Cairns, Australia & the Great Barrier Reef

G’day, mates! After nearly a month of travel, we’ve finally arrived at our first port of call in Australia. We were treated to a magnificent sail-in through the Great Barrier Reef. Although we couldn’t actually see the reef itself, the beautiful shades of blue waters and skies were broken only by the first substantial piece of land we’d seen for days – the eastern coast of Australia!

Nearly equal to the gorgeous scenery was the festive spread put on by the ship’s crew. We had camped out that afternoon on the Lido Deck midship in order to enjoy the view as well as reserving a table for the Aussie Outback Barbeque that was to be held the evening we arrived in Cairns. The decorations warned of kangaroo, wombat, koala, and Tasmanian devil crossings and pointed us in the direction of Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Ayers Rock and Perth. The spread of food was incredible – and I can now officially say I’ve had “shrimp on the barbie” as skewered shrimp was included on the menu (as well as suckling pig, barbecued chicken, steak, sausage, baked potatoes, and an assortment of vegetables and salads). We enjoyed listening to the Australian Bush Band that was serenading us throughout the meal, and the views of Cairns and the mountains beyond were breath-taking!

As soon as we finished, we joined friends we’d met on the cruise for a walk around Cairns. Our destination was the Night Market. Despite being 7:00 on a Sunday evening, things were open and the town was hopping! We all enjoyed wandering around the Night Market, which had an excellent selection of Australian products. We knew we wouldn’t have time the following day to shop, so we did as much as we could as quickly as we could. We finally headed back to the ship so we could get a seat for our evening entertainment – an authentic Aboriginal band, complete with the low wailing sound of the didgeridoo. What a wonderful welcome to the Land Down Under!

They say things happen in threes, and Monday proved that statement to be true! I was sound asleep that morning when Chuck said, “Check your watch. Does it say 7:20?” Yes, it did! However, the clock I’d brought from home read 6:20! How in the world did the clock read 6:20 when everything else we had said 7:20? It had been correct Sunday night. We leapt out of bed and scrambled to get ready so we’d be on time for our shore excursion, completely baffled by the mysterious case of the lost hour! Suddenly it dawned on me: I had brought an electronic clock that reflects on the ceiling so it would be easy to see. The clock is programmed to reset itself when the time changes from standard to daylight & vice versa. I’d had it for several years, so it was programmed for the old change, which was the last Sunday of October. Although we’d crossed the International Date Line, I hadn’t reset the date because we never use that clock for the date. So it had reset itself at 2:00 AM on Monday morning, thinking it was the last Sunday in October!

Fortunately it didn’t set us back, and we managed to be ready in plenty of time for a boat ride out to the Great Barrier Reef. We were glad to find some people we’d gotten to know quite well on the same shore excursion, and on the transfer to the reef, the four of us signed up for a snorkel tour – designed especially for beginners, so there were only the four of us in the group. After about an hour and twenty minutes, we arrived at the Marine World pontoon boat where we would spend our day exploring the reef. After finding a place to leave our things, I took my glasses off, and the sunglasses (magnetic ones that came with the prescription glasses) popped off the glasses frame and fell through the slats into the water! If I’d aimed, I couldn’t have gotten them to slip through that half-inch space! Fortunately I’d worn my old glasses, having just purchased new ones a few weeks before the trip.

Shortly after our arrival, our guide Amanda began assembling us and getting us into our life vests and snorkel gear. We eased down onto benches where we donned our face masks and learned how to breathe through the snorkels. After getting fins on, she got us in the water and maneuvered us onto a flotation ring and showed us around the reef. We were on the surface, so the colors appeared somewhat blue due to the refraction of the water. Amanda was an excellent tour guide, showing us all the different types of coral and explaining about the many fish we saw. My personal favorite was Wally, the hump-headed Maori wrasse (I had to ask for the spelling, which they gave me, then said that in America he’d be called a Napoleon fish). He was a huge fish that swam around greeting all the snorkelers. (We have a photo of Wally posing with Chuck & me.) We really enjoyed a bird’s eye (or snorkeler’s eye) view of the reef! As we returned to the pontoon boat and struggled to get back onto the benches from the water, Chuck’s foot slipped and fell into the bench, hurting his ribs. Fortunately Amanda was right there and helped him get his balance and get back onto the bench. Even more fortunately, his life vest took the brunt of the hit. He wasn’t hurt badly, but decided that he shouldn’t go back in and do any more snorkeling, especially since it would be unsupervised by a pro. I went back in for a few more minutes but because it was so crowded and I couldn’t do much more than float (thanks to the life vest), I finally decided to get out also.

After lunch, we watched a fish feeding. Wally made another appearance, eagerly awaiting his lunch, as did several other smaller fish, that would dart quickly along the water’s surface, chasing down the tidbits they were thrown. Then we took a semi-submersible boat cruise along the reef to get even more views. We’d done something similar in Kona a few years ago, but this was much closer and easier to see, so we really enjoyed it. I went back in snorkeling one more time before we left, and enjoyed one final look at the amazing undersea world.

Before we left I reminded the crew that I’d dropped my sunglasses. They had told me earlier that I should ask later about the “sunnies”, so at that point, the scuba diving finished for the day, the scuba guide asked me where I’d dropped them, and a few minutes later he surfaced with them in hand (making it the third of three incidents that turned out okay). I was thrilled as I had been sure that my “sunnies” would become my unintended contribution to one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

As we sailed back to the ship, Chuck commented to our tour guide Amanda that the weather we’d had was probably pretty typical weather for this area. She disagreed, saying that a week ago they’d had 30-knot winds and the people couldn’t do much or see much. Someone else told us that their tour guide had commented that this had been the best day for viewing the reef they’d had so far this year! So we were extremely fortunate to have experienced such excellent viewing conditions for a spectacular trip to the Great Barrier Reef.

Several times during the day I thought of my Science-loving colleagues and wished they could experience the day I had. I’m sure Kim, Shirley, Stephanie, and Megan would have absolutely LOVED the opportunity to visit the reef, especially Megan, who’s worked with people at the Shedd Aquarium. I hope all of you get here someday! It’s worth the trip!

Before we took the trip, many people wondered what we would do with ourselves while at sea. Rest assured; we have NOT been bored! We’ve had two sea days between Cairns and Brisbane. During that entire time, we’ve been traveling in the Great Barrier Reef, which will give you an idea of the massive size of the reef. They say it’s the only living thing that’s visible from outer space! We had an opportunity for some scenic cruising on the reef yesterday. Since leaving Cairns, we’ve also had the opportunity for a backstage tour. Chuck was unable to attend, but I went. I’ve done them before, but this one was much more extensive. We not only got a Q&A session with the cast, but we were able to take pictures with a couple of the girls in their costumes, and we got a sound and light show from the technicians that showed the capabilities of the staging. We went up on stage and experienced walking on the moving stage (hard to imagine how the dancers manage to keep their footing as they dance in heels on a moving stage and rocking ship!) Because of my place in line, I got a private tour of the backstage area from the lead male singer in the cast, and I also took a picture (in today’s album) of a cast member from Buffalo. We found out that she’s actually from East Amherst, graduated from one of the Williamsville schools, and even knows an Eden classmate of mine who taught in Williamsville! Small world!

Last night’s entertainment was not only the best we’ve had on this ship, but I’d be hard put to find a better act on any of our cruises. The group, called The Unexpected Boys, wove Four Seasons’ songs into a story line, and they were absolutely sensational! They sounded just like the Four Seasons, and their choreography was incredible! We were told that they’d be putting on another performance, and we’re thrilled to be able to see them again.

I will be doing a second, shorter (hopefully) blog when we get to Brisbane, but we’re trying to post every three or four days so I’m putting up the blog on Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef rather than waiting a few more days.

Barb