Good evening America, the cleaning ladies just kicked me out of my room to make my bed and vacuum sand off my floor so I thought I would take the time to fill you in on my trip to Cairns aka the famous Great Barrier Reef city. This trip concluded my crazy four week odyssey of the extreme with a full day of scuba and snorkeling on the reef with the rest of the weekend pretty much open to explore the town.
The group of my mates Adam, Jon, Chris, Fink, Steven, Ryan, and yours truly all took a train to Brisbane on Thursday night in order to fly to Cairns, arriving around midnight. We touched down in Cairns and were immediately bused to our hostel. Gilligans, or "Gillys"as the locals called it, was definitely the best hostel I have stayed in during my semester here. It was 5 stories tall, built over an enormous fruit market, and had a really cool outdoor pool/bar area, along with its own nightclub. When we pulled up to Gillys there was a line out the door to get into the club. We walked past the line, checked into our room that would house only us, and had a full bathroom (both extremely clutch). Since it was already late, we decided to just explore the streets close to the hostel in order to have a better idea of where to eat and explore the next day. When we woke up the next day, a couple of us decided to walk around Cairns in the pouring rain. We explored the town, walking into countless gift shops (which all sell the same 10 items including boomerangs, didgeridoos, croc hunter hats, and other stereotypical Aussie gifts.) We also found a cool sports bar where we ate lunch and watched the Ashes Cricket Test between England and Australia. Afterwards, we went to the huge market under our hostel which was stuffed with shops selling mangoes, papayas, and crazy local fruits. My buddy Fink and I decided to be adventurous and try some fruits we couldn't just pick up fresh at Kroger. We were recommended to a fruit that was known for tasting like chocolate pudding but we decided on a dragonfruit and some good looking passionfruit. While the passionfruit was a familiar and sweet taste, I would suggest that although there is a dragonfruit flavored Vitamin Water, it is not the best fruit to just chop up and eat... That night we went around town exploring the nightlife, with the thought of our 6am boat ride in the back of our heads.
The next day, we reluctantly crawled out of bed and walked to the marina to get on our boat taking us around the Great Barrier Reef. The trip out to the reef was rough. I have never been one to get seasick, (at least not on the Licking River or Lake Waynoka) and my night on Sydney Harbor was one without problems, but this was a completely different story. With the waves tossing our boat, I had to step out of our scuba instructional talk to return the free morning tea we were provided with. It was a worldly moment when I walked out of the room, was handed a bag from a sickly Spanish man and sat down next to a green German and queasy Queenslander. I was in good company as many other people were looking quite unhealthy all around me. Fortunately, the perfect cure for my seasickness was right around us. Minutes later, I grabbed a stinger suit to save my life from deadly jellyfish, donned my snorkel and flippers and jumped into the Coral Sea. The Great Barrier Reef is one of the most beautiful and amazing things I have ever seen. We stopped at two separate reefs and I snorkeled for what seemed like hours, often completely away from other people, just in shock from all the coral formations and fish that were colors that don't even have names. Some highlights were seeing clown fish, angel fish, sea cucumbers, parrotfish, and a barracuda that was bigger than me. Diving deep with the snorkel gear was one of the most enjoyable experiences due to the more rare animals down lower. At one point I dove down to see a giant clam and found a purple sea urchin hidden in a crevasse. After a while we were called to go scuba diving. Now honestly, I was more worried before diving than I was falling out of the plane weeks ago. (Must have been something about the relying on a tank of oxygen and how when you skydive all you have to worry about is falling.) The dive was incredible and definitely something I want to do again in the future. At one point, I was so focused on the reef and breathing that the instructor tapped me on the shoulder to remind me to kick my feet. I was just floating around, turning my head and breathing. Once I got used to the regulator, I got to see some great reef life including a giant clam that would open and close when you put your hand in it. All in all, snorkeling and diving the reef was one of the coolest things I have done Down Under and in my entire life.
In our last day in Cairns, we swam in the Lagoon, which is a famous infinity pool and sunbathing area in Cairns and went to a wildlife center where I finally got to hold a koala! We had not expected for this to be an option but we all jumped at the opportunity to hold this cutest of Australian bears. After attaining this final Australian goal, I realized that it was a fitting end to an epic trip that concluded my four crazy weeks. Monday morning we flew back to Brisbane, rode the train to Gold Coast, took the bus to Bond Uni and got back into the flow of "real-fake life". For now, I will be getting ready for finals and hitting the beaches around Gold Coast with Christmas in Cincinnati on my mind. I miss you all very much and look forward to seeing you back stateside in the future!
- Jeff
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