Northern Queensland

There you go, kids. My final leg of the journey, online. For. Real.

So, Northern Queensland. After the not-so-amazing beginning on the East Coast I was hoping for some major 'thumbs up' from the coral reef. Got them. Big time.

I arrived to Cairns airport late at night, slept for a few hours (suffocating humidity didn't help with my sleeping efforts) and got up early to start my Great Barrier Reef adventure. It rained. I got lost at the pier. It rained some more. Finally managed to spot the Rum Runner boat and hopped on. Let the journey begin!

And what a journey it was! I normally never ever get sick. Give me a car, a big lunch and as many curves and turns as you wish. Nothing, nada. But that boat was rocking like crazy and it took me about 15 minutes to visit my bff for the next two days - sea sickness. Oh my, did I have to exert some serious control over myself to stay calm and hide my discomfort. Best tip I can give you: stay on the deck, face the wind, breathe heavily and stare at the horizon. An extra bonus to our trip was of course the constant rain that was slapping our faces, so yay, much fun. Luckily the guys on board were really cool and we had fun despite the adversities.

And then it was time to tick another thing off my bucket list - scuba diving at the GBR. Big YAY! Our instructor Bear gave us a 'schnellkurz' on scuba diving and 'plop' - we were in the sea. Let me tell you, non-scuba divers, first time going down into the depths of the sea surely felt strange. But hey, once you figure out the breathing-pressure equalising technique it becomes just magical. I mean hey, Great fu**ing Barrier Reef, guys.

BAM! Corals! Crazy thin black starfish! Sea cushion! Colours! Fish! I just got started when we had to come up to the surface. But man, wasn't that a real treat! My financial situation didn't allow many more dives, so I was sticking to snorkeling for the next 6 stops, but it was just as spectacular. A real Australian must, I'm telling you.

Also the Rum Runner was great. Small, budget-friendly, but the crew was real fun and our skipper was this weird pirate-looking guy that was yelling at everybody yet could come up with the most amazing vegetarian meal imaginable. Big thumbs up for this as well!

Cairns Lagoon

After the GBR I had 3 days left in Cairns. I surely don't regret staying here over anywhere else. Cairns is great! On day 1 I explored the central market (gosh, my seventh central market on this trip) and the beach. Cairns municipality obviously decided their own natural beach isn't enough, so they created an artificial mini beach called the Lagoon. Fun & free, just the way I like it. Oh and btw, I got some funny fruits from the central market: mangosteen, custard apple and bunya tree nut (yes, it's a nut, not a fruit). All of them yummy. Mangosteen is sweet and tangy, a bit like lychee. Custard apple is big and green and tastes like... well, custard apple. And finally bunya nut is an Aboriginal staple, very nutritious and tasting a bit like pine nuts.

bunya tree nut, mangosteen, custard apple and pawpaw

Day 2 in Cairns - going North to botanical gardens (my obsession with central markets = my obsession with botanical gardens), did a big stroll and hiked up a hill to observe the city from above. Read a book in the shade with colourful butterflies flying around and a sweet smell of eucalyptus resin drying in the heat. Probably as close to my perfect day as realistically possible.

Day 3. The final adventure! Jumping on board of Gus the Bus, a tour organised by Uncle Brian's company, even though our guide actually ended up being Cousin Brad. The tour takes you to Atherton tablelands and it is supposed to be one of the best things you can do in Cairns. And it surely is one of the best things! Cousin Brad, while seemingly annoying at first, ended up being the nicest, funniest guy you can imagine. He took us through the rainforest, to many waterfalls where he took funny photos of us and finally to the big volcanic lake where we did our final dip. Yes, I was indeed swimming in a volcano. Beat that! :)

Time to leave my dear Cairns and head back to Syd. The quasi-capital of Australia is still among my favourite stops, so I wasn't too upset. I spent my day at Bondi beach, where I took a big stroll around the many bays all the way to Bronte beach. Lovely places, nice walks, just a bit too pretentious at times. Gotta time your walks well.

Bondi beach

So, to sum it up. Australia is beautiful. I mean BEAUTIFUL. It is diverse. Extraordinary. Adventurous. Full of friendly people. Good food. Nice weather. It's goddamn big. Ginormous. Yet easy to get around. Relaxed. Never boring (unless in Surfers Paradise ;) ).
Would recommend? Certainly yes.

Yours truly,

Ajda