Around the World in 112 Days!: CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA—IMPRESSIONS (Part II, 2/29/12)

∙ WHAT WE DID/SAW/EXPERIENCED
DAY 3
∙ The morning began by watching our ship sail into the Port of Cairns. We watched the ship sail out of Sydney, and now into Cairns. Cool!

          ∙ Day Trip to the Great Barrier Reef
                    ∙ We spent “leap day” discovering The Great Barrier Reef!
                    ∙ We had to report at 7:30 a.m. for a trip that left at 8 a.m. and returned just after 4 p.m.
                    ∙ We traveled by high-speed catamaran to two spots in the outer Reef, with options to relax, snorkel and/or scuba dive. They gave free lessons to first-time divers. About half the group of 70-something guests snorkeled, while the other half dove in small groups, accompanied by a dive master. A few remained onboard or rode a glass-bottom boat that they drove around the reef. Bill and I snorkeled.

          ∙ Aboriginal Show and Dinner (“Tjapukai at Night”)
                    ∙ At night, we went to an Aboriginal experience and dinner
                    ∙ The show was supposed to involve a confrontation between good and bad spirits, with thunder, lightening, glowing costumes, a 26-foot evil spirit, tapsticks, fire making, hurling of fire spears, and canoes with flaming torches - in fact, we watched as they made fire by rubbing sticks together and danced; the rest was hype
                    ∙ There were about 5 Tjapukai dancers

∙ THOUGHTS/IMPRESSIONS
          ∙ The Cairns tourism industry sells itself a bit large. The Cairns “Luxury” Apartments” were spacious, but far from luxurious (e.g., the sofa surface was disintegrating, and there were bugs in the kitchen). I found our reef tour at reeftrip.com. Based on what I read, I thought we’d be traveling in style on a unique and better trip than the one offered through HAL-- for less money. Less money? Yes. Better? I’m not so sure.
                    ∙ I almost didn’t go at all, because I learned for the first time when reaching the pier that no smoking is allowed onboard the ship – like all day – like for eight (8) hours! I don’t take a long international flight to avoid being “stuck” without a cigarette for 8+ hours! (If I absolutely half to, I’ll get a 21-mg patch and sleep the whole way!) Apparently, they have a no-smoking-in-public law here, which no one really follows because it’s too oppressive. (History has shown that repression breeds rebellion.) This is going too far! What they should do is tell everyone (smokers and non-smokers alike) that even a small item (like a cigarette butt or piece of trash) tossed into the water can cause damage to the pristine reef. The solution is not for the majority to treat smokers (10% of the population) like second-class citizens. Smokers must diligently reward only those businesses and places that also respect our rights to live comfortably and happily, by making careful choices of where to spend our tourism and other dollars. This includes hotels, cruise lines and tour operators. Discrimination is a cancer, too! (The CEO of HAL recently announced on our ship that it will phase out smoking in rooms or even on outdoor balconies, and they don’t mind losing 10% of their business from smokers because they think they’ll attract others who’ll like their new policy of hatred toward smokers. Since they don’t mind losing our business, let’s oblige them!!) Anyway, arrangements were made so I could go on the reef trip.
                    ∙ They promised a “modern high-speed catamaran that carries up to 155 passengers”, an “air-conditioned indoor saloon” (with a fully-licensed bar and “waterproof seats”), and “a smooth ride out to the reef”. This was a “bit” overstated. The main galley (“indoor saloon”) smelled awful. You know what dogs smell like after a bath? Picture cloth seats (and query why they use them), soaked and beaten up from all the wet swimmers re-entering the cabin (they were anything but waterproof). Then add some heat, humidity and no breeze or air conditioning. They said the boat was full (with just over 70 passengers), and it felt crowded. It was high-speed, I’ll give them that. They went up and down, and sideways, over the waves at a high rate of speed. At least two people were puking that I saw. A couple others fell and got hurt. The “saloon” didn’t serve drinks, as I expected, except wine in the afternoon. Lots of people “escaped” the saloon to get fresh air outside and upstairs.
                    ∙ Reeftrip.com also boasts that, “Your day starts with a cooked barbeque breakfast and fruit platter, fresh hot and cold buffet lunch prepared by your own onboard chef [a “Gourmet Chef prepared lunch”] and a complimentary wine and cheese platter on the journey back to Cairns.” The “barbeque breakfast” consisted of a bun with an egg and ham inside, and some fruit. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t BBQ, either. Our “chef” did get out the BBQ grill for lunch, making chicken with BBQ sauce and hot-dog shaped sausages. He then poured salad dressing onto a number of pre-prepared salads for lunch. I guess we’re all “chefs”! The food was good, but there were no hot dog buns or toppings [e.g., mustard, relish, onions] for the sausages, and Bill doesn’t eat salad. All he had on his plate was the small piece of chicken and the one sausage they handed him. He went back to request more meat, but they said no. I guess there wasn’t enough. So I shared half of my sausage with him.
                    ∙ We did get a snorkeling trip for $165AUD each, rather than the app. $360US that HAL was charging for a similar trip.
                    ∙ One highlight was the friendly crew of 12 onboard the catamaran. They ran the operation in an efficient manner, with much attention given to passenger safety and comfort. They were extremely helpful in getting suited with the right gear, and giving instruction from how to snorkel to how to scuba dive. They would tell us where to go, and where not to go, in the water. They stood watch while we swam around the reefs.
                    ∙ The equipment was great: we had fins that fit and masks that worked and didn’t leak much. They told us how to avoid the masks fogging up or leaking. It’s these “little things” that can make a big difference in how enjoyable it is to snorkel.
                    ∙ And, of course, nature played the largest role of all: we were snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef – one of my favorite, if not my actual favorite, snorkeling spots to date! (Some places in Mexico and the Caribbean are pretty fabulous, too!)
                    ∙ I was so tired by the time we reached the Tjapukai show that I could barely stay awake. It was pretty cool, but not as grand in size or scale as I had envisioned based on their description of the show (above) and a fabulous Mayan culture production I’d seen in Mexico. Still, it was unique. The food wasn’t great … bland pasta, beef jerky for steak, and oddly-spiced chicken.) It costs $99AUD (or $149US if booked thru HAL).
          ∙ We’ll spend the next three days onboard the ship, cruising the "Great" Reef, before reaching Indonesia.

ONBOARD “THE REEF EXPERIENCE”