G'day from Australia

G'day mates! I flew into Cairns nearly two weeks ago which is a small city but very touristy with lots and lots of bars. The highlight, however, was taking a day trip to Port Douglas where I picked up a boat and headed out to snorkel what is widely considered the best section of the Great Barrier Reef - the Agincourt. I rented an underwater camera so I have "heeps" of pics some of which I hope to post soon.

After Cairns, Chad and I decided to rent a car and drive down to Brisbane - a 20 hour drive in all. This has been an adventure because Aussies drive on the other side of the road and believe me it takes some getting used to. Not only that, but we were told not to drive between towns at night because of the kangaroos which hide from the heat during the day but come out at night and could hop right onto your car. Since the major road between Cairns and Brisbane is only one lane each way, this is a distinct possibility. Pretty crazy but we took the advise and are only driving during the day.

Anyway, the next stop was Arlie Beach, where we picked up a sailboat for a 3 day cruise through the Whitsunday Islands, a group of 74 islands off the coast of Australia. The sailboat was packed and the sea a little choppy from the rain, but the views were outstanding. Whitehaven beach is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. We also got to do some more snorkeling off the sail boat. Next time I just have to remember to take my Dramamine earlier. I had some seasickness but was able to hold everything down unlike some others on the boat.

Next stop was Hervey Bay where we decided to do a self guided tour of Frasier Island. Frasier Island is a completely sand island with some amazing scenery. You can only drive 4X4's on the island given the sand roads there. So Chad and I, along with 8 others, picked up our 4x4, our food, our tent and our other supplies and set off on the barge headed for Frasier Island. We headed for Lake McKenzie first, a beautiful fresh water lake which changes color from bright light blue to dark blue right in the middle of the lake. The sand there is the best I have ever seen as well. After a swim there, we took the 4x4 right onto the beach which was truly an amazing experience. Unfortunately, neither Chad or I could really drive it there because the car was manual. In fact, the 4 Americans in our group could not drive for the same reason. It was still amazing just being in the 4X4 as we drove inches from the Coral Sea. In the late afternoon, we headed to our campsite where we pitched tents right on the beach. More of the same the next day -- amazing scenery, including a freshwater creek only a few meters from the Coral Sea. Very unusual. I returned today and took a well needed shower.

I am now headed off to Surfers Paradise where I plan on working on my surfing skills. I need to be ready for San Diego. Pics soon. I promise!