So, my faithful readers, this time I’m writing to your from the Calypso Inn in Cairns, where we have just checked in after spending the entire day on a Greyhound. But I’m getting ahead of myself as usual, since I last left you when I was about to jump on another bus heading to Airlie Beach, our previous stop.
On that night bus I slept better than usual which was fortunate since it would have been a shame to waste the first day of sailing by being a zombie. That’s right, Airlie Beach was the port from where we began our three day sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands on the morning of the 10th. This group of tropical islands is part of the Great Barrier Reef and as such offers the same kind of diving opportunities as I’d experienced earlier in Cairns when I took my scuba certificate.
We were introduced to the crew of the Summertime: The skipper Dave, the divemaster Karla and the chef Justine, and then headed out to sea. The going was somewhat rough while sailing out from the mainland until we reached the shelter of the islands. Our first day we went to the famous Whitehaven beach on Whitsunday Island, which purportedly has the finest sand in the world. I took no chances, and used my marine housing for the camera, which also allowed Andi and me to snap photos as we frolicked in the surf.
The next day we went diving at a spot called Luncheon Bay, which we had sailed to in the evening. It was quite amazing to be back at the reef – just like last time I saw it, it was literally teeming with life. Still, it is was somewhat cold (it is winter after all), the water was “only” 22 degrees, and once you’re back on the boat, the wind makes it feel even colder.
Thus I decided to forgo the chance of a second dive that day and in stead put on some warm clothes and soaked up a bit of sunshine. We were quite lucky with the weather – the sun shone most of the time and there was no rain – but the short hours of daylight and prevailing wind always reminded us that even in the tropics, this was not summer.
We did have one more activity for the day though – sea kayaking. Starting off with an impromptu water fight (me and Andi against everyone else, apparently) followed by water polo (more like rugby) and finally the game of “running across the fronts of 9 inflatable kayaks”, it was quite an enjoyable way to end the day. Also that evening, lamenting not having a guitar with me, I nonetheless had a lot of fun singing for and with the other guys. By the way it was a really great bunch of people – I thoroughly enjoyed their company.
The next day we would be heading home, but first we went for a dive at a place called Blue Pearl Bay. And it was probably the most enjoyable dive I have had yet!
Swimming along with Andi, Karla (the divemaster) and a French couple (Antoine & Anne) we were almost constantly surrounded by a cloud of curious fish, and I was snapping photos like crazy and even recording videos as well. I also wore two wetsuits, which helped immensely against the cold.
For the full tour check out my photo set, but I’ll try to include a few highlights here. There was an amazing swimthrough:
I found Nemo:
And finally I met Priscilla:
Priscilla is a Napoleon Maori Wrasse (called Maori because of their skin’s resemblance to native New Zealanders’ tatoos), and their social structure works in a somewhat unusual way. There will be a huge male with a harem of females (which in itself is not unheard of, I guess). The bizarre twist is that when he dies, the dominant female will become the new male of the group. The previous “pimp daddy” was named Elvis, and Priscilla undertook a sex change to replace him when he passed away. Sometimes reality is stranger than fiction…
Anyways, Priscilla inhabits a place the dive instructors call “The Dance Floor” and he (yes he!) is quite friendly. In fact he seems to love being petted. In case you want to know, he feels rather smooth and slimy :)
Well, after that positively thrilling experience we headed back towards Airlie Beach. The sea was as choppy as on the way out, but maybe I had just gotten used to it – in either case it wasn’t as unpleasant as I would have thought. And we were also briefly visited by dolphins, as if to top the whole thing off, and add a magical feeling to the day.
On the way back we got the DVDs with photos from the trip and when we arrived we also got the T-shirts. We said goodbye to the crew and then Andi and I checked in at our hostel, went to a netcafe (I only had time to upload some pictures, not write on the blog) and finally headed to the afterparty with the rest of the people from the trip at 7.
And today – today I spent the entire day on a Greyhound, did some reading (“Down Under” by Bill Bryson, which I still haven’t finished, not because It’s not good but because I’m too busy experiencing the subject myself) and watched three movies, the first two of which can only be described as movie-like presentations. They might superficially pass as movies, but on closer inspection their sheer horridness makes them transcend the format. If anyone offers you a chance to see “Good Boy” or “Big Fat Liar” I suggest you distract them with something shiny, kick them hard and then run away. By comparison “The Devil Wears Prada” which we saw on a bus earlier on the trip is a valuable gem (quick plot summary: Hot chick gets to work for Meryl Streep, wears a lot of clothes, goes to Paris, has a fling, quits her job and then gets back with her boyfriend).
Today I also ate the worst meal I have had in Oz at one of the “leg stretching stops” along the way. Since when does Spaghetti Bolognese include tuna and mushrooms, but no minced meat? I wouldn’t have minded as such, if it had had any taste, which unfortunately seems to be too much to ask. Oh well, you live and you learn – in fact I’m quite certain that there is a valuable life lesson to be learned here, but I’m not exactly sure what it is. Something along the lines of “Dodgy places make dodgy food” or “Even spaghetti can go wrong”. Anyways now I’m finally in Cairns again, it actually feels like summer here, and now I will go out and enjoy the tropical night. See ya folks!
