Sometimes things don’t always go as planned. This happens to me a lot. Like I plan on not eating a whole cake, but suddenly it’s gone. And like I plan on going for a run, but then I take a nap. This lecture recess has been no different.
We returned from Brisbane late Wednesday night. The plan was for Meredith and I to go to Cairns the next morning. We had our hostel booked and everything. Unfortunately, Meredith got seriously sick. We had to cancel our reservations and it looked like I was stuck on college for the rest of the week.
My poor Meredith 😦
I was supposed to meet up with my friend, Sharkbait (her real name is Katrina, but I hardly ever call her that, so deal with it), but now I couldn’t. Or could I?
Sharkbait was texting me begging me to come, so on a whim I booked a Greyhound for 12:30am. I’ve never traveled alone. I don’t like being alone. That’s one of the fears I’ve almost conquered. It’s a 5-hour bus ride north to get to Cairns from Townsville. I could totally do this. Maybe.
I packed in a hurry, printed my bus tickets, and booked a reef snorkel boat for 7am the next morning. I also realized I needed a way to the bus so I begged my BFF/favorite RA, Sarg to drive me. He agreed because he’s a wonderful person. He also sat with me in the car and waited for the bus for about a half an hour with me because I was so nervous. Somebody just became my favorite Australian.
Who’s the best Aussie?! Sarg is!
I hopped on my bus with pains in my stomach and almost immediately fell asleep, for 3 hours at least. I arrived in Cairns all by myself like a big girl around 5:45am. The earliest Sharkbait could meet up with me was 6:45am due to the bus schedule. I just stood outside of a convenience store for an hour waiting. I was apparently standing really still because someone came up to me and told me I looked like a statue. Uh, thanks?
When I was finally reunited with my friend, we literally had to run to catch our boat! We caught it just in time and had a whole row of seats to ourselves. I got changed into my bathing suit in the extremely small bathroom and I was set to go! I got to go to the freakin’ GREAT BARRIER REEF. Holy crap. I was so excited. I’m excited thinking about it now.
7am excitement!
We went to the outer reefs on a boat called “Reef Kist.” I loved it. The crew was so happy and friendly and seriously made the trip that much better. Despite only having 3 hours of sleep on a bus, I was super awake and excited. The boat ride was a smooth one and Sharkbait and I spent the duration of it standing in the front embracing the wind and admiring the passing islands.
Quick stop at Fitzroy island
Quick stop at Fitzroy Island
Sharkbait is scuba certified so she got to get all geared up and explore all over. Despite being named after the little mermaid, I was stuck on the surface snorkeling. It was still spectacular. The reef alone is beautiful and full of colors. Luckily, I had my handy-dandy underwater camera to capture the adventure.
Parrot fish!
Sharkbait scuba diving!
Hi Sharkbait!
I didn’t find Nemo or see any turtles, but I saw a lot of other fish that were stunning. Sharkbait failed at her name by not baiting in any sharks, but I’m sure that was for the best. I already want to go back on a different reef point. Once was definitely not enough!
Taking a breather
They served us lunch and it was definitely better tasting than George Roberts’ dining hall food. We got to eat lunch while floating over the Great Barrier Reef. That’s something to tell the grandkids.
We then rode over to another side of the reefs and got to snorkel and scuba over there. This time we had to swim around to the front of the boat to see the reef. Sharkbait was under me somewhere, but I lost her. I swam around alone snapping pictures. I didn’t realize how far I got and my legs were dying. I was debating on whether or not to swim back when I spotted a jellyfish and then another and another. That basically made my decision for me. No way in hell was I going to take on the jellies. I booked it back to the boat like my life depended on it.
Chilling in my stinger suit. Photo creds: Sharkbait
With my handy underwater camera. Photo creds: Sharkbait
Awesome parrot fish
Gill from Finding Nemo!
I’m pretty sure this is a blue starfish hiding
Sea cucumbers!
I love parrot fish
soooo many fishies!
This parrot fish was so colorful
Yellow!
Giant clam
Awesome colorful guy
Another giant clam
Obsessed
Annnnnd this is where I get out of the water
Bye reef! Love you!
Oh yeah, and everyone on the crew loved my name. Every time I signed my name for snorkeling they got all excited and called me mermaid. I love that. I love when people get excited about my name! Made me feel special.
One crew member took a selfie on Sharkbait’s camera. They had us cracking up!
Sharkbait was still under the sea when I came back to relax. I got to chat with a crewmember that was fascinated by me being an advertising major. He said Australia needed me to fix their commercials. I totally agree; they definitely need me here.
The trip ended around 4pm and I was pooped. Sharkbait met a friend at a pub-crawl who lives in Cairns and she had been staying with him for the week. He was kind enough to let me stay for the weekend as well. How lucky!
We were waiting for him to pick us up when Sharkbait decided to start eating ants. Word is that if you lick the thorax of the green ants, it tastes like lemon. Sharkbait decided to test that theory. This is the person I decided to stay with in Cairns. I regret nothing. After a few ants she decided to try and climb a palm tree. Mind you, people were walking by. I love that girl so much.
These were the ants she was catching
Sharkbait in the middle of eating an ant
And now she attempts to climb a palm tree. Duh
Sharkbait’s friend, Shixiang (who I decided to call Sheldon because I couldn’t pronounce his name), took us back to his apartment so we could get showered and ready to grab some food. After much searching, we finally found a Mexican place. Thank goodness. I miss Mexican food so much it hurts. We ordered quesadillas and nachos. I also got a strawberry margarita. Best.day.ever.
Nothing makes me happier than a margarita!
We then checked out the local casino where I lost $10. Sharkbait won $6 and was pretty happy about it. Okay, we were on penny slots, but it was still gambling. We had some free mochas and continued checking out the town. It was so cute and quite busy. There were so many people walking around and a whole lot of bats and lorikeets. They were all so loud and adorable!
Batman? Photo creds: Sharkbait
They’re so big! Photo creds: Sharkbait
And the cutie pie lorikeets! Photo creds: Sharkbait
I passed out quite early that night and slept like a baby. The next morning, Sheldon decided to take us to the Atherton Tablelands. The drive was the most horrifying thing of my life. We were going the speed limit, but it felt like we were flying. Oh, did I mention the roads were extremely twisty and scary? Because they were. I had my eyes closed in the back seat until we arrived safely. Thank goodness I’m alive.
Took a break on the ride up. Photo creds: Sharkbait
Spectacular view! Photo creds: Sharkbait
First we stopped to get some yummy food and ate it next to the water, it was very peaceful. We then got to swim in a volcanic crater lake. It was awesome! The water was freezing so it took me a bit to get in, but once I did it was hard to get me out.
View from where we were eating
Beautiful crater lake!
We had a quick look in the rainforest next to us
We also saw some giant trees
And we saw a pelican! Photo creds: Sharkbait
Sharkbait and I swam out to the middle and just gazed at the beauty all around us. It was a pretty popular spot. There were parents with kids, couples on dates, people going scuba diving, and others just floating around in tubes. We stayed for a little over an hour and were back on the road.
The volcanic crater lake we swam in
So Jurassic Park
So many fishies swimming around!
Sharkbait on the hunt
This cute little guy
It was icy cold
Glorious!
Chilling in the middle of the lake
We stopped at 4 different waterfalls. The first stop was Millaa Millaa Falls. I’ve never seen a waterfall in person. I’m just going to let you imagine how excited I was.
We got to swim in it! We swam all around the waterfall and even swam under it. We chilled behind the waterfall for a while just looking in awe all around us. It was spectacular. I am so lucky I got to do that! I can’t get over it.
Millaa Millaa Falls!
I love life
Under the waterfall
Waterfall selfies!
Posing
Sharkbait admiring the sights
From under the waterfall
Goodbye Mila Kunis Falls!
After a little bit we were off again to see another waterfall. It was called Zillie Falls. This one you couldn’t swim in, but that didn’t make it any less stunning. Ahh, I love it so much! We didn’t stay too long at this one. We were off yet again to waterfall number 3!
Beautiful Zillie Falls!
Another waterfall selfie!
Bye Zillie!
This 3rd waterfall was Elinjaa Falls and you could swim in it, but I was still frozen from the last swim. Sharkbait of course jumped right in. She cracks me up. She immediately swam right to the center where there was a huge tree branch perfect for climbing. It was beautiful!
Elinjaa Falls
Crazy Sharkbait
She’s a model!
Waterfall selfie again
The 4th waterfall, Josephine Falls, was a longer drive away but totally worth it. We had to walk through a bit of jungle to make it to the waterfall. On the way I posed for Sharkbait on this big rock. As I was climbing down, I turned around and saw my worst nightmare staring in my face. The biggest spider I have ever seen in my life was inches behind me. I’m pretty proud of my reaction. I didn’t break down and cry. I just kind of forgot how to breathe.
Thought I was posing for a nice picture. Photo creds: Sharkbait
Little did I know I was being watched. Photo creds: Sharkbait
After I calmed down from that spider, I took 2 steps forward and saw an even bigger spider. Seriously, Cairns? I’m sick of this nonsense. Spiders should not be this large. It’s a crime against nature. It’s like every nightmare I’ve ever had was molded into this spider. Do you know what I saw this spider do? Do you really want to know? I saw it eat a frog. The freakin’ spider ate the freakin’ frog. I don’t want to live on this planet anymore.
What cruel god allowed this monster to roam the earth!? Photo creds: Sharkbait
You can’t really see, but there is a gore fest going on here
After I got the feeling back in my legs we wandered down to the waterfall. It wasn’t really a waterfall as much as it was a rockslide. This time I got in. I love rockslides. Sharkbait and I climbed the rocks to slide down. The water current was so strong that we barely had a chance to sit down before it pushed us down! It was so much fun that we went down again. This time Sharkbait got in earlier than she should have and got pushed around a lot before she finally slid down. It was quite entertaining to watch.
Josephine Falls
Loved these mossy steps
Posing pretty! Photo creds: Sharkbait
Slipping and sliding! Photo creds: Sharkbait
Just admiring nature as usual. Photo creds: Sharkbait.
That night we went into town to live up the nightlife. Sharkbait and I wandered off to some backpacker clubs and ended up settling on Gilligans. They had live music and a lot of people showed up an hour after we got there. We had a great time just chatting with backpackers from around the world. We then met back up with Sheldon and his friend and went to another club where we danced for a little bit and then headed back home.
I slept like a baby yet again and was woken up at 8am so we could head to the Daintree Rainforest. This was the longest, most beautiful drive by far. We drove along the beach and gazed at its beauty. At one point we stopped and got out to take pictures. It was amazing!
I can’t get over this view
Absolutely stunning
Pretending to fall
Sharkbait posing pretty
Bye beautiful!
When we got to Daintree, we had to drive the car onto the ferry to get to the rainforest. We saw a lot of signs for crocodiles and cassowaries, but unfortunately didn’t get to see any in person. I would have loved to see these deadly creatures from the safety of the car. Oh well. We stopped at some lookout points and got some nice pictures.
On the ferry while in a car. Cool!
Perfect view spot
We then drove until we came to a creek in the middle of the rainforest. Words can’t even describe how beautiful this was. The water was clear straight through to the bottom. It was cold water, but totally worth swimming in. It was such a magical experience and I felt at peace with the world. Best day ever for sure.
There were so many fish and a rope swing and even a natural swing that Sharkbait and I sat on. Pictures can’t even do this place justice. I can’t believe places like that even exist.
Words can’t even expres…
Seriously in the middle of the rain forest!
How is this even real?
I’ve never felt so at peace
Sharkbait found a swing
Just chilling in the middle of heaven
Friends call me Tarzan
Why are you so perfect?!
So happy!!!
I never want to leave
Half underwater shot. How cool?!
Just a shot of the perfect, flawless water
Underwater selfies!
Actually, friends call HER Tarzan
Occasionally they call her Gollum
When we were dragged away from heaven on earth, we drove to a bathroom so we could get changed. Remember how I said I saw the biggest spider of life at one of the waterfalls? Yeah, I lied.
On the way to the bathroom I spotted a soul-sucking spawn of Satan chilling on his web right there out in the open. Guess it was a prime spot to attack unsuspecting humans like myself. It was as big as a hand. Why? Why are spiders allowed to get that big? It should be shot and then shot again just to make sure it’s dead. I hate spiders. I’m still having nightmares. Life is cruel. Get me out of Cairns now.
KILL IT. KILL IT WITH FIRE!
Shoot it, set it on fire, bash it with a hammer, and then bury it 60 feet under
Sharkbait and I got on our 7pm Greyhound bus back to Townsville. We got in around 12:30am and caught a cab back to JCU. What an exhausting weekend!
Life is beautiful and I’m so happy I did this last minute planning to Cairns. I would go back in a heartbeat. This time with a shot gun for the spiders, but I’d still go. It was a spectacular and magical experience and I’m so grateful!
VAS HAPPENIN’ LESLIE
Vas Happenin’ giant lemons on the way to the Amalfi Coast
Vas Happenin’ more lemons!
Vas Happenin’ Positano!
Vas Happenin’ Amalfi Coast?!
Vas Happenin’ from a bus in Ireland?!
Vas Happenin’ on the way to the Great Barrier Reef!
Vas Happenin’ from the Great Barrier Reef!
Vas Happenin’ on the way to the Atherton Tablelands!
Vas Happenin’ Millaa Millaa Falls!
Vas Happenin’ from behind Millaa Millaa Falls
Vas Happenin’ from behind Millaa Millaa Falls!
Vas Happenin’ Zillie Falls!
Vas Happenin’ Elinjaa Falls!
Vas Happenin’ from the Daintree Rainforest!
Vas Happenin’ from the middle of the Daintree Rainforest!
Leslie is currently wrapping up finals in Rome and will soon be on her way back to the States. She’s had plenty of adventures that she’s written about in her blog. I highly suggest you check it out! Be warned, there is use of alcohol and foul language. That’s why she’s my best friend.
http://thepassportmanuscript.blogspot.it/
P.S. Leslie, you only have a little time left, step your Vas Happenin’ game up! Love you woman, miss you lots!
A Broad Abroad 