where the wild ones are.

My last adventure down under was when me and Kelsey went to Cairns (pronounced Cans). Cairns is on the north east coast of Australia, and is one of the main places to see the Great Barrier Reef!

We had a long day of flying, and we got into Cairns around 11 that night. We stayed at the Wood Duck Hostel which we quickly learned was the epitome of the "party hostel."

Boredom in the airport.

When we got let into our room, even the receptionist second guessed which beds were the clean ones. Our room held 10 people and it looked like the majority of the people had been living there, as their stuff was EVERYWHERE! We changed into our pajamas and were contemplating sleep (we had to get up early) when our roommates returned. There was one guy from England, and the other 8 were from Belgium. And yes, I know that adds up to 11. Two people shared one bed. They were crazy! And very excited that we were American! We didn't get to sleep until 2 or 3 in the morning. Fabulous.

Kelsey at the hostel. Her face says it all.

The next morning we got up early and headed to the marina. We had scheduled a day on the Great Barrier Reef. It was about a hour boat ride to a platform on the reef and then we had all day to snorkel and/or dive. I stuck with just snorkeling, simply because I was too poor. Kelsey, who is scuba certified, didn't think that she would be able to dive (because we had to leave the next day), but the instructors gave her the go ahead and she got to fulfill her dream of diving the GBR! My most adventurous feat was going on the snorkel safari! We took a boat to a deeper part of the reef and then snorkeled the channel back to the platform. It was a lot of fun! The reef is GORGEOUS! I hope that it can stay in it's current condition and not deteriorate like so many others reefs!

Me and Kels on the boat.

Boat.

Cairns.

Marine World platform.

GBR from the boat!

Me with Wally, the Maori Wrasse.

Me and Kels in the GBR! :)

Scuba Tanks!

After we got back to Cairns we spent the evening walking around Cairns; all the shops, and the night market. I ended up getting Josh a Didgeridoo. :) It was rather exciting! Thankfully our roommates were less obnoxious this night, so it was a good end to a great day!

Kelsey's swollen hand (left) compared to her right. She got stung by an anemone.

The next day our flight back to Newcastle didn't leave until the afternoon so we had all morning just to walk around and enjoy the views. We spent the majority of the time just sitting on the boardwalk in the sun. It was fabulous!

Crazy bird I like to call the Velocirooster!

Bats! There were several trees just filled with them!!

Cairns.

Palm tree.

Fun fact: Our driver on the way to the airport was the winner of the Twin Cities Marathon in 1988! It really is a small world!

Me with the Didg.

When we got back to Newcastle it was really really cold compared to the tropics of Cairns! We ended up getting about 3 hours of sleep and then we had to head back to the train station so I could catch my flight back to the US. This is easier said than done since my luggage is as follows, 1 GIANT roller suitcase, my backpacking backpack, my small backpack, my camera bag, and the Didg. It was quite the effort to get it on the train. But once it was settled I had a whole 3 hours to figure out how I was going to transfer bags to the airport train. Needless to say, I looked a little ridiculous. Kelsey has a picture that I shall post when I get it!

After I was able to get a cart it was smooth sailing! I got first class back to LAX and then coach back to MSP, although I did miss my first domestic!

I loved Australia and can't wait to return!! A trip is already in the works! :D