Kuranda

Wow, it is rough trying to continue a blog when you are doing 3-5 dives a day on a Liveaboard -- not to mention the internet-lessness part of the trip!

Well, this one is going to be short since we are going to meet up with the crew, who took such great care of us and became immediate friends with, in a bit. Such fantastic people who I will never forget and hope to meet up with again!

(On the sky rail.  I like to confuse Risa.)

(The sky rail provided a gorgeous view!)

Anyhoo, so before we embarked on our amazing dive journey (I know this is kind of anticlimactic for some of you awaiting the dive info, but the best things come to those who wait right?), we headed to the rain forest via Sky Rail. SUCH amazing views! I was proud of Risa making it due to the height of it all. We stopped at a couple of lookouts and just admired Barron Falls. Even though it is a little more dry, it is still a magnificent site!

After Barron Falls we headed up to Karandu, where there are little shops along the street and plenty to see. We, of course, thought it was mandatory to check out Koala Gardens. After all, we wanted as much koala cuddling as we could get. We enjoyed this place a lot more than the Dome. The people were so great and even let us take our own pictures of the koala cuddling. Our koala's name, according to Risa, is Irwin. According to me, it was Owen. We're not the best at listening... More on that later... We also got to feed kangaroos and got a peek at some of the baby joeys in their mommy's pouches!

After Koala Gardens, and some much needed ice cream which was suggested by our concierge (do you call them concierges in a hostel?), we headed over to Venom World, or something like that. I forget the name... They house some of the most poisonous creatures, mostly snakes. I don't know if it really was worth the entry fee, but we did see some cool stuff! We even saw snakes mating. I don't know what it is when Risa and I go to any kind of animal habitat/exhibit, but everytime... It was definitely something to see...

After our fun at Kuranda, we hopped on the train headed back to Cairns. We both decided we prefer the Skyrail over the train, but it was still pretty fantastic nonetheless. It is kind of a strange thing seeing Cockatoos flying freely and wild whilst on a train departing a rain forest.

All in all, it was a blast and we would definitely do it again!

(BTW, thank you to all who wished me a Happy Birthday! It was definitely one of THEE best ones I've ever had!)

And now for your enjoyment, the most venomous snakes in the world.  Mating: