Sunlander and Scuba

So we all survived the 32 hour Sunlander train from Brisbane to Cairns, which actually ended up being an hour more than expected because of a delay with the train in front of us. Despite the length of time, it was actually enjoyable. I stayed busy at work on some homework I had to complete for an independent study course, but the other students watched movies, read books and played cards. For most of the trip we all hung out in the club car instead of staying cramped in our seats. It was a new experience for me because I had never been on a sleeper train before. It even had showers! We met this woman on the train the next morning who stayed with us the entire day and she gave us a building by building and possibly even a tree by tree tour from wherever we were when we woke up all the way to about an hour before we got off the train ourselves. We also met a couple of older ladies who were quite nice and told a bit about what we should try to do on our free days. One of them gave me her book when she finished reading because I told her I had been looking for a good Australian book. We got to see some damage from the flooding and the cyclone, which included trees that were still standing but tipped slightly, as if it was hair blowing in the wind. Many houses were partially covered in tarps and we could see piles of what use to be houses and cars lined up along the tracks and times.

When we arrived in Cairns it was hot and sunny. Brina, Jen and I walked down to the Esplanade with Charlie and Colleen where there was a large pool for swimming because it is discouraged to swim in the ocean within that area. The boardwalk went along the mudflat, which houses a lot of neat organisms and use to be the home of a mangrove forest before they ripped them out during the war. Charlie also brought us to an outdoor workout station where we got to observe some of Australia's finest lift weights by the water. We also got to eat dinner with mom and dad, which included Charlie's famous spaghetti and pesto and Colleen's tossed greens! It was delightful.

Friday we went scuba diving with Passions of Paradise, which had the best crew members ever! We met one of the instructors, Simon, or darling, a couple days before on our way to the esplanade and he remembered all of our names. Brina, Jen, Heather and I were in the first group to go diving with Lance. They brought us down and made sure we were breathing properly before letting us drop to the bottom. We got to see a giant clam close us by waving around above it, and we also met Nemo. I was hoping to see a sea turtle, which a couple people did but I didnt have any luck. I could definitely see signs of coral bleaching when both diving and snorkeling. I held my hands out when snorkeling and a smaller fish came up to me and rubbed against it, but that is the closest I got to life on the Great Barrier Reef. We snorkeled at two different reefs, and they were both amazing! A once in a lifetime experience!