Week 9 was our spring break week! We left for Cairns early on Saturday morning. There was some difficulty traveling with our luggage and attempting to pack everything we bought into two bags but eventually we made it through and all made it on our flight. We stayed in a hostel at Gilligan’s with the same roommates I had in Australia.
Once we arrived on Saturday we took the time to wander around Cairns and explore the area. We also headed down to the pool before heading to our group dinner with everyone on the GAV program. Since we were traveling that day I was pretty tired and headed to bed soon after getting home. On Sunday, we headed out to the Great Barrier Reef!! I did not realize how long of a boat ride off coast this was going to be. Luckily, I do not get seasick. There were many people on the boat who were struggling with the waves and had bad motion sickness so it was a long ride out for many people. I went up on the top deck to let people go to the back of the boat and to not be around everyone who was feeling sick. However, the waves were still reaching the top and splashing a lot of us so we all got pretty drenched before getting in the water at the reef. At the first location we went to I was able to go snorkeling. I was a bit nervous going out there at first since I had never been snorkeling before. The current was really strong so it was a bit of a struggle to get far out but we still got to see some cool coral. They then called us in for lunch but I signed up for scuba diving so it was my turn to go at this spot. I went with two other people from our program which was nice and went on the beginner dive. I was super nervous for this to figure out the equipment and to be breathing underwater but I am so happy I decided to do it. I even got to see two sea turtles which was so cool. After this we swam around off the back of the boat before grabbing lunch inside. We finally moved to a new spot where I got to snorkel and swim around some more. There were a bunch of fish here and the current was not as strong which was super nice. Overall it was such a fun day and I am so happy I got to go.
On Monday, we went on a trip to the Atherton Tablelands. We got picked up on a bus and started our trip through the windiest road in all of Australia to reach the first spot. This was a volcanic crater where people could go swimming. Supposedly there was a fresh water crocodile that lived in here but had not been seen in a long time. The next stop was a famous tree which we stopped briefly at to take pictures and look around. We then got back on the bus to head into a small town where they set up lunch for us and we waited around for a bit. In the second half of the day we visited three separate waterfall locations. At the first stop I went in the water and swam behind the waterfall which was super cool. At the second two stops we got to stop and take some pictures before heading home.
On Tuesday we headed to the crocodile park. On this trip we had time to look around the crocodile park and see all the different animals here. There were a bunch of kangaroos, koalas, snakes, and other animals all at this spot. We also had a boat tour where we got to go around the lagoon and they fed crocodiles off the boat for us to see. Then on Wednesday we headed over to an island on a ferry. This was one of the prettiest spots I have ever seen. We hiked over to a beach and spent the day swimming around. The beach was cool since it was a lot of washed up coral instead of sand. It was also so nice to have a relaxing day after all the travel and activities we had been up to.
Thursday was our free day but I decided to go sky diving this day. It was definitely very scary and nerve wracking but I am so happy I did it. They picked us up in a shuttle that morning to bring us to the location. We had to wait around most of the day since they did not have a ton of instructors so we all had to take turns going two at a time. I was one of the last groups of the day so by the time I went most of my nerves had worn off and I was so excited to jump out. They sent us up in a tiny plane that I was more willing to jump out than land in it. There were not even seats for us to be in, we were all sitting on the floor strapped to the side. We flew around for a while which was so cool because we could see the ocean and great barrier reef from where we were in the plane. I went up with my friend Lola and I was the first one to jump out. It was so cool too because I was able to look up after and see her dropping from the sky too. I do not know if I would ever do it again but it was one of the most insane experiences I have ever had.
Friday I took the day to walk around Cairns and explore the area. I also spent a while sitting by the pool this day but it was extremely hot so it did not last too long before I had to head inside. That night we went to Fetta’s, a Greek restaurant with the Bucknell group. They brought out a bunch of dishes for us. And toward the end of the night they had a dancer come out and we started throwing plates around which was so much fun for our last night.
Saturday I walked around and got my nails done in the morning. We then headed to the airport that night and headed to Singapore. It was a pretty long flight so we got to Singapore late at night. Then Sunday morning we had orientation here and went out to lunch. The rest of the day I took to finish unpacking and settling in before my first day of work on Monday.