More on that photo later… Tehehe.

So, turns out we went right from sunburn territory to super-hot-and-even-more-humid territory, also known as the far north of Queensland.

We landed in Cairns and took a shuttle up to Port Douglas so we could catch some beach vibes and stay in an actual resort. Whaaaat? Summer is the slow season for the north, because it’s the rainy season and also the too-darn-hot season, so I somehow found a listing for a resort stay at a Lizzy budget price. Couldn’t pass it up.

The walk to the room was through a mini rainforest, and our neighbors were a bunch of green-bottomed ants. Our window sat overlooking a winding saltwater pool. The room was so relaxing that we ended up lounging for a little too long before we realized we should venture outside.

We took a shuttle into town and checked out the beach, though, unfortunately, it’s no swimming allowed here! Seems silly, right? Well, the swimming restrictions exist because of jelly fish and crocodiles, so I guess it makes some kind of sense….

After some wanderings and shopping, we plopped down for some deeeelicious pumpkin pizza and fish and chips which employed a local fish, barramundi. All was yummy. We also got to enjoy quite a show while we ate, as we witnessed thousands of tiny birds flock from all around to roost together in one giant tree across the street. It was madness how many of them there were, and they never seemed to stop coming!

When we got back to our stay, we swam for hours in the dark and chatted with a pretty conservative, seemingly well-off, old Australian man who was a time share owner for the resort. He told me he could picture me with a gun. How kind.

In the morning, we had breakfast at the resort and then jetted off to the Wildlife Habitat, where we saw a Papuan Frogmouth, not to be confused with an owl!

We were here to be picked up for a day tour to the Daintree Rainforest, and what a lovely day we had in store! We were greeted with some curvy Australian bananas and a van full of happy tourists. Our guide, Adrian, was a tall, smiley Australian man with crooked teeth. Big fan.

Our first stop was Mossman Gorge. We started with a short walk through the forest, where we spotted a lizard and lots of fun plants. It was crazy how much some of the plant life relied on trees and other tall structures to reach up through the dense forest canopy in search of sunlight. One of these is nicknamed “wait a while” because they catch onto passersby with their little hooks, and you have to wait-a-while, or be patient, to unhook yourself!

Another favorite was the basket fern. They form way up in the tops of trees and form little homes for lots of nocturnal animals, but this one had fallen to the forest floor, allowing us a better look.

Once we reached the gorge, it was time for a swim! The fresh water was cool enough to be refreshing, but no where near chilly. I even got the nerve to swim out to a rock in the middle of the river and jump off. I am a woman warrior.

The group reluctantly left the cool waters to continue our adventure through sprawling sugarcane farms.

Our next stop was the Daintree River, where we would embark on a crocodile cruise! The water was green, murky, and very brackish. Perfect for crocs.

Our guide, Bill, let us know that if we didn’t see any crocodiles, it would become a wildlife cruise, and if we didn’t see any wildlife, it would become a “mangrove appreciation” cruise. Mangroves are saltwater plants that have crazy, tall root systems that reach out of the water to search for oxygen. They lined the banks of the river the whole way.

But not long after this announcement, he spotted our first crocodile! Her name is Lizzy (ha!) and she is well known in the area for having nested in the same location for over thirty years. Bill spotted her hiding among the mangroves on the edge of the water, about ten meters from her nest. She had piercing, opaque red eyes, and that’s about all we could see of her. I won’t even post a picture of her, because you wouldn’t be able to make her out.

A while later, just as we all moved to get a better look at a large white bird flying in front of the boat, Lillie, another American on the tour, shouted, “Stop! Stop! Right there! Stop right there!” I hurried back to my seat near her as Bill stalled the boat, and we caught a great view of a croc named Nate. He was lurking beneath the banks as a couple cows came by to graze.

A success, indeed!

We were all chipper as we met back up with Adrian to continue our drive. Along the way, we passed by a fruit orchard, and he pointed out durian, jackfruit, and mango trees. So tropical!

We popped into a little business for lunch – local fish burger and a delicious beetroot-and-steak sandwich, and then it was time to feed some wallabies!!!

THEY WERE SO CUTE.

And Jonathan spotted that TWO of them had babies in their pouches!!! One of the babies was so little that it didn’t even have fur yet!

When I realized we could pet them, it was all over. I was in heaven.

Our next and final stop was a beach just south of Cape Tribulation. The walk to the beach was abound in wildlife and more crazy mangrove roots.

Adrian then shocked us all by announcing we would be cracking open some coconuts. He scoured the beach for a minute or two and came back with two giant coconuts. First, we had to husk them. I had an easier time than some of the group, and Adrian decided it was because of my South Chinese lineage. Bahahaha.

After the husking, we were rewarded with the more familiar spherical, furry inner coconut shell. Then Adrian cracked this in half and passed it around so we could all sip at the coconut water inside. I’m not usually a fan of the bottled coconut water I’ve tried, but this was delicious. So sweet and fresh.

Adrian called the yellow growth inside the “placenta.” This ended up being Jonathan’s favorite part, as it was extra sweet and fatty.

Next, Adrian shaved the meat from the inside of the shell, and we all scooped up handfuls. So yummy!

Then, we scooped up even larger handfuls and squeezed out the milk. It was soooo ridiculously rich. Gah. Too amazing.

The last step, which only Phyllis tried, was to wipe the excess oils in your hair. I wanted to do it, too, but I couldn’t get all the coconut flakes off my hands.

Oh, and then The Boy and I went off a little photoshoot. Hence the first photo for this post. Bahahaha.

Our journey home was green, cheery, and sleepy.

And then, just when we had resigned against it, we spotted a cassowary and his two babies! We’d been on the lookout the whole trip, with no luck until the end. These giant birds are the ancestors to emus, and they only live up here in the far north rainforest. Such a lucky sight!

The trip wasn’t entirely over, yet, though. We still had one stop for some famous Daintree ice cream and another for a gorgeous lookout.

Then it was a long drive back to Port Douglas, with one more viewpoint above the Four Mile Beach.

Fully pooped out, we bid adieu to our group and rounded out the evening with some pumpkin gnocchi and a chicken parmesan – apparently this is an Australian dish. Who knew?

Then we had another good, long swim in the pool before tucking in.

A lovely tropical adventure! The next stop isn’t too far off. Stay tuned for more.

Venlig hislen/ cheers,
-Lizzy-wa