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One of the highlights of our whole trip! - an early start for a day in the rainforest. We chose our trip carefully to make it as natural as it could be- our guide took only 6 people and what a truly wonderful day it was. We drove along the coast to the Daintree river which can only be crossed by cable ferry. Over the other side we stopped at Alexandra Point Lookout to view the rainforest- wow- sounds,mist, rain, trees....We drove further into the rainforest, crossing many fast flowing creeks and stopped...Where the Forest Meets the Sea!-( Cape Tribulation)- the children's book was set here and we were really there! It was a magical moment, walking through the paths onto the beach,the coral,the rainforest...exactly the same as the book. We just wandered around,soaking up the scene in all its natural beauty- completely unspoilt and devoid of anything modern or human ( except us). We had a mug of tea (Daintree of course- we passed the plantation on the way) brewed by our guide Grant while we soaked up the atmosphere. I have seldom felt such peaceful satisfaction and harmony( despite being so worried about Mum, I knew she would love it too and want us to enjoy this special experience). We then went for a beach walk- we needed special shoes as we just plodded through swamp most of the time.We learnt about the plants,how the trees adapted to their environment- they hate salt so their roots grew towards the land whilst their branches stretched to the beach in search of the sun. We tasted different fruits and smelt exotic flowers.We learnt about the strangler fig which grows up trees,trees growing from trees and the "wait a whiles" which have enormously long stems with sticky hairs that attach themselves to you- you have to wait a while to untangle yourself! We wandered the length of the Tribulation beach just enjoying it, then travelled deep into the rainforest for a delicious salad picnic. After that we went on a walk - no boardwalks, just a natural forest track-through the forest. We had already seen the ancient beegon- a cross between a wallaby and a possum- but knew that out there in the forest were tree kangaroos,wallabies,snakes of all kinds,dangerous spiders,crocodiles in abundance,tree lizards,tree frogs,cassowary( 3rd largest bird in the world) and many,many more....the walk..was an amazing experience and yes we did see spiders,tree lizards,butterflies, exotic birds....and we learnt so much about the rainforest.We then went for swim in Cooper's Creek ( yes the waterways are full of crocodiles but Grant insisted that this stretch of water flowed too quickly and lacked food for them! ) I could not believe that I was swimming in a fast flowing creek in the middle of tropical rain forest and the oldest forest at that! BLISS! Brian watched and enjoyed the scenery.Us 3 women changed in the open- could I really be doing this? No toilets, no modesty-just nature and danger) We then headed back,stopping on the way for ice creams- made only from local fruits of the forest .We tried Jack fruit- revolting texture like bubble gum that made you retch, but which tasted wonderful in an ice cream! We headed for the Daintree River and a cruise in search of crocs.Driven by a marine biologist we were taken on a journey through the mangroves. We saw crocs but not the 5 metre monsters that lurked in the depths. We were in a small boat and think that we may have freaked if one had swum alongside. We saw a nest made by one of the females and a few year old crocs.We returned having had a truly memorable day.-totally sapped of energy but very,very happy. Back at the apartment I found a leech sucking blood from my foot. Surrounded all day by potential dangers I remained calm, but now I completely lost it because of a leech!
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