While mapping out what to do and in what order, Don put in a (rare) request to see The Great Barrier Reef. It was a wish list item he thought would never come true due both to its distance from home and how quickly it is eroding. We shifted the schedule and carved it in between Melbourne and seeing our friends in Brisbane.
Here we are at the airport at 4 am for a 6 am flight. There is no reason we needed to be here this early other than we didn't trust the early morning pick up. The van service we tried to book cancelled on us last night, leaving us to look into Didi and Uber. Didi was (by far) cheaper, but the app does not allow scheduling in advance. We didn't want to risk it at 4 am. We went with Uber. Our first Uber ever. It worked perfectly.
Landed in Cairns on Tuesday to have absolutely no idea how to get a ride from the airport to the hotel. Google maps suggested walking 84 minutes to a bus, then taking a bus the last little bit. Or use the Didi app. Mind you, without traffic, the airport is a 7 minute drive from the center of town. Don noticed a Limousine company so we inquired. Turns out they are the shuttle bus, akin to Super Shuttles. They gave us a card and we attempted to book the return drive. That was far more complicated than need be -- you either call a number in Australia to book (the office was closed) or you fill in a request online and they'll let you know how to pay. It is not confirmed until you pay.
The confirmation came around noon while we were in the middle of the Great Barrier Reef (literally) with no wifi. By the time we returned to the hotel and booked, their office was closed and they would not honor our reservation. They'll refund the money. I'm sure I'll lose out on transaction fees. The frustrating part is, we tried to book at the airport and they wouldn't let us.
Again, I realize if you are reading this, you are more interested in our sightseeing than our travel woes. Until I sift through the few thousand pictures we have taken, I won't be able to process what we saw.
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Yesterday we took a 90 minute boat ride from Cairns to the Cairns Reef. It was a nicely run experience. I booked our travel excursions through Viator, who then books through a local company. After I get home I'll fill in the weblinks for anyone thinking about making a similar trip so you can book directly from the companies.
The crew said they had 152 people, which meant it was a nice big boat. Having been warned about seasickness from people who never get seasick, but did on this boat, we bought the anti-seasickness pill from the bar ($3 AUD for two tablets) and each took one. We had no troubles. I did see some people holding "Option B" -- a barf bag, so despite the calm ride, someone got sick.
We scored on having absolutely perfect weather -- 28C, the water was 25C. Blue skies with pretty puffy white clouds. The water was flat. I was surprised how much it jostled while standing still, so I was grateful for the medicine.
Finally, it was time to go in the water. They provided flippers, masks, and life jackets -- and we took all three. We could have signed up for an introductory SCUBA lesson, but since our flight was less than 24-hours later, we did not do that. I've never had the desire to SCUBA before, but that place made me wish I had considered it and booked a later flight.
To paraphrase Little Red Riding Hood in Into the Woods, "the farther from the boat, the prettier the coral. I bought an underwater camera. In hindsight, I should have tried using it before the trip so I didn't have that learning curve while under water. I'm hoping some pictures turned out. Farther out I was away from other fins and able to relax and enjoy the underwater view. I saw fish swimming by in a school, something green and flexible (like long grass), some purple, blue, and pink. The colors are stunning.
After about 45 minutes I came out for some air, well for a cup of water to wash out the taste of salt water. I haven't fully mastered the art of snorkeling. I went back in for another 45 minutes. Don and I are both such novices we floated apart in opposite directions. Everyone looked alike with yellow masks and yellow-green life vests.
A huge buffet lunch was served. Nothing like fresh air and exercise to make you hungry! The fresh salad was much appreciated. We never seem to eat enough veggies on vacation.
A quick 20-minute ride brought us to H____ Reef. This one has a heliport. Which brought us to our second adventure: a 15 minute ride in a helicopter! This was my highlight of the day. I loved looking down on the reef and seeing the different colors of water.
Time for the plane.
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