Cairns

LOVED my time in Cairns (pronounced "Cans").  The Australian accent was occasionally difficult to understand; they're known for being fast talkers and cutting their words short.  For instance, afternoon is often shortened to "arvo" and thank you to "ta."  And the silent "n" snuck in from time to time in words like Cairns.  But I guess we have the silent "h" when pronouncing "herb" so we really can't be too critical.

It was hot here; probably sunny in the 80's.  This was the first time I really felt like I had a summer.  Yes, I'm a bit bitter about having a cold summer in NZ followed by Winter.  It was lovely!

We did two main trips; the first day was exploring Green Island off the coast (in the Coral Sea) and snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef!  The reef was awesome but not as beautiful as I expected from seeing photos; I think it just depends where you're at as it stretches almost 1500 miles long.  We saw some "Nemo's," a couple sea turtles (the neatest thing!), and plenty of coral and other tropical fish.  I donned a "sexy" wet suit in order to get some extra protection from the sun or accidently brushing against something I shouldn't in the water.

The view of Cairns from the boat