Fly to the Great Barrier Reef by Helicoptor, May 1, 2005
Another couple thousand miles in the air yesterday morning on a flight up to Cairns, Australia, on the northeast coast. We're closer to the
equator again, so it's warmer up here than in Sydney, back to the heat that Stacy loves. We had about half an hour to drop our bags off at the
hostel, and then straight back to the airport. We jumped right into things here, taking an amazing helicopter ride out to the Great Barrier Reef.
The land here along the coast is hilly, with the rainforest and mountains starting right at the edge of the water. The hills continue out into
the water, so there are lots of islands and shallow spots for miles out. The Barrier Reef is actually made up of dozens of shallow, coral islands
out in the water. The helicopter was the best way to see all the different colors (colours here) and different depths of the water. We could see
50 feet down in places. There are unhinhabited islands, some sandy, some overgrown with tropical forest. As we flew towards Hastings Reef a few
miles out, which we were going to dive in, the pilot did a sharp bank and flew the coptor in a few sideways circles, so we could get a good
close-up view of the reef, with giant sea turtles and stingrays swimming over the shallow plateau of the reef. We have so many pictures, we'll
have to make everyone a DVD when we get home!
Our helicoptor flew in, and we landed on a small, floating platform out in the ocean. It wasn't even big enough for the helicoptor, the tail
stuck out over the water, but the pilot made it look easy. From there, we took a dinghy to the dive yacht a few yards away where we would spend
the afternoon. To snorkel, we left the back of the yacht, and swam a few yards over to the edge of the reef. The plateau at the top of the reef
was under only 5 or 6 feet of water, so the sun made our underwater view bright, and we saw starfish, different colored fish than we've seen
before, sea slugs, and in the slightly deeper water we saw giant clams, the size of a mini Cooper car. The clams would open and shut
rhythmically; one of the guides told us we could stick our hand in there, but we didn't test that. We also came face to face with many Parrot
fish and other fish which were much bigger than we are; thankfully, no sharks though!
The yacht dropped us off at the pier, and we walked home after eating a great Turkish kabob dinner. The town of Cairns here is beautiful, it is a
small town stuck right between the edge of the water and the mountains and rain forest. Our walk home was great, there is a park alongside the
water and there appears to be people out 24 hours a day. Early night again, as we have an extra early morning for another big
adventure....
Hot air balloon ride and white-water rafting near Cairns, Australia, May 2, 2005
4:00 a.m..... Why would anyone wake up at this hour on vacation?
We boarded a bus which left Cairns, and drove up the steep, switchback road through the mountains and rainforest. After over an hour, we were
driving through Australia's flatter tablelands in the morning dark. We pulled into a field as the biggest hot air balloon we've ever seen was
being fired up. The sky was just beginning to get light as we climbed into the basket and lifted off! At about 2,000 feet above the valley, the
sunrise was breaking through the clouds, and we could see mountains, rainforest and lakes below us. On the flatlands, there were scattered mango,
banana, and palm farms. We drifted through the valley and enjoyed the odd sensation of floating so high. After nearly an hour, the pilot began
the descent to start looking for a landing spot. Once we were low enough to make out objects on the ground again, we saw giant ant hills (also
the size of a mini Cooper car) scattered in the shrubs. Anytime the balloon started descending too fast, the pilot fired the flame inside the
balloon again, and kangaroos would scatter below us, scared by the noise. After a safe landing, we helped the crew pack up the balloon and had a
great champagne breakfast.
From there, we got dropped off at Barron River in the rainforest on the steep descent back to Cairns. With our swimsuits, lifejackets, and
helmets on, we boarded a raft to do some great whitewater rafting through a steep gorge in the rainforest. The fun Aussie guide kept trying to
guide the boat so the rapids would knock the Americans off, but we survived! There were a couple spots where the water rushed into one side of
the raft, sending it under water, and sending the other end flying into the air. We all were thrown up out of our seats a couple times, but
somehow landed back in the raft. It was great! The scenery was swell too.
Back at the hostel, we are going to relax here tonight (cheap Indian buffet for dinner and happy hour) and will be leaving Cairns tommorrow for
Port Douglas (Daintree Rainforest), Cape Tribulation, and an even more authentic outback adventure.
We don't even want to think about our trip ending yet, we are loving Australia!
