The Great Barrier Reef and Beyond: Goodbye to Oz

Wow, it's HOT here! Here is Airlie Beach, Australia- and even though it spits rain every now-and-again, it's not enough to cool things off.

We have successfully recovered from the long bus ride and are aboard a 105' sailing mega-yacht (Annaconda III) cruising out toward the Whitsunday Islands and beyond (Great Barrier Reef).

Tim prepares for his night dive off the Barrier Reef

The main purpose of this venture is scuba diving on the reef and relaxing aboard this monster-of-a sailboat. Sounds good, huh? Well almost...the seas got rough (3+ meter swells), all the crew smoke ciggys like chimneys, belowdecks is in a state of disrepair, and the food is less than desirable. People were seasick and wrenching over the rails. The weather was so uncooperative that we were only allowed one dive on the Great Barrier Reef (and it was a night dive only for certified divers- lucky I'm certified!). Five of us splashed into the water that night with two dive instructors leading the way. One guy immediately freaked out from the combination of darkness and heavy swell and had to be hauled back to the boat. That left a perfect two-and-two as we descended to about 18 meters amid huge towers of coral teaming with sealife. It was fabulous and I was awestruck as our underwater lites spotlighted huge turtles, moray eels, schools of fish, and things I've only seen on Jacque Cousteau. At one point a large turtle swam straight toward us as if to say hello and welcome to my reef. AWESOME!!! I still have to develop my underwater pictures, but am sure I got some sood ones.

Preparing ourselves for a rough ride away from the reef

Aside from that dive and some snorkeling in the shelter of the Whitsundays, the weather (and the food/crew) was a real drag for a majority of the passengers. Jen and I actually enjoyed the rough seas and stayed above decks to watch the bow plow through the swell. The occasional large wave would hit the side and spray would wash all the way over the stern, soaking everyone brave enough to be topside.

Happy Birthday to Jen - I can't believe I'm 33

Back in Airlie Beach on the 3rd, Jen's Birthday! We went to check in to the YHA and found that their computers had gone down and our reservation was lost. The friendly staff made good by upgrading us to a suite with all the extras. Funny how things work out! I promptly ran across the street to a bakery and purchased a slice of carrot cake, a slice of chocolate cake, and a slice of a vanilla custard cake (figuring I couldn't go wrong with all the choices). No candles but a birthday kiss and hug along with the traditional song did the trick. The only thing I couldn't help with was the feeling of being homesick. E for effort!

The following day we flew to Brisbane, catching a train into town from the airport to meet Beni- our couchsurfing host for the night. Beni was a great host and had been to the States when he was young. He brought out a journal his parents made him write while travelling. Besides Yosemite, San Fran, Disneyland, and many of the normal tourist hotspots- he'd even been to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. It's indeed a small world, Beni.

On March 5 we attempted to board a flight bound for Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia and were refused due to lack of onward flight booking. We tried to get by with showing proof of funds and itenerary but to no avail.....and ended up running over to the Quantas desk and paying full price for a refundable ticket out of Indonesia. OUCH! Refundable minus $200+ for booking fees, etc. Oh, well...Bali, here we come!

Views of Sydney on our flight out of Australia

Oh yeah!...Did I say we miss you guys!
Love, Tim

The Great Barrier Reef and Beyond: Goodbye to Oz

Brisbane, Australia