Got as dressed up as we get and went out to dinner at a nice restaurant in Cairns. We were going to get their Australian sampler platter but couldn't bring ourselves to try wallaby after our cool feeding experience, so I got the crocodile and prawns and Greg got the kangaroo. We were a little hesitant (especially picky-eater-I-like-all-my-meat-well-done-with-a-side-of-ketchup) when the chef refused to cook the kangaroo anything more than medium rare...said any more and you lose the flavor of roo as well as make it tough. It came out with a beautiful chili/sweet (probably the win) glaze and was absolutely yummy. Greg shared a couple of bites but ENJOYED the rest. We walked down to the wharf and through the casino...neither felt a need to part with any cash there.
Saturday we got up EARLY to go on our last adventures. I wanted to sail to an island and snorkel at my own pace from there. Greg wanted to do another dive from Port Douglas to see the ribbon reef. So we kissed and went our separate ways.
My boat was supposed to be a more intimate experience with about 25 on board. That ended up being 30 Swedes about 20 years older than I, two young couples and me. There was not enough wind to sail but the captain was good enough to at least unfurl the sail on the way out. I was tickled to put on a lycra suit this time...had been worried about getting too much sun. Half the Swedes said they were experienced; (I'm experienced now!) they were not.
No wind for sails translated into water smooth as a lake. About 5 minutes into the "tour" I broke away from the group and had an absolutely delightful day of snorkeling on my own. Every once in a while one of the crew would would get my attention and point me in another direction so I wouldn't miss anything. I snorkeled for an hour and a half--first in; last out. It was peaceful. It was calm. The coral was as close as it had been when I dove...could literally reach out and touch it. What a fabulous experience. Sunset on the way back in. Greg was waiting for me on the dock.
What an extraordinary day he had as well. Took two dives. First he got comfortable enough to dive solo (instructor was close but he was not tethered). He also did a snorkel bit. And then. He got to dive the outer shelf of THE. GREAT. BARRIER. REEF. He ranks it in his top 5 experiences ever. Yes, a turtle swam under him. Yes, a shark came and hung out for a bit. And the reef itself was magnificent going on and on, no breaks, lots of fishies.
We decided that it was an exclamation point to an already lovely trip.
A local told us where we might see platypuses, and we have tried. Sunset searching two evenings and before dawn one. We tidy up here today and fly back to Sydney tomorrow. We will go to the Torango Zoo to see the animals missed in the wild, one more night (fancy hotel cause it's the end of the trip) then we will board a plane and begin the long journey home.
Our trip to Oz has been everything we hoped it would be. We have felt removed, maybe even insulated, from the worries and trials of our world. How do we transition back to "normal"? We'll share this good word: there are still good people; there is so much beauty. We must be the peacemakers.
The last pictures (until we get home) have been posted: https://picasaweb.google.com/115749256765182993897/DownUnder
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