We returned to our hostel in Cairns (pronounced "Cans") yesterday from our 5 day trip to Port Douglas and the tablelands. Each day we went on hikes to explore the area's vegetation types and ecosystems. We also had a chance to swim in rivers, lakes, or the ocean almost every day.
Our hostel in Port Douglas was a lot of fun…filled with twenty-something year olds from all over the world. These people are just taking extended periods of time off to travel around Australia and the South Pacific before going to school or getting a job. They are living the life while they are young and have some funds. While in Port Douglas, we went on a hike with an Australian aboriginal named Rosie, who taught us all about the native uses of trees and plants in the rainforest. We also went swimming at the Crystal Cascades and in the ocean. Since it is stinger season here, the public is only allowed to swim inside "stinger nets," which are set up on the beaches to keep people save from jellyfish. We then traveled to Yarrabung, where we went hiking, swam in a nearby swimming hole as well as Mossman Gorge (my favorite swimming so far), and went night canoeing. Night canoeing was one of the neatest experiences of my life. It was pitch black and the sky was the clearest it's been so far. It was unbelievable how many stars we could see...we even saw some shooting stars. We were also lucky enough to spot some wildlife with the help of our guide's flashlight scanning the banks-- a water dragon, small-eyed snake, green opossum, and wallaby's.
The next day was our "Drop Off" activity in which each of us was dropped off in a different small town in the tablelands by our self and told to converse with the locals to find out the town's history and environmental issues. We were to be picked up 4 hours later. I was dropped off in Milla Milla, a small dairy town consisting of one main street with a bar/motel, café, history center, and a thrift store. I was dropped off outside the bar. As I slowly walked by the bar's outdoor patio looking for a bathroom, three people in their forties having a morning beer at 10:45am asked me if they could help me find something. They showed me to the bathroom and when I came out they asked if I'd like to have a drink with them. I figured this would be a great opportunity to talk to the locals and complete my assignment. They knew almost everyone who walked by and those they didn't know, they snuck out to the front of the bar to check out who it was. They were true locals in a small town. A few beers later, they said they were planning to go to Melany's ex-husband's house and asked if I was coming about a 10 minute drive away. My head was saying, "NO! You don't know them and they could be dangerous!" But my gut told me that they were benign, friendly people. Feeling spontaneous, I hopped in the car with them after Trish grabbed a few 6-packs from the bar for us. We got to Mel's ex-husband, Pauly's, house and talked for a while in his covered carpark, which he converted into a picnic area. We had a real Aussie BBQ-- grilled some sausages and steaks, while sipping on some local XXXX Gold beer. It was a fabulous afternoon with complete strangers who treated me as their own friend. They drove me back to the bar where the bus was to pick me up. As we drove up, the bus was already there and the rest of the group watched in shock as I pulled up in the back of some stranger's car. The friendly and welcoming people of Milla Milla give me hope for humanity…sometimes it's good to be spontaneous, let your guard down and meet new people.
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