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Australia e-journal |
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Great Barrier Reef |
Friday,
September 20, 2002 |
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Factoids: · Takes about 90 minutes by
catamaran to the Reef · Shark sighting on the reef! · You don’t need to tip in Australia
because the locals don’t tip! · GST = 10% (already included in the
price…) |
Early departure from the hotel this morning. We had to be at the docks for 9AM. On the bus to the harbour, Robyn tried to pawn off some expensive guided tours. I think D and I will go snorkelling on our own and take photos with the waterproof camera we purchased at SDM. …. OK, we’re back from the Reef. Have to say the hour snorkelling was awesome. Out on Agincourt Reef, it took about 90 minutes from Port Douglas to get out there. We saw some cool animals – parrot fish, angel fish and even a shark! Hope the picture came out – I had to dive 4-5 metres to snap a shot. (Ed: Luckily, it turned out) Lunch was very simple on the floating pontoon – buffet, as expected. In the afternoon, we did a tour in a glass-bottomed boat – saw clams, big bass, turtles, different types of coral (bounder, lettuce, brain, staghorn, etc). We got a photo taken underwater – we bought the shot for A$20. Took a shower when we got back to the hotel. Feel so much water getting all that salt off of me! Also washed our swimsuits to rid of the salt, as well. Let me tell you how bad tasting saltwater is! YUCK! It’ll teach you quickly to have a snug fit when you snorkel, that’s for sure. Tonight, we went out to eat at a Mediterranean restaurant with the crew. A nice little family-run place called La Bordello. The food was prepared by one guy and there was 20 of us… it took a while for all the dinners to be prepared. I ordered the garlic shrimp; D ordered the curry shrimp. Both were nicely done. Only downpoint is that it was buttered rice to heck! To top it off, we had some crepes for dessert. Total damage – A$55. Not bad when you consider we had 2 shrimp dishes, wine and dessert plus a small gratuity. It’s an early morning tomorrow (6:30AM) so we have to pack tonight. Had to wash the sandals (they smell like hell) and then give a big dose of talc. That’s all folks … (for now). |