Rainforest Action

Ok WIFI in Sydney was few and far between so here's my post- few days late.. Current status: SFO>Toronto & missing home!!! 

Hi mateys! Currently writing from our plane from Cairns > Sydney. The last couple days have been action-filled! After a last minute booking, we took a rainforest tour on Th. We were picked up at 7:20am (EARRRLY) and greeted by our driver Adrian. He was a fun guide!! Loved his energy from the start. He also introduced us to the others who were touring with us, Bridget & Nicole. They were a great mother/daughter duo from Melbourne, AU. Made me miss my mum!!! We drove down the road and picked up Nigel & Bridget. They were Kiwis* so it was exciting to talk about our recent trip to their home country!! Jealous when Bridget told us she had done the lusted Tongariro Crossing a few(!) times! Adrian teased them and thought they a couple.. Then they told us they were bro & sis. Haha!! 

Anyway about 10 mins. down the road, A decided to pull over to show us some sugar cane plants at the factory nearby. It was really cool to see the machine at work grinding down the plant so quickly!! We were back on our way and as he did a U-turn, the car lost power steering!! Everyone got really nervous (myself included!). It helped that Adrian stayed calm and told us his next move. He managed to pull over and call for another bus which came within 5 mins. He handled the situation well and we all managed to find the humor of it! We got into the new bus and headed for Mossman Gorge. This area is part of the rainforest and closed off to the public so only tours are allowed through. We began our walk in and Adrian educated us on the different types of plants around us. I was still waking up!! :p He showed us a plant called "Stay-A-While" and it has the name b/c it's pricklies will cling on you and take a while to peel off if you brush across it!! We also learned that you can't tell an age of most trees in the rainforest through it's rings. The gorge also had a beautiful stream with large rocks around it! It was a great start to the tour.

Once we finished there, we drove to a look-out that gave us a nice view over the Coral Sea. We could spot out the Port from there too! We all sat around the for tea and muffins and learned more about one another. It was really nice to talk to some locals and learn about their culture first-hand. :) After some laughs, we were back in the car and on our way to the Daintree River. Croc-croc-crocodile time!!! We hopped on a small boat and went cruising around the river. The first croc sighting was of a medium sized female croc on the shore. It was still even when we approached it. We saw some birds that inhabit the river and then two croc-lings! One was on a tree branch above the river and one was well-camouflaged on shore! It took me a while to find it with my poor eyesight hah!! Binoculars helped spot it and I also liked em b/c I could zoom into see their scaly skin & eyes!! We saw some more on the shore along the river then we spotted Scarface, a dominant male croc. Only half his body was out of the water and he was facing inward so I couldn't really see his face. I really wanted a croc to come out and chomp at me from the river but it was still a really cool and unforgettable experience! I enjoyed seeing them in their  natural habitat. And even though we also saw a few of em, we were told there's one every 1km of the large 110km river! 

Once we got done visiting the crocs. Adrian picked us back up from the river tour and we left for Noah's Valley. This was a special experience because he showed us around another part of the rainforest. We came across a creek where he picked up a rock and some stones to draw on the rock with! It was to represent the materials that aboriginal people used to use way back in the day! This was neat to see. We also learned about ants who mimic spiders and vice versa. These insects do this to protect themselves in the forest! It's common among plants too. Interesting right?!! We were introduced to a poisonous heart shaped plant and a red flower that can make you blind if you rub it on your hands then your eyes. Eek!! I spotted some "ants" that were actually spiders! After that, I didn't know what was what!! After roaming around, we went to a cool treehouse-like picnic area for a steak and fish lunch! That was delicious!! Over lunch, Adrian told us about his ski trips to Japan and their culture. Dying to visit now!! We went down to wade in a  stream after lunch.. Conditions weren't right so we couldn't swim in it. Bummer!! 

Our 2nd to last stop was Cape Tribulation and it was a look-out and beach. It was named by British Explorer James Cook after his tribulations at sea. ;) We stopped at Daintree Ice Cream company on our way back to Port Douglas. It's a creamery that has designated  flavors each day so you don't get to pick! We got a bowl of Pineapple, Jackfruit, Blackberry & Wattleseed. That was a nice ending to the day! I enjoyed the tour but I wanted to see more of the rainforest! Anyway, we really appreciated Adrian's genuine  personality and got lucky with a fun group!  

Once we got back to the hotel, we got ready for dinner at Zinc. It was a really open and airy restaurant. It had the perfect beach vibe. They had a great cocktail list and I finally got to try Barramundi!! Plamen got duck wrapped in bacon. Both were so good! The restaurant was beautiful and there was even an aquarium inside the toilets. ;) 

Yesterday we rented bikes and rode to the Wildlife Habitat. I absolutely loved it because we got to interact with the Roos and feed em!! They were hopping around and many had babies in their pouch. There were also wallabies. I was in heaven! After spending literally an hour in the Grasslands habitat playing with the friendly & playful animals, we checked out more crocs and a tree kangaroo. We finally moved onto the Wetlands habitat and saw some koalas. Most of them were asleep in the tree so we didn't get to interact with them. Guess they sleep 18-19 hours a day!! Hey I'd like that lifestyle! The Rainforest habitat there also had cassowaries, cockatoos and parrots. We ended the day at the beach and shopped around town. The Port has many beachy boutiques full of great souvenirs! There's so much hand-made jewelry and other unique crafts. I wanted to buy it all! 

The rest of the night was spent packing and prepping for our return to Sydney.

Today, we got up and finished packing. Then we picked up some pies at Mockas- a famous pie bakery in town. They had a great selection of pies and sweets too! After returning our bikes we headed back to check-out of the hotel. From there, we took a shuttle back to the Cairns airport for Sydney! Looking forward to ending our vacay here in this lively city! 

Pix to come...

*Kiwis- A New Zealand native 

The. Great. Barrier. Reef!!!

Day 2-Port Douglas: We both woke up the next morning with one thing on our mind: MUST BOOK GREAT BARRIER REEF TOUR. After an $11 coffee break :P, we went to the office of Wavelength tours to try to work up a deal. We got that and a free t-shirt!! (Sorry-- just got distracted by a mobile ice cream cart driving across me here on the beach!! Must resist!) Anyway trip got booked for Tuesday. Yeah!! We spent the rest of the day at the beach. It's a beautiful beach but the only con is swimming is restricted to a netted area due to the (DEADLY) jellyfish stingers... Bummer!! It's hard to be a mermaid when you're contained to one area.. ;)) We both still enjoyed the water and the warm weather though. The sand is very fine here.. Unlike any other beach I've visited.  It was superb to just relax!! Took it easy that night in prep for the following day! Just cooked some fish to eat for din-on the couch and watched some more TV- still on the couch. PM's kinda night!! 

Day 3: Excited out of our minds as we got ready for G.B.R!! We got picked up at 8am for the boat and after a brief orientation- we were on our merry way to the Opal reef! There were about 20 other people with us so it was a fairly big group. The marine biologist team urged people who experience motion sickness to take Demadryl but we passed b/c Plamen and I have both never had a bad experience with boats. Phew!! It was a rough 1.5 hr. ride out to the reef but we made it to our 1st site- Beautiful Mooring. 

It was amazing to see all the reef around us-- it made us SO ancy to jump right in!! After getting our (tight & hilarious) shorty wetsuits and snorkel gear on.. We waited our turn to get in. The water was chilly (low 70s) but it was alright b/c we were at the GREAT BARRIER REEF!!! Adrenaline warmed us up quick!! Plamen was extremely worried about my swimming abilities but I managed to impress him.. & myself. I must give credit my wetsuit and fins!! I actually thought I'd have to rely on a noodle to help keep me afloat but nope! I'm a big girl now!! We had an hour to explore so we made our way around the reef and saw many striped, neon and colorful fish.. Among them were parrotfish and butterfly fish. Some rain began to come down but it was only sprinkling and definitely didn't put a damper on things! PM swam around with the underwater cam and snapped lots of good shots!! 

We got back on the boat and after a short tea break, we were shuffled to our 2nd site: Bashful Bommie. This site especially stood out to me because I got to see a beautiful BLUE starfish. 2 of the guides on the tour also gave tours around the site. He showed us a clam (I think) that releases a mucus that can be used as a sunscreen. It's 300 SPF+++ Wow!! The rain also really started to come down on us here!! An hour later, we got back on the boat for some lunch. The lay-out was good! It wasn't the standard pre-packaged food that's typically provided on tours. It was fresh bread, spreads, deli meat, chicken and some kind of oriental noodles. Yum!!! It definitely re-fueled us hungry snorkelers. During lunch, we were given a "course" about the reef by Peta, one of the 3 friendly attendants. Some tidbits I picked up from it is that 50% of the reef has disappeared over the last 27 years. How terrible is that?? Unless they can figure out how to help it, it may only be around for another decade. :( She also showed us a shell of a Cone snail that's the 2nd most dangerous organism in the Reef. It releases a toxin that's so poisonous it can kill you!! It looks like a pretty shell and people tend to pick up not knowing it's harm!! I also learned there's about 1600 species of fish & organisms inhabiting the reef. After lunch and a short rest, we powered away to to our last snorkel site which was about 10 mins away. I got to take a mini-nap!! The last site was called Sno and was especially exciting. Apparently, Nat. Geo has claimed it's one of the best parts of the reef they've ever seen! They were absolutely right- it was a marvel.. Reef everywhere and it was so close to the water surface- you could just swim right on top of it. I tried hard not to step on the coral but it was difficult not to. :/ We were told to look around the edges of the reef at this site. Many more fish were around there!! About 45 mins of exploration, we were summoned on the boat to head back to the dock. There was fruit and cheese to nibble on. Plamen really wanted to sit on the top deck so I followed him up. It began to get rocky so I headed down to avoid going overboard after such a lovely day! The stairs down weren't so smooth for me and the wind was blowing my cover-up UP!! So as I hurried down to avoid flashing my friends for the day, I skipped a step and fell back into a the fruit waste bin after a bump in the water! If that wasn't enough entertainment, I managed to turn around right into a pole! Maybe I should have just stayed upstairs?!? 

After finally settling into a seat, I stayed put! As the boat went on, I couldn't stop thinking about every fishy I saw at the reef and how incredible it was to be swimming right next to them. I felt SO alive and grateful for my existence! Plamen wouldn't describe it like this but I'm certain he felt the same! Smiles all day long. It was a one of a kind thrilling experience and another check off our long bucket-list!! We walked back to the hotel after the boat docked and got ready for a night out! We went to Salsa Bar & Grill and got lucky with a table near the front. It had a great view of town and the water. We ordered a Caesar salad and Tuna Tataki starter and a couple cocktails. Super good!!! We were excited for our Main course. P ordered a Kangaroo meat dish and I went with Pork belly. Side note- appetizers are called Entrees here. The waitress and I went back and forth with each other over this.. I was in need of some clarification! She was clearly annoyed hah!! 

Our mouths were watering when the Mains came out. Plamen devoured his meal and I worked through mine slowly. It was very filling! I tried his and have to say Kang meat is good!! It's texture is different from other meat and it's taste is also distinctive. If I had to describe it, I'd say the closest comparison is beef. Although that's not really it. We worked through some more cocktails and hit the town! I don't know what kind of excitement we were looking for but either way, we didn't get it. The vibe of the town was dead so we just hit a bar for some Peroni's (on tap-- yum!!) and headed back for bed. That's all for now- gotta get back to soaking up the sun!!! :))) Thanks for keeping up & loads of love to those back home!! 

Sydney>Cairns

G'day mate!! Currently blogging on our plane to Cairns(pronounced Can-nes). I'm going to begin with Friday but can't wait to share more about last night in Sydney. Our final night in Auckland was just as all I wanted it to be and it was great to party with some locals. We ate at Ortolana for dinner which is a Mediterranean rez in BritoMart. The food was ok! Plamen had Spatchcock- some fancy bird and I had a pumpkin pasta dish. Afterwards we headed down the way to a roof-top bar called Ostro. They had a superb drink menu full of various cocktails & loud music. We were happy kids!! Plamen ordered a "Dark Walker" & I got some concoction with the "..Trouble" in it. ;) We headed out to the balcony and sat by the fire pit.. The atmosphere was chill and the crowd seemed to be a little older- prob. 30's. 30's is the new 20!! 

After taking in the harbor views on the other side of the bar, we headed to the next bar. It was called Tyler's St. Garage and it was super dark & ominous inside. Very much rock & roll! Buncha neon lights and a completely different vibe.. Loved it. There was also a live band playing a cover of Schoolboy Q & another rock band. We hung for a bit and made our way to the bar 1885. The music was even louder in this club/bar! The crowd was more touristy than local so we fit right in with our All-Terrain jackets. Hah!! ;))) Shook our buns a little to some pop & rock then we left for the RV! Party was still going outside so stopped at a few more joints on the way back. Most were empty and didn't have the vibe of BritoMart. :/ Ps- the fun of BritoMart comes with a price! Cocktails were upwards of $15 & up!! 

So the bars on the route home looked like fun but they had a cover charge! So we decided to skip em b/c it was already late!! Our last stop was memorable b/c the club was full of 18 y/o!! Apparently that's the legal drinking age here. Would love to hear your thoughts on that!! Needless to say, we both felt old in there so we took the queue and went "home". 

We got up the next morning and packed up for our flight out to Sydney. We moved a little slow but somehow we managed to pull it together!! ;) It wouldn't have been a satisfying trip if we didn't try the popular national snack- Pie! So we went to PieFace (speciality pie bakery) before we headed back to the RV center. PM got a chicken pie & I got classic minced meat. Yummy!! It was a nice warm snack (I saved mine for the plane). Made it back to the RV center and did some last minute dishes etc. b4 we could return the car. Kea rentals require the tanks are emptied from the car also so that took a second. Quick and all but it's much different than dropping off a standard rental car. I have to say the overall experience with the camper was good. It was satisfying to do all we wanted without having to wait around for buses and shuttles. We got to experience New Zealand from every angle!! However, I missed my space and the road was becoming exhausting. I could tell it was starting to hit Plamen too. Forgot to mention how fog-ridden the last part of the drive from Taupo to Ragland was. It was like a scene out of "Silent Hill" & the kind of fog where you don't see the headlights of the car on the other side of the road until they're almost right next to ya!! Eek!! Oh yeah the poor guy was too nervous to let me drive so he did all week. I got to drive it once in Tauranga- guess that was enough for him! Anyway, a week was just right!!

Flight to Sydney was on time & it was a smooth ride. We found a decent hotel for the night close to the airport and had some downtime before we headed out to town. Let me tell you- it was VERRRY nice to have a good sized shower space and a fluffy bed!! I know not to waste water but it was nice to not have to check the water tank after every use like in the RV. So having it for a week definitely made me realize the amount of water we consume on the daily! It's plentiful!! 

After some rest, we took the train to Circular Quay which is the main area right next to the Sydney harbor bridge. The ride was packed! It was full of locals, families and tourists. It was so congested that we had to be let off at a stop before Circular Quay- St. James. This was not a bad thing at all because we got the experience VividSydney. It's a light walk all over the entire city!! You'll see the pix soon- it was amazing!!! Many AU artists have come together to create structures and designs for this 2 week-long presentation. Each piece was so creative and unique.. I was blown away!! It was a really great experience and can't wait to be back there next weekend!! They had food vendors set up (very similar to what we see at a local Farmer's market) and I had a serious craving for an oriental dish so I got a combo dumpling dish. YUM!! Plamen got an oversized sausage dog.. We both enjoyed our good. Walked around some more.. Experienced some light shows including one over the Sydney Opera House. Can't wait to share the vids. Grabbed a couple beers on the pier and headed back to the hotel. We had an 0500 wake up call for our flight out to Cairns so no party-party for us!

Hello Sunday! The airport was about a mile away from the hotel so Crazy P wanted to walk there. It wasn't an easy wake up call to say the least!! Anyway we made it and dropped our bags to be checked. We flew with TigerAir for this ride and huge relief b/c we pre-paid about $40 to check in luggage. If we didn't pre-pay for this it would have been $180!!! Wild right?!! That would of been the cost of the flight! It was a rocky ride to Cairns but 3 hours later, we got there and were welcomed by some really humid air after deplaning! We are staying at a place in Port Douglas for the next 5 days (which is about an hour away from the Cairns airport). A shuttle here would have cost $90 so we opted to rent a car for one day which was $60. Not a bad outcome b/c the rental enabled us to stop in Downtown Cairns and we had lunch at a really cool seafood rez. Many of these dishes were dairy & gluten free. These types of rez seem to be to be common in AU! We headed back to the car after lunch and we noticed a crazy amount of Flying Foxes a.k.a. Fruit Bats in some of the trees in Cairns! They make a really distinct noise and that got our attention. Cool but creepy!! 

Got back to the ride made our way to Port Douglas. By some miracle, Plamen let me drive! Driving on the other side of the road here is shocking at first but you just get used to it!! Though, the signals really threw me off today b/c I kept hitting the wipers instead. ;) We stopped at a really cool tide pool-like beach along the way to P.D. There were many baby Mud crabs poking out of the sand there!! An hour later, we made it to the hotel. Relaxed a bit then headed out to grocery shop for the week.. Just ate dinner, laughed over some Modern Family and about to hit the pool now! :) 

Missing home and hope all is well with my loved families & friends! 

Would love to hear how the weather has been, anything new and how the last day of school was for the kiddies. B.t.w, summer is just kicking off at home and the first day of Winter just began in AU!  

Ps- here's some shots from my phone.. Plamen hasn't uploaded his pix yet-- that's where the goods are!!