A story to tell, and a good one at that. The story of a mid semester holiday full of walking, boats, flares, worries, excitement, unimaginable worlds, stars, troubles with hearing, large swells, great people, and absolutely amazing food. During this adventure I jotted down notes in my journal as the days passed by. So today for my blog I’m going to try something new, and write it similar to my journal, from my perspective from the end of each day when I had time to write. Here we go.

Day #1
09/29/19
Flight to Cairns-

Bus scheduled to pick up at 4:25am at the University Bus station. Waking up early to organize last minute packing, I was chatting with some of my friends from the states, jittery with nervousness for walking in the dark, but also excitement for the journey ahead. Once bus airport transfer arrived we made several other stops before making our way to the Brisbane airport. Hopping off the bus, I headed in, chatted with some nice Jetstar crew members, went through security, then was ready for the flight! With a couple of hours to spare I talked to some friends and went over my anatomy studies. I also had a huge scare today concerning the weight of my carry on, because I guess Jetstar weighs them before every entry, giving me a fright knowing that my camera was over the limit. But with many passengers absent on the plane, I was let through with no problem. Thank Goodness.

On the flight over, I was given a window seat four rows from the front on the right side. Perfect. As we flew along the coast I could see Fraser Island, the Whitsudays, and the Great Barrier Reefs pass below me. The view from above blew me away as bright blues and greens formed beautiful rings within the water. Landing, and walking down the plane steps on the Cairns airport tarmac I went inside and joined up with my Grandparents. Oh man it was good to see some familiar faces, and I LOVE travelling with them. We took a taxi to the hotel, relaxed, then headed to go find some lunch. Later that night we also walked to dinner. Our night walk back we were joined by some pelicans relaxing in the water after it had finally risen, filling the bay with high tide. Overall it was a great, smooth day. Can’t wait for tomorrow!

Day #2
09/30/19
Day in Cairns/ BOAT DAY-

After being woken by a phone call from my Aunt at 4am, asking my Grandma about Christmas plans, I laid awake for about an hour. Then getting some sleep off and on, we got up around 6am without a plan for the day ahead, and headed down to breakfast. After a ham and cheese croissant we talked to the hotel front desk worker who suggested a day at the Botanical Gardens. Sounds perfect for us!

The gardens were quite beautiful, and I noticed how different the flora and vegetation was compared to the Sunshine Coast area where I study at. Walking through, I showed my grandparents the common bush turkey, and I think we saw a dingo sleeping? Still unsure. Then we walked around some old oil storage tanks that was turned into a art and music museum, and headed up a steep lookout path. Lets just say it was a lot of walking and steps in one morning. We were all a little done. So taking the bus into town, we missed our stop, and my grandpa and I walked back to the hotel to grab our bags. On the way, I was complaining about my sunglasses, laughing about how scratched up and blurry they were, but I loved them so much. Being curious, my grandpa tried them on, said it was ridiculous and you couldn’t see anything! And I couldn’t disagree! So once at the hotel, I found a pair of cheap sunglasses which I love, grabbed the bags, then walked down the shore to meet my grandma. Having to load the boat at 4pm, we realized we were at the wrong warf, and ours was about a 30min walk away. Okay. More walking.

Finally arriving and loading the boat we were welcomed with some food and drinks. My mind raced with excitement. I GET TO GO ON A BOAT TRIP! With no idea of what to expect, I find myself inside a pretty large boat with 3 levels, 46 rooms, large lounge area and dinning room. Plus a glass bottom boat off the back. This is Fancy. Overall, the passenger group was quite small including some families, and the rest being couples a variety of ages. After general greetings we were shown to our room. Having a nice bunk for myself and plenty of place to store my things, I was more than satisfied. This boat is amazing. Later tonight after a stunning sunset overlooking Cairns from the water, was the seafood buffet. There was a huge variety of fish, clams, prawns, etc… And I tried one of everything! After our feast and amazing dessert we were super tired and headed to bed. Laying in bed my eyes fight hard to stay open, finishing my last thoughts before my first night on the water. We’ll see if I get any sleep through the rocking boat along with my rush of thoughts for the days ahead.

Day #3
10/1/19
Day of the Flare-

Waking up from the first night on the boat I was a little tired, but good! I slept alright for the first part, then it was rough for a while. Expecting it to be a bit wavy, I was okay with it, and thankfully didn’t feel any sickness. But parts of the night I was holding on to my bed so I wouldn’t roll off onto my grandpa who slept in the bed below! Waking up around 5:20, we rested, changed, then headed down for breakfast. Today was a day of travel, planning to stop at Cook’s Town and arrive at Lizard island in the afternoon for some snorkeling and sunset drinks on the beach. But something came up, and the plan was delayed. Cook’s town was small cute town along the coast. Not much to do, but a neat place to see along the way. After spending about an hour wondering around, we started our way towards Lizard Island.

Direct notes from Journal
4:00pm-
A terrible feeling in my gut sickens me to the core. Seeing something so clearly, and gazing for a sign in the vast water, eyes focused strictly around the swells near the island. As the 60 minutes passed by, standing on the front of the boat, the hope of seeing something, anything, seemed discouraging. Within the blowing wind, strong current, deep swells, anything could be missed. But with someone’s life possibly in the grasp of the wild ocean, possibly in our eyes reach, it’s not a choice of looking or not. After circling around again, our search had ended, and we had to continue our journey towards Lizard island. But I’m the one who saw the Flare. I’m left cursed with the visual proof and now memory that someone could be out there. A sight of a red light crashing into nearby water. I am left with the curse of knowledge, and nothing found. My excitement for the reef is currently paused as viewing into the water right after this event is leaving me hollow and haunted. The crew was nice, and the situation was taken very seriously of course. I am slightly sad, as well as the rest of the crew, that our snorkeling was cancelled for the afternoon due to the delay. Of course some might think a girl cried wolf, some might question what I saw, but most were supportive and stood concreted peeling their eyes along side me. Word around the boat says that someone else also saw something red but they were unsure. I am unaware of who that was as I was with the captain for the entirety of the search. But it is continued proof that there was a flare and there was someone out there. Being on a part of the coast with little to no boats, except few big container ships, the co-captain explained to me how help would be hours and hours away. So, all we can do is hope that who ever shot off the flare is safe, and move on with the trip knowing that we tried our best. Now it is time for me to take a nap, go have some sunset drinks with the crew, and let myself breath. I can’t let this emptiness last the entirety of the voyage. It’s already taking so much out of me today.

7:00pm
Any troubles I’ve forgot’em, I buried them in the sand.

9:50pm
What a wonderful evening. I have not forgotten all troubles nor buried them in the sand, but have mended some in a way. Yes, I still have some hollow feelings about leaving the flare area behind, but with a great evening drink, dinner, star gazing, and most importantly company, my evening was peaceful and wonderful.
Beginning the night stressed, I hopped in the small boat to head to have evening drinks on a Lizard island beach. Pulling up to the shore, the shallows stretched far out with soft, beautiful grey sand in the sunset waters. With a helping hand from our lovely staff, we stepped off the boat into the soothing clear water and made our way to shore for a glass of champagne to accompany us during the ocean view sunset. My mind began to settle as I gazed into the large sun, not burying worries in the sand, but perhaps letting them lightly wash away with the tide, and disappear with the last rays of light. Many people from the boat also approached me as word spread that I was the one to see the flare. They simply thanked me, and comforted me saying it was the right thing to do. I really am thankful for the good people I am surrounded by in my life, how lucky am I?
Then coming back, passengers swayed slightly, and not from their sea legs I can promise you that. We changed into our evening clothes then headed upstairs to the top deck for a bbq dinner cooked by the Captain. On our way, the Captain pulled me aside and personally thanked me for my help today with the search. That was really nice. Then with my flowy orange skirt, we grabbed our plates and started the feast! Guess what was on the menu… kangaroo! It was actually really good, and surprisingly tastes similar to beef. And of course there was another amazing dessert, tonight being cake. After another glass of wine, a nice couple from Washington joined us to look at the stars. Oh and they were just beautiful. The milky way stretched across the sky as we stood laughing while pointing out constellations and planets around the dusty line. Conversations flowed, and the kind gentlemen lent me his old jacket as we talked about home, millennial issues, and the beauty and amazement of the stars. Overall, today was an amazing day to experience. Can’t wait for tomorrow.