Zoo, Great Barrier Reef, etc.

On Wednesday, I went to the zoo and the Aboriginal Park in Cairns. We stayed at the zoo for about 2 hours, and were able to see all of the Aussie animals. Some were really cool, like the wallabee and the wambat. I also saw a bunch of snakes, crocs, and kangaroos. Yet, my favorite part was being able to hold a koala. =) After the zoo, we went to the Aboriginal Park called Tjapukai. We saw a dance show, and one of the Aboriginees made a fire out of a stick and a stone. They also showed us how to throw a bomarang, but since it had been raining we were not able to go out into the field to try because it was flooded. We also learned how to play didgeridoos, and got to practice. I wasn't very good, but it was a lot of fun.
On Thursday, we took a boat cruise to the Great Barrier Reef/ Bird Cove. There were two cyclones spotted off the coast of Cairns that day, so it was really rainy and the boat was very rocky. A lot of people got sea sick, but I didn't. YAY! It took about 2 hours (40 miles or so) to get to the reef. We docked by Bird Cove and we were then able to swim to the beach and go snorkeling. I snokeled for about 2 hours and saw a bunch of fish, a sting ray, and a lot of gorgeous sea life. After snorkeling, I layed on the boat for a while and put tons of sunscreen on, but still got sunburnt. It wasn't raining at all while we were on the boat; it was super sunny and pleasant. On the way back, the boat hit a bunch of waves. I was sitting in the front on this net and go soaking...everybody got really wet from the waves. The coolest thing was that on the way back, a bunch of dolphins (about 20 or more) were swimming with the boat in front. It seemed like they were putting on a show for us. They were jumping and just staying right in front of the boat for about 20 minutes before they swam away. It was a pretty awesome sight. After we got back, a bunch of us went to dinner at Hog's Breath cafe. I had chicken tenders (the restaurant was compared to an Applebees by an Australian) and they were delicious. After dinner, we walked around the town and explored. I went to bed early, as we had to wake up at 6am to catch a flight to Newcastle.

Up next...my trip to Newcastle and the first few days. =)