07/30/2026-07/31/2026 – Ahhh… the sounds that abound
From the birds singing “good morning!” to a wretched afternoon, the last two days have run the gamut. We woke up bright and early in the a.m. with the lorikeets singing their joyful morning songs that were as lively and beautiful as the colors of their feathers. It was time to leave the beautiful Mountains with their endless waterfalls and steps that never seemed to stop. Hopping into our car, we set off for the airport to drop off our rental car and take our next flight to Cairns to see the Great Barrier Reef. Arriving early at the airport was a good option for us, especially since Virgin Airlines inefficiently handles the checking in of passengers. We waited in line, and waited, and waited, and finally got to a kiosk in order to self-check in for our flight and print our baggage tags. Next we waited and waited in line to drop off our luggage… same line, same wait, same questions on why it was so inefficient. Oh well, we finally made it to the security checkpoint, which went fairly well. Through the entire encounter all the way to landing in Cairns, we realized that no one at any point asked us for identification. That was a head scratcher for us!
Cairns, home of the amazing Great Barrier Reef – known all over the world for their coral reefs and amazing aquatic species. The temperature was also much nicer than the Blue Mountains; time to break out our shorts. Maybe!! We managed to check in for our upcoming reef boat trip and now it’s time to find our hotel. After schlepping our luggage on foot to the hotel, we chilled for a bit and then decided maybe it was time for some dinner. Heading back out, we wandered downtown and ate outside at a Greek restaurant. The food, while good, was not spectacular. The best part was seeing the fruit bats -larger than life! – flying over us as we chowed down on our meal. Next we decided to wander around to find a store for some snacks for the 3-day boat trip. Life was calm and peaceful; the hotel Cairns Plaza Hotel was comfortable and had a beautiful view of the ocean. Life is good!! Feeling sated from the meal, awed by seeing large fruit bats along with the view of the ocean, we were living the good life……..
This might be the last time that we say “living the good life” for a while. We were soon being picked up at the dark hour of 06:10 in the morning to get started for out next adventure. The Pro Dive Cairns boat was a small motorized boat that housed a total of 30 guests and 5 crewmembers. Our cabin, really a closet with bunk beds, is located right off the dining room. We dropped our bags off and then started the briefing and breakfast. Okay, all is good! Bunkbeds are better than camping in rain, which we have done, and the breakfast of fresh fruit was excellent. It was now time to head out to the reef to see the coral reefs and do some snorkeling.
Breakfast…….ahh, tasted so much better going down than coming back up. Due to sustained 25 mph winds, with gusts up to 35 mph, the boat pitched left and right, up and down, and a violent reminder of how powerful wind and waves can be. We were “calmly” sitting on the top level, rolling with the pitch of the waves when we were advised to come downstairs. We both came down and Kathy said, “I am going to go inside” and Dave followed her in. Dave said, “I am not feeling well” and did a small dry heave. Next thing he knew Kathy was desperately asking for a barf bag where she proceeded to fill up the bag. Then Dave started, then Kathy tried to best him, then Dave said no way I am the king of the barf bags and proceeded to empty his stomach for the next couple of hours. Needless to say, from the joyous calls of the lorikeets to the sounds of retching was a dramatic change in the vacation atmosphere. We have been on a lot of boats all over the world, and never have we had such a reaction to the motion in the ocean. And we were not the only ones. There were several of us going through the barf bags like a person with a cold goes through tissues.
Finally at the snorkel spot, the boat now was just doing a graceful pitch back and forth. Dave, feeling better but not quite 100%, opted to not snorkel as yet, nor eat lunch, and Kathy was perfectly content to chill and just read her book. Dave will take the plunge probably tomorrow, while Kathy might just be content to watch the others get wet.
While we did not go snorkeling, we did enjoy meeting the other 28 guests and 5 crewmembers. Dave counted at least 11 different countries represented on the boat. Most of them were scuba divers, but there were about a half dozen of us content to just snorkel. We believe that while snorkeling, we can see 80% of what the divers see. And it is much cheaper and safer to snorkel. We were about to find out what advantage scuba has over snorkeling.
For the mid-morning swim, Dave felt well enough to jump in with both feet. He donned his wet suit and flippers, grabbed his mask and snorkel (and pool noodle?), and followed his fellow snorkelers overboard. Immediately, he noticed a problem. First, his right calf muscled cramped up mightily. Due to his illness, he had not been eating or drinking like normal. Still, he felt this would not impede him too much. As he swam one-legged toward the coral reef, he encountered his second strike: the reef was upwind from the boat. Swimming one-legged into the wind, Dave still tried to keep up. Third strike: the waves. Swimming one-legged into the wind with 2-foot waves in his face was too much for Dave to overcome. If he stuck his face down in the water, waves would go down his snorkel; if he kept his face above water and just swam, his mask would fill with water splashing in with the waves. Dave has snorkeled many times before and has seen the most amazing things. He decided that the wind, waves, and cramps were not worth seeing more of the same, so he turned around and went back aboard. Maybe if the seas calm later on, he will attempt snorkeling again. Otherwise, he will just enjoy his relaxing time on deck with Kathy and the others who, for a variety of reasons, also did not get in the water.
08/01/2026 – Land ho!
After three days on a rocking boat, Kathy and Dave were never so excited to see terra firma. The ride from the reef back to Cairns wasn’t nearly as bad as the ride out to the reef. The boat did not rock as much, plus Kathy and Dave took some of motion sickness pills that the crew had on board. Pro Diver Cairns dropped us off at the airport where we picked up our next rental car and started heading to Daintree, where the rainforest filled with cassowaries and crocs awaited us. When Dave planned the trip, he failed to factor in that winter in Australia means the sun sets much earlier. The sun set and the forest got VERY dark about half-way through out 2-hour drive. The roads also got very narrow, very curvy, and very wet from the rain. And then…. We encountered a ferry! We didn’t know there was a ferry enroute. Dave never saw it on the Google map directions. Oh, well, we got aboard and 30 seconds later, we arrived on the other side. Thirty seconds! Has Australia never learned the technology to build bridges?? Anyway, along the way, we saw a critter on the side of the road. At first, we thought maybe we had spotted our first wombat. It was big and furry, but it was very light in color. Wombats are brown in color, but maybe this one was old and grey-haired?
The Heritage Lodge where we ae staying is nice. It is right in the rainforest. It has a free breakfast, but the only wi-fi is at the reception area; there is no cell phone or internet in our cabin. So, like the past few days aboard the board in the Pacific Ocean, we will only be posting sporadically. Such is life as a nomad.
