Who knows, we may have saved the best thrills for last!
That's hard to imagine after all of the incredible things we have done so far like surf camp at Bendalong Beach and spring break in New Zealand, but it's very possible the next two and a half weeks will be the best.
This past weekend we headed up north to Cairns to go scuba diving and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef! Cyclone Debbie thought she was going to put a dent in our fun- but we were on the other side of her! Luckily, Cairns is a little bit more north of where she hit and our underwater adventure was a MAJOR success!
We nearly melted as soon as we stepped one foot off the plane (it was 96 degrees), but the sun was shining brighter than ever and we didn't complain one bit! (This was supposedly the wettest March Sydney has ever seen, and I wholeheartedly believe it). Life on the equator was luxurious. We started the trip off by going to a zoo/wildlife dome on top of a casino- I didn't like the idea of that very much- to cuddle Nellie the koala! I am a bit conflicted with commercializing and selfishly partaking in holding a koala for eight seconds just for a photo, but it was still a great experience. Nellie was so adorable and holding her was a dream come true, but it bothers me that she is kept in a small room in a building with people gambling and drinking downstairs as she just hugs an artificial tree with a fan blowing on her just for profit. Yes, I posted a picture cuddling her on social media, but I don't feel right about it. The only state in Australia that has NOT outlawed holding koalas is Queensland- where Cairns is. Something I learned while down here is that human contact shortens a koala's lifespan. I believe Nellie is only allowed to be interacted with for fifteen to thirty minutes a day, but I wish she was free in the wild where she belongs.
On a different note, we woke up early Saturday morning to check off the number one thing on our bucket lists- FINDING NEMO! And Dory, of course. :] To say it was the experience of a lifetime is beyond an understatement. I was on top of the world the entire day. It took us about an hour and a half to get out to the reef on the boat. Some of us nearly had panic attacks in anticipation of jumping in the middle of the ocean where "great whites" are, others were nervous about being six metres under the water for thirty minutes and not knowing how to breathe with our masks correctly (Mary- "TWO!") We all made it out alive though, and I have to admit I was the "fearless" one prior to actually beginning the process of going down the ladder and realizing there was a huge barracuda with sharp teeth swimming around right in front of me as my wide eyes were frantic trying to figure out how I was going to breathe without letting water in my mouth. As we descended down, Elle on the other arm of our instructor, my ears felt more pressure than they ever have and screamed with pain, but I didn't care. Nemo and Marlin were in their anemone right below me close enough to touch. Smiling really big lets water into your mask, but that didn't phase me. I was so happy in that moment and couldn't help but grin with content.
We swam with Crush and Mr. Ray and nearly touched giant clams filled with huge, expensive pearls. Bruce didn't make an appearance though and I was pretty upset about that, but Abby Wright was thrilled. We also snorkeled a few different parts of the reef and swam out to a sand bar in the middle of the ocean where you could fully stand up with the water at your ankles.
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