Home Sweet Home

Unfortunately, swimming in the tropics at this time of year are frowned upon as deadly jellyfish roam the waters. A rather unpleasant experience to be stung I imagine, as the first symptom is pain, and the second is cardiac arrest. :)

Looking out off the Alexandria lookout at the low isles, where the forest meets the sea and also, incidentally where Steve Irwin was killed.

And so it is, that 10 days of my life have been spent trekking through the tropical oasis that is the Northern QLD East coast. The sights were spectacular, with the highlights being by far and away, diving on the Great Barrier Reef and trekking through the Daintree Rainforest. It has really given me a whole new appreciation for what is at my very own fingertips, essentially, just up the road. It made me so sad to be swimming with the amazing ocean wildlife, knowing that in a couple of years time it may not even be there. As we steamed back into the mainland, I watched as peoples drink bottles fell off the boat, and as people threw rubbish off the side. Maybe they knew what kind of damage they were doing and maybe they didn't.

Another thing I noticed, was as we were cruising down the Daintree river watching for crocodiles, I noticed that many tourists just expected crocodiles to be ready and posing for their little digital cameras. They had no appreciation for the rest of the wildlife that inhabits the area, nor did they seem to realize that crocodiles probably don't want to be seen. It's called self preservation. It means they don't want to become a piece of the crocodile jerky that can be found throughout most souvenir shops throughout Cairns.  I was absolutely awe inspired by the abundance of life in one small river. Words can't even begin to describe the beauty of such an absolutely stunning place.

While I admit that hostels and backpacking are not my thing, and I did find it some what difficult to adjust to feeling dirty, re wearing clothes more than twice, and carrying an enormous backpack wherever I went, experiencing the country was the ultimate high. It was beautiful, it was surreal and I can't wait to get out and just see a tiny bit more of the world.