Cairns/Cape Tribulation/Cairns

28.06 - 06.07

Rain, rain, rain, splish splash everything is so wonderfully wet. Due to the weather conditions, our path led us to Cairns and the hostel earlier than planned. Camping in constant rain isn't fun when your own tent stays 100% dry... So we reached Cairns on Friday and tried very spontaneously to book our Great Barrier Reef dive for Sunday (the only day with sunshine in the near future). Of course, it didn't work. However, they recommended Tuesday next week, as it was supposedly the best day weather-wise. So, we booked it. We decided to make use of our three free days in between, so on Saturday we packed the car again and drove further north. First stop, the crocodile farm 'Hardleys'. On the urgent recommendation of Timo's mother, we spent Saturday there, despite the insanely high entrance fee. And the money was definitely worth it! Hardleys Crocodile Farm is also a wildlife park with many snakes, koalas, kangaroos, birds, wombats, and of course, a gigantic crocodile lagoon. Besides an adorable koala baby, we were able to admire a snake show, pet a baby crocodile, see crocs in their natural habitat (lagoon), observe them jump out of the water to catch prey, and see how crocodiles are bred on the farm and how their leather and meat are processed. But the highlight was the 'Crok Attack Show'. A completely crazy person (in my opinion) enters the enclosure of a huge saltwater crocodile and shows how they attack due to the slightest movements in the water. Of course, the experienced keepers who lead this show are trained for it, but still absolutely crazy if you ask me. In the evening, we took the ferry across the river to Cape Tribulation and camped there, luckily without rain. Sunday was forecasted to be good weather with some sunshine, and it actually turned out to be true. So, we used the day to visit various lookout platforms, admire the beaches, and walk for about 15 minutes through the rainforest to a bathing pool. It was delightful there, with crystal clear river water, and even a small swing to swing into the water. Despite the cool water, it was absolutely pleasant to swim in fresh water that isn't filled with chemicals. The beaches and views were okay, but not particularly beautiful at the moment, as the water from the recent heavy rain was still stirred up and dirty gray. We spent the night at a campsite playing card games. Monday morning, we got up early as we had planned a 5-hour hike up Mount Sorrow. When we got up at 7 am, the day promised us perfect hiking weather. Sunny with scattered clouds, wonderful. And supposedly, the view from the top was really worth it. Highly motivated, we set off on the long and steep path. However, as the strength in our legs seemed to fade, so did the sun, and of course, with the 3-kilometer mark, a few drops started to fall. 500 meters later, we finally reached the summit and what a surprise, we found ourselves in the clouds. Nothing but gray around us. 360-degree view of rain clouds, and it got even better, this cloud decided to lighten up now and bless us with a wonderful downpour. 3.5 km and 1000 meters in altitude for nothing. Well, we still had a short snack before the descent. Going down was more sliding and slipping than walking, and Timo almost bled to death as a leech found its way into his sock and had already sucked himself fat before Timo discovered him and pulled him off. On the way home, we made a little detour to Cow Bay to swing on the beach, but that was it for the day. Disappointed, wet, and dirty, we all just wanted to shower and go to bed in the hostel (Gilligans). After all, we had a big day ahead of us tomorrow. Diving at the Great Barrier Reef. With rain and strong wind, we set off from the harbor after a warning from the captain about rough seas, both Timo and I with motion sickness pills in our stomachs. Nevertheless, half an hour later, we stood, along with many others, at the stern, holding the vomit bag. Yes, we were both seasick. Despite the pills. After an hour, we finally arrived at the reef. The plan was to snorkel first and then go diving. Once in the water, all the seasickness was forgotten. The reef and fish here were even more beautiful than at the Whitsundays! A truly sparkling and colorful underwater world appeared before us, especially with the suddenly bright blue sky out here. Absolutely beautiful. We also saw a huge turtle, and I even swam with it, such a majestic creature! After about half an hour of snorkeling, we were called out of the water to dive. We were excited! With the heavy oxygen tanks on our backs, we received a short briefing, which we then had to put into practice on the boat before we detached ourselves from the boat and slowly dove down. The water was so clear, and on the sandy bottom, we saw completely different fish than before. We also dived to a coral where two little Nemos lived. After the coral, our guide led us a little further away from the boat before we circled back in a small circle under the boat. That was my highlight, swimming under the boat, absolutely incredible. We were about 10 meters below the water surface, quite deep when you think about it. We had to resurface much too soon because it was lunchtime, and we had to head to our next snorkeling spot. At the second spot, you could only dive again for an additional fee, which we all found very disappointing, but we went snorkeling anyway. Here, too, the reef was beautiful, and there were many fish, although we all liked the first spot better. I saw a crab or a lobster?! but nothing else new. The return journey was nice and sunny, so it was survived without seasickness or anything else. Oh yeah, the GoPro battery was, of course, empty after the first 5 minutes, so most of the pictures/videos we have are from the photographer who was with us ;)

Back on land in Cairns, we didn't have much to do. Riel left us the day after diving to look for work in Sydney, and Jelle's flight home was on Saturday afternoon, 4 days later. We spent the remaining time mainly at the lagoon, in the city looking for souvenirs for Jelle, and partying at Gilligans. And of course, Timske and I continued happily searching for new travel mates. It's not easy, I tell you 🙊
On Saturday, we said a truly sad goodbye to our beloved Dutchman before we headed out of the city and up into the Tablelands.

But that's the next blooooog

Love u, hugs and kisseeees