G'day! I'm Chris. I left my home in rural Australia back in 2007 to pursue a life less ordinary.
I specialize in ambitious travel - bucket list worthy journeys such as the Great US Road Trip, the ultimate African safari, and following the length of the Silk Road.
Whether it’s a hot, steamy shower on a cold morning in Idaho or a deliciously cool one on a sticky hot North Queensland evening, there’s a lot to be loved about the humble shower.
Who amongst us hasn’t come back from a hard day of hiking and eagerly washed away the day’s sweat and dirt in the shower. Felt knotted muscles relax a little and messy hair become something just a tad more manageable as a day’s worth of dust, sweat, and detritus just washed away.
It’s probably odd that I remember this particular shower so well, but a good shower can be a near religious experience – especially after a day or several days of going without.
It was July 2008 and the day was as hot and sticky as the two that had preceded it. I threw open the door to my spacious (by Korean standards – which puts it on par with a large college dorm room in Australia) apartment and hurriedly threw open the windows to let some of the only marginally cooler air in. My travel bag was hurled into the corner and I was peeling clothes off within the first minute or so.
The site of the greatest shower of my young life
I was fresh back from two days at Boryeong’s very awesome Mud Festival and my skin resembled an impressionist artist’s latest work as a mish-mash of mud, sea salt, sand, and face paint used every inch of me as a canvas. Is there any reason that this all reads dangerously like a softcore porn title?
For those not familiar with the mud festival – imagine 70% of Korea’s party happy foreigner population packed into one small seaside town. Add liberal quantities of good quality mud, a beach with surf during typhoon season, plenty of cheap alcohol available in 1.5 liter plastic pitchers, and music for good measure. It’s a mix for the closest to a hedonistic orgy you’ll encounter in Korea.
My favourite weekend in my two years of South Korea was visiting the festival with a newly made mate by the name of Dean. A fellow Aussie who liked a good beer even more than me, we paired up for the festival and found that a good wing-man is a thing of great value. A day spent running and cartwheeling on the sand and floating alongside our blissfully buoyant pitchers of Hite was just what the doctor ordered after a long week of dealing with hyperactive Korean kids in classrooms not blessed with AC.
I was fresh off of a breakup and looking to forget about all of the dramas, and the Mud Festival was a perfect way to do that. I mean seriously, if a gorgeous Korean beach covered in bikini clad drunken revelers isn’t enough to get you out of the dumps – what is?
Making friends with a wee bonnie Scottish lass and her definitely not high maintenance (sorry, in joke) American friend certainly helped matters too.
After just one hour of the festival. I was there for over twenty four.
The entire weekend saved my Korean experience from becoming a dreadfully emo one, and I remember bobbing in the Yellow Sea under the stars and realizing how glad I was to be alive as fireworks cracked and whistled overhead. It was a surreal moment and one that, in a lot of ways, further cemented the travel bug in me.
The weekend was fantastic and the shower was heaven. Two days wrestling in mud and messing around in the sand adds a lot of grime.
Maybe I’m giving too much credit to the simple shower, but I have a feeling I’m not alone in my appreciation of a good shower after a long few days of partying or hiking or whatever else takes your fancy.
Links
Boryeong Mud Festival
Just about the highlight of any Korean visit. As close to a hedonistic drunken orgy as you’re likely to come on the peninsula.
The one where I ride a cable car over a steaming north Australian jungle, pet a koala, hand feed a kangaroo, go toe to toe with a cassowary, befriend a hungry macaw, and discover a hidden piece of paradise in far North Queensland.
When people think of Australia they perhaps don’t think of its rain-forests. Everybody is aware of Australia’s rich beach culture and its dry, red centre – but like Australia’s small alpine region, the steamy tropical forests of the nation’s north are often overlooked completely.
But believe it or not, the rain forests of far North Queensland are the oldest in the world. With trees over 3000 years old – the small but biologically diverse forests that include the well known Daintree and the smaller patches of forest on the Atherton Tablelands outside of Cairns. Over 36% of Australia’s marsupials, 48% of its birds, and 37% of Australia’s freshwater fish species can be found in this tiny (only 900,000 square hectares) stretch of forest that has existed for over 415 million years.
Those of you familiar with scuba diving might also be aware that after multiple dives, a time of 18 hours must pass before it is safe to fly. With that in mind, Fallon and I opted for a trek up to Kuranda – a small village in the very heart of the rain forest.
Accessible by road, a scenic rail, or the tourism award winning Skyrail – Kuranda is a mecca for alternative lifestyles, artists, and nature enthusiasts. Despite having a permanent population of less than 1000, the village boasts a number of zoos and museums as well as a slew of galleries, markets, and cafes.
DID YOU KNOW: Kuranda literally means ‘village in the rainforest’ in the dialect of the local aboriginal tribe.
With time at a premium for us, we opted for the slightly faster route that was the Sky Rail. Starting just outside Cairns, the scenic cable car ride took us up over the dryer of the parts of the forest and up into the steamy confines of the jungle proper. It wasn’t hard to imagine dinosaurs still existing in the dense growth that passed slowly by beneath us. Basket ferns and lawyer vines looked like something out of Jurassic Park, and the thick canopy was only occasionally broken up by a river or stream. In a nation as dry as Australia, it was hard to believe that an area of such vast natural diversity could exist.
The first stop on the trip was Red Peak Station, which sported a stunning boardwalk tour of the area immediately around the station. After the sticky heat of Cairns it was a pleasant surprise to step out into cool, moist air. Amongst the ancient giants of the forest, it was hard to believe that anybody had ever been crazy enough to press into the woods to investigate what lay within – but without big beasts such as tigers and jaguars to worry about, I guess Australia posed a slightly less daunting task for would be explorers.
Not that its snakes, spiders, ants, and wasps were to be taken lightly. And let’s not forget the Cassowary – a flightless bird weighing 80kgs and with a disembowling claw that would make a velociraptor think twice. These endangered and beautiful birds call the rain forests of North Queensland home and warning signs hung around to remind us how best to escape with our innards intact if we encountered one.
After snapping photographs of the fascinating trees surrounding the station, it was time to head on to the next stop – which proved absolutely breath-taking. Barron Falls is the kind of thing I definitely never expected to find just on Cairns’s door-step. Australia’s rivers aren’t particularly impressive and its waterfalls are even less to write home about – so to find the massive and beautiful falls there was a pleasant surprise. Dammed up river for the Barron River Hydroelectric Station – the falls are in no way diminished.
The next and final stop on our trek was Kuranda itself. Stepping out of the carriage and into the village was akin to arriving at a theme park – albeit without the oversized animal mascots or cheesy music. A street devoid of cars or garbage spread out before us, lined with restaurants and boutiques to tempt even the most tight fisted traveler.
With empty bellies on account of our early start, Fallon and I made a quick pit stop at a Dutch pancake vendor before making our way to the first of our three scheduled stops. A butterfly sanctuary might not sound like everybody’s piece of cake, but it was actually surprisingly interesting. The small aviary was literally alive with butterflies of all colours, and you really had to watch your step as you moved through its confines and were assaulted from all sides. It probably isn’t worth the rather hefty $17 admission fee they request, but since we got it as part of a package, it certainly wasn’t money wasted.
The opportunity is there to learn about how they breed the butterflies and even to have your photograph taken with an emerald blue Goliath butterfly – but we opted to move on to our next destination, Bird World. Fallon was particularly interested in seeing the enigmatic cassowary but as luck would have it, parrots and macaws proved to be the highlight of the visit.
Almost as soon as we entered the large aviary we were amazed by the vibrantly coloured variety of birds that greeted us. Black cockatoos, crimson rosellas, rainbow lorikeets, blue and red macaws, pink and grey galahs, and about a dozen other breeds of parrot I wouldn’t have any idea how to name.
I am befriended against my will by an inquisitive teenage macaw
Fallon and I were busy snapping photographs when a large blue macaw decided to make me its friend. Settling down on my shoulder, it proceeded to tear a sticker off of my shirt before attempting to eat my sunglasses. Squawking angrily if Fallon dared approach its new pet, the only way to save myself from it was to take it over to where the crimons rosellas clearly ruled the roost. Despite being about four times bigger than any of them, my parrot companion was quick to flee under their insistent assault.
After the excitement of the super friendly parrots, the rest of Bird World was a bit of a disappointment. The other varieties of birds, from Gouldian finches to the iconic black swan, were a lot less friendly and less interesting as a result. And while it was a bit of a thrill to have a cassowary pluck a grape from our hands – we couldn’t help but stop off at the parrots again before we left.
Not to be outdone, Fallon befriends two parrots
The final stop on our wildlife pass was Koala Gardens. While we had the opportunity to pose with a koala at Blackbutt in NSW – the laws in my home state forbid actually holding a koala. No such laws exist in Queensland though, so we made a beeline for the koala enclosure where Fallon was snapped posing with Australia’s most famous animal.
Fallon is clearly over the moon after fulfilling a life ambitionAnd I sure enjoying feeding young skippy
From there it was time to hand feed some rock wallabies and eastern grey kangaroos. Fallon got a real kick out of feeding a ‘little Rocco’, and I definitely enjoyed being so close to the big eastern greys. It’s just a pity they didn’t have any red kangaroos to see – as they’re really a sight to behold up close.
DID YOU KNOW: Many marsupials have multi-pronged penises.
With our sight-seeing done, it was time for the all important task of finding a place to eat and doing a little shopping. A detour down a back alley took us to what claimed to be the original rainforest markets, and while there wasn’t much to see, we did emerge on the other side with some delicious frozen fruit to tide us over until we took a lunch of burgers and kangaroo pie on the main street.
With our day drawing to a close and our flight not too far off, it was time for us to bid farewell to Kuranda. I’d definitely have liked an opportunity to spend a little more time there. There were countless galleries that went unvisited, the ominously named Venom World that caught my attention, and numerous markets and cafes could have held my attention (and my wallet) for at least another day. Not to mention the rain forest walks and river cruises that start and finish there.
It was a bittersweet thing riding the Sky Rail back to Cairns. Our four day vacation in Australia’s north had come to a close, and while there’s certainly plenty to look forward to, I’m certain I’ll be heading back to Cairns before too long.
One word of advice if you do head up to Kuranda. Look at getting the three park pass that covers Koala Gardens, Bird World, and the butterfly sanctuary. Individually they’re a tad over-priced, but at $42 for all three, it’s about on par with what you’d pay at any other zoo.
While my life at this very moment might not be jam-packed with backpacking adventures and sight-seeing tours – there’s plenty on the horizon to be excited about. Just to whet your appetite (and remind me why I sit here and answer phones all day) – here’s what is on the horizon for me.
October 22
A late night visit to the annual Sydney Noodle Markets that overtake historic Hyde Park and turn it into an Asian street market.
October 23
A day trip out to the breath-taking Blue Mountains west of Sydney. With Fallon’s friend Adam in from the United States, we’ll be doing a little hiking, riding the trains and cable cars at Scenic World, and maybe browsing some of Leura’s boutique stores.
October 30th
We’re heading down to the south coast to take a two day surfing course with Adam. I’m ashamed to say that I’ve lived in Australia for 25 of my 27 years and I’ve never even attempted to catch a good break.
December 17th – New Zealand
This is one I’m really excited about. With Fallon and I going our separate ways in early January, we decided the best way to go out was to go out with a bang. Our ‘farewell tour’ will take us on a whirlwind eleven day circuit around some of New Zealand’s most beautiful sites.
As if that wasn’t enough, Fallon and I will be ringing in the New Year on Robinson Crusoe Island in Fiji. While a zipline tour and a little scuba on Fiji’s soft coral reefs is on the agenda, the order of the day will be a little R&R after what will have been a hectic itinerary in the Land of the Long White Cloud.
Fallon and I say our goodbyes on January 2nd as she flies back to the United States, but I’ve got a tour of my own to keep my mind occupied. Five days at Mango Bay Resort in the island’s south will give me plenty of chances to sip cocktails, do a little snorkeling, and meet new friends – and I’ll be being joined by my mate Grant; my brothers Dominik and Leigh; and Dominik’s girlfriend Bronte to ensure we have a full fledged posse.
After Mango Bay it’s across to notorious party site, Manta Ray Bay, for three nights of drinking, dancing, and harassing manta rays.
To unwind before the inevitable return home, we’re also having three cruisy nights at Waya Lailai Eco Resort. With little else to do but sleep, sunbathe, and swim – we’ll be well rested when we return to the mainland for one last night at Smuggler’s Cove before our flight back to civilization.
March 2011 – South Korea
As if all of the above excitement wasn’t enough, my third tenure as an ESL teacher in South Korea beckons. I actually just got off of the phone with a potential school who cold called me after seeing my resume on Dave’s ESL Cafe. They wanted me for a December start, but I’m hoping they can push it back to mid January or later so that I can jump on it.
While a lot of my friends ask me ‘Why do you want to go back to a place you’ve already lived if you want to travel?’, there is some method to my madness.
Primary amongst these is that Korea is a terrific place to save money. While the average monthly salary of around $2000 to $2500 Australian might not seem like much – the perks of not having to pay for accommodation and enjoying a very cheap lifestyle thanks to low Korean food and booze pricing are a big attraction.
On top of that there’s two weeks paid vacation and the close proximity to north and south-east Asia. As it stands I’m looking at taking a week to sun myself in the Philippines at some point, and then daring to be different by heading to Mongolia or eastern Russia. I hear Vladivostok is lovely.
Then there’s also the possibility of a weekend ski trip in Japan, a quick trip over to China for some sight seeing over Chuseok, and the many places in Korea I left unexplored due to my general laziness and a worrying addiction to World of WarCraft.
Beyond 2011
I’ve got no plans to call a halt to this travel thing any time soon. Once I finish up my next contract in South Korea, I’m giving some very serious thought to getting my CELTA accreditation so I can open up the Middle East and Europe for me as a teaching destination. The CELTA program is offered in a variety of locations, but on Fallon’s recommendation I am taking a long hard look at Chiang Mai in Thailand. For the same price I’d pay for just the course in Sydney, I get my accommodation and food for the entire month.
My free time might be at a premium while I study for the intense course, but there’s nothing to stop me back-packing around Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam after I’m done. Nothing, of course, except for my inability to save money or budget. I must work on that.
This top ten theme will become a semi regular thing as I cover everything from favourite local beers to most surreal drunken experiences while abroad.
Today I’ll keep it simple as I list my favourite ten cities that I’ve encountered during my thus far limited travels.
10 – Newcastle, NSW
The view over Lake Macquarie at sunset.
The home of my two football teams (the Newcastle Knights and Newcastle Jets) and a city I called home in 2004 and 2005 – Newcastle is where the NSW country meets the city. The second largest city in the state has every right to be a bustling metropolis, but it still maintains a lot of country charm and a pleasantly laid back attitude. If beaches are your thing, Newcastle is the city for you. Skip the crowds at Manly or Bondi in Sydney, and instead hit Merewether or Nobby’s.
While you’re in town, take a chance to walk through the newly developed Honeysuckle area; attend a Newcastle Knights game to experience rugby league at its most passionate; spend a day sailing on Lake Macquarie; and take a jaunt up to Nelson’s Bay to swim with the dolphins.
9 – Pusan, South Korea
Foreigners (myself included) being stupid at Busan's aquarium
The closest South Korea has to a beach city – Pusan (or Busan) is famous across the country for its beaches. Having come from Australia, I didn’t find it particularly amazing, but the city itself has a lot of charms. There’s a pretty fantastic aquarium, ferries across to Japan at a reasonable price, and a healthy foreigner community if you’re looking for a drink or some company for a temple visit.
8 – Cairns, QLD
I make a new friend at the Kuranda Bird Sanctuary just outside of Cairns
I only recently discovered Cairns during my visit to get my Open Water certification, but I fell in love with this backpacker’s haven in far North Queensland. If you can deal with the humidity and the completely unpredictable weather, you’ve found a perfect gateway for a world of scuba diving, snorkeling, fishing, and water sports on and around the Great Barrier Reef.
If water isn’t your thing, there’s the nearby Kuranda Skyrail to take you through the world’s oldest rainforest and into a charming community of artists and zoos in the mountains outside of Cairns. There’s countless cafes ranging from the very basic in backpacker fare up to high end steakhouses and Italian restaurants, and there’s the all important night spots to escape the heat. Check out The Woolshed for cheap beers and affordable meals, or splash out at Grill’d for a delicious healthy burger.
Note: Interested in learning more about Cairns? See my entries on scuba diving and neighboring Kuranda.
7 – Seoul, South Korea
No matter how much you like kimchi and bibimbap, you'll nearly cry when you get some authentic Mexican in Seoul
The bustling, cosmopolitan hub of South Korea boasts a population larger than that of Australia and everything a traveler could want to find in a city. Want history and heritage? It’s there in spades. If you want to shop there are countless upmarket malls, ‘Plus Size Stores’ that sell clothes you’d consider normal back home, and massive markets at Namdaemun and Damdaemun for the haggler.
Nearby you’ll find amusement parks such as Everland and Lotte World to amuse the big kid in all of us, and there’s numerous hikes within a short train or bus ride for the outdoor enthusiast.
If you’ve lived in Korea for a while, you’ll come to rely on Seoul as your main link with the outside world. While most cities have McDonalds and TGI:F, you’ll find a far broader selection of Western restaurants and retail outlets than anyplace else. There’s also a very healthy night life due to the big foreigner population comprised of teachers and US military personnel. My personal preference was always The Wolfhound, but Rocky Mountain Bar has its charms as well. There’s also plenty of clubs, the infamous Hooker Hill, and the nearby international airport that you’ll rely on to get launch off on your next adventure.
6. Las Vegas, Nevada
It may not have the glitz of the Strip, but Fremont Street definitely has its charms
‘Sin City’ isn’t just about gambling. Pay a visit to the neon oasis and you’ll find cheap eating, live performances ranging from stand up to world famous musicians to Broadway quality musicals, and enough sordid delights to help you create your own Hangover moments.
If you’re looking for the true Vegas experience you’ll obviously want to splash out and stay somewhere on the Strip, but if you’re on a slightly tighter budget there’s plenty of old Vegas charm to be found beneath the world’s largest TV on Fremont Street. Prices on Fremont Street are drastically lower than any you’ll find on the Strip, so it makes a good base of operations from which to launch visits on the glitzier end of town.
5. Flagstaff, Arizona
Walnut Creek Canyon outside of Flagstaff is an interesting look into Native American history
Nestled high up in the hillier areas of Arizona, Flagstaff is a very new age town in a very old school kind of state. You wouldn’t expect to find the cute town full of artists, hippies, and musicians in a state with Arizona’s reputation – but Flagstaff is a breathe of fresh (and decidedly colder) air after the heat of Phoenix. A short skip from the Grand Canyon, it makes a nice base to visit the big hole in the ground. There are plenty of nice restaurants and diners in the city, but I personally can’t go past any opportunity for Pita Pit.
4. Sydney, NSW
Sydney's CBD offers plenty of photo opportunities
Australia’s true capital is blessed with both natural and architectural beauty, and there’s few places on earth more famous than Sydney Harbour. Riding across the Sydney Harbour Bridge on the way to work every morning affords a wonderful view of the harbour and Opera House, and by night there’s also the twinkling lights of Luna Park.
It’s often a traveler’s first experience with Australia, but they’d be forgiven for thinking they’d touched down in another country. Sydney is a multicultural melting pot in which you’ll find cultures from all over the world. If you’re looking for an old school experience you can spend the day walking through the historic Rocks district. If you’re after a more laid back day you can pay a visit to hippie haven, Newton. There’s Chinatown for cheap souvenirs and even cheaper eats, and the gorgeous beaches that Australia is famed for. Bondi is the obvious choice for most newcomers, but there’s a lot to be said for Manly (and the beautiful ferry ride across), nearby Shelly Beach, and the beaches farther south in Cronulla.
Live music, theatre, festivals, and all manner of sports mean there’s always something to do. Check out a Swans game, catch the fanatacism of State of Origin as Queensland battle New South Wales, catch a Wallaby’s game, or get behind the beautiful game by taking a look at the emerging A-League.
Sydney’s also a gateway to the rest of Australia. A short train ride takes you up to Newcastle and the Central Coast or down to Wollongong, and the airport links Australia to the rest of the world. There’s plenty of work for backpackers and a thriving ex-pat scene for those feeling a little homesick.
3. Coeur D’Alene, Idaho
Soaking in the last of the summer sun on Hayden Lake
I’m perhaps biased because I had such a fantastic four weeks staying here during my American visit last year, but I’m hard pressed to think of a more naturally beautiful town. Surrounded by picturesque lakes and verdant pine forests – Coeur D’Alene is a photographer’s dream and an outdoors-man’s playground. If you’re up for a hardcore ride you can trek the Trail of the Coeur D’Alene’s or the intense Route of the Hiawatha (winding through old rail tunnels and across towering bridges). There’s plenty of opportunity for water sports, Silverwood for rollercoaster enthusiasts, and it’s only a short drive from Spokane if you want access to a bigger city.
At the end of the day, Coeur D’Alene isn’t a bustling hub – but it’s a beautiful part of the world and one I’m glad I had a chance to experience.
2. Portland, Oregon
Good times with good friends in Portland
The original sin city doesn’t have the best of reputations and is often forgotten in favour of nearby Seattle, but visit Portland and you’ll fall in love with this thriving city. There’s delicious food on every corner, plenty of gorgeous architecture, and all of the perks of a big city without the gridlocked traffic. The drive to Portland alone is worth a visit as you follow the curves of the powerful Colombia River and pass by the stunning Multnomah Falls.
If you’re up for a short drive you can pay a visit to Astoria of Goonies fame or quaint beachside towns like Seaside. There’s also the fact it is America’s unofficial capital of microbrewed beer. A visit to Rogue, Widmer’s, or Laurelwood is definitely something you should look into. Art and jewerly enthusiasts will find plenty to love at the Portland Saturday Markets as well.
History buffs can explore the city’s seedier underbelly, and the colleges ensure a healthy night life. If you’re into drag queen shows or just like a bit of karaoke, you’ll find something to do in Portland on a Saturday night.
Note: If you want to know more about my time in Portland, you can read my entries on it here and here.
1. Gwangju, South Korea
Enjoying shabu shabu with good friends in Gwangju
I spent two years living in Gwangju and maybe that makes me biased. I know everybody who has lived and taught in Korea has their favourite city, but I never did come across a city with a better foreigner community than what I encountered in Gwangju. With the Speakeasy recently being voted the fourth best foreigner bar in South Korea, there’s also a number of other night venues for the big foreigner population. Have Mexican fare at Tequilaz, mix with the locals at Bubble Bar, dance the night away at Houze, sing your heart out at German Bar (whose gregarious owner brews his own German style beer), or shoot some lazy pool at Soul Train.
There’s a wealth of historic sites nearby, and the May 18 Memorial is a particularly moving tribute to just how far South Koreans have come since the Korean War. The Kia Tigers and Gwangju Phoenix give you your sports fix, and the massive Bus Terminal doubles as a shopping centre and a hub to get to virtually any town or village in South Korea.
Gwangju is considered a bit of a backwoods by other Koreans, and it’s definitely a little slow to catch up with the foreign invasion, but the people are still friendly and there’s a growing demand for ESL teachers in the city. If you’re feeling a little homesick there’s plenty of the regular Western outlets as well as the well stocked Underground Grocer’s and the newly opened First Alleyway.
A worthwhile side excursion to nearby Mokpo and the many tiny islands that lie off of the west coast is a must see. Some time spent camping and drinking on Oaedaldo or Bigeumdo is a great way to while away a summer’s day.
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There you have it! My favourite cities thus far. Unlucky to miss out were Armidale in New South Wales, Mooloolaba in Queensland, and Fukuoka in Japan. Hoping to add some new cities when I visit New Zealand and Fiji later this year.
The one where I get my PADI Open Water certification; befriend a bunch of backpackers; learn that you can vomit in a regulator; and get my first taste of backpacker accommodation.
Pretty Darn Awesome
The vastness of the Pacific Ocean rises and falls beneath me like the breast of a sleeping woman. Even in a bedroom boasting hot showers, TV, and an iPhone dock I can feel the ebb and flow as the sea churns around the Ocean Quest.
Our triple decker live aboard may be named like a mid 90s sci-fi, but it’s decorated like a 1950s pleasure cruiser. Foreign couples happily snap photos on the sun deck while Ruus and Sjos suck down ice cold cans of VB in the lounge in front of the flat screen and discuss the AFL grand final in Dutch.
Fallon’s asleep in her cot beside me after a long and exhausting day of scuba, snorkeling, and travel. Eighteen or so meters beneath me the Great Barrier Reef goes on as if completely unaware of the sixty or so people drinking, lounging, and chatting above them. Does a clown fish sometimes poke his head out from his anemone home to investigate the strange lights overhead? Do sea turtles or sharks sometimes break the surface of the churning sea to marvel at the harsh coughing of somebody on the smoker’s deck?
Will they someday find a way to pay brief visits to our world? Unlikely, but the image of a turtle family oohing and aahing silently as they observe a pair of drunks fighting is an odd one.
Seasickness and Scuba Do Not Mix
Fallon and I woke at 7am and hurriedly packed up our room so we wouldn’t miss our 7.45 am pick-up. I remember the disinterested glance the cowboy hat wearing German girl I now know as Arlette threw our way as Fallon and I crammed into our seats humming the tune of ‘I’m on a Boat’ by The Lonely Island. Funny how much change a day can make.
Cairns’s unpredictable weather treated us to a downpour as we drove to the marina, but the sun was fairly scorching as we stepped onto the deck for our briefing. I was nervous. Fallon was excited. As life or fate would have it, my role as reluctant participant and her role as gung-ho enthusiast would be reversed by the time we arrived at the reef.
The ride out was choppy. The boat crested waves and found air before crashing back down and showering anybody sunning themselves on the aft deck in a fine salty mist. Sea sicknesses tablets sold at a buck a pop were raking in the cash. While Fallon and Karin (our Swiss training buddy) alternated between rolling their eyes and vomiting, I curled up and fell asleep. Let it not be said that I would not have made a good pirate. I’ve got sea legs to rival the saltiest of swashbucklers.
After ninety minutes we arrived at our dive site and began to prepare. Despite having practiced ad nauseum the day before, we all made mistakes – but the crew were pretty good about helping us out and guiding us to the side of the boat for our giant stride entry. We might have been a lot more nervous had we not all been so concerned with the routine. Inflating and uninflated our BCDs; setting up our weight belts; clearing our regulators; and performing a buddy check make it hard to focus on the fact you’re about to put yourself in a place people weren’t really ever meant to be.
It was overcast and windy – the sky grim and the sea not as welcoming as any if us would have liked, but we gripped the mooring line and began our steady descent to a depth of twelve meters. I arrived at the bottom surprised that I’d managed it. I was kneeling in sand surrounded by coral. Angelfish and a dozen other brightly coloured ocean denizens flitted about me completely disinterested in my presence. Despite our trainers requesting we not stir up the sand, I couldn’t held but reach down and grab a handful of the soft, cool sand and let it filter through my fingers. Looking up, I could see the surface and the silhouetted forms of snorkelers braving the rough waters.
It was then that I noticed that Fallon was not with me. I searched anxiously around me before letting my gaze trail back up the rope. A stray flipper bobbed in the water. About three meters from there, Fallon was being calmed down by our mohawked and heavily tattooed Irish guide. She’d had a panic attack almost as soon as she’d uninflated her BCD for descent.
Mark, our guide, helped her down the rope and soon we were having a leisurely swim through the reef. We were supposed to practice skills, but I think he gave those a miss so Fallon could adjust. It was so serene. All of my worries about breathing correctly and being able to equalize evaporated as we swam around coral beds and posed for photos with a giant clam. I’d like to say we glided, but most of us alternated between kicking too much or not enough. Buoyancy control is, I learned, a skill that you develop over time.
Clowning around with a giant clam
Before I knew it, we were surfacing and the men were told to tow in the women. Fallon threw up as I got her to the boat, so I took off her fins for her and helped her I onto the boat. Her sea-sickness and resultant dehydration were threatening to derail the trip she’d been so excited about.
Ruud, Sjos, Arlette, and Karin all checked on Fallon with me in a nice sign of dive team unity. And while Fallon picked me up a plate from the buffet, I spoke with Mark about potentially letting Fallon skip the next dive and make it up later. I’ve got to commend the people at the Deep Sea Diver’s Den. They were really understanding and supportive, and their staff took time out of their own personal time to arrange alternate dives so she could get her certification.
After lunch it was time for dive #2, and I’d have to tackle it alone after Fallon pulled out looking particularly green around the gills. This time we practiced a lot of skills and did a little less sight seeing, which was good for my confidence. Things like clearing our masks after letting water into them; removing our weight belts and BCDs in the water; and performing a buddy assisted emergency ascent.
After surfacing and drying off, it was time for our transfer to the overnight boat. We were greeted in the stately dining room with apple tarts and then shown to our rooms. Then it was time for the third and final dive of the day. With Fallon needing to make a dive up and being behind, they made her sit the dive out and I was again buddyless. She apologized a lot, but it wasn’t her fault so I wasn’t bothered.
Making New Friends
The water at the new site (coral garden) was particularly rough as we trailed a line alongside the boat. My goggles were bumped loose continuously and I was battered against the side of the boat before we reached the mooring line and performed a descent without using the rope for purchase.
My buoyancy was all wrong though, and I kept bobbing to the surface until our new guide, Adam, provided me with an additional weight. We descended to twelve meters and again practiced skills such as the oral inflate pendulum, the full mask clear, and a little compass work.
Then it was a free swim through coral canyons again. We trailed an absolutely beautiful sea turtle for a while, but reef sharks continued to be elusive. I was envious of Adam’s control. He moved through seemingly tight spaces between banks of coral with apparent ease while I had to continually check my fins to make sure I wasn’t battering a little Nemo or Dory.
Fallon's giant stride is pretty damned giant
After we emerged and showered, Fallon went in for a guided dive. It felt amazing to be dry and clean after a day of being wet and salty. Our night was suitably relaxing. We shared roast dinner with Chun (Peter) from Hong Kong and had a few beers over dessert with Peter, Karin (Switzerland), Arlette (Germany), Ruud, and Sjos (both Holland). It was a lot of fun shooting the breeze with people from such varied backgrounds. Peter regaled us with tales of playing rugby as a child in Hong Kong; the Dutch boys advised us that Holland is not at all like Amsterdam, and Fallon and I shocked and amazed them with stories of various Korean oddities and quirks.
We were both in bed and fast asleep by 9pm – which has to be some kind of post high school record for me. But we’d had a full day of swimming and lugging around scuba tanks on our backs, and scuba is a lot more tiring than the serene movements might make it appear.
White Lies
Ten years ago, almost to the day, a sixteen year old Chris came out to the reef with his family. Our holiday in Queensland was coming to an end after two weeks in Mooloolaba and one in Townsville, and our last big treat was to snorkel on the reef.
One of my favorite boasts about being Australian has been to recount that day, but embellish by saying I had scuba dived instead. In truth, the offer had been there, but I had balked at the idea and contented myself with paddling gamely around on the surface and occasionally duck diving a meter or so to inspect a particularly interesting fish.
Was the reef as vibrantly colored as I now remember, or have time and youthful imagination brightened it’s red and blues to colors not known in nature? It’s hard to say, but this same reef is not the one I remember. It’s beautiful in a far more real way – in contrast to the Pixar fueled images that so many might have.
But I’ve drifted off topic. For the last ten years, I’ve told people that I scuba dived that day. Now, much older and wiser, I can say it without a word of bombast or exaggeration. Moreover, I’m a certified scuba diver – able to dive anywhere in the world. And while I’m some way off of being able to investigate wrecks or plunge the deepest depths – there’s an awful lot of the world that has suddenly become accessible to me.
Shelly Beach, where two years ago I spent my twenty fifth birthday drinking, barbecuing, and swimming – suddenly gained a previously unknown world of sting rays, sharks, and fish for me to encounter.
I love this. I love the sense of calm you get when the tumultuous surface dwindles above you and there’s only the sound of your breathing and the low hum of ocean.
And you’re flying above beautiful mountains of coral and seaweed in which thousands of species so few get to encounter are going about their daily lives. There are vast, soft beds of sand upon which you can settle and gaze about you in wonder. Solemn, silent awe.
Our last dive was hard. With breakfast still heavy in our bellies, we took our last giant stride of the weekend and practiced our CESA. That’s a controlled emergency ascent without air. We came up from six meters, careful to take the requisite thirty seconds to avoid a lung injury. It’s harder than it sounds.
Letting Fallon know how I feel about her
But after that it was more sedate stuff. We settled onto a field of sand between mountains of coral that towered up beyond our sight. We were eighteen meters before the ocean’s surface. Occasionally a curious fish would pass us by, and the sun was periodically blotted out by the hazy figures of divers higher up.
On the sea floor we removed our masks and cleared them. We practiced a hover, and then it was off to explore.
It was at a depth of perhaps ten meters that I felt most like I was airborne. The coral beneath us was eight to ten meters distant and we six glided effortlessly alongside one another above it all. Karin’s smiling blue eyes said it all, and I grabbed Fallon’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before soaring off to the right and finding my own space.
It’s a fleeting thing, though. Soon we were back on the surface and stripping down for our debriefing. We filled out our logbooks, signed our final paperwork, and were handed our temporary cards. We are certified divers, and now a whole world of reefs, wrecks, sea beds, and kelp forests are open to us.
This might just be the most elated I’ve ever felt. It’s good to be alive.
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Travel Tips
The above was all written over the two nights we were in Cairns to complete our Open Water Scuba certification last weekend. We stayed at the Caravella Backpackers on The Esplanade in Cairns and did all of our training and diving with the wonderful people at the Deep Sea Diver’s Den.
If you’re ever in Cairns and looking for an affordable place to stay, I can’t recommend Caravella highly enough. The staff were friendly; the rooms were Spartan but comfortable; and the Mud Flat cafe attached served up a pretty good selection of snacks and light meals.
As for Deep Sea Diver’s Den – I really would recommend taking any courses or dives you wish to do with them. Their dive shop is well stocked, their staff do a fantastic job with teaching and training, and they definitely have a good idea of whereabouts on the reef you’re going to get the best conditions. As I said earlier, they went above and beyond to help Fallon get qualified, and put together a great value package for the two of us.
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