Cairns is a gorgeous place!Lots and lots and lots of photos - makes me contemplate starting a photoblog. But nah... same amount of work i imagine.
I'm happy i went and did lots of things i've never done before. And also a little bit grateful mum said not to tell her because a lot of these things would have parents tossing and turning as they worry about their precious little daughter.
Anyhoos, quick roundup.
Arrive in Cairns - 3 am
Our flight was delayed by about 2 hours which meant we only got in our rooms around 4 am.
Not nice when you're in a backpackers and share a room with strangers and there are smelly British backpackers that make the room smell like sweat and the toilet smell like piss. Plus we were feeling around cos i felt too guilty to switch on the light. Thank goodness for mobile phone backlights.Day 1
Walk around Cairns. Free day! Learn that the beach by the town is really ugly.
But, we did end up booking our activities for the Day 3. Keep you in a bit of suspense. To compensate for the ugly seaside, Cairns municipal council built a gorgeous public pool, complete with man-made beach. This is my MOS chillout album cover photo.
That night's excitement - fishing and crabbing!
The tally? 
10 to the girls...
6 to the boys... *snigger*
and a kungfu crab or two. (which we ate a little earlier on. yummy!)Day 2
Time to dive! The climax of the whole trip, no? The GREAT BARRIER REEF! (and the reason why i bought my little waterproof camera) Everyone looking peachy despite the early morning wakeup call. And on board the mighty Reefquest! (whose attendants were none too bad looking i might add)
Time for the award winning underwater shots! Not really - i didn't take either. Underwater photography is really difficult! 
Oh, did i mention i spent half the day being seasick? so much for sea legs... The deep sea scares me. But it was awesome diving though. Wish i'd seen a dolphin or a turtle. But i reckon i would've been freaked out.At the end of the ordeal. *phew* still looking a teensy bit pale. and disgruntled.
Day 3BUNGY JUMPING! Was more than a little anxious on the day and especially felt trepidation when i sighted this:
Oh my lord, after telling everyone that i think bungy is probably more dangerous than sky-diving. It's bound to give you whiplash and all manner of nasties. haha.. madness is definitely in my veins. But yeah, this is the shortest bungy tower (apparently). 52 metres off the ground. That's definitely tall enough for me!
Only jumped twice but that was good enough for me. Haha. I have it on DVD to shock the folks when i get home. So after all that adrenaline-pumping, time for a hearty meal.
Mmmm... Cairns seafood!Day 4
White water rafting. I'd never done it before (yes, i know i am sabahan and i should have but i left when i was 10, ok?) I don't have a copy of the photos on the water yet, but this is after with our awesome guide Dino! A Kiwi who (at least to me) looks like Samwise Gamgee, and did an awesome job navigating us down the somewhat mighty Tully! It really wasn't as much work or as dangerous as anticipated. Highly recommend it to anyone who can! Plus, we had the best, craziest and noisiest group. Some may know us as the West Germany Swingers Club....
Day 5
Sea kayaking seemed like it would be super tiring. My arms were a little sore from rafting, but yeah... this is definitely more physical. Fortunately my partner was the very fit CP (only one who could pull himself up on the raft) and he'd kayaked before... so i was expecting smooth sailing (pun intended - sorry!) Fitroy Island is one of the most photogenic places ever and the weather was so gorgeous. Dino said it was the 2nd day of sunshine since May , so we were really lucky indeed!
Check our the purple paddle power! Somehow we still ended up last though. Either cos we were chillaxing - easy rhythmic strokes, or i was heavy and slow, or because by chillaxing you get to be lucky enough to spot a giant sting ray! And it glided under our kayak. So chuffed. But upset that I'd finished up my film. Darn it! 
On the way back the ride, albeit cold, was spectacular! As i was gawking at the sunset (which by now you possibly know i have an unhealthy obsession with), i turned around and Voila! there was the moon! Madness.... It doesn't look as great here but wow. It was pretty amazing. 
Day 6
On our way to world heritage Daintree rainforest, we stopped by a random animal park thingo. See the birds, feed the kangaroos and all that jazz. Well, the most fascinating thing i saw there was the making of a baby wallaby. Pardon the really sleazy expression.
Oh, i found a giant peanut on the floor. Honestly no idea what it is. But looks like GIANT PEANUT.
Lunch time....
And onwards on our Cape Tribulation Exotic Fruit Farm Tasting! A chance to try exotic tropical fruits that flourish in the hot (ish) Cape Tribulation weather! We're all so excited! (especially Kimy)
With such gems on the menu, who could resist?
Little did we know (til later of course), Sapodilla is none other than ciku, Carambola is the humble starfruit and Atemoya is the delicious custard apple. Aiyak! Kena cheated! But it was also good to learn something new. Like for example, did you know the starfruit is shaped that way as a bribe for the orangutans? If viewed from afar, it looks like a full oval of fruit. Maximum viewing for minimum volume. So smart these plants.After our fill of fruit, a visit to the beach... [jump for joy!]
Followed that by a day of white shiraz goon. Did we hit a new low? Possibly. But it was funny seeing some people babble. (myself included?)Day 7
Figured we're in the jungle - should do a spot of Tarzan-like activities. Which is why we forked out some cash and paid for Jungle Surfing! So maybe not swinging on vines, but still swinging between trees! The Jias in action.
Wonderful views from the platforms. Trees about 20 m off the ground! This is Cape Tribulation - the meeting point of two of Australia's world heritage sites : The Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest. 
Look mummy, no hands!
Day 8
Final day in Cairns. A chilled out one. Spent the day sunning and enjoying fabulous food. Mildura juice, $45 sushi platter and a value-for-money tub of gelati makes on a happy camper.
Last picture to round off a good holiday. Big smiles all round. =)
4 comments:
the scenery and the oh-so-clear blue water looks so pretty.. glad u had fun.. with regards to the bungy jump, i think jumping into say, a creek or river might seem a little less scary as opposed to jumping with nothing but solid concrete below you.. and i like the photo of everyone jumping in mid-air, though jaclyn seems to be a bit stuck to the ground.. haha.. oh, and the first pic of Day 5 also looks awesome, similar to photos of carribean island getaways that u only see on postcards. the sea's really so clear, u can see the sand at the bottom... !
haha... so long comment.
but yeah, i had a great time.
and the water was even clearer at that time.
you bungy jump then you tell me what you think, ok? until then, i have monopoly of opinion. muahahaha!
p.s: maybe the carribean island getaway feel is from awesome photographer. :P eleh.
awww.. that looks so fun!!
did you guys join a tour or planned it all on your own????
i wanna go ><
it's a great and expensive trip!
we took a tour for about 4 days and had 2 days free.
Cairns itself is pretty boring. If you go there, do all the adventure stuff! You can get by arranging stuff on your own though. There's a lot of touristy booking places all over!
Post a Comment