PART II: cairns/ellis beach.

after camping a night just outside of townsville, we spent the morning/afternoon soaking in some rays at mission beach. the five of us were prancing around the sand and in the waves wondering where everybody else was! although it's winter in aus, it was at least 26 degrees and the water was beautiful. making it up to cairns, we stopped in at the tourist info center only to discover that the stinger nets had just been taken down that day and that swimming had not previously been advised! thank goodness we didn't all get a shocking surprise while we so naively splashed in the surf.. we time things well. during the same visit we also learned that the following day was to be the calmest day of the year, p-e-r-f-e-c-t conditions for scuba diving the great barrier reef. locals and tourists alike jump at the opportunity for weather like this because it's impossible to predict. you can't book a dive in advance and count on the weather to hold.. we found a boat with room for five and booked on the spot for the following morning. stacy and chris did two introductory dives, mel and sean are certified and did two dives as well, and i stuck to snorkelling. [fish are not my fortay!] we got an hour and a half out on the boat, and saw waves breaking on the reef in the middle of the nowhere.. it looked really cool. as frightened as i was initially, and as frightened as i continued to be at some points, the experience was surreal. it's a whole new world, an entirely different dimension. we don't belong there, and the things that do are so impressive and fascinating.. the coral itself was all sorts of colors and sizes and shapes.. some moving, some still. the fish were anywhere from a few inches long to about three feet.. i held a sea cucumber.. saw a giant clam.. two sharks.. flying fish.. and an unknowable number of other things every color of the rainbow. oh, what a day.

currently at ellis beach, cleanest beach in queensland. our campsite is directly beside the water, a spectacular view of palm trees and islands.. this is paradise. we spent all day yesterday on the sand and in the water, and woke to rain. hoping it will clear soon and we'll have another sunny day.