Cairns and Airlie Beach

After three hours of flight and two short naps, I arrived safely in Cairns. Tropical temperatures and humidity gave me a little shock when I stepped off the plane. The transfer from the airport to Cairns can be booked with "Nice and Easy" at Cairns Airport and takes you directly to the door of the hostel. This time, I chose the "Youth Hostel Accommodation". In the good old youth hostel, there will be a bit more discipline and order. And that's how it was. At 11 PM, everything was quiet. There are more backpackers than work and travelers in Cairns. However, this does not make the smelly feet problem any better. It is occasionally cooled down by the air conditioning in the room. While writing, I just had an idea... I still have the good Tiger Balm from Peru... put it on my chest and enjoy the wonderful eucalyptus scent. Nice and easy.
Since Cairns is relatively close to the Great Barrier Reef, diving is definitely on the program. So I did some research on the internet and with Nathalie about different diving options before I arrived. Once there, I visited the diving schools. From my own experience, I know what makes a well-maintained dive center and its staff. Pro Dive Cairns definitely won the race. The other center was a bit run down, the staff was rude, and the boats, according to reviews on various internet portals, were dirty and infested with bugs. The choice was a three-day dive cruise to the outer reef. Start: directly the next morning at 6:15 AM. Bingo! So, I checked and booked. Nice and easy!

Cairns and Great Barrier Reef

I was picked up directly at the hostel, did the check-in at the dive center, and then I was driven to the harbor with 25 other divers and dive students. First, boarding, breakfast, and getting to know the other divers a bit. During the first briefing, which included safety instructions and cabin assignment, our luggage was loaded onto the boat and each of us prepared our dive equipment for the first dive. Full-service at its finest. Then we sailed for three hours to the outer reef. Some passengers didn't handle the waves very well. But they all managed to keep their breakfast down. During the trip, I had good conversations with the others. An American guy told me that all the newcomers were sitting downstairs for their first open water theory class. When I asked him where he had already dived, it turned out that he was also a beginner and was going to dive with a GoPro set up like a pro. I could already predict what would happen during his first dive.
During the first dive, I was assigned a buddy for the next three days. Colin, an Australian from Tasmania. He was always in a hurry, until I slowed him down a bit after the second dive, where we were alone. Otherwise, he would have shot over the reef edge every time. The American guy had completely different problems. He emptied his tank within 20 minutes during the first dive. Partly because he was swimming almost standing up, and partly because he has a fear of heights. Suddenly, compared to his dive training, he could see the bottom 10 meters below him. Rule number one for beginner divers: get yourself sorted first before you start talking too much. I had a good laugh anyway. Of course, for him, it was still awesome and all. A real man! Between the dives, there was always food, a little sunbathing, or chatting with others. The food was fantastic. Everything was freshly cooked and served as a buffet. After the afternoon and night dives, there was always freshly baked cake. My on-board buddies were three guys from Stuttgart and a mother with daughter and son-in-law-to-be from Berlin, who were visiting them during their stay in Australia. The guys were relaxed and nice. The mother had a real Berliner attitude. I immediately liked her, as well as her daughter and son-in-law-to-be. Finally, people I could have fun with.
Unfortunately, I don't have any underwater pictures here. But I have some impressions of life on board.

I have to say, I have never seen such an amazing and magnificent starry sky as above the Great Barrier Reef.
And finally, I had some shark encounters. During the day, the blacktip reef sharks prefer to be left alone. But during night dives, they are very curious about what's happening in the light of the spotlights. So, I jumped right into the sharks and saw them circling around the boat at a depth of 5 meters when resurfacing. During the second night dive, which was without a guide, Colin once again went too fast and in the wrong direction and had no idea where he was at all. Luckily, I had memorized the dive site in the afternoon and knew the compass course. Working with professionals is always a good idea! Of course, this immediately became a topic of conversation on board, that two lights were swimming completely in the opposite direction to the rest of the group.

Of course, there are also many other colorful fish, turtles, and corals. Unfortunately, some of them are dead or dying. This affects the underwater life as well.
After three days at sea, I was pretty seasick when I got back to land. The only solution: beer. In the evening, there was a nice gathering with the crew and the other divers at the Bavarian Beerhouse. The beer was okay, the atmosphere was great! All nice and easy!
I skipped the subsequent party because the next day I was going to Kuranda.

By the way, I think Cairns is a bit like Ballermann. Just without the beach.

Kuranda

At 9:30 AM, I took the Scenic Railway from Cairns through the rainforest to Kuranda. An old hippie commune and a sacred region of the Aboriginal people.

I was supposed to spend two hours on the Jungle Walk. First along the riverside and then into the rainforest.

Actually, the round trip should have taken two hours. But I was back in Kuranda after only one hour. This time, I walked at a leisurely pace. No marching! Then I visited the birdhouse and the koala hospital.

After a short cuddle session with the koalas, I had koala dung on my hand. Otherwise, they are very cute and soft. I look totally exhausted in this photo again. But I wasn't at that time. It's probably the heat, or the bad photographer. At a certain age, it's always a question of the right angle.

For lunch, I had Sri Lankan curry with crocodile and later enjoyed coffee and cake with the hippies, overlooking the rainforest.

I then took the cable car back through the rainforest. A beautiful experience.

All I can say is: It was absolutely amazing!

Back at the hostel, the late puberty madness struck again. When I entered my room, there was some kid lying in my bed. Right on top of my clothes. When I asked him if he knew that the bed was already occupied by me, he just said that he had been gone for one night and had reserved this bed in advance. I'm generally very relaxed, but this annoyed me a bit. Of course, he hadn't reserved anything, and I postponed my discussion with him until I had something to eat. Extremely annoyed + hungry = very unpleasant outcome, probably for everyone involved. Unfortunately, I didn't catch the little troublemaker afterwards. Well, it's not such a big deal if the late puberty madness hadn't continued during the night. I don't want to list everything that happened. The whole thing reached its peak when two Germans came back from drinking at 2:30 AM and woke me up with their ongoing crazy stories about women. When they called someone a nasty gay, that was it for me. As I said, everything was very absurd. I just managed to resist my strong desire to humiliate both of them so much that their chances with women would be ruined for the rest of their stay in Australia, and at the same time turn the whole hostel upside down. After all, without a reasonable person at the reception at night, leaving was not an option. The next morning, I went to Airlie Beach totally exhausted on the freezer bus. It was time for some relaxation.

Airlie Beach

After ten hours of bus ride, I arrived in Airlie Beach. The long journey was worth it. Sun and beach! Even though there was no one on the beach. If you want to sunbathe here, you have to go to the Lagoon. It's a man-made lagoon that can be used by everyone free of charge. Due to the box jellyfish in the water, no one goes swimming without a stinger suit. And if they do, it's only for water sports and not for swimming. Getting stung by these cute creatures can be life-threatening and can put you in the hospital for at least two weeks.
On that evening, I fell into bed exhausted and had a good sleep the next day. The Mutti had some catching up to do. The next day, I took it easy. First, a relaxed breakfast, then strolling through the town and organizing the two-day sailing trip to Whitehaven Beach. The trip was scheduled to start on Sunday. So, I had two days of sweet idleness ahead of me. Nice and easy! By the way, the night was heavenly quiet. Finally, considerate roommates, and the sleep mask paid off! In the late morning, I went to the lagoon and spent some time sunbathing, chatting, and swimming with my Swedish roommates. Wonderful!!! Important: Sunscreen with SPF 50+ is a must. Otherwise, you end up looking like a lobster. I saw some funny costumes. Here, you can also see "men" crossing the street who can do nothing but testosterone, and women who are dolled up as if they were going to the next Oscar ceremony. Amusing! Especially when both groups meet. Another glass of champagne, please!
In the evening, I met Lisa from Berlin and Marcel from Münster. Two very nice people. Suddenly, a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc appeared on the table. The evening took a funny and very enjoyable turn. Especially when we sneaked into Lisa's hostel. Firstly, guests are not allowed in the hostels, and secondly, alcohol is also prohibited outside the bar area. Well, we smuggled ourselves in, and Marcel had two bottles of wine, one in each pants pocket. It was a sight to see! The art of knowing how to do it. Nice and easy! After the wine, we had a few more beers until we finally ended up in the bar of my hostel for a goodnight beer.

On Saturday, I slept in and had a leisurely breakfast followed by a relaxed coffee session with Lisa. Nice and easy! The rest of the day, the Mutti enjoyed some relaxation and planned some things for Indonesia.
By the way, I have never met so many people who were on such different drug trips as in Airlie Beach. Sometimes funny, sometimes pathetic, and sometimes quite tiring. And they are so strict with everything here in Australia!

Whitehaven Beach

Then the time had come. The Mutti was back on the water. At 8:30 AM sharp, we set sail for the Whitesunday Islands. Well, it was a motorized sailboat, but the people on board were great, and it was not a party tour.

The boat had seen better days. It was quite stuffy below deck, especially at night. You can't have everything. Taking a shower wasn't really recommended either, and I didn't want to because of the guys who peed standing up. The fact that my mind won over my bladder on the second day means something. On the first day, snorkeling and kayaking were on the agenda. After the first snorkeling excursion, I skipped the second. A severe cyclone in April this year destroyed the entire underwater world. This made me very sad and nostalgic. So, I preferred sunbathing and having good conversations on deck.

And then there was this wonderful sunset with snacks:

After dinner, we all sat together and chatted while enjoying a refreshing drink. Everyone has their own stories to tell. However, nobody got old. Because the next morning, we were going to be woken up at 6:00 AM to arrive at Whitehaven Beach early.

Now, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves:

...

All I can say is: it was absolutely amazing!

Back in Airlie Beach, most of us met up for a free beer. I didn't stay up late that evening. I was pretty tired from the water and the sun.

The next few days were all about traveling: Airlie Beach-Cairns-Sydney-Bangkok-Jakarta. The hairstyle held up! And then? I have a plan for Indonesia. But I'm not revealing it yet. That's why I had one more relaxing day in Airlie Beach.

In this sense: Always take it nice and easy!

Have Fun and Be Proud!

Yours, Jan/Mutti