Snorkeling Sheila, Barramundi Bloke

Big fish at the Great Barrier Reef
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Although getting to our first destination in Australia was more difficult than it should've been, once we saw beautiful sun, white sandy beach, and palm trees we were immediately at peace. The Australian accent and laid-back attitude was apparent right away, everyone was pleasant and helpful. We stayed at a relic of a resort (probably chic in the 70's) with pink marble and gold trim in the bathrooms. It was dated yet clean and right on the beach. The little town of Port Douglas is just 1.5 hours from the Great Barrier Reef by boat ("Wavepiercer"). However, it had a hard time piercing waves with 30-knot head wind, so the ride was bumpy but we made it.

Even bigger fish!
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Once out on the reef we got to a platform that's anchored to the bottom of the sea; it's ~ 25 ft deep in that particular spot. The area for snorkeling is roped off and lots of places to just hang on and view the beautiful marine life below. We both went into the water right away, however Alyssa started to freak out about 5 min into our snorkeling adventure. (NB: My mind will not accept the idea of breathing while underwater. Plus I'm not that strong a swimmer. I did enjoy the partially submerged boat ride with glass sides.) She quickly bailed back to the platform, I continued to explore for another 30 min. The marine life was amazing and as long as you got away from the masses the water was clear all the way to the bottom. Later, the tour people started to feed fish of the platform which made the whole experience a little less natural, but still beautiful. The way back from the reef was a hair-raising experience but all ended well.

we realized how much we missed forks and knives!

Dried off and basking in the sunlight (under cover of SPF70, of course)
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At dinner our first night in Port Douglas we realized how much we missed forksand knives for the past week and a half. We had some fabulous fresh seafood - baby burramundi, coral trout, and red emperor are delicious local fishes.

The next day we took a group tour of the Daintree rainforest. We started out on a little river cruise (no waves = no seasickness) where we were able to spot a few crocodiles, some snakes and unusual birds. We were led on a few nature walks (by our guide Ranger Rick, who was really enthusiastic but seriously in need of deodorant) and spotted a juvenile cassowary - an endangered bird which can grow to 70kg and has been known to attack humans when provoked. Lots of other flora and fauna including 1500-year-old palm trees, fruit bats, and a stinging tree. Had crocodile fettucine for lunch, followed by a stop at an ice creamery where they make tropical fruit ice cream from fruit grown on site (passion fruit, jack fruit, soursop, and acacia!) - yum! Also got a look at the beautiful beach there and some unusual stones which "bounce" when dropped against the granite rocks on the beach.

Alyssa during sugarcane harvest!
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Here we say goodbye to the summertime climates we've been enjoying, and head for Sydney...more to come!