The marine life was amazing. Here's a quick video of one of many turtle sightings
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Posted with Blogsy
Monday, April 7, 2014
Sacrifice for Siblings
This is a complete side note to the trip. Kai and Mia don't enjoy sharing a room and they absolutely refuse to sleep in the same bed when we are traveling. Luckily, they are willing to find alternative solutions. Kai, in fact, is willing to go to great lengths to establish his own space.
This was his bed choice in one of our hotel rooms. He put the couch cushions on the ground and made himself a den.
Underwater Magic
Coral and fine white sand is crunching under our reef shoes as our whole family approaches the water for our first snorkel. Because of the currents, you "drift snorkel" here, which means that you start at the entry point and drift down a half a mile to the next set of posts where you exit the water and walk back across the sand. We've been warned about the poisonous stonefish and the small shell fish that excretes deadly venom when you pick it up to admire the shell. Australians are a funny bunch as when they describe these life threatening creatures, it's always with an air of nonchalance, as if describing a bothersome mosquito. I guess there really are so many deadly creatures here it's hard to get too worked up over the minor ones. Despite their nonchalance, we adhere strictly to all the precautions of wearing shoes or fins when in the water.
What no one bothers to mention is the other dangerous moment that occurs when transferring from reef shoes into fins while in the water floating near giant coral heads and waves greedily lapping at your gear and pulling it out to sea. In no time, our stuff is everywhere and floating away rapidly. We finally pull it together and off we go. It is hands-down the best snorkeling I've ever done. Fish of all sizes are everywhere.
Rob is beside himself as he names all the fish. The kids are diving after Rob, chasing fish and eyeing the turtles, that lazily come up for air near us. The kids are beaming. I can see wide tooth grins behind the snorkels and they cannot get enough.
We see so much marine life, it puts the aquarium to shame. We even spot a couple reef sharks and giant sting rays. I cannot do it justice with words and the pictures barely capture it. All I can say is if ever given the chance, do not pass up the opportunity to spend time here.
Turtle swimming through the family
We are Landing Where?
We are in a small Cessna plane flying low over the Great Barrier Reef. In a plane this small, I feel the vulnerability of being in the air without a safety net. Each bit of turbulence and I'm looking at the front controls and the facial expressions of the pilot for any sign that something is amiss. He remains calm and the dials remain steady, but I maintain vigilance and compntinue to eye the unforgiving 3,000 foot drop into shark infested, deceptively beautiful aqua water that stretches forever. I look over and both kids are reading, completely unaware that I am keeping the plane aloft through my Jedi-like concentration. They seem to be unaffected by the view or the plane.
We fly low over a gorgeous, small coral island. For a moment I think it might be Lady Elliot island, but as I look closer, I can see the whole island but no airstrip. It's a shame, as the island is stunning, but other than a grassy field in the middle of the island, there's no place to land.
We pass by and I'm looking ahead for the next island when we swing around and drop rapidly towards that grassy field.
Seriously? Again, I eye the captain for signs of panic - you can do things like watch the captain and his controls when the plane is this small - and still, he shows a calm, almost bored expression.
I brace myself as we hit the ground, rolling over potholes, irrigation systems and the uneven grassy field. Birds by the dozens fly overhead and people are waving from the ground. We step off and I swear, we are in a paradise, or maybe Jurassic Park. As we are walk across the field/airstrip to the nearly building, a couple in swimsuits with snorkeling gear saunters across the airstrip and into the jungle, in search of the coral gardens. It is surreal.
The buildings are efficiently comprised, with the dive shop adjacent to the "departure lounge" the small six seated room for people waiting to leave the island. Everything is balmy and tropical. The restaurant overlooks the lagoon, which is like no other lagoon I've been to. I expect Bo Derek her perfect body and signature corn rows to emerge from the water any second
We've been here all of ten minutes and I already know three nights is not long enough.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Show Your Underwear, Save a Dollar
We're headed to the Great Barrier Reef right now and are at the airport frantically digging through luggage. Phone chargers, flip flops and underwear flying everywhere.
Our flight plan takes us on Virgin Australia first from Sydney to Hervey Bay, a tiny airport near Brisbane. From there, we take a puddle jumper out to Lady Elliot Island, our destination. We have been warned that in order to take the puddlejumper, we can only bring 10kg of luggage per person. At our hotel room in Sydney, we've carefully packed each bag, so they each weigh about the same. 10kgs is not much, but we make it work. We allotted ourselves only carry-ons to prevent accruing additional fees from checking luggage.
Our plan backfires when we reach the airport.
As we go to the check-in kiosk at Virgin, feeling very smart about our well-packed, carry-on luggage, we face a bold sign and a scale, announcing that you can only take 7kg per person as a carry-on and that anything over must be checked. Having faced $30 per bag charges from Virgin before, we throw open all our bags to consolidate. Our aim is to check two bags and carry the rest. It's a frantic and messy business, airing all our dirty laundry (literally) in front of strangers, just to save a few dollars. Sweating and stressed, we squeeze the bags shut and triumphantly approach the bag check line.
Within thirty seconds, the woman behind the counter checks our two bags, at no fee. Let me repeat that. No fee. All that effort and we could have just checked all four bags.
Sometimes you can win and lose in the same moment.
Blue Mountains and Airbnb's Blue Maison
We've left Sydney for the nearby Blue Mountains, an area of densely forested mountains two hours outside of Sydney, made famous by the blue haze that hangs over the mountains, caused by some combination of Eucalyptus leaves and the atmosphere. We hit a couple of stunning vistas before checking into our first ever airbnb experience.
Airbnb is an accommodation service. Individuals rent our their homes, a room, a guest suite or a treehouse. It's often less expensive than a hotel and has a more local experience. We are met by Isabelle, our lovely french hostess, who treats us like family and shows us our guest suite. She serves us breakfast in the mornings, lets us use her laundry and gives us the wifi password. I am utterly convinced this is the way to go. She recommends dinner at a place within walking distance that was a former car repair shop, called The Garage. It is one of the better meals I've every had.
So far, J'adore Le Montagne's Blu and airbnb.
Kai flirting with one of the "three sisters" the legend behind the beautiful rock formations
Rob enjoying happy hour from our home at Le Maison Blue
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