Yes We Cairns: The Great Barrier Reef, Daintree Rainforest, and the Cane Toad Conundrum

A rainforest above and a rainforest below, that is the best way to describe the North Tropical Queensland Coast, home of the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest, the only place in the world where two World Heritage Organization sites meet.

Probably one of the most visually spectacular places I have ever visited, my San Diego friend, Jessica, and I spent the week in Cairns (pronounced Cans) and the surrounding areas of Port Douglas, Daintree Rainforest, Cape Tribulation, the Mossman Gorge, and on Reef, the Great Barrier kind.

Closely guarded by deadly Irukandji jellyfish and stingrays, including the variety of which dealt a death blow to beloved Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin here in 2006, nature is best viewed with abundant caution in this part of the world, which is why there's no swimming on beaches in any month with an "R" or a "Y," and all diving and snorkeling activity takes place with more coverage than Tiger Woods in a Burqua.

Jessica and I went on an outstanding reef tour with Sea Star Cruises, a smaller boat line that took us out to both the inner and outer reefs, Michalmas Cay and Hastings. Though I was crowned the maiden puker on the tumultuous departing ride, narrowly edging out several peaked Japanese tourists for the coveted crown, the entire experience was amazing (The reef...Ok, and those biodegradable sea sick bags were pretty cool, too).

I made an attempt at SCUBA, however the 5-minute introductory class by our German Divemaster proved inadequate training for the task at hand, and I got about a meter down before water got in my mask and I freaked out and swam towards the surface. This happened twice.

Hey, I come by it honestly. One of my earliest childhood memories is mum having a panic attack on the Submarine Ride at Disneyland.

Jessica however, and the rest of the successful new divers including the vomiting Japanese tourists and a couple of kids, had a very good experience on their maiden dive. In the end, I was content to just float above it all and take in the miracle below the surface once you slap your mask down in the water. The tour also included a glass-bottom boat ride, a reef biology class, and a wonderful afternoon of cold Victoria Bitter (VB) beer on the back of a boat in the tropics...And yes, I did find Nemo.

The next day we explored along the Captain Cook Highway, including a tour of the Daintree Rainforest and a Cruise on the Daintree River. Our salty river tour guide, Mic, who currently holds my vote as the funnest bloke in all of Queensland (Raspy Voice, a million stories to tell, random band aids, may or may not have been drinking), explained to us the local Cane Toad problem that is evolving into an ecological nightmare for the region.

Apparently, to control the Cane Beetle population destroying lucrative crops, the Australian Government decided to import poisonous Cane Toads. Only, someone forgot to do a Wikipedia search for "Cane Toad," because they soon discovered that not only are the amiss amphibians not able to jump or extend their tongues to reach the beetle in this taller variety of sugar plant, but they are nocturnal and their intended prey is active during the day. The Cane Toads are currently multiplying and taking over, picking fights with all of the cute little forest frogs, and just in general being a bounce. I took an important message from this. "Remember the Cain Toad" is a life lesson that will help me remember to make good decisions.

A couple of other random and interesting factoids I learned in Cairns, illness prevented Richard Daintree from ever actually visiting the rainforest that bears his name; Captain Cook named Cape Tribulation after his boat, the Endeavor, ran aground on the reef and he pinpointed this stretch of coast as the start of many problems in his voyage; and, a government program that allowed a developer to sell off plots of land smack in the middle of the rainforest before realizing what they had done and making effort to buy them back has meant there has been some development in the middle of Daintree. The area is referred to as "the dark side" because it has no electricity system, no sewers, and stringent building regulations as the government tried to legislate people out of developing. However, Daintree does have an extensive bug museum. An interesting choice, in my opinion, being that it doesn't even have access to close medical care or a full grocery store. Cane Toad anyone?

Back to work today. No side trips planned yet, but will keep you updated.