Cairns

When I arrived in Cairns, I'm not entirely sure what I was expecting.  It's hot.  It's humid.  It's in a rainforest.  I broke out in a sweat just walking on the jetway from the plane to the terminal.

The hostel I'm staying in is cool.  It has a decent vibe to it, but isn't at all very social, which is too bad.

I've spent most of my time here wandering, and you can walk around in the city in a short amount of time.  They've got this public man-made lagoon at the end of town, right near the water, so people can swim without worrying about getting stung by the jellies (including the deadly box jellyfish) that surround this area.

It rains a LOT here (in a rainforest...go figure).  It's rained for hours each of the two days I've been here.  It's rain, really hot sunshine, drizzle, rain, rain, sunshine, downpour, etc.  Also the hostel was very tricky...they claimed on the internet that each room is equipped with A/C.  Upon arrival, the A/C is coin operated and only lasts for 3 hours at a time.  If you don't like it, you get to sweat through the night.

Anyway, tomorrow I'm headed out to the Great Barrier Reef.  I'll be on a boat and out of contact for three days, returning Tuesday (Monday for all you people back home, a day behind Aussieland).

When I get back, expect a post about my diving adventure on the reef (sharks, rays, night diving, the works), complete with a bunch of pictures.