Reef with not a care in the world - I am not kidding - it was that fast! The unknown is always what causes fear most of the time! So now that I was a pro - ha - I was already to do a second dive. The instructor must have been impressed as on the second dive he gave me less weight on my belt as he thought I could regulate my breathing well enough to control my place in the water - NOT! The second dive was good, but a bit harder as I was constantly fighting to stay low. One time when the instructor was trying to show us something, I was waving my arms like a freak to keep myself down - hoping that he would figure it out, but they were too interested in whatever they were looking at - when I just couldn't stay down any longer - I started to float away when Delia pointed to me - he finally swam up, grabbed me and pulled me down. It was actually quite funny. After our 2 dives we were allowed another 30 min to snorkel before we had to go back to the boat and head for shore. The other nice thing about our diving trip was that because this was there last run out before the end of the season, there was only 15 of us - we had alot of attention. Our adventure did not end there. As they drove us back to our place in the van we saw the famous Cassowary bird. This bird is the largest land animal in Australia - yes, bigger than a kangaroo - that is one big ass bird! It is a difficult bird to see and some locals say that it took them 5 years before they saw one and some locals say they have never seen one - and we saw not only the Cassowary bird, but the adult male and the chick! Of course I did not have my camera, but I do have it in my memory!!! With only 5 days on the mainland, we definitely enjoyed every second. We headed back to Cairns for our flight to Hobart, Tasmania! Although I would not change a thing and we have enjoyed every second, it will be nice to stay in one place for a longer period of time! We are in Tasmania for 1 month!!!
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