Cairns (01.12-09.12.2018)

We had a nice, peaceful flight from Melbourne to Cairns. The atmosphere was filled with excitement for the next three months. When we landed, we immediately put on our summer clothes. It was much warmer in Cairns than in Melbourne. From the airport, we treated ourselves to a taxi, which took us to our Airbnb room in the midday heat. Our landlord greeted us with a drink and showed us our accommodation. We had a small but nice room. We shared the kitchen and bathroom with him. Michael, our landlord, was very nice, so the accommodation was really good.

On the same day, we took a walk to the city center of Cairns. As Cairns is not very big, we could easily reach everything on foot. After half an hour along the beach, we arrived at the famous lagoon. A public pool in the middle of the city. This is necessary because in the summer you cannot go into the sea and swim due to poisonous jellyfish. Therefore, this lagoon is a very popular place. There are also free BBQ areas there. There is always something happening here in Cairns, around the clock. We also immediately noticed the flying foxes, a type of bats, hanging in the trees everywhere in Cairns. At dusk, they come out and fly their rounds. Very interesting for us city kids. However, the flying foxes make a lot of noise, which should not be underestimated, and if you stand under one of those trees, it also smells very bad. The smell reminded us of the monkey enclosure at the Hanover Zoo.

On the next day, we also spent the day exploring the city. As the weather was so hot, we also went to the lagoon in the afternoon, laid down, sunbathed, swam, and relaxed. We also planned and booked our onward journey. We also booked our trip to Port Douglas, where we were the following days (see another blog).

When we returned to Cairns after our trip, we first returned the car. Then we walked along the harbor and simply had a nice, relaxed day. We sat down in the city and read about the history of Australia in our books. Then we continued walking and visited an art museum that mainly represents the life of the Aborigines. It was really interesting. Then we went on to the shopping mall in Cairns and strolled around, watching people who were already doing their Christmas shopping. In the evening, we spontaneously went to a backpacker party. We were lured in with free pizza and chicken wings, which were also very tasty. All in all, a very nice and relaxed day.

The next day, we visited the Botanic Gardens. Here, we also got an insight into what the Aborigines grow and eat. It was also interesting to see all the tropical plants. The giant bamboo impressed us the most (apart from the fact that there are mango trees everywhere and thus many mangoes lying on the street). Then we packed our things for one of our highlights in Australia:

We saw the Great Barrier Reef on Friday.
Early in the morning, we went to the harbor and soon we were on our boat. After a few safety instructions, the ride started. It was swaying slightly and Ben immediately noticed my pale face. At that time, I was still feeling okay. Not much later, that changed. The ship was rocking and rocking, and I felt worse and worse (but I wasn't the only one on the ship feeling bad). The crew was already well-prepared and ready to support us, giving us everything we needed. However, the boat tour dragged on, but we finally arrived at the first location. Everyone had to put on blue full-body suits because the jellyfish don't stop here either. Snorkeling started and suddenly we saw the reef. It's truly incredible. It feels like being in a movie. Unfortunately, the time for snorkeling went by very quickly. There are many, sometimes very colorful fish. Then we went to Hastings Reef. We won't talk about the boat tour there. It was similar to the first one. Unfortunately, I couldn't digest the inclusive lunch. At Hastings Reef, Ben and I had a little diving training. With a gas bottle on our backs, we could climb down a ladder and were shown all the diving procedures. This was also a very nice experience. After that, we went snorkeling again and suddenly a turtle just swam past us. Incredible! Then it was time to get back on board, and we headed back to Cairns. A one-hour boat ride, in worse weather. Yay! The return journey, which was really tough, was very bumpy and the boat even jumped occasionally. However, I concentrated a lot and managed the return journey without major complications. (Except for my seasick friends who helped themselves at the buffet, which all came back up for them...). After that, we were back in Cairns and sat down on the nearest bench. Although we already knew that the weather wouldn't be the best, we never thought it would affect me so much. We spent the rest of the day just resting and looking at the underwater pictures. Thankfully, Michael also cooked for us. I was able to eat again without major problems. We also went to bed very early that day because we were still so exhausted.

The next day, our last full day in Cairns, we met up with Fiona. Fiona took us to the sports profile. We chatted all day and took a walk around Cairns. In the evening, we happened to see that there was a "free BBQ" at her hostel, where external travelers could also eat. So, Ben and I sat in her hostel and waited for about two hours until the BBQ started. Poor organization, but in the end, it was very delicious. After our meal, we said goodbye to Fiona and went back to our accommodation. Packing was still ahead of us. After about an hour, everything was packed and we enjoyed our last evening in Cairns.

Departure:
The next morning, we got up at half past five, packed the last things, had breakfast, and walked through Cairns with all our belongings. It was lightly raining, but it was quite refreshing. We have a lot, a lot with us, which is now noticeable. But in the end, we managed this hurdle too and waited for our Greyhound bus, which took us to Mission Beach.