done up like a pet lizard
so we're back. but pretend you don't know that and i'll tell you about cairns.
saturday we took one of those dive-and-snorkel boats out to the very edge of the reef, a spot called agincourt reefs. from our dive sites you could see the water breaking over the edge of the continental shelf, and the water change color. it was great. i was the only certified diver on the boat (besides the guides of course). so i basically had my own private guide and at all 3 sites we got in before all the beginners and snorkellers had scared everything away. besides the incredible array of coral and little fishies, i got to play with some sharks, saw giant clams big enough to eat me, and an eel so long you couldn't see the end of it...he was about 8" in diameter, all curled up in the reef. no lionfish or turtles tho...guess i'll just have to go back.
apparently the snorkelling was good too.
so, what do you have for dinner after a day like that? sushi, of course!
sunday we went up a (small) mountain to hang out in the rain forest. we took a train up there, which had some great views and a couple neat waterfalls. then we walked around this extremely tourist-ified village in the middle of the forest. after that was the rainforestation - basically a small zoo, then a ride on army ducks to see local vegetation - ferns, orchids, fig trees - and small wildlife, snapping turtles, etc. the zoo had a 5 meter long crocodile the called jack - as in jack the ripper. they tried to mate him 12 times before they decided he really does kill any female they put in the pen with him. then we went back down the mountain, but this time on their skyrail - a gondola over the tops of the trees. amazing views!
meanwhile....
our fearless leader was suppose to tell you what the rest of the group was up to in melbourne, but he was apparently too busy leading (and being fearless.)
monday was our triumphant return to sydney. well...maybe sluggish would be more accurate. we had a great time, but 2 fulls days outdoors pretty much wiped us out. the one day in sydney was a scatter-and-see-things day. the popular events seemed to be shopping, harbour boat tours, and the aquarium. i was excited most by the needlework shop, but then you already know i'm strange. (the harbour tour was pretty cool too.) and then we had an extremely fancy dinner, courtesy of mrs. dunn, with a spectacular view of the bridge and the opera house out the window next to our table. it was a nice way to wrap up the trip.
australian slang is funny. the two favorites so far have been 'done up like a pet lizard', which means overdressed, and 'technicolor yawn', which you get to figure out for yourself.
tuesday was the return journey. we left at 2 pm tuesday, and after a 14 hour flight arrived at 10 am tuesday. loooong day. but we all survived. not only the flight, but the whoe trip! and, more importantly, we all had fun :)
saturday we took one of those dive-and-snorkel boats out to the very edge of the reef, a spot called agincourt reefs. from our dive sites you could see the water breaking over the edge of the continental shelf, and the water change color. it was great. i was the only certified diver on the boat (besides the guides of course). so i basically had my own private guide and at all 3 sites we got in before all the beginners and snorkellers had scared everything away. besides the incredible array of coral and little fishies, i got to play with some sharks, saw giant clams big enough to eat me, and an eel so long you couldn't see the end of it...he was about 8" in diameter, all curled up in the reef. no lionfish or turtles tho...guess i'll just have to go back.
apparently the snorkelling was good too.
so, what do you have for dinner after a day like that? sushi, of course!
sunday we went up a (small) mountain to hang out in the rain forest. we took a train up there, which had some great views and a couple neat waterfalls. then we walked around this extremely tourist-ified village in the middle of the forest. after that was the rainforestation - basically a small zoo, then a ride on army ducks to see local vegetation - ferns, orchids, fig trees - and small wildlife, snapping turtles, etc. the zoo had a 5 meter long crocodile the called jack - as in jack the ripper. they tried to mate him 12 times before they decided he really does kill any female they put in the pen with him. then we went back down the mountain, but this time on their skyrail - a gondola over the tops of the trees. amazing views!
meanwhile....
our fearless leader was suppose to tell you what the rest of the group was up to in melbourne, but he was apparently too busy leading (and being fearless.)
monday was our triumphant return to sydney. well...maybe sluggish would be more accurate. we had a great time, but 2 fulls days outdoors pretty much wiped us out. the one day in sydney was a scatter-and-see-things day. the popular events seemed to be shopping, harbour boat tours, and the aquarium. i was excited most by the needlework shop, but then you already know i'm strange. (the harbour tour was pretty cool too.) and then we had an extremely fancy dinner, courtesy of mrs. dunn, with a spectacular view of the bridge and the opera house out the window next to our table. it was a nice way to wrap up the trip.
australian slang is funny. the two favorites so far have been 'done up like a pet lizard', which means overdressed, and 'technicolor yawn', which you get to figure out for yourself.
tuesday was the return journey. we left at 2 pm tuesday, and after a 14 hour flight arrived at 10 am tuesday. loooong day. but we all survived. not only the flight, but the whoe trip! and, more importantly, we all had fun :)
posted by jenny at
10:28
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