The past week has definitely been the best week so far! Magnetic Island was three days of nature and relaxation. The only downside was that the bay our hostel was closest too looked like Ocean City. We were very confused as to how an island in the middle of the ocean off the coast of Australia could be anything but breathtakingly beautiful. But the fact that we got to hold a koala trumped everything. And the fact that the Koala's name was Dexter made it that much better.
After Magnetic Island we headed up to Cairns, a lovely little beach town that, oddly enough, doesn't actually have a beach. Delightful, nonetheless. But the real highlight of the trip so far has been the Great Barrier Reef. I even tried out scuba diving for a bit! Given, we didn't go down too far and we weren't under for very long since it was just an intro dive, but I still did it! And it was quite a triumph considering all the ridiculous fears I had before actually going under. (What if my goggles fog up and I swim head first into the boat and knock myself unconscious?) The snorkeling was amazing though. It was a little disappointing not seeing any sharks or turtles, but I saw hundreds of big, colorful fish, and a stingray and giant clam!
For now, I'm just floating around Cairns and taking in all the warmth and sunshine I can before heading into the middle of winter in New Zealand. Oy! I was thinking about doing a day trip to one of the beaches around here but apparently there are crocodiles in the water so you can't even go in. Oh, Australia... such an odd country you are.
Quote of the day: "What is that sound?"- Me
"I don't know. It sounds like a monkey. Or a bird. Or a monkeybird. Oh. My. God."- Ilan
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