When the rain finally eased (downgraded from monsoon to hammering it down) we started to walk to our hostel. With our ever growing backpacks and now also front packs (sorry, that sounds rude) showing just slightly under our drenched ponchos, we were understandably getting some odd looks. Then our route took us past one of the rougher pubs in Cairns. Now Australia does rough old pubs better than most countries – some of the old mans’ pubs in the UK can be a scary experience, but Australian ones are on a different level. This particular pub was full of scary looking blokes in string vests all shouting intelligibly at each other. Some had beards so large that the landlord probably didn’t need to bother sweeping the floor. At any one time (and unfortunately as we were passing) there was a minimum of five fights simultaneously breaking out. As we dodged the beardy brawlers, we passed a particularly attractive woman sitting outside. She took one look at us, grinned, and said “How ya going, Umpa Lumpas?!” Now I have to admit this is a fantastic heckle, but when you’re carrying 40kg of stuff, have just got drenched by a monsoon and spent the last seven hours of your life on a Greyhound bus, you’re not in the best of moods! And she had to spoil the heckle by adding “How ya going” which had started to really get on our nerves in Australia. In any shop, you’ll be asked this at least five times before you're even through the door. I know they’re being friendly, but in addition to being grammatically incorrect, you don’t know how to reply – “like a steam train / backwards / don’t know” are all responses I have tried out, but I’m yet to decide how you are supposed to respond. Anyway, I digress. It was a great heckle but we weren’t in the mood. So we Umpa Lumpa’d off and told her to get lost!
The next day we took a two day tour to Cape Tribulation: with a name like that we just had to go and see it! Cape Trib is a very small town in the middle of the Daintree National Park, which is possibly the oldest living rainforest in the world. It is also the only place in the world where two world heritage sites come together: the rainforest runs right into the beach and the Great Barrier Reef. For a change you still can’t bathe on the beach: to all the previously named dangers add the crocodiles which nest on several river mouths and have been spotted swimming around in between them.
On our way from Cairns to Cape tribulation we stopped for a little river cruise: a one hour canoe ride with a slightly sadistic guide, in swollen river infested with crocodiles of all sizes and bad intentions. As soon as we got on the boat the guide started saying how we had chosen the worst possible time of the year to spot crocs. Apparently there were hundreds of them but we only got to see three smallish ones. Spot the croc on the photo!
The guide suggested we could volunteer to attract some but surprisingly no one fancied a swim despite the stifling heat. Since it was midday the water was warm so the crocs just stay in it and all the females were out in the bush guarding their nests. Furthermore the river was heavily swollen (see all our complaints about the monsoon in Queensland over our last, oh, ten posts) so even if the crocs wished to be out basking in the sun there were no vegetation clear riverbanks available. Fortunately our guide knew were some crocs liked to hang around so we managed to see some juniors hiding between the leaves and one big mama by her nest. Of the big man eaters we only got their names, Fluffy, Cutie and Pinky. No actually the names were more along the lines of Scarface and Fat Al, but I still think Smily would be a good name.
We did see some pythons sleeping on tree branches and some green frogs and loads of Phileas (aka the Flying Foxes). There were so many of them that one of the branches broke down, setting of a massive commotion as the bats tried to avoid falling on the water. Apparently crocs are so clever that they wait under the bats' favourite fruit trees just in case this happens.
That night we did a night expedition into the forest. Our two guides were slightly mental and we started wondering whether anyone had done some research on the effects of living in this place on human mental stability. One of them was mocking the other for getting bitten by a snake during the previous night’s tour when he suddenly jumped into the woods, grabbed a snake and got himself bitten. Hum, was this Dumb & Dumber performance just a work double act or were they actually like that in real life? More importantly, should we walk into the rainforest, with all its poisonous snakes, frogs, plants and spiders with D&D as our guides? Of course yes! They provided loads of entertainment and fortunately no one else got bitten that night. We also managed to learn a few things from them. For example, we saw Green Apple trees, so called because of the fruit's smell, although its taste is rather disgusting.
We also learned how to find lemsip substitutes in the rainforest: just suck the backside of one of these leaf ants! We didn't try it but supposedly it is very lemony. Yummy! These massive green ants leave in the trees. They make their nests by "gluing" leaves together and stay there until the leaves start to rot. If you need to clean your lungs, you just grab one of these nests, crash it between your hands and inhale the vapours (yuck!).
We had so much fun with these crazy guys that we placed our lives in their hands again in the following day: we went zip lining! The ones we did in Costa Rica were faster, longer and overall more exciting than these but this turn we had plenty of time to take in the surroundings. The helmets had appropriate names like Scooby Doo, Smurf or Casper, although mine and Tom's were even better than that: Dr Doolittle and Austin Powers!! Feel the mojo!
What a pair!!! Watch out James Bond!
Austin Powers's on the upside down run........
George W went AWOL in the jungle, what a loss to the world! Actually everyone refused to wear this one, it's one thing to be a Smurf but being a George Bush is going too low!In the afternoon we just cooled down (literally) on the hostel's pool or in one of the many water holes around the area. The tricky bit with the water holes is how do you know there will be no crocs there? The guides say that the water is too cold and no croc can stand it. Well, to be honest neither can Vania's! Notice my "this-isn't-funny" look on the photo. But it is true that the setting was beautiful and we had it all for ourselves!
Tom, looking for some loose change at the bottom of the pool.
Me, after about fifteen minutes of debating the virtues of the water with Tom (me: "-It's flipping cold!", Tom:"-No, it's so nice, it's very refreshing, you should definitely come in.", me:"-Are you mad?!? No way!") and still in doubt of whether this had been a good idea.
On our way back to Cairns we had one last treat: a Cassowary with two chicks crossed the road! We weren't quick enough to get photos but it was very special to see a wild big bird like this. As usual they are endangered and with them the whole of the rainforest. Cassowaries are the only birds big enough to swallow these trees massive seeds and to, huh, spread them around the forest.
Bye for now,
Vania and Tom
No comments:
Post a Comment