Snorkling at the Great Barrier Reef

Ok, so I went to Cairns last year basically to see the Great Barrier Reef. It was my first time in Australia and I have to say I loved it. No worries! Loved Australia and loved the Australians. Good looking people, laid back, nice and helpful. When I think of Australia I can't help but to think of Abba The Movie, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, and of course, Muriel's Wedding! Not to mention all the hot movie stars that came out of there: Nicole Kidman, Toni Collette, Russell Crowe, Heath Ledger and Anthony LaPaglia just to name a few. The country is also quite hot, jungle hot and humid, so bring your cap, sunglass and lotion. If you forget to do it those ads on local TV will remind you to do it quickly: Australia is one of the countries that account for most of the skin cancer in the world...

So back to the reef. After many offers I settled for a very affordable tour to the reef (literally the cheapest, anything cheaper and I would have taken a dolphin over there) but there was entertainment onboard which I missed for after lunch (which I never miss) I went to the upper deck to look at the sea, met a guy half my age who had two online businesses and we talked so much that I ended missing the snorkeling orientation. Bad move. That was really my first time snorkeling ever and I chose snorkeling over scuba diving because I have asthma and felt uneasy about going way down under. But hey, why did I have to choose the biggest reef in the world to be my first snorkeling experience? But that was how it happened and I just went for it. After everyone jumped in the water I coyly jumped too (after stepping on one of the instructors head as he submerged from the scuba diving area) and then swam furiously into deep sea to enjoy this natural wonder. So I took a deep breath and soon was out there in the sea, in a heavy diving rubber suit and clumsy mask, and I did get to see the reef after all - it was fucking amazing - no other way to describe it. For a moment as I looked down and watched the corals and fish with the sun reflecting on all of it, well, it was very peaceful and beautiful. And it lasted for a few minutes, long enough before I began swallowing water and realized I was doing something wrong. Too late to attend snorkeling 101 or to switch and begin exhaling through the nose instead of my mouth so I panicked big time and swallowed even more water! When I got my head up and looked for the boat all I saw was a wobbling image full of water drops behind my mask - a real mirage - and I began swimming back towards it, a breathless struggle that seemed like an eternity. Back on the boat the instructor pulled me in and told me about breathing through the tube and exhaling through the nose and I smiled pretending I knew what he meant; then, noticing my distress, he offered me a life vest which I took willingly. After a few breathing exercises I went back in, life vest on and in a less panicky mode, and I even swam further but the tide was higher and the vision of the corals not so good but it was still fun.

Where are the pictures of the reef? No, my budget did not include one of those fancy cameras that work under water - mine is the Best Buy Special that makes blurry videos and that would crash just by being near water. But I did see the reef and that is all that matters. What are pictures if you don't actually see it? I always wonder about that anecdote on the tourist too worried of taking a picture of a whale that when the whale finally comes up the tourist invests so much time on capturing the moment but doesn't really get a good picture and doesn't see the whale. Missing the moment altogether isn't what travel is all about. So later on, my entrepeneur friend told me they spotted a baby shark, but apparently I was just busy trying not to become an emergency rescue to catch a glimpse of anything. On the way back, while enjoying some white wine in the upper deck I saw a few big sharks and also a huge sea turtle.

A little about Cairns: it's a cute seashore touristy town that still maintains its charm despite all the malls, restaurants, bars and obviously, reef craze. There is a great public pool nearby the sea for the actual sea is too dangerous to swim: crocodiles and sharks would have you for dessert in a heartbeat! Also, if you're wondering if I saw any kangaroos while in Cairns the answer is no. They are not everywhere as I thought they would be. I went to a local zoo on top of a casino and saw some interesting animals and even a koala but no kangaroos. That in the photo is actually a rat with a very long tail.