Saturday, Feb 01 Day 12- Monday, Feb 3 Day 14
GREAT BARRIER REEF!
Adelaide to Brisbane to Hamilton Island
Saturday was a travel day. We left our hotel at 4:30am for a 6am flight to Brisbane and then had an 11:40 flight from Brisbane to Hamilton island. Hamilton island is one of Queensland's 74 Whitsunday Islands that lie between the Queensland Coast and the Great Barrier Reef.
We arrived at our resort and spent the remainder of the afternoon relaxing on the beach, kayaking and having cocktails. It was Denise's bday ( at least in Australia) and we had a beautiful and delicious dinner overlooking the harbor.
Sunday - there must be a better way to see the Great Barrier Reef (GBR)
When you travel for 35 days, you expect that a day or two will not go as envisioned. Well, this was our day. We were scheduled to go on the Whitsunday tour to the GBR to scuba, snorkel and enjoy the magnificence of the reef. Two things are important to know in order to fully appreciate our day. First, it is the Chinese New Year and Hamilton island is a popular destination for the Chinese taking vacation for the new year. Second fact, just days before our arrival there was a cyclone in the area.
So our story: Our tour consisted of two ships that held a total of 320 ppl. Unbeknownst to us this particular tour was billed as "The
Chinese New Year Celebration on the Reef". Of the 320 people,
314 were Chinese (only a slight exaggeration) and the majority did not speak English. All announcements on the ship were made in
"Australian" and Chinese -- we kept waiting for the English interpretation.
Due to the cyclone, the seas were exceptionally rough (still amazed they didn't cancel the tour). As the boat cruised through the protected seas, the staff passed out little white "barf bags" to everyone. At this point the water was rough but manageable, so we laughed and chatted away. However, once we entered the unprotected seas, life changed. The winds were 35 knots and the swells were 10-12 feet (no exaggeration here). The sound of people using their little white bag was everywhere. I estimate that over 60% of the people on board got sick (our group of six had a slightly better ratio!). After two hours on the torture ferry were arrived at the pontoon in the middle of the GBR. We got off the boat and were surrounded by chattering and sick Chinese, some just putting their heads on the table regardless of who was already at the table.
To add to the fiasco, we were told that due to the cyclone the waters were murky so the best way to see anything was to scuba! Donning a full wet suit and snorkeling ceased to be appealing. On the bright side, because there is always a bright side, Steven and Larry did go scuba diving. Visibility was only five meters but they did "scuba in the GBR". The rest of us viewed a few fish from a little glass wall at the bottom of the pontoon (almost as good as the Melbourne aquarium).
After three hours on the pontoon, it was time to head back. Read the paragraph above for a description of the ride back.
Monday - The Day After (and Super Bowl Monday )
It was a beautiful day and we were all fully recovered from the previous day (we were even able to laugh about it). The guys went to a restaurant down the beach and set up shop to watch the big game. The girls did a combo of running, walking and beach relaxation. Everyone appreciated a day that "lacked excitement and adventure". After the Super Bowl, the Greenbergs set out for an ATV tour. (Don't look at the pictures, Emory and Donna!)
The Sisselman's and Goodman's relaxed on the beach and then went for a tour around the island in a golf "buggy," which is the main mode of transportation on the island. We all reconvened for cocktails and a fabulous dinner at Coca Chu, including an appetizer of stir-fried pigs' ears. We ended our experience on Hamilton Island on a happy, healthy note! On to Sydney!
Love ya,
The Goodsisselberg's (via Karen)
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