We'd arranged to set off early for the airport and fortunately everything went according to plan, though after checking our bags in and joining the long queue through security it gave us only a short time to spend our last few baht before we were onto a plane for the first time in three and a half months. At first we were panicked by the prices for food on board, a necessity for this length of flight - then a 'luxury travel pack' was delivered to us though we didn't open it for fear of being charged - though soon after we were also delivered trays of food so we accepted it was all wonderfully free, thank you travel agents!!
We soon arrived in Singapore where we collected another stamp in our passports, and since we had a while before our next flight we popped outside for a breath of fresh, saturated air then went and checked our bags back in, taking the opportunity to do some window shopping in the departure lounge. This was pretty nice, to be honest why people even leave the airport I don't know.
Soon we were underway, we hadn't realised til this point that we had a stop in Darwin en route to Cairns, so duly at 4 in the morning we pulled up and were shepherded into a small departure lounge where more or less every passenger took advantage (or was taken advantage) of the cash machine to buy tea and coffee, a necessity at this early hour. Soon enough we were under way again, then upon arrival we had a short panic about mud on the soles of some trainers but this was quickly resolved and we were into Australia, only 23 hours after we'd set off.
We hailed a taxi to take us to the backpacking hostel we'd carefully picked online, which wasn't too bad - a bit messy in the dorms but when people are longstayers I couldn't claim I'd fair any better. Since it was early we had a good chance to prepare ourselves for our impending poverty, so asking the gardener where the best spots to hunt and gather were we set off out for the nearest supermarket. We had a good walk around and after stocking up we headed back, ate and slept off our jet-lag / tiredness.
Next day we headed out again and took in some more of the city, heading down to the sea front and to the marina where some kids were attempting to net prawns before walking back along the Esplanade past the Lagoon, full of local families and tourists alike. On our way back to the hostel we heard a racket emanating from a bunch of trees, looking up we spotted hundred upon hundred of bats!! They all set off around dusk which was quite a sight in itself, though as we walked round taking some pictures two ladies and a young lad from a conservation group came over as one had been reported to them as paralysed on the ground due to a tick. Turns out they're fruit bats, it was great to see one so close and hopefully this group will be able to bring it back to health to fly another day.
We headed to the marina again the next day as we'd booked in for a dive at the Great Barrier Reef, so soon enough we were on the open ocean and after a quick stop at Fitzroy Island we were off to the reef. Since I'm not qualified I was in with the group doing a 'try dive' although only one out of four of us had never dived before.. After arriving at Thetford Reef we all kitted up and after running over the basics were heading down. It was great to be diving again and some of the sights were nice, though as we were 'learners' we had to stay close and be shepherded along - a far cry from the lax attitude in Thailand - then before we'd been under for more than twenty minutes we had to head up as one of the group had fallen below 50 bar on their tank so for safety we were soon back on the surface.. To me this felt painfully short, so I got my kit off and headed straight back out snorkelling. In many ways this paid off, since the only difference was how you were breathing.. The variety of corals and fish compounded by their amazing colours and patterns was more visible and along with more time to take them in at my own pace made this much more enjoyable. Soon enough everybody was back on board and our move to Moore Reef was underway. Since I didn't fancy paying another AUD$30 for a second dive that could be as much a disappointment as the first I took off snorkelling as soon as we'd stopped and everyone was kitting up - I wanted my moneys worth!! This was a much larger site so setting off I swam a good 2-300 yards away then checked my position - and was surprised that due to the tide I was a good 100 yards away from where I'd aimed to be. As a result I made sure to follow the reef 'wall' and also keep surfacing to check my position anyway. This was another wonder-wander, so many sights and after wearing myself out I headed back to the boat where one of the dive instructors who was from the UK wasn't diving so offered to show me some of the sights - although funnily enough what he intended to show me was dead and in the end I seemed to be showing him new spots!! Soon after we were done and heading back, a long boat ride ahead and an exhausting day behind us, most people slept through the trip.
Next day we headed out to suss out our train tickets for moving on - as it turned out due to flooding in Brisbane the train we'd intended to catch wasn't going to be running so we'd have to leave the next day on a slower train - this wasn't really an issue though since Cairns was far too expensive for us to do anything else and the town itself was somewhat limited in its attractions unless you were able to drive.. We spent the afternoon at the lagoon as once again the sun was beating down so enjoyed a nice cool day before one final meal at the backpackers we'd eaten at every night with it's fine choice of meals (not) and vegetarian option - pumpkin, carrot, vegetable then tomato soup, mmm.
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