back from the reef

When I came home, I opened my suitcase to unpack and was hit with a wave of smells. Yes, some of it was of sweat from laying in the warm sun and walking in the afternoon heat, but I could also smell the salty ocean. I closed my eyes and could see the coral, holding my breath underwater, I hear parrot fish chewing on coral. The reef looks just like it does in Finding Nemo. I saw every fish and plant from the movie, all living in beautiful harmony ( except for the occasional predator). An equally as beautiful sight was the rainforest in Cairns. The Kuranda rainforest town had a mammal sanctuary, so I got to pet kangaroos again. It never gets old. I still had some of the food from their pen in my pocket. To get to Kuranda, one can take an old scenic railcar that has been in use since the 1800s. On the way down from the forest mountains, there is a skyrail. The little cars float above the trees, and I could see cockatoos in their nests. When I wasn't sightseeing. I stayed at my first hostel. I really enjoyed the experience, and I feel that having it as an all girls hostel makes the experience less intimidating. All of the girls I met told me our hostel was unusually nice and clean. This makes me nervous to go to a hostel again. Many of the girls were from Ireland and traveling around the country for the next year, working as they went. I can't even wrap my mind around traveling that way. Everyone was very nice, and I got a lot of good advice. I was surprised at how open all the buildings were in Cairns, with geckos and bugs running in and out all the time. This is apparently just part of life in the tropics. As hard as it was to leave the warm weather, coming back to Perth really did feel like coming home. Even though my flat was a mess, I missed my little room and all my friends. I didn't miss school, but like it or not I have a test in a week. I'm having trouble getting my pictures on the blog, so bear with me until I get that fixed. In the meantime, go watch finding nemo!