Aussie Aussie Aussie, Oy Oy Oy!!

Hello from Cairns, Australia! We've spent a few days here getting ourselves oriented and figuring out where to go next. Cairns is cool...its a small town and you can get anywhere you want by walking there. There is not much for ocean/beach, so we've spent most of our days laying out by the pool at Gilligans. Food here is CRAZY expensive (ie: $7.00 or more for a sandwich, $3.00 for water) and I'm hoping it is not like that everywhere. This morning a market was open RIGHT beside our hostel where they had all sorts of fresh food. Ash and I had the best yogurt we've ever had in our life here! It's interesting to see what things are expensive here, that are usually cheap at home. Bananas are really expensive, and kind of funky looking, and grapes are $12!!

We've met a lot of nice people here. If you want to check out our hostel, go to http://www.gilligansbackpackers.com.au and take the virtual tour. The first night we had a roommate named Hans from Switzerland (how appropriate). He was nice, and kept to himself, which was a relief because a lot of people here are rowdy. Last night a couple of his friends from Switzerland met up with him, and our room was filling up fast. They were all very polite and it was easy to share a room with them. We learned a few German words (apparently Swiss people speak German...I didn't know that!) which I can actually pronounce okay but Ashley has trouble rolling the R's :) . We also learned that Homer Simpson, speaking German, says "nie!!" instead of "doh!!!" Weird.....Anyway, we taught them the Slap Game card game (you'd be proud, Nate...it's moving all the way to Switzerland!) and that was fun to kill some time. One other person named John was put in our room, and it was full (6 people). John was from New Jersey and seemed like he didn't trust his own reflection in the mirror. I've been sure to lock up my stuff very tight ;)

Anyway, we've booked a trip to the Great Barrier Reef for Sunday. Were going to do an into dive, as well as snorkeling. We are really excited to see the ocean!! On Monday we're going to head to the rainforest and beach in Cape Tribulation, just north of Cairns. This will be an overnight trip, so you won't hear from us for a few days.

Ashley and I have said that we feel like we aren't as far away from you all as we actually are. We feel like we're sitting in California, and not on the other side of the globe. I think when we see the ocean it'll sink in how very far away we are.

Until next time!!

Heather