FINALLY!!!

I have been waiting for days to update this blog!  The internet is quite expensive here ($10/ hour) and sometimes non-existent.  In some ways the Aussie's are more progressive than us Canadians (especially with regards to sustainability) but this is not the case with technology.

Have had many busy days since arriving.  It feels like we never stop! 

Here's a brief recap...

Tuesday, July 17th, Sydney - visited the Blue Mountains today.   We were blessed withg spectacular weather and the views were stunning.  Saw the Three Sisters from Echo Point, rode the world's steepest railway partway down the mountain and walked the boardwalks through the rainforest.  Returned to the mountaintop by cable car and then rode the skyway trasm across a gorge to see Katumbas Falls and trek through a portion of the rainforest that just recently had suffered a forest fire.  Hiked down to see the Cliffs Lookout falls and tehn returned to the bus and back to Sydney for a night of seafood and entertainment at Circular Quay (I think... it's becoming a blur and too much has happened for me to remember clearly, it seems).

Wednesday, July 18th, Sydney - Visited two schools in the suburbs of Dulwich Hills and Campsie.  Both were private Catholic schools and amazing!  Won't bore mo you non-teachers with details, but for those who teach, we have a looooong way to go before we're truly embracing multi-age and inquiry.
In the evening we ate dinner harbourside at the Opera House cafe and then we attended the opening night performance of the comtporary dance "Terrain".  Was very interesting, futuristic, ummmm.... liked it enough, but not my thing.  Still, get to say I saw a performance at the Opera House!!

Thursday, July 19th, Flight to Cairns, walked about, hung out with my fellow travellers.  Relaxing.  The flora and fauna here is beyond words...

Friday, July 20th, Cairns - Visited the Great Barrier Reef!  Took a catamaran to Fitzroy Island, then on to a pontoon moored in the Moore Reef.  Rode a semi-submersible boat, watched a fish-feed and snorkeled for over two hours!  By the time I got out of the water I could no longer feel my fingertips and resembled a prune.  The lunch provided was fabulous, as all the food has been so far. Today's lunch included the largest prawns I've ever eaten  - delicious!  Didn't get sea-sick but had sea legs for the remainder of the day / night... pretty woozy.  Went shopping in the Cairns night markets and bought a didgeridoo; now I can tick that off my list of things I wanted to get here.

Saturday, July 21st, Cairns - went to Kuranda today.  Rode army ducks through the rainforest, rode the Kuranda railway and the rainforest skyrail (cable cars suspended above the canopy), watched aboriginal dance performance and spear-throwing, then didgeridoo and boomerang demo's and tried throwing a boomie - failed miserably.  We had dinner poolside and now, here I sit, trying to get caught up.

[pictures to follow...]

p.s.  trying to write this quickly, before interenet access ends, so please excuse spelling & grammar errors  :-)