Palm Cove, Australia

Our Northface jackets have finally retired! No, they weren't matching ones but wouldn't that have been cute. We arrived safely in Cairns (pronounced Cannes) two days ago with the tropical air and sunshine as a wonderful and expected greeting. But not as delightful as seeing Bonnie, Andy's Mom, peeking at us through the customs door on the other side. She jumped and waved and we did the same in return before we officially crossed the line into Oz and reveled in a motherly hug. It was 10:30am local time and we had been up for eight hours already - we were ready for dinner! But the day had just begun.

Our driver took us up the coast to Clifton Beach, a small town 25km north of Cairns to our bed & breakfast. Our hosts Alix & Perce greeted us warmly and we promptly changed into beach attire. YES, I have been waiting for this moment! NZ was absolutely stunning but damn I was tired of being cold and wearing the same long layers day after day. We headed out to the nearby beach for a walk and we were shocked to see the color of the Coral Sea was not the tropical blue that we expected; rather, it was kind of a Huntington Beach brown. Apparently there have been recent high winds that plowed through kicking up sand and dirt from the upstream mangroves and forests. But who the heck cares - we are in a tropical paradise! Coconut-filled palm trees and rain forest lined the opposite side of the beach as we walked a couple of miles north to Palm Cove for a healthy lunch. It was fun to talk and catch up on life with Mom.

Our B&B is tucked away adjacent to a maleluca forest teeming with life. Brightly colored butterflies, geckos, bugs, parrots and other birds habitate here. There is a constant sound of bird songs daily and crickets by night. And the best of all: we were sitting on the patio reading our books when we heard a "crunch...crunch....crunch" We looked up and a wallaby was peering at us through the trees! For those of you who forgot your animals from third grade, wallabies are a type of small kangaroo. Now, I thought, we are definitely in Australia.

The B&B is just stunning but pretty isolated. So we collectively decided to move into a place in Palm Cove instead, which is more of a resort area right next to shops and the beach. Today, we spent the late morning on the sand soaking up rays and getting settled in our new home for the next seven nights. As I write I am sitting on our patio surrounded by tropical foliage with the relaxing sounds of a variety of tropical birds and the occasional rain. Andy just got back from the supermarket with tonight's Mother's Day dinner, Mom's choice - salmon, rice and veggies.

Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef where Andy and I will learn how to scuba dive. Our nerves are pumping but the overwhelming feeling is looking forward to getting our PADI certification which has been a dream for years. In addition, we've got a couple of day trips in mind including a boat trip out to the reef to snorkel and a visit to the Daintree National Rainforest Park which has the highest concentration of the rarest flora and fauna in the world. Sweet as.