Well it's time for another chapter of Story's Awesome Australia Adventure!

 When last you heard from me I was in Cairns.  I decided to book a tour of the rainforest instead of another day of snorkeling.  I got a little sunburned snorkeling in Airlie Beach, plus I wanted to see the tropical rainforests while I was up north.  On the recommendations of the hostel staff, I booked the tour with Uncle Brian's.  And what a mad day we had!

 Uncle Brian picked me up at my hostel at 7:50 AM, with Gus the bus.  Then we made the rounds to pick up the rest of the travellers.  At each stop, Uncle Brian would introduce us to the new travellers, repeating each of our names from memory.  It was amazing!  I asked Brian how he remembered all the names and he said he has no tricks - it's just important to remember them so he does.  Well at one of the last stops we decided to switch seats in the bus to see if that threw Brian.  Brian got back on the bus with the new travellers, and immediately noticed that we had switched.  He thanked us for keeping things interesting, then proceeded to recall all of our names - all 15 of us!  We gave Uncle Brian a round of applause for his amazing feat!

 The rest of the day just got more fun.  As soon as we were on the road Brian got out his stuffed Elmo and used it to wave to all the passing buses, road workers ("Orange Folk"), and pedestrians.  We all waved to them as well.  Amazingly, most of the people we waved to waved and smiled back, some even waved before we did.  They obviously know and recognize Uncle Brian and Gus.

 Another game we played was to crouch down in the bus, so that the bus looks empty, then jump up and wave to an unsuspecting road worker or neighbor.  This always got enthusiastic responses.  In fact, when we did this for "Grandma", she was prepared with her own stuffed caterpillars to wave to us.  Apparently she does this each day for Gus the bus and his travellers.

 We passed one small school with about 15 children.  All of the children were out in the school yard when we passed.  As we waved from the bus, the school children crouched behind the bushes, then jumped up and waved to us.  Apparently they appreciated our hiding and waving as well.  And Uncle Brian has never spoken to any of these people.  They all just recognize him and Gus and appreciate his enthusiasm.

 Interspersed between the fun we had good music on "GUS FM", and games to keep us busy.

Between all the fun we had on the bus, we also visited some amazing places.  The weather was great - sunny and about 75 degrees.  The first stop was a river through the rainforest.  We walked along the path and Brian pointed out the trees, plants, and animals.  At this particular place there is a very dangerous sink hole where 17 people have drowned.  We did not swim there!  However, we did swim at a pool upstream, and even jumped into the pool from a 10 foot high cliff.  I asked one girl to get a picture of me so I would have proof that I jumped!

The next place we visited was a beautiful falls that cascaded into several pools.  We weren't able to swim here because of high water and currents, but I should have some great photos.

After that we had lunch at a serene cafe on the high plateau.  "Mr Lunch" had prepared vegetarian food for those of us that requested it - a vegetable quiche with salad, fresh bread, and chocolate cake for desert.  Some of the best food I've had in Australia.

After lunch we went to another 30 meter high falls.  The water here was very cold, but we swam up to the falls, and through the falling water to climb behind the curtain.  Quite amazing to look up at the falling water from behind.  The swim back through the falls was intimidating, and the falling water was even painful.

The last swim of the day was at a warmer volcanic lake at sunset.  We had an afternoon snack here before heading to a close-by river to look for platypuses.  By the time we got to the river the sun had set and it was dusk.  We quietly crept up to the water and immediately saw one platypus near the opposite bank.  We watched it for a while before it submerged and did not reappear.  We moved downstream to a bend in the river and watched for a while.  Nothing but turtles appeared, so I moved upstream a little where Brian and I saw 4 or 5 more platypuses, some as close as a few feet away in the water!  Eventually it got too dark to spot much so we headed back to the bus.

 On the way back to the bus I asked Brian how to spot the Southern Cross and he showed me the trick.  Now I know what it looks like and can find it at will.  It's about time, after 3 different trips to the southern hemisphere!

 On the way back to Cairns in the bus we sang songs and talked.  It was a full day and I didn't get back to Cairns until about 8 PM!

 It was a wonderful day of laughter, good spirits, and beautiful sights.  Brian made the day very special with his good will and cheer that we spread throughout the area.  I would recommend this tour if you want to see the rainforest and feel like a kid again, if just for a day!

 After my day in Wonderland, it was back to the highway and on to Undara...

 (Stay tuned for the next exciting episode :-)

 Story