Another long, busy day of touring. We left the hotel at 8:15 this morning on a bus. Drove 20 minutes to a train station. Boarded a train and traveled through the rain forest on the train for one and one half hours. We then got back on the bus and went into Kuranda and spent an hour at the markets there. We got back on the bus and went to the Rainforest Station for three hours. While there we rode a Duck through the rain forest. We traveled on rough side roads and through the river on the Duck. The guide pointed out the names of trees and animals as we came across them.
After the Duck ride we had lunch. We had a chance to taste Kangeroo meat if you choose to. Nicole did- I didn’t. The unanimous consent at our lunch table was the meat was over cooked and wasn’t very good.
After lunch Nicole and I got our pictures taken with a Koala. Nicole held it while I petted it. Nicole said it weighted more than she expected it to. The Koala was quiet and cuddly. They weren’t busy so Nicole got to hold it for a bit longer than she would have otherwise.
We walked through the animal park. It wasn’t very big – smaller than the other one we visited earlier in the trip. We were able to pet a kangaroo that was out in the yard.
Then we went to watch five indigenous men perform and dance. One played the didgeridoo, three danced, and the other sang and play the sticks. They were OK.
One of the performers then showed our tour group how to throw a boomerang and each person in our group had a chance to try their hand at it. The performer than showed us how he played the didgeridoo and threw some spears.
We went back on the bus and went to the Gondola ride for the trip back to the city. The Gondola ride lasted over an hour and was a beautiful ride over the top of the rain forest. Our bus met us at the end and took us back to our hotel.
Our tour guide hosted a wine and cheese event pool side for a bit after we got back. We only stayed for a bit and then we walked downtown and found dinner. We stopped at the night market on the way home and then came back to the hotel.
It was in the low 90’s today and when one was in the direct sunlight it was hot and intense. It was comfortable in the shade when there was a breeze. Both of us are tired tonight again. It felt like it was a long day.
The highlight of the day was being up close and personal with the Koala and the Gondola ride. The rest of the day was OK but after the wonderful day we had yesterday certainly not as exciting as that.
Tomorrow we have over a three-hour flight to Melbourne. We have a scheduled group dinner tomorrow night once we get to the hotel. We plan on taking a long walk in the morning before we leave the hotel at 10:15 as we won’t get much chance to walk around again tomorrow. We only spend two nights in Melbourne and then we head for home.
Grateful for the opportunity to get up close and personal with a Koala, grateful again for the beauty of the rain forest, and grateful this day is over!