May 31, 2014 Great Divide Continued

Clyde here...
We are staying in another part of Sydney called Darling Harbor and it too is wonderful and has another Vivid light show for us to view.

We are attending the International Rotary Convention for the first time so we are curious to see what will happen. It is held at the Olympic Stadium where the Summer Olympic Games were held in 2000 and it is enormous! There are 18,000 Rotarians from over 250 countries and territories all over the world. The bus we ride back and forth and the friendship hall we spend a lot of time is a crazy quilt of colors and fashions from all over the world. The number of languages is amazing. It is as if we are at a United Nations meeting. Since we all have Rotary in common and all want to meet others, conversations automatically happen and everyone is involved talking and enjoying each other. It is a wonderful feeling as we visit with people from Russia, China, Japan, Europe, African Nations, Egypt and all over the world with no distrust or fears.

We have the big meeting each day in the big arena called AllPhones where the basketball games and other events took place. The speakers on all three days were excellent and we have entertainment that was first rate. One group, Human Nature, in fact is from Australia but doing a 3 year stint in Las Vegas The closing entertainment of The TEN Tenors and Marina Prior are well known all over Australia. The arena was a packed house.

CUT! Tina here...
Uggh, I wake up and my head hurts. Too much food, cocktails and wine the night before with Vickie and Garry. They had the capacity and youth to push us to our limits. We heard tales of Grange wine tasting and the wines outside of Melbourne and Perth from our new friends Garry and Vickie. Tasmania sounds wonderful and only wishing we had another month in Australia. Vickie and Garry are from Melbourne and became fast friends. Seems they have been to the US once and not had the best wine experiance in Napa. Go figure.... Jim and I know that they would love our Paso Robles experiance and selfishly hope that they will come over to see us...so they have no choice to invite us as their guests. Tasmaina is a must. Margaret River is a must. The outback with Jane is a must...oh, forgot to tell you about the outback. Can you imagine spending a week in the outback? Awesome. I'm working for Hot, High and Tipsy Australia....2nd time around!
I did mention more food and wine, right? And we took a couple more pathetic selfies again...

Love this place!

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May 30, 2014 The Great Divide

While Jim and Tina remain in paradise having drinks delivered to them poolside, it is time for Krimhilde and Clyde to depart and attend to other business. This trip began, as usual, over a glass, no bottles, of wine when the topic came up, "Where are we going this year?". "Just so happens", says I, "I am going as President Elect of my Rotary Club to the International Convention in Sydney, Australia. How about that? And, since it is so far and just a plane ride away, how ‘bout we throw in New Zealand too?. There it was and here we are. And what an adventure it has been. But now it is time for us to head to the convention and leave our travel buddies in Paradise.
We are on an island and obviously we have to get off the island so obviously we call a taxi, right? We did and the Dunk Island Water Taxi pulled right up to the beach to pick us up equipped with a portable dock that drops into the water and we walk on board. 20 minutes later we pull up to the, um, beach. No dock, portable or otherwise. Lovely Nancy, owner along with her husband Fozzy who captains the taxi, wades out and says, "Hi, welcome to Mission Beach", and makes it plain we should walk down the ladder into the thigh-high surf and wade to shore. "How about the luggage" we say. "We will get that, just walk to the office and we will get you some coffee". So, while I was most proud I did not crash into the surf and wash out to sea, lovely Nancy throws our 50 pound suitcases over her shoulder and walks to her 4 wheel drive to deliver our stuff to the office. Such a great couple and we visit until our land taxi arrives to deliver us to the Cairns Airport for a plane back to Sydney.

We arrive late in Sydney after our flight was cancelled and we were sent to another airline that allows only 4 inches between seats. We were worn out.

CUT.....

Tina here...we are so sad to see Krim and Clyde leave, but we must uphold the spirit of our 2nd Hot, High and Tipsy Trip, having fun! So...putting our efforts together, Jim and I dug in and well, made it happen!

Did our first "selfie"....

Found some wine, made fast freinds with the Vickie and Garry (the new folks who moved into Krim and Clyde's place). And...well, partied like it was 1999!

OOPS, the next morning was a tough one.

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May 29, 2014 Bedarra Island Resort

We sleep to the sound of crashing waves and open our eyes in to the morning to a view of the ocean and several islands out of window that is too beautiful for words.

Two rounds of coffee from our balcony and we head to a fine, fine breakfast.

We all feel like relaxing but Kayaks await and none of us has done that so we head to the beach and a quick lesson. It is great and Krimhilde finds a couple of turtles and we paddle around the bay for a bit.
Jim is feeling frisky and shows off plowing through a wave and looks round for the roar of the crowd. Big mistake. A broad-side wave hits the Kayak and flips over the boat. Now, here is the thing. Jim is just short of an Olympic swimmer and so his eyes got very large and his life flashed before him. And then, and then, Jim realized he was wearing a life vest so no problem and we get a good laugh.

A delightful lunch, lots of wine and relaxing and we head up to dinner. This is a special place and are pretty sure paradise is located near the Great Barrier Reef.

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May 28, 2014 To The Great Barrier Reef On Big Mama!

Jim makes a request for a little breakfast as hotel’s breakfast starts at 7 and we are off at 5AM. Sure enough, and for no charge they fill our refrigerator with fruit, cereal, yogurt and bread and fixings. Is that nice or what?
We are dragging a bit but this is Great Barrier Reef day and we want to waste no time. Our driver is waiting so we pile in long before the sun has made its way round the world to us again. We have a 3 hour trip so a flat white and restroom break is called for and our driver finds a place just ready to open.
Here comes Mission Beach and after a missed dirt road to the right we find the launch and in the bay is our 60 foot yacht! "Big Mama".

At this point our faithful folks still following us are thinking, "What the hell, did these people hit the lottery?" No, but we have decided sharing the cost between us allows us to travel well above what any of us thought we could afford. And this is the way we want to spend our money. And, the best part is there is not reason to worry about a will!

Our Yacht, "Big Mama" sits in the harbor like a beautiful dream and we see movement as a dingy is coming to fetch us. Stu looks like a sailor in a women’s dream.

Our ladies are playing it cool but there is apparently something about a well - built, suntan man with shorts and curly long blond hair and white teeth and that accent that is like a moth to a flame. Geeze, I even think they are pretty! And there are lots of them. Anyway, we reach the boat, up the ladder and greet sweet Lisa with the special smile. "Scones and tea anyone"? Peeking around the corner is Fletcher, their 10 year old son and I mean, he could be the star as Tarzan’s Son in a major movie. He is blond, beautiful, dimples, tan and moves around the boat like a monkey. Us around the boat? More like elephants in tennis shoes on a wet skating rink.

The sea is a bit "Rolling" the boat family calls it and to move 3 feet from one spot to another is a major effort. In fact, we are rolling along for a trip around 25 miles to the reef all holding on to rails and sitting on a bench when all of a sudden, "Whoa, flop, and like a fish out of water Tina hits the deck. "Are you alright" says our host Lisa? A bit embarrassed Tina pronounced herself just fine and says, "Oh fine, I fall down all the time". All of a sudden we see clouds off in the distance and our host brings out big rubber rain coats. "We might get wet so best to cover up". We notice the kid Fletcher roll up into a ball and put a rain coat over himself and say to us, "You have about a minute". Sure enough, comes the rain – nice at first but then pretty serious. Hard rain and we get pelted. It is pretty miserable when comes a loud giggle from Krimhilde as she looks toward Jim with wet glasses running with rain, wet hair, soaked clothes and squinting eyes and clenched teeth facing the storm. That breaks up Jim and we all join in a giggle and laugh as we contemplate the decision of going for the hatch and out of the storm risking going overboard or just sit tight and hope for a break.

We sit out the storm and just like the Captain said, a warm breeze comes and the sun is breaking through. Our Captain says not to worry for as soon as we clear the waves to the reef we will have clear weather, calm seas and it will all be good.

And just like that it is. The water turns the most beautiful blue and we can see deep into the reef. It is time to hit the water so into our wet suits we go and you will see no pictures of that sight in favor or good taste and to keep the blog a PG edition. Our limited experience with snorkeling is wading out and flopping about.

Stu has a better idea as we paddle to a big surf board and all line up like sardines resting on the board, butts up and faces down with mask and snorkel ready to view. And what a view it is as Stu drags us to the best spots on the reef. We have it to ourselves as there is not one other boat in the ocean that we can see.
Like being in the most expensive and elaborate aquarium in the world we drift from one incredible view to the next for an hour. It is impossible to explain but imagine the most beautiful garden infused with moving art in the form of fish of every variety and color. My god, it is mind boggling and at first we try to remember everything but soon give up and just sit back and enjoy.
We stop for a delightful lunch, change locations, and back in the water. Our skipper Stu and Lisa tell us it was quite a sight and do not remember 4 people with heads in water for so long. None of us wanted to miss a minute. A beer for me, some wine for the everyone else and we head to our place of stay some two and half hour sail to our island.
The trip back was delightful and we relax and enjoy the trip. From the stern we view this incredible family like outsiders looking into a different and delightful family. They sail along, looking out to sea, enjoying the universe before them.

They decide to harbor near our island tonight and we board the dingy for a trip to our waiting staff in the hotel. We look for a dock but there is no dock. A bit "Not sure Mate, this is going to be a bit of a Seal landing". So he heads to shore and says, "Mind your shoes unless you want to get them wet". So, we wade to shore barefoot and greet the staff. Up we walk to the office for an introduction which is pretty much whatever you want to just take it. If it is a bottle of Dom Perignon, just drop a shell here into your cup holding your room number.
Dinner begins at 6 or seven or whenever you are ready but guests come for drinks around 6 and you can meet the other 10 folks staying here if you wish. Want a bottle of wine? No problem, just grab a bottle and take it to your room. Want some snack? Here is some in the fridge or ask us to make up a fruit tray or cheese plate. This could be heaven. We follow some staff for a tour of our room and it is not a room. Nope. This is our own bungalow with deck, living room and upstairs to our bedroom.
A shower and we are ready for dinner. Folks here are mostly from Australia but we meet a couple of folks from Italy and they are all great. Dinner is a three course dinner with selected matching wines. We have been busy and we travel hard wanting to see as much as possible but we are tired and it has been a long day. Mellow and exhaustion hits us and when Jim’s head hits his chest the third time we think it is time to find our bed. Bed is sooo nice we all do not move until eight. We sleep to the sound of crashing waves.
Thank you Big Mama, Stu, Lisa, Fletcher and Coco for a most wonderful day....

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May 27 To Daintree Rain Forest

Tina here...

Our guide Clayton picks us up bright and early at 7:30 for this day's adventure. Clayton knew his stuff about the rainforest and the evolution of the earth and species of the rain forest. Within the first 15 minutes of our trip to the Daintree Rainforest, our heads were full of thoughts about how the single celled animals, fish, reptiles and birds evolved. Dates that go so far back it's hard to imagine, but we were going to be visiting the oldest rain forest in the world, so it was important that we had a basis for appreciation.

First stop, Clayton drops us off in the hands of Mitch, the boat drive who knew everything about the Daintree River. The cruise takes us through silent backwaters where crocodiles can be seen basking on the muddy banks. Krimhilde was not too keen about this and immediately started quizing Mitch about how dangerous it was for us to be going out to where the crocs were...we all get a chuckle as Krim is always trying to weigh every possible danger there may be ahead.

Krim to Mitch (disclaimer....summary from memory, but not all inclusive and not absolutely accurate): "Can the crocs tip the boat? What if a lot of crocs got under the boat, can they tip it? Has anyone been killed by a croc? How many? What time frame? What's dangerous here? Are the birds dangerous?"

The first croc we saw was a baby which was only a couple of months old. The floods had pushed the baby croc into the big river, when normally at this young age they would be in the smaller rivers well hidden under foliage by the shore. The baby croc was in a place in the open that birds could fly down an get him or other crocs could eat him. Things were not looking well for this croc's long term survival.

 

Jim, Krim and Clyde are scanning the waters for crocs while Mitch shared all kinds of information about the big guys that frequented the lake. He knew almost all the names of the crocs. See Elizabeth below...she is about 10 feet long.

The next croc seemed to be watching us from the water...although Mitch said that this croc was quite cold and was conserving energy, we liked that idea. If he was cold, he would not move very fast...

Now, this is where our excitement began. While watching this croc we took a number of pictures and our boat driver got us quite close... after taking pictures from the back of the boat, I turned to walk forward. Everyone's eyes were still on the croc. As I walked forward, just a foot away from the boat was the largest croc ever with his face laying across a log staring right up at us. I pointed and said, there is another one. At that, the croc rolled forward off the log to where both Mitch and I could clearly see how massively large this croc was. I do regret not getting a picture of this huge croc, but it all happened so fast. Mitch told us a crock that size could clearly propel quite fast and high for pray, so when Clyde stuck his head over the edge of the boat looking in the water saying, "Where did he go?" Mitch, with a very worried look on his face said, "I didn't see that one. We need to leave." EEK.... No more chuckling when Krim grills the guides for safety concerns!

Clayton awaits us at the other end of the river. We jump off the boat and back into our van. Our next stop...the Daintree World Heritage protected rainforest. Our journey takes us up the beautiful Alexandra Range passing through rainforest and on to our first stop deep in the rainforest at the Jindalba boardwalk. Here we are immersed into protected forests and a walk way to view ancient plants and amazing wildlife. We did not see any Cassowaries, the giant flightless bird related to the Emu, but we did see a dragon lizard! It was easy to imagine that we were back in the dinosour era, the trees looked like something right out of Jurassic Park. Did I mention that this is the oldest rainforest on earth?

It's amazing to see plants and trees fighting for sunlight!

See the Praying Mantis below?

Next up is tea or coffee and lemingtons, an Aussie special, made from lemony flavored sponge cake, layer of chocolate frosting rolled in coconut shavings. Yum!!

After tea, we head for the magical Cape Tribulation beach, this is where the rainforest meets the ocean. The beach is full of little crabs which make sand art for all to see as they tunnel under the sand for protection.

 

Oh wait, Clayton decides to ask us to do a jump picture...all of us together? It took 15 minutes, lost track of the number of trys, but we all needed a nap afterwards...We are pretty sure Clayton won't ask "mature" travelers to attempt this again...

Lunch time and what a fabulous lunch it is. Not only is the food great, but the resturant is a bit of a private zoo..

 

 

 

Lunch being finished, petting being done, it was off to find some exotic ice cream and then a fun ride back to the hotel through some roads flooding from the rain.

 

Lunch being finished, petting being done, it was off to find some exotic ice cream and then a fun ride back to the hotel through some roads flooding from the rain.

Tomorrow will be an early morning as we load up our traveling home for our next adventure...it's off to the Great Barrier Reef at 5 AM tomorrow. Thanks Clayton and Australia Luxury Escape for another fine day!

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