I've just been to the Great Barrier Reef! It was really great, even though the weather was pretty bad. It was drizzling for a lot of the day, pretty cold and the waves were quite high (at least I thought they were high)- I had to keep my eyes steady on the horizon for most of the trip and keep a firm grip on the reeling to stay on board; that boat was rolling in the sea quite heavily!

Slight seasickness aside, the snorkelling was good and the crew of the ship we were on (The Sea Star, 60 AUD) were all really friendly and - yeah, I had a good day! There were two spots where we could snorkel. I only went in at the first spot, though, which was close to a little island, so I could swim to somewhere I could stand whenever I felt like it - this whole "swimming in the ocean" thing still makes me uncomfortable. Besides, there was a glass bottom boat available at the second site - and it was cold, cold, cold! The corals were really beautiful at both sites and much more colourful that those I saw at Ningaloo Reef. We also saw giant clamps (and I never realized just how big they are) and a massive Maori Wrasse. This was by far the biggest fish I've ever seen! Unfortunately I couldn't take any photos (my digicam is not waterproof), but click on the link at the bottom of this entry if you want to get an idea of what it was like.

The world's not just small - it's tiny

Cairns also proved - once again - just how small the world is. When I checked into my hostel, I noticed a beautiful, blonde girl sitting at the tour desk, enquiring about something. I looked at her and she seemed really familiar. She looked at me and was obviously thinking the same. And then it made click: "Laos! We met in Laos on my birthday!", she said. Looks like I left an impression :-) - though it might have helped that I wore my "Beer Laos"-shirt when we met. Anyhow: We went for a beer afterwards and it turns out that she had worked two months in Cambodia after we had met, doing something regarding water-purification. Unfortunately she and her equally good-looking friend had to leave Cairns the next morning, but hey, that's life. If you want to know who the girl was, here is the pic from Laos. But it's amazing, isn't it? I mean, what are the odds of meeting someone who you had last seen a few months ago and on a totally different continent? It's mind-boggling. I suggested that this might be a sign of some sort and that maybe we should marry and have beautiful children together, but strangely enough she wasn't open to that suggestion. Women!

Cairns - a cool place

I really liked Cairns, btw. It's got loads of hostels and there are so many businesses geared towards backpackers that competition is fierce and some of the offers amazing. 4.95 AUD for a steak and chips - can it get any better? Cairns also has tons of bars and clubs and I'd really like to stay a bit longer. Unfortunately though, I absolutely have to be in Brisbane on the 6th to start my english course, so I have to leave asap. The hostel I stayed in (Jimmy's Backpackers on the Esplande, 22 AUD) wasn't that great, btw. I mean, it wasn't a bad place or anything. But it simply had zero atmosphere.

Amazing photos of Australia

In Cairns I also visited a photo-exhibition of an Australian photographer who does simply amazing shots. I added a link to his website at the bottom - check it out, the pics are amazing!

On the web:

Great Barrier Reef @ nationalgeographic.com (cool flash-gallery)
Picture of a Maori Wrasse
Charlotte and Deans Website
Charlottes good-looking friend Megans very impressive website
Peter Lik's Landscape Photos