Now I feel like I am on vacation. I am in Cairns, Australia, 15 hours ahead of EST, the temperature is about 86 degrees, there are beaches, rainforests and palm trees. It feels tropical. Australia is my last stop, country number 17, city number 70 i think and continent number 6. What a marathon.

The Reef Experience

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, probably the best coral in the world. Just for instance the Caribbean has 900 species in its coral and this one has 1,200. It was amazing, except i was supposed to scuba dive but they wouldn’t let me because i a finishing up my Malaria medicine. Snorkeling was fine, you can see almost everything from there. They take you out about 1.5 hours to the coral and you jump in the water with a wet suit on, goggles, your breathing tub and a noodle if you want. All you need to do is stick you head in the water and below is oceanic paradise. A whole different world of multicolored fish with bright colors, strips, dots, two toned etc. The coral itself is full of color, electric blues, yellow, pink, purple, you name it. AMAZING!!! The water,when looking from the top is about 5 different colors of blue greens.

They briefed us on some of the history, marine life and wonders of the coral before we departed, so we would know what we were looking at. Here is a link to some pics of the area, since i didnt get to take any underwater. I did get to go in a glass bottom boat though and you can see everything without the work of snorkeling. I forgot my camera when we went there. Sad!!!

Because i cant swim, i had to go out with a staff member and two older ladies. She dragged the 3 of us along holding onto a life tube. After I got the hang of it, i went out with another snorkeler at the 2nd reef by myself. I LIVED!!!

I saw a turtle and a clam the size of me and a bunch of nemo fish among other things. Funny thing of the day, one of the staff members had it in her head that my name was Kathy. Proud that she knew my name she took every opportunity to use it. She was so nice, i didnt have that heart to tell her that my name is not Kathy.

The Aboriginal Experience

The day before I went to a cultural center to learn about one of the aboriginal tribes from this area, Tjapukai. They had a number of shows, talks and demonstrations. We learned about some of their folklore, instruments, hunting tools and home remedies. I got to throw a boomerang, which is a classic aboriginal hunting tool. They really come back to you. I also got to play a didgeridoo which is a long instrument made from a small tree trunk. Aboriginal art is popular here especially from there dream time stories – which are their creation stories. They had some on display there and i went to an art center earlier in the day was well.

Aboriginals are basically indigenous Australians. There were hundreds of tribes scattered through out the country in the places where most inhabitants live now and they are hunter gatherers for the most part. There were probably about a 250,000 to half a million before 1788 when Europeans arrived. And we all know what usually happens to natives when Europeans arrive – death from foreign diseases, land appropriation and marginalisation. Similar to the native American situation in the US.

They are around 2-3% of the population currently. In Cairns you will see many just out and about. This native guy on the corner thought I was one of his friends i suppose as he kept calling me “Teresa”

Their current social sitationdoesn’t look so good either. As stated by an Australia friendof mine “There is a real issue in this locality about Aboriginal – white relations. It is not unique to this locality. The Aboriginal people are generally very marginalised, have low self esteem and have lost most of their traditions, language and culture and many do not work. It is very evident in Kuranda. The Government’s efforts are mostly just words and throwing money at what they see as an Aboriginal problem, paternalistic. It is a real concern. Prejudice exists both ways but is generally notovertly violent (although high Aboriginal prison rates & domestic violence).”

One things is consistent all over the world, the indigenous people or natives basically get the short end of the stick and have to live in the margins. Its sad and disturbing.

Ozzy Lingo

On a lighter note, i will say that all over the world the two hardest people to understand are Australians and Brits. Their englishis so different, i was always like “what? what is that or what are you saying.”

Hows it going?=How are you?

They really do say G’day Mate

Friend=Mate

Jacket or sweatshirt=Jumper

Thanks=Cheers

Good job or good for you=Good on ya

Breakfast=Brekky

Dude (they way a californian would use it)=Bloke

Australians LOVE veggiemite. Its this nasty black spread they put on toast. Its salty and not good. You basically but way too much butter on a piece of toast and add a bit of veggiemite.

Because I have been around Australians by whole trip, i feel right at home. Its western, english and the food is similar. You can get a Kangaroo burger here. I’ll let you know how it tastes. My goals now are to see a Koala Bear and i am done. I already saw a Kangaroo as I was coming from the beach the other day. There were a bunch of them hoping around a field. And if i am lucky, i will get an Aboriginal person to do the “where i am from” poem with me.

Randomness

Sumo was fun on my last day in Japan. The famous leg stretching pomp and circumstance lasts longer than most fights. They smack each other around and bump bellies until someone is pushed out of the ring. Match over!!! It was entertaining though and you could see wrestlers walking around outside of the arena all day.

Cairns reminds me of Costa Rica but with not as nice beaches. I suppose thats because its a rainforest area too.

Next stop i Melbourne, one of my friends from Thailand who lives there will be picking my up from the airport.

The food here is diverse and there is alot of chinese and japanesefood. Walking by these places (well i kind of run by them) i want to hurl. No more rice or noodles. I want some good pasta. I am sure they have some here, but i dont want to chance it and be disappointed seeming that i havent had pasta in like 5 months.

I was at the Lagoon, this public pool on the Esplanade in Cairns (which is actually one of the best public spaces i have seen) comes up to me and says (with floaters on her arms), you see me floating, these make me strong. Really I say. “Yup, you know why I can float so well? Because i am a grownup”; I laugh at this because she is maybe 5. Kids are soo funny. She asked where I was from, when i said America, she said ” well i aint from there, i am from Cairns, i walked here, how did you get here? I flew around the world.