So the last time I posted on this blog was 2010... a mere 9 years ago...
The only reason I'm back is because all my previous travel blogs have disappeared off the internet and this blog website seems like it will withstand the sands of time so I might as well put it here. Ive like specific travel blog websites before because they'll map out where I go. But since Liz and I aren't traveling around Australia much and we're just staying in one place for a long stretch, it doesn't seem as necessary.
So anyway, Liz and I got to Australia almost a week ago! We flew from Dallas to Sydney on a 17 hour flight that was the longest flight I've ever been on and with moderate success! We both slept a fair amount (it was actually helpful to have long enough on the plane to really attempt to sleep a significant amount. With shorter flights you just don't have enough of a chance to really sleep since you can't sleep as soundly and you wake up a lot) So we both only ended up watching 2 or 3 movies and slept the rest of the time! We then flew up to Cairns where we spent our first night. We arrived, walked around Cairns for a couple hours and then promptly went to bed around 6pm :)
The only reason I'm back is because all my previous travel blogs have disappeared off the internet and this blog website seems like it will withstand the sands of time so I might as well put it here. Ive like specific travel blog websites before because they'll map out where I go. But since Liz and I aren't traveling around Australia much and we're just staying in one place for a long stretch, it doesn't seem as necessary.
So anyway, Liz and I got to Australia almost a week ago! We flew from Dallas to Sydney on a 17 hour flight that was the longest flight I've ever been on and with moderate success! We both slept a fair amount (it was actually helpful to have long enough on the plane to really attempt to sleep a significant amount. With shorter flights you just don't have enough of a chance to really sleep since you can't sleep as soundly and you wake up a lot) So we both only ended up watching 2 or 3 movies and slept the rest of the time! We then flew up to Cairns where we spent our first night. We arrived, walked around Cairns for a couple hours and then promptly went to bed around 6pm :)
The next day, we drove up to Port Douglas, about an hour north of Cairns. This is supposed to be a really good place to access the Great Barrier Reef with fewer crowds than Cairns, which it turned out to be! And on our way up to Port Douglas, we stopped in a little town called Kuranda to go to a tiny zoo where you could hold a koala!! This was at the top of my list so I was very excited about it. It was heaven, I only wish they had let me hold her a little longer. She was so cute and cuddly!!
The rest of the drive was so pretty! Just beaches and blue water and beauty everywhere!! We found our hotel which was pretty cool, the center of it which had a pool was sort of jungle themed. So it was very lush and full of plants and waterfalls and stuff. We enjoyed some beach time and a much quieter area than Cairns. The next day we drove up into the rainforest, which this area is also famous for. We stopped at a gorge to walk around and then drove up to Cape Tribulation where there was a GORGEOUS beach and it was just so pretty!!! Rainforest and beaches and it was just to lush and tropical! We also found this fun little ice cream place that had a tropical fruit flavored ice cream sample cup. There were some weird/interesting flavors (jack fruit, coconut, some kind of plum, and waddle seed. Never heard of waddle seed but it was different!) So anyway, it was fun to try those.
The next day (Tuesday) we went diving on the Great Barrier Reef!! I'd been looking forward to this for a while, this was one of my biggest regrets on my New Zealand/Australia trip a few years ago so I was pumped to get my chance! It was a two hour boat ride out to the reef and we got a good introduction to diving from our dive master, Wayne. He's been diving for over 30 years and he was the nicest guy ever. I've only been diving once a LONG time ago, so I was rusty and Liz had never done it before so he was very kind and patient with us. He gave us all the safety information and let us move nice and slowly so we could get used to it. Liz had a moment of panic when we first got in the water so Wayne literally held her hand throughout all our dives throughout the day so she would feel more comfortable. He was awesome. The fish and coral were AMAZING!!!! Wayne would show us which coral we could touch and it was so fun to feel all the different textures!! There were so many different colors of fish! It was the coolest, definitely a huge highlight of the trip.
Wednesday, we got up early and drove back to Cairns so we could fly out to Hamilton Island where we will be spending the remainder of our trip! We'd both heard about and seen pictures of the Whitsunday Islands and it looked amazing and tropical so we decided we needed to go :)
Hamilton Island is the most populated of the Whitsunday Islands and it's BEAUTIFUL! Our airbnb is on the top floor of the hotel and it's a little one bedroom apartment with an absolutely INSANE view!
We've spent all our time since our arrival going to the beach, the pool, eating Australian chocolate cookies called Tim Tams, eating ice cream, and just enjoying the gloriousness of the island. There are no cars allowed except for shuttles and maintenance vehicles, so everyone gets around by golf cart and its hilarious. All parking spots, driveways, and garages are tiny because they're meant for golf carts! Also, the island is privately owned, although there are also private residences, so many of the hotels and accommodations are owned by the same family that owns the island so everything is weirdly connected. It's sort of feels like a Disney cruise that's actually an island, or if the town of Celebration was an island. It's sort of odd, but we also kind of like it :P
So I think that catches us up to the present!! :) We will continue to go to the beach, eat, swim (the ocean is CRAZY warm and comfy!!!) and generally just enjoy ourselves I'm sure. We have a plane tour and a sail/snorkel tour planed later next week. But tomorrow we're going parasailing and I'm excited!!! That's all for now!
