How ya going?

 Well, I have finally made it to my final country: Australia. This is my tenth country since I started back in December. It also happens to be my final continent to visit (other than Antarctica, but I can live with that... for now).

Steph and I loaded up at Caravella

 Steph and I started off by meeting up in Cairns. Now, I can't remember if I've said this before, but Steph is my oldest friend. We met in our first year of kindergarten when we were both four years old. We were best friends through most of elementary school, and after I moved to Vancouver, we had a few hiccups - only normal in that long of a friendship. When the opportunity came about though for Steph to join up with me on my journey, she jumped at it with great enthusiasm, and it was booked almost immediately.
 In Cairns, we stayed at a hostel called Caravella, and it was probably one of the better hostels I've had along the way (though nothing will beat the Sunflower in Hoi An, that hostel was truly epic). After our first day of exploring the city, however, the weather decided to turn sour, and I had to brave the rain for the first time in months. Steph and I easily filled the time though by fully exploiting every shopping option in the entire city - which isn't actually that much - but if it was there, we found it. We also visited a couple art galleries, and even picked up some kangaroo fingerpuppets to join us on some of our Aussie photo-ops. While sitting outside a travel agency stealing their wifi, one of the workers managed to lure us in, and before you know it, we'd spent a thousand dollars on our bus passes and tours.

Charlie from Wicked Travel with Koala and Sharkie the kangaroos

 

 Our first tour was a day out on the Great Barrier Reef. I was debating if I should dive or not, but when life gives you lemons...Of course, I dove. Twice. Steph, who wasn't as adjusted to being on a boat in rougher waters, opted for snorkelling, and I joined her between dives. The diving was alright, but I think that after my liveaboard in Komodo with Saskia, there was serious tough competition. Plus, one of the divers in my group lacked experience, and continually bobbed up and down, constantly landing on coral and breaking off pieces of the reef. With people like that allowed to dive, it's no wonder that even divers are contributing to the speedy deterioration of the Great Barrier.
 After a second day of shopping and stealing wifi, Steph and I went on a tour of the Daintree Rainforest, just north of Cairns. On the way, we briefly stopped in Port Douglas, and Mossman Gorge - a beautiful protected rainforest. After crossing a ferry across a crocodile infested river, we drove through the forest up to Cape Tribulation where we stopped at the beach. Steph and I also convinced our driver to make a brief pitstop at a local ice cream shop that used jungle fruits to make their flavours - a stop that the entire bus fully took advantage of. Our last activity was a river cruise looking for crocs and various birds. While the weather wasn't phenomenal, Steph and I still managed to have a great time (and I think Steph was slightly relieved to be doing a tour on solid ground).

On the move in the Whitsundays

 After spending our last day in Cairns taking full advantage of our hostel's pool, we hopped on our first Greyhound and headed for Airlie Beach. Almost twelve hours later, we arrived at a hostel for the night, and got a bit of sleep to prep us for our next leg: the Whitsundays.
 When booking our Whitsundays tour, Steph and I had requested a more laid back boating experience, not a booze cruise, and that's exactly what we got. The sailboat had about 25 passengers including the three crew members.Steph and I were also lucky enough to share a double bed directly under the hatch, so we could watch the stars while lying in bed. This snorkel experience was much more calm and successful for Steph, and although we didn't see any turtles or sharks, we did see some giant napoleon fish and parrotfish, and some beautiful coral. On the second day, we visited Whitehaven Beach, rated the second most beautiful beach in the world. Steph and I walked around the water edge, taking it all in, and even finished with some meditation on the sand. We cruised around visiting more snorkel spots in the afternoon, and working on our tans (which unsurprisingly turned into sunburns...). After one last snorkel at 6:30 am, we returned to Airlie, and are now waiting to board a bus to our next destination: Noosa.
 There is only a little over two weeks left in my trip. It feels like practically nothing. The challenge now is to live in the moment as much as humanly possible and take in every little thing before I have to return to my confusing and chaotic reality back home... Challenge accepted.
P.S. My title is just the common greeting here in Oz.