Great Barrier Reef

I am planning a trip up to Cairns. The way it looks now it will probably be in the middle of next month.

To start with I just wanted to go up there to see the Great Barrier Reef, which is one thing I just HAVE TO do while I'm here in Australia. Then my friend, N, that I met down in Sydney, told me that if I was going up there I should see Cape Tribulation as well. N couldn't remember what company he went through when he was snorkeling in the GBR, but I asked a girl I met in Sydney that did it too, and she said she went through Travstar. I went to their website and through them to a different site with tours up in Cairns. After I looked for a little bit I found a 3 day package, which includes GBR, Cape Tribulation and Kuranda, which is a jungle village.

I thought the 3 day package sounded great! I though; I can go up on a Thursday night on the week of my long weekend, do the tours Friday, Saturday and Sunday and come back down on Sunday night.

Then I looked a bit closer at the offer.

On the third day they take you back to your accommodation at 6-6.30pm, the last plane to leave Cairn on a Sunday evening leaves at 7.40pm... That doesn't leave much time. So I thought about taking a night-flight, I don't mind flying at night. I had a look at the earliest planes on Monday morning. Not until 6am, which would land in Sydney 8.10am.

I didn't want to risk being late for the plane on Sunday evening so I thought I'd ask The Mother if I could possibly come back on the Monday if it was one of the Mondays she'd be working from home, and then if I got the earliest flight I could still look after the kids from late morning til whenever she finished working.

I told the mother about the 3 day package tonight. I had just told her about the flight being a bit too early on Sunday when she said that she didn't mind if I took a flight on Monday!

As I am planning to go on one of my long weekends, which is the weekend The Father gets home, The Mother also said she could make sure she was working from home that Thursday, then I could get a flight that left around the time The Father got home on the Thursday, so she could drop me off at the airport as she was picking him up. She also suggested that I come back on a flight around the time The Father leaves on the Monday so she could pick me up as she drops him off!

I think this was really nice of her as I was prepared to get the train to and from the airport.

I really have been lucky with my host family!

Now I just need to get an underwater camera... Maybe a disposable one? I saw the girl that I was talking about earlier having one of her FB photos, I might ask her what it is, if it's a proper underwater camera, a disposable one or just a cover for her regular camera, and where she got it whatever it is.

N also told me about the hostels he was staying at while he was up there, I had a look at the website of one of them, and to stay in one of their dorms room it's only $20 a night, and it's fairly close to where I have to be for the GBR tour, so I might book a room there. I will tell you all about it and give you the name of it when I've been.

It feels good to be planning to go somewhere and do something. What else can I do while I'm in Queensland?