Australia Day 4

After a tasty breakfast at the hotel we loaded a bus and headed to Cairns. It takes about an hour to get there.

Daily Outfit Selfie...

It is so humid here that my hair does this the minute I walk outside. I'm going with it. The photo doesn't do the humidity hair justice. I will say that my terribly dry hands are feeling so good. They are dramatically less dry. 

We went to the Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Center. We learned about the tribes of Australia. We got another demonstration of the didgeridoo. We learned about the food and medicine used by the tribal people in this area. We also got to see a sweet tribal dance.

Then it was time to learn about the weapons used for hunting. The spear and the boomerang. We got a little lesson and then we got a chance to practice! We threw spears first. Then we threw the boomerang.

Then we loaded a pod on the skyrail. It is a cable car that goes up into the rain forest. The views were spectacular. When we got all the way to the top we were in the village of Kuranda. It is a little village in the rain forest. We ate lunch there and then shopped around for souvenirs.

Next up, a train ride back to Cairns. The train ride was about 1 1/2 hours.

After we arrived at the train station Cairns we loaded the bus for the 1 hour ride back to Port Douglas. You remember that this is the road that is nauseating to those of us with motion sickness. B and I both started to get sick but thankfully we made it home without having to use the puke bags provided. The good news is that we were able to see Wallabies in the wild. They just hop around. It was like seeing deer in a field.

We spent about 4 1/2 hours traveling today...by bus, skyrail, train and then bus again. We were ready to get back to the hotel. The boys got on their swimsuits and soon as possible. EJ ordered food in and we all swam until it was time to eat.   

After dinner we hung out for a little while and then the boys went to bed. It was a fun but exhausting day. EJ and I crashed out soon after. This vacation is go, go, go!

Australia Day 3

We were all awake in the 5 o'clock hour. Breakfast at 6:30am. We visited with new friends and then headed to our room to prepare for our big day at the Great Barrier Reef.

A bus picked us up at our hotel and took us to the marina. We loaded a big boat called the Quicksilver. 

It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get out to the Great Barrier Reef. Once we were there we ate lunch on the boat.

EJ ate an octopus much to the disgust of our table mates. I have been adventurous on this trip but I cannot bring myself to eat an octopus in that form. Yuck.

Next up, prepare to snorkel!

Turns out that it is jellyfish season here. You cannot swim free in the ocean. You have to wear a lycra body suit to be safe from jellyfish stings. This fancy number covers you from head to toe. You slip them on like panty hose. Then you Stuff your swimming suit inside and zip up. We were actually pretty tickled with ourselves.

We got fitted with fins, masks, snorkels and life jackets.

EJ and B went for it. They were so excited to get in there.

W got a little nervous when it was time to get in the water. I promised him that I would stay by his side today. I wouldn't push him to do things he wasn't comfortable with. I watched him muster up all his courage and get in the water. He was so brave. I was so proud of him! As we swam together pointing out the amazing fish and corral we were seeing, I was overcome with emotion. I will never forget that moment. I got to snorkel with my son at the Great Barrier Reef. I was about to start the ugly cry right there in my mask and snorkel. It would not have been pretty...sniffing, snotting, snorting and trying to breath. I pulled myself together. I promised myself I could have a good 'ol cry later on land.

A boat ride back to the marina then a bus ride back to the resort. We rushed to get ready for our theme dinner...Flames of the Forest.

It was like an episode of Survivor on Tribal Council night. There were torches lighting the way to the first stop. Drinks and appetizers were in the first little area along with beautiful lights everywhere. There were lights high in the trees and there were beautiful tree sculptures with candles on every limb. There was a tribal man playing the didgeridoo.

When this portion of the meal was over we were lead further into the forest to an area with a large tent and lots of tables. We were treated to course after course of delicious food. There was a band playing as we ate. Then we were entertained by fire dancers. Their skill was unbelievable.

Next up, the infamous Cane Toad races. Our own W got to participate in this race. You had to kiss your toad before you raced it. Oh. My. He was a good sport.

Finally, we loaded back into the bus to return to the resort. Another fantastic day had come to a close. We fell into bed.

Australia Day 2

I woke up at 2am.

My first thought...Where in the world am I?

My second thought...What is that sound?

It sounded like someone had turned on a shower. I got up and started looking around our apartment. I was worried that the boys were deliriously tired and had turned on the shower. It took me a few minutes to realize that it was rain. The storm was so loud!

Satisfied that everyone was safe, I headed back to bed. I convinced myself to fall back to sleep even though my body thought it was morning.

EJ got up in the 5 o'clock hour to get ready for his meeting that morning. Then he took a walk on the beach and brought me a cup of coffee. I intend to keep him.

I got ready for the day. The boys slept until 8am.  When they woke we headed to breakfast and then they hung out in the kids area while Joel and I attended a meeting.

After that, the boys checked out the beach while I scheduled a massage at the resort spa for later that week.

Next up was swimming and then lunch at the resort.

At 1pm we loaded a bus for a tour of Port Doulgas. The tour included a stop at the wild life center. We fed kangaroos and held a koala. P.S. Koala's smell...real bad.

We hit the grocery store to stock our apartment with some tasty snacks. Also, I found this bottle of wine. Perfect for this member of Four Sisters Farm. 

We headed back to our hotel room to chill out for a while. The boys were in their swimming suits almost immediately. I was ready for a swim too. The weather here is very humid and hot.

The apartment we are in is a swim up room. It is fantastic. We can watch them swim from our patio or living room. It is a salt water pool. The water is so nice. The boys have been practicing their snorkeling skills to get ready for our excursion to The Great Barrier Reef.

We hopped on a shuttle to head back to Port Douglas for dinner. We ate at Mango Jams. The jet lag was setting in big time. We were exhausted. After a quick dinner we headed back to the resort.

We fell on our faces and crashed out early again. Another day of adventure is coming up!