Whitsunday Sailing

Pictures from the Whitsunday Islands here
And see our debut on Aussie television! Click here to see the show we were in the audience for in Sydney...it's not really that interesting, I look SO bored the whole time! Its the video called "Sex and Sin"

So I'm a bit behind...and lazy....so we went on a sailing trip through the Whitsunday Islands a few days ago, and it was amazing. They leave from Airlie Beach, and the trips are another of the must-dos for backpackers. Our boat was called the Condor, a former racing sailboat that apparently has won all the possible sailing races in the world at least once. The first day we sailed out to Hook Island and did our first snorkeling, complete with full suits that keep you warm but also protect you from jellyfish stings. Eek! Then at night we dropped anchor and slept in the boat, the "sleeping quarters" were hilarious. It was like what I imagine it would be like to be in prison at sea! There were "double beds" above benches and above those beds were like mini hammocks another person would sleep in (please see photos). I told Lauren she could always have the bottom bunk in any hostel we stayed in if I could avoid sleeping under that hammock.

Basically all you do on the boat is chill on the deck (I managed not only to not burn but I have a tan! A real one! Well, a Mara tan) and get off to go snorkeling. The snorkeling was amazing, the Whitsunday Islands have fringing reefs off the Great Barrier Reef so there are some pretty amazing things to see. There were so many fish and one really large fish that was biting the coral and I could hear it underwater. They also take you to Whitehaven Beach, which is one of the most photographed places in Australia. This beach is unreal, pure white sand and the water is in like ten different shades of turquoise. We snorkeled again twice including an area called Blue Pearl Bay that is nicknamed "The Aquarium." I think I could snorkel all day. And the best part is that every time they hauled us out of the water, the crew had prepared tea and cookies! I loved being out on the boat all day, it was just so nice and peaceful. Definitely my favorite thing we've done so far.

So now we're in Cairns after another overnight bus, planning on snorkeling some more and getting up to the rain forests of Cape Tribulation. We bought tickets to New Zealand for November the 27th, which is only about a week away! The rough plan is to go to New Zealand then come back into Melbourne and visit Tasmania as well. Also, our friend Manessah who we met in Byron Bay is coming to visit us before we go which is very exciting!