Finally Here!

It is hard to believe that all my years of dreaming of Australia and wanting to dive the Great Barrier Reef have finally become reality! After 4 flights and three layovers I have made it to Cairns, Queensland, Australia! 

This city is amazing! There is so much life and happy people! Backpackers and visitors all over the world come to Cairns to explore the reef and get to know a bit of the local culture!

The swimming in Cairns however is not recommended...meaning that if you manage to escape getting eaten by saltwater Crocodiles the killer jellies will surely get you.

Although you have to be cautious of the jellies the water off the coast of Cairns is quite spectacular. One of my first adventures in Cairns was to Green Island of the Great Barrier Reef. A ferry took me there and I got to snorkel for the first time on the GBR! Not only was the coal absolutely beautiful but I also saw a sea turtle (that came out of nowhere and nearly scared me to death), a sting ray, and NEMO! Yes! I saw a little clown fish hiding in his anemone! But Green Island was just a taste of what was to come.

The following day a Catamaran took my group and me out to the outer reef for not one but two dives! The first dive was deeper and the corals where blue and purple. I saw Nemo again and got to hold a sea slug..he was kind of pointy! There was tons of angle and parrot fish and so many others that I wish I could name! The second dive was more sallow with more red and yellow corals. Again there was nemo and many sting rays! After spending the whole day on a boat and everyone was very sun burnt we landed with smiles on our faces for not only had my dream finally come true but also the dreams of many of my fellow other study abroad students as well. It was amazing to be able to share in the excitement together. Those memories will be with me forever but they will not be the last for the excitements of my first week in Australia did not end.

The following day we went up the mountain and into the rain forest to meet some Aboriginal people where I practiced my boomerang skills, listened to a man play the didgeridoo, watched some cultural dances, held one of the few nonpoisonous snakes in Australia, fed some kangaroos and got to hold a Koala! The fresh fruit we ate was delicious and the tour through the rain forest was exciting! I was in paradise and I did not want it to end.

And it didn’t for when I got to accommodation close to James Cook University(20 min north of Cairns) I found myself again surround by green trees and tropical plants! I am quite literally living in a rainforest! I can look you my window and see the mountains that are covered with vegetation!

So far this has been amazing and it all seems to be a bit surreal right now!