I was excited to finally reach Cairns (pronounced cans) because I would be meeting my friend Kathryn and her friend Stephanie there for 4 glorious days of girl time. We arrived earlier than them and were sad to leave Woomera behind but excited for a real bed and no searching for showers for 5 whole nights. We loved the accommodation that Katheryn picked and to top it off it was in our budget. I guess Kathryn and her friend were no so thrilled due to the shared bathrooms and were frantically trying to find a Doubletree to stay in. Makes me laugh to think how much I have altered my expectations in the last 6 months.
Jon happily stepped out and the girls enjoyed the first few days exploring the lush rain forest north of Cairns. Actually the first day he went to the gym in the morning and “missed us” by 10 minutes. The second day the tour only had 3 spots left and Jon insisted we go without him. He happily spent the two days working out, going to the movies and eating KFC. He did get nervous when we arrived over an hour late from our tour and the hotel actually called our tour guide looking for us.
We took a sky rail up to the quaint town of Kuranda and a full day tour of the outstanding Cape Tribulation and Daintree forest. The tour included a crocodile cruise where we saw one tiny baby crocodile, a hike and swim in the Daintree and ended with sunset at Port Douglas. The whole atmosphere of the day was about having fun! There were name that song games and dance parties to occupy us on the long bus ride.
Views from the sky rail and the girls at one of the stops.
Baby crocodile from the cruise.
Face painting and having fun on the beach.
Swimming and rope swings at a swimming hole in the Daintree.
Sunset in Port Douglas.
The third day we all ventured out for a cruise and dive on the Great Barrier Reef. I was extremely nervous as this would be my first dive in a year and only my second dive since getting open water certified. I am not a natural. Being deep down under water where a long list of things that can go wrong is not my idea of fun. We all geared up and jumped off the boat to begin our decent. As I went further down my panic grew and my ear was giving me issues making the whole process painstakingly slow. I finally got to the bottom and someone put air in my vest and that was it. The panic set in and I floated right back to the top. The instructor came up and promptly sent me back to the boat. Thank God we had two more dives that day because I did not want to miss diving in the great barrier reef. I talked my way into the non-certified beginner class where they go down really slow and the instructor holds your hand until you feel comfortable. By the third dive I was actually enjoying myself for the first time.
Jon in his dive gear and some of the fish we swam with.
That night was thanksgiving. We pieced together a makeshift meal with items purchased at the grocery store and KFC. We actually found the stuffing in the international isle. The meal was wonderful and we all gave thanks to what we valued most feeling blessed to be with friends during the Holiday.
Our Thanksgiving meal.
Boy what a difference from the brocation, I’m not sure either of them drank a drop of alcohol with the exception of the wine I pushed on them for our Thanksgiving meal.
Where we stayed, Travelers Dreamtime, we had a private room with a shred bathroom for about $55 a night. The front desk was extremely funny and helpful. They arranged all our tours for us. Plus, there were extras like $7 pizza, $10 BBQ and movie nights. The common area was super cool with a pool and decked out VW van to hang out in.
The cool outdoor area of the hostel.
Journey with Christina 