We're a few hours away from our departure. Currently killing time until we can make our lunch. Confession: we've been looking forward to making the boxed mac n cheese we found at Woolworth's since we bought it 3 days ago. It's amazing how much joy a box of processed food can bring into our lives.
Now to continue the update from where we left off in Cairns...we woke up early after our night of karaoke to drive into the rainforest. We were a little bummed that we didn't get to see the Daintree like we were originally supposed to, but the fact that we were going to get to see it at all was super exciting. Just a little bit of trivia for you all: the Daintree is the oldest rainforest in the world. How they know this, I couldn't tell you. But they told us this fact countless times. The Daintree is also unique because it runs all the way to the Great Barrier Reef. 2 very cool natural landscapes all at once! Quite the deal. Unfortunately, you can't swim in any of the beaches around Cairns due to the fact that they have the 2 most poisonous jellyfish in the world as well as your typical sharks and saltwater crocodiles. Yikes! Our tour guide for the day talked constantly about how safe Australia is, then she would put in a video about all the dangerous wildlife that is lurking around every corner. I've come to the conclusion that it is a small miracle neither of us have been stung, bitten, eaten, or killed by some dangerous organism. Keep your fingers crossed this trend continues. Anyway, our day in the Daintree was fun. We saw some cool waterfalls, went on a river cruise where we saw "Scarface" the croc (apparently he weighs something like half a ton) and other cool wildlife, stopped at some cool lookouts, thought about going swimming in some rapids (smartly decided against it), and came across a Cassowary on the side of the road. It's apparently the most dangerous bird in the world because of its huuuuge claws but super beautiful at the same time.
That night, we reunited with all of our IES group for one last dinner. It was delicious, but we both decided that dessert was in order. After some wandering, we came across a Mexican restaurant and were thrilled to discover that it not only looked EXACTLY like a Chili's inside (Texan & Confederate flags, chili peppers, armadillos, and cowboy hats for decoration) but they had the most delicious chocolate mudcake. Just what we were craving. Pure deliciousness! After our tasty treat, we met up with a friend from Macquarie who lives in Cairns. He showed us all the hot spots and we had a fun time introducting him to our IES friends. Everyone was so impressed that we have Australian friends--go us!
On Friday we decided to have a chill day in Cairns. Woke up and got some delicious pancakes from a cute cafe. Big news: Becky finally found new sunglasses!!!! Been looking for 2.5 weeks and was finally successful in Cairns! Way exciting. After finding some cute new goodies at the mall, we wandered over to the lagoon. Since you can't go swimmin in the ocean in Cairns and it's a freaking sauna, there is a huuuuuge man-made pool right next to the ocean for people to escape the heat. It's beautiful! We didn't get in since we were hours away from being on a plane, but we did soak in the overall beauty. After a quick lunch at an Italian restaurant by the lagoon, we decided we needed a nap. But since we had checked out of our hostel where could we sleep? Solution: in one of the lounges in our hostel. It was a little odd at first having random people walk by while we were sprawled out on couches, but we got over it an passed out for a good 1.5 hours. Refreshsed and ready for the next part of our adventure, we headed to the airport and back to Sydney for less than 24 hours of fun to celebrate Albert's birthday.
Internet time is up again, we will continue from Hervey Bay!
Before leaving on our river cruise, we practiced how to react incase our boat got overtaken by a crocodile
Scar Face--we kept our distance due to the fact that he's MASSIVE and easily agitated
Horned Frogs! Showing our pride at a gorgeous spot where the Daintree Rainforest meets the Great Barrier Reef
Becca soaking up all the images from home we found at a random Mexican restaurant in Cairns
SUCCESS! After trying on literally 200 pairs of sunglasses, Becky finally finds some cute pink shades that fit her tiny head
In front of the ocean that you can't swim in due to the fact that it's filled with every form of dangerous aquatic life imaginable
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