August 16, 2004

Today was an uneventful one as we traveled to Cairns and had the rest of the day to ourselves. We had to get up early for the trip to Cairns that took about two hours by plane. As we were descending over this part of Australia, the view was amazing. The shore line and the trees lining the coast provided a very scenic view. After collecting our baggage, we made our way directly to the hotel to check-in. In our previous arrivals in Sydney and Brisbane, we went directly from the airport to a tour but today we went straight to the hotel. We picked up our room keys and were on our own for the rest of the day.

The first thing that we did in Cairns after unpacking was go find something to eat. We managed to find a bar and grill connected to our hotel that had great food and a beautiful view of the harbor. Afterwards, some of the team went to the pool in the court yard of the hotel, while others slept, and some decided to go shopping. I decided to go shopping for awhile and see the different things that the mall had to offer, but that didn't last too long because I think I am all shopped out after having shopped in Sydney and in Brisbane. So, I decided to go join the others at the pool. I walked in to see that in fact no one was in the pool, but in their towels laying in the sun. I thought this was rather odd, but when I put my foot in, I found out that the water was just as cold as the ocean was in Brisbane. We figured that the water here would be warmer since the air temperature is warmer than anywhere that we have been, but we were wrong. We all got in for a short amount of time, but the time spent was a cold one. Each one of us is saying a prayer that the water tomorrow is slightly warmer because that is when we are going to the Great Barrier Reef for some snorkeling.

Tomorrow we will be leaving early to make the two hour boat ride out to the Reef where we will be spending most of our day swimming, snorkeling, socializing, and most of all, enjoying each other's company as our last days of our adventure come to a close. For now, several of us are going out to see the rest of the town and to get something for dinner. Hopefully, we won't get lost!!