Since last writing, I have gone from being a professional scuba diver to a true Australian to an accomplished sailor and cyclone survivor to a whip cracking, goat wrestling cowboy to a full on leather clad biker. It's been an interesting two weeks. Let me try and explain...
A professional diver on the Great Barrier Reef
We arrived in Cairns and booked ourselves on a trip to the reef with two introductory dives included. This was the first time I had scuba dived and in the end I was able to dive three times. This was because I had tactically passed on a cold I had had for the previous few days to David, meaning he wasnt able to equalise his ears underwater and thus couldnt dive. I said "every cloud and all that" to Dave, but I dont think he appreciated it. The dives weren't towards and sort of qualification but by the end of my third dive I was able to think of myself as some sort of professional diver. Call me Cristiano or Didier.
Becoming a true Aussie on Magnetic Island
We stayed in Magnetic Island for three nights and it was quite possible my favourite place in Oz so far. Australia day was a particular highlight. We fully embraced Aussie culture by doing all the things a typical Australian does on Australia day. We painted ourselves in green and gold, flung ourselves along a slip 'n' slide, played beach cricket, ate a barbie and drank plenty of beers. The only thing missing was a couple Rolf Harris tunes, but I guess you cant have everything, can you?
Sailing the Whitsundays and Surviving the cyclone
The Whitsundays are a group of tropical islands with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world. One of them, Whitehaven, has sand that is 99%. Rumours have it that NASA use it for some space shit or something.
Although we planned to do a two day one night sailing trip, it was cut short due to the imminent cyclone. Sunday was the day that was cut short and so I guess that means we only got to a whit sailing trip. Sorry. During the trip we were asked to help out with the sailing by the crew. Over the two days the one job I had was to pull a rope which in turn hoisted a sail. As soon as I did it though, the skipper frantically rushed to the sail looking perturbed. turns out the sail had a big tear down it. I reckon that'll be the last time I ever get asked to help out on a sailing trip.
We sailed back adorned in bright yellow rain jackets, being bashed and battered by wave upon wave and relentess rain. That night, the cyclone hit, taking out the power and several trees. In all honesty, it didnt do that much damage and it wasn't all that scary either - but I can still say I survived a cyclone, and that's friggin' cool.
A whip-cracking and goat-wrestling cowboy
Taking a change of pace from the cyclone, we headed to a cattle station to learn how to become a real Australian cowboy. With cowboy hats on our heads and bandanas round our necks, we certainly looked the part. Well, only if the part was a part in brokeback mountain. We cracked whips, rode a mechanical bull, shot clay pidgeons and wrestled a goat. All in a days work for a cowboy like me.
Being a biker
In the small town of 1770 we turned into bikers for the day. We wore helmets with flames and jackets with leather (or leather jackets in biker talk). I straddled an All American, stars and stripes bike and rode off into the sunset.
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Cowboy by day, biker by night, diving on weekends and sporadically battling cyclones, Im becoming more and more Aussie. Right, speak to you all soon, Im off to cook a barbie on the beach. Maybe I'll bring the Rolf Harris CD as well.
