Fun in the Sun!

The second part of my mid-semester break began with the flight from Melbourne to Cairns for a week. When we arrived and found the shuttle that would take us to our hostel, we were told that they had overbooked and we had been upgraded to their sister hostel called Calypso! It was nice enough and we ended up getting a quad room, with just the three of us in it.

The Calypso Inn.

We spent a little time wandering around the downtown/shopping district in Cairns and ended up finding the docks, a big pool called the lagoon, and a great outdoor market. The weather was beautiful and we just enjoyed walking around in the sun during our first day in Cairns. For dinner we went to a restaurant close to our hostel called the Cock & Bull where we ordered nachos and Caesar salad to share. It was delicious.

The harbour.

The lagoon.

The big fish at the Cock & Bull.

Kaitlyn, Sam, and I had one more day off before we'd really get into all the tourist activities so we headed back to the lagoon on Sunday to suntan and relax. Even hotter than the day before, we made lots of trips into the water and put on lots of sunscreen and had a great day. That night, we headed back into town to go see the night markets - shops set up in a small indoor mall selling lots of great trinkets and souvenirs. It was pretty cool and a great excuse to get out in the evening!

On Monday, the three of us woke up early to catch the shuttle to 'The Reef', otherwise known as the docks. We had booked a daytrip out to the Great Barrier Reef to go snorkelling. I was super excited since its arguably the most well-known feature of Australia. Knowing that I don't do to well on small boats on the ocean, I bought a couple of natural ginger tablets that were supposed to prevent sea-sickness. I'm glad to say they worked and I had a great day out on the ocean. We stopped at two sites to snorkel and dive. It was really beautiful with all different kinds of fish: blue ones, yellow ones, big ones, small ones. I even got to touch a sea-cucumber (with permission from our guide, of course). Best part: I saw what I've always wanted to see; a turtle! By the time we got back to our hostel, we were exhausted but satisfied - I can't believe I was able to go snorkelling in the Great Barrier Reef before I reached the age of 21!

Looking out at the Great Barrier Reef.

Snorkelling.

Cool yellow fish!

Turtle! Unfortunately he's not centred in the picture, but it's really difficult taking pictures underwater!

Cheers!

Tuesday, we took the ferry from Cairns to Fitzroy Island, where we went sea-kayaking, did some more snorkelling, walked along the shoreline, and just relaxed on the beach. It was great fun, but all that paddling was definitely tiring. Unfortunately I had used up all the film on my disposable underwater camera, so I didn't get to take pictures of the beautiful coral we saw near the beach when we were snorkelling. Hopefully, my pictures of the the stunning views from the island will suffice.

Looking back at Cairns from the ferry.

Coming up to Fitzroy Island.

The harbour at Fitzroy island and the beach made up of coral.

Kaitlyn enjoying the sun.

A look out at the water.

Walking trail within the island.

Kaitlyn and I on the beach.

We saw a bunch of little lizards on the island!

Wednesday and Thursday, we took a tour into the middle of the Daintree Rainforest - more on this soon!

On Friday and Saturday we spent a bit more time shopping and exploring the town of Cairns since the weather turned a bit towards the rainy side. We did go to a big outdoor market on our last day in Queensland and got temporary tattoos. Here's a picture of mine:

Overall, it was a great break from university and I had lots of fun in the sun!