Finding Nemo!

If you're Kelli, this weekend wasn't fun at all. You got out of Australia at the right time, and didn't miss anything. In fact, Mom, Dad, and I pretty much just sat around all weekend talking about how much we missed you.

If you're not Kelli, this weekend was amazing!!! It was my favorite weekend so far in Australia! On Thursday I flew up to Cairns to join my parents for a weekend enjoying the Great Barrier Reef and Queensland's Rainforest. In all the good luck we've had flying so far this trip, I finally had my first real delay. I was supposed to leave Melbourne at noon, have a quick 30 minute layover in Brisbane, and get into Cairns at 4 to meet my parents who were getting in from Sydney at 4:30. This seemed like a great plan until it rained in Brisbane causing a slight delay. Normally this wouldn't have mattered, but when you only have a 30 minute layover, everything needs to go perfectly. I got to the gate in Brisbane right as the walkway was pulling away from the plane. They did manage to get me on the next flight to Cairns, which didn't leave until 5 and get in until 7. In the end it didn't turn out so bad. By the time I got to the hotel, my parents had already booked our trips or the weekend and picked out a place for dinner. I barely had time to put my stuff down before my dad hurried us off to dinner. They picked an Australian BBQ joint where I ordered crocodile and kangaroo for my parents to try. The crocodile was actually really good. It was a cross between chicken and fish. The kangaroo, like the first time I had it, was good, but tough. Mom really enjoyed the crocodile (Dad was a little apprehensive about it all) and neither were a big fan of the kangaroo. After dinner we went to bed since we were getting picked up at 7:30 to go out to the reef!
There are tons of boats to take you out to the reef, offering everything from glass bottoms to underwater observation decks. My parents decided to go with a company that didn't have any of that. Its motto was the only way to see the reef is to actually get into the water, so they specialized in snorkeling and scuba diving. And let me tell you, they were right. You don't need any of the bells and whistles to really see the reef. All you need is a mask, snorkel, and flippers. The first location they took us to on the reef took about an hour to get there. On the way out we had to fill out medical forms, and on the form they offered two activities at the first location that were included in the trip; a guided snorkeling tour, or an introductory scuba dive. I was debating between the two, but luckily my dad asked me why I was even debating and signed me up for scuba. I spent the rest of the trip out to the reef in a scuba safety class where I learned that you had to breathe normally through the "breathing thingy" (yes that is what they told us it was called) and the rest of the buttons were "do not touch" buttons. As you can tell, they pretty much held our hands through the whole thing, and all we didn't need to do anything but breathe and enjoy the reef. Before I knew it, we were at our first location and it was time to jump in. I was in one of the last groups to scuba, so I got to start my snorkeling with my parents. My mom and I jumped right in, but my dad was a little more hesitant. I was in the water for a few minutes before I looked over at him. He had just jumped in and looked terrified! His mask was halfway down his face, his glasses were falling down his nose, and he was flailing around. In about 2 seconds flat, one of the staff was at his side. He took him inside to get a prescription mask, and then sent him out with a staff member on a guided snorkel. My mom and I were waiting the whole time near the boat for him to come out, and when he finally did led by the staff he still looked scared and swam right past us without even realizing we were there. My mom and I just laughed and went out to the reef ourselves. We finally went under and got our first view of the reef. It was spectacular!!! I really can't even begin to describe it. Imagine the best aquarium you have ever been to, and multiply it by 1000, and you'd be getting close. The fish were everywhere! They literally were swimming right under you like they didn't even notice you were there. It was a whole new world down there, and there were more colors than I could've imagined. The coral was so close that sometimes I felt like I had to suck in or else I would run into it! I loved just floating and watching the fish swim around. I saw clown fish, starfish, whatever kind of fish Gill was in Finding Nemo, and a whole lot of other fish that I won't even pretend to know what they are.

Snorkeling on the reef

Before I knew it, an hour had passed and it was time to scuba. My mom and I went up to the deck while my dad, who by this time had gotten used to snorkeling and didn't want to get out of the water, stayed to watch the fish more. I got all the gear put on my (I would say I put on all the gear, but again, they held my hand through the whole thing and I literally just had to sit there when they got me all hooked up) and jumped in the water. After a brief refresher on the rules (breathe and follow the guide) we were off. If the reef was amazing while snorkeling, this was 100 times better. Instead of just being below you, the reef and fish were all around you! It was like being in Underwater World/Adventures/whatever they call it now but without the glass. We went down about 7 meters, and I got to touch a giant clam, coral, and get my picture with Nemo! It was a once in a life time experience, and I'm so glad my dad made me do it!

They told us to give the "cool bananas" instead of the thumbs up because thumbs up means we need to go back up right away

I found Nemo!

When I got back from my dive it was time for lunch. Everyone was already inside, so I went to go find my parents. They were nowhere in sight! I went to the back of the boat to try to find them, and they were literally the only 2 snorkelers left in the water. My dad went from having to be led around to not wanting to come in. By the time I flagged them down, almost all the food was gone, but they said it was worth it. After lunch we went to our second location, and snorkeled for another 2 hours, and then headed back to town. Now before you guys get too jealous of us, we did have some injuries on the reef. First, both my mom and I have scrapes from rubbing against the reef. We were also very stupid and didn't put enough sunscreen on. Since only our backs were exposed to the sun for almost 5 hours, all of us have pretty bad sunburn. Horrible, I know.

Scrape from the reef

Saturday we went into the mountains and rainforest. We started by taking a train up to the top of the mountain. The rail line was a great engineering feat with tons of bridges and tunnels. The views were pretty cool too. My favorite views were of Barron Falls.

Train up the Mountain

Mom Dad and I inside the train

Barron Falls

Once we got to the top of the mountain, we took a bus to Rainforestation which has duck rides, Aboriginal culture shows, and a wildlife park. The first thing we did was a duck tour of the rainforest. Our driver pointed out tons of tropical plants, including one of the most venomous plants in the world, which is ironically shaped like a heart.

Duck ride in the rainforest

Next we went to the Aboriginal culture show. Here we got to watch traditional Aboriginal dances, throw a boomerang, hear a didgeridoo, and have a spear throwing demonstration. It was interesting to see some of the culture I have been learning about in class.



Throwing a boomerang

After lunch it was off to the wildlife park, where I go the chance to do something I have always wanted to do, hold a koala! When I told Kelli, she said I always had to one up her, and I can't argue with that! I also go to feed more kangaroos and wallabies, see crocodiles, dingos, and lizards. The zookeeper even took out a baby koala, which I got to pet! It was a pretty amazing day!

Me and the koala!!!

Playing with the kangaroos

9 months old koala!

To get back to Cairns we took a skyrail over the rainforest. Again, these views were unbelievable! We got right on top of the trees and could see all the beautiful birds flying around. We were able to get out at two lookouts to get better views of the forest. After making it back to Cairns, we went to church, ate dinner, and headed back to the hotel. It was a very long, but exciting two days. I'm back in Melbourne with my parents now for a few days. Today they're staying in Clayton to see the campus, and then they'll stay in Melbourne for 3 nights before they fly back. I'll spend Tuesday with them, and then I leave for a field trip with my Australian class into the outback for the weekend. You can't accuse me of not getting the most out of my time here in Australia!

Me in the skyrail over the rainforest

Walking to the lookout from the skyrail. I included this picture because it shows our sunburned legs.