Day 4:
We packed up our belongings and got on a bus to head to Cape Tribulation Beach House, our second stay. Stop number one: Wildlife Park. Our bus driver had several issues, so we ended up being an hour behind schedule, but we made it just in time for the koala-holding exhibit. The diva koalas only work a half-hour a day, so you really can't be late for that. It is illegal to hold a koala in New South Wales, but it is legal in Queensland, so YES we took advantage of that! They were so adorable, until one pooped on my friend while she was holding it... Gross... We had ANOTHER buffet lunch (see why I gained so much weight?!) and headed another hour to the Daintree River Cruise.
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| precious koala... right before he pooped on my friend |
We got on a jungle boat to cruise the river in the rainforest. We saw crocodiles and tree frogs and other crazy wildlife just casually roaming around. It was awesome, but we were all slowly starting to fade... It was about 3 pm and we had been up for so many hours and living life at 5000 mph since we arrived, and I think it finally hit everyone at the same time. Crash. I felt bad for the boat driver because I think we all started nodding off on him.
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| gorgeous view |
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crikey-it's a croc!
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After the cruise, we headed to Alexander Point-where the rainforest meets the reef-AKA the prettiest view in the entire world. We took about a hundred pictures too many of the breathtaking scene. The picture truly does not do it justice. Then we all hopped back in the bus, for the last freaking time, and began the ride from hell into the rainforest to our hostel for the night. The driver decided to go double the speed since we were running behind schedule. Terrifying when you are ripping through the gravel winding roads through the middle of a rainforest. "Does anybody get motion sickness? Because it's going to be a bumpy ride." Well, thanks to you sir, now we ALL do. We eventually made it to Cape Tribulation, about an hour later.
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| Alexander Point Lookout |
Cape Tribulation Beach House literally was camp. It was unreal! Actual log cabins with communal bathrooms a short hike away. At the bottom of the hill, after passing all the cabins, you exit the rainforest and stumble upon the most beautiful secluded beach. Although we were all exhausted, not a single one of us missed out on stopping to enjoy a moment looking out at the ocean. We enjoyed dinner at the incredibly over-priced restaurant (I mean, I guess it probably isn't that easy to get food to the center of the rainforest...) and then divided into teams for Australian trivia! My team lost, but it was a great time for sure. Do you think my long day is over yet? False. After that, we each group went on a night walk through the jungle. All I wanted to do was shower and sleep, but Thais insisted we do the walk. I admit, it was pretty awesome. Group 'F'= Group FUN. Our guide handed us "torches" (I was disappointed to learn that a torch is actually just a flashlight. How awesome would that have been to go through the jungle in a line each holding actual torches? How very Survivor of us.), and off we went. The hike started off with a gigantic poisonous snake in the tree, followed by an enormous poisonous spider... You get the picture. But it was incredible walking in the dark through the middle of the oldest rainforest in the world, hearing nothing but the noise of the animals or the leaves rustling. I sweated through my shirt, chose not to watch the spider eat the caterpillar, and actually learned some really cool facts about the rainforest. Por ejemplo, there are 1800 species of plants alone in the rainforest. Such an amazing escape from the real world. I kind of loved having no internet or cell reception the entire trip. It forced you to truly live in the moment. The night concluded with sitting on the beach, under the blanket of the MOST stars I have ever seen in my life, telling ghost stories. It made me really miss the good 'ol days of Camp Big Lake. It was the longest. day. ever. Was so tired, I didn't even shower. And Lord knows how badly I needed one. But I had the most incredible day, and I was so, so happy. And I sure slept like a baby that night.
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my cabin
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the beach
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| the edge of the world |
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