Roos and Wallabies x 2

On Tuesday, 10/2 (really freaking early in the morning - 7:45ish), I went to the Wildlife Center with the family. My favorite part and the only part that really needs to exist? The kangaroos and wallabies!!! For the first 30 minutes or so we were the only ones in this portion of the center. You buy bags of food at the front counter, walk down all these walkways, and arrive in a large open, natural kangaroo/wallaby habitat with NO fences (except for surrounding the crocodiles... there's fences there to keep the roos and wallabies from wandering in there and becoming dinner... oh yeah, and to possibly keep the visitors coming back).

The first animal I fed was a dark brown, sweet as ever wallaby. It walked right up to me, sat at my feet, and gently pawed at me for food. I sat down on a nearby, very short, wooden wall and just sat in awe as this adorable, gentle wallaby ate right out of my hand - for quite some time might I add. I pet him at some point and discovered their fur is actually very coarse and wiry. They aren't soft at all really, but I continued petting simply because I could and also because I couldn't believe I was petting a wallaby. While it was eating out of my hands it put its two little front paws on my hand and stood on its hind legs.

The second animal I fed was a kangaroo. I legit, real life, no joke kangaroo. They don't put their front paws on your hand like the wallaby, they just lean forward. They are also a lot more slobbery than the wallabies and you can feel their teeth, unlike the wallabies. I also pet them and they felt just like the wallabies - coarse and wiry, but a lot more solid. After a bit, I just sat there in awe that I was literally fingers length from a kangaroo that I not only pet but fed.

There were a couple very large pelicans (not sure if they were unusually large or if pelicans are always this big) with a crazy big wingspan just wandering around, as well as some emus. So naturally... I decided I should try and feed an emu. Note to anyone else who decides to feed the next emu they come across: Put A LOT of food in your hand or the emu WILL get your skin along with the food. That only has to happen once for you to learn. It was quite scary, but I fed it a couple times and the weird feeling never subsided.

In the right corner are the stupid ducks and geese I mention later

Afterwards I just walked around marveling at the fact that I was really doing this and really really here. I got to see some of the roos and wallabies really take off. The sound their feet make when they hit the ground sounds like large bricks slamming into seriously solid ground from a very high drop. In addition to that... they are fast!!! I would HATE to get trampled or kicked by a kangaroo, or wallaby for that matter. During my walk I came to a corner that was packed with wallabies. When they saw me they all straightened up and went stone still or ran and hid under a nearby bridge. When I took one step with my hand outstretched with food, they all shuffled closer to the fence or bridge. They were clearly scared and uncomfortable, so I stepped back and away, but close enough to watch them. At this point a group of about 4 people walked up, noisily, might I add. They seemed to be old teens, young twenties. Regardless of the many signs in the habitat that ask you to stay on the pedestrian walks and regardless of the animals' obvious fear... one of the guys steps off the pedestrian walk into the wallabies' space, walking backwards, facing his friend who has a camera to take a picture of him. She says, while laughing, "They are backing up", "You're scaring them". He is laughing as well, as each step backward scares the wallabies even more. He continues walking further and further into their space as the wallabies become cornered, backed into the fence with nowhere else to go, and clearly terrified. The 4 friends continue being loud and stepping off the pedestrian pathway. At some point the wallabies take off practically trampling the guy as he and his friends laugh. In my head I think, "After being around only Australians for 2.5 months... This seems like very unAustralian behavior..." I stood there in disbelief about what had just taken place. I then had to walk away before I could bite my tongue no longer.

The Group of Wallabies Huddled in the Corner - This was taken after I had unintentionally scared off a few

I went around feeding some more wallabies and kangaroos. As I was feeding one wallaby I faintly heard, "Wow, this girl's good! Look!" I ignored it and moved on to feeding a kangaroo nearby. That same voice then said, "Where are you from?" I thought, "That doesn't sound Australian..." and then answered the question while keeping my eyes on the animal. Once the food was gone I looked up and saw that it was the guy who walked into the wallabies' space and that was when I placed the accent... It was American. At that moment I was seriously ashamed to have the same accent as these... let's call them kids... because that's how they were acting. They were being your typical, arrogant, disrespectful, American tourists. Seriously, if you are going to come to another country while representing your home country, the least you could do is respect the wildlife. Anyways, enough about that, sorry, but it really irked me.

By now it was time for breakfast, but I wanted to try and get a better picture of the Tree Kangaroo, so while everyone else went on to breakfast, I stayed behind and told them I'd catch up with them shortly. On my way to the Tree Kangaroo I noticed a mama wallaby with her joey's feet and head sticking out of the pouch, so I stopped and took a few (which means 75 in my language) pictures and watched as I encountered my first marsupial mama and baby interaction. Had I been a minute later, or chosen not to try and get a picture of the tree kangaroo, I would have missed this entirely. The baby was hanging out in the pouch and then out of nowhere started clambering its way out and fell ungracefully to the ground, but he didn't seem to mind. He kept trying to climb back in, but the mom refused to let him in for quite some time. She kept cleaning her pouch (or so it seemed). The baby finally got back in and I went to breakfast. *Upon further inspection of my pictures when I got home I realized the mom was actually trying to clean a second joey that was in the pouch.*

Breakfast was super yummy - lots of fresh fruit - and really cool because we ate in a bird habitat. The birds were free to roam around the habitat, although they mostly stayed put. There were trees and water and feeders all around. A lady brought a Rainbow Lorikeet to our table and everyone got a chance to hold it. After breakfast we walked around another exhibit where I saw my first Kookaburra, a black necked stork, a Pterodactyl (or at least that's what my mom thought it was because I was on the phone with her and it turns out it was just a black cockatoo thing), and a Cassowary (the ugliest darn birds EVER, but for some reason very intriguing and hard to stop staring at). I also got to see two koalas... sleeping... go figure... They are cute animals, but very very boring animals.

Kookaburra

My Mom's Pterodactyl

Cassowary

When you pay for admission to the Wildlife Centre, a 2 day free re-entry pass is included, so while waiting for the taxi home, I spent my time thinking about how I could possibly get back here to spend more time with the kangaroos and wallabies... And I'll have you know I figured it out!!

Taxi - Too expensive. Walking - Too long. Bus - Too unreliable. Next obvious option? Bike!!

It is approximately 3 miles to the Wildlife Centre from the resort (so essentially I did a 6 mile bike ride) on a relatively flat road that is pretty much a straight shot there, so I figured... why not?! I hired a bike (and helmet - it is a law in Australia to wear a bike helmet or else you pay a $90 fine when the police catch you) from the resort and was on my way. The ride there was harder than the ride back because on the way there I was riding against the wind. Going both directions however, was absolutely beautiful scenery of blue blue skies, lush green  tropical trees, and mountains. Another reason I wanted to go back was to go and just experience. I wanted to be able to focus entirely on the experience and the animals and not the camera, so there are no pictures of this time. There were times when I wished I had someone to take a photo of me, but a photo doesn't beat being able to truly and fully experience.

Not too thrilled about the whole helmet thing, but it keeps me from a $90 fine

On Thursday (10/4) I left the resort around 7:30 and got there at 8:05, just a few minutes after they opened, and there was a short line. I was kind of bummed that I just rode all this way and there were going to be all these people in the park and the animals were going to be scared, etc etc etc. Well I bought my one bag of food (why I didn't buy 3, I don't know) and headed to the roos and wallabies.

I walked in and to my wonderful surprise discovered that I was the first and only person in this section of the centre. Immediately a light brown wallaby came right up to, followed by another, and another, and another until the next thing I knew I had food in both hands with 2 wallabies eating out of each hand - one of them was a mama with a joey in her pouch. After I fed them for quite awhile, I went further into the park and fed 2 wallabies that just seemed desperate for food. The smaller one bit me, but it was completely on accident. He was trying to fight off the ducks, geese, other birds, and the slightly larger wallaby that was eating out of the same hand and at the same time the food in my hand had nearly ran out. It didn't make me love him any less, however, I do have a new found immense hate for geese. The ducks, geese, and birds are so obnoxious. They crowd around you, make all their loud, annoying sounds, and stare you down. In addition to that... They peck at the wallabies backs!!! That right there ticked me off!! Don't you dare peck my wallabies or I'll kick you in the face you stupid bird!!! And that I did!! Well, my foot never made contact with a bird, which I never wanted to, I just kicked my foot close to them and in their direction to scare them away. One duck actually had the guts to take the food right out of my hand while I was trying to feed the wallabies. Anyways, enough about the annoying birds.

I went further into the park and fed 1 kangaroo and some more wallabies until I ran out of food. I quickly left the habitat and bought another bag at the front counter and quickly returned (I was on a time crunch and wanted as much time with the animals as possible). I managed to feed several more wallabies and all 3 of the kangaroos. The main male was extremely slobbery, but he was so eager for the food that I didn't care. Around 9 or so, a few other people had entered this area of the park. There was one woman with her friend and she was trying to feed the kangaroos, but kept throwing the food on the ground when the kangaroo opened its mouth in her hand. I ended up talking to her and it turns out she didn't like she could feel their teeth, but she was realizing they wouldn't eat it off the ground, so she felt bad for the animal and felt like the food was being wasted. So I ended up putting my cupped hands underneath hers so if/when she dropped the food it would land in my hand and the kangaroo could still it eat.

By about 9:20 I had run out of food, but I so didn't want to leave (hence why earlier I said I should have bought 3 bags), so I just stood around watching and petting while other people fed the animals. At some point I actually picked food up off the ground to give to them. By 9:30 I decided I really really needed to leave or I would miss my 10:00 appointment (to hang glide!! next post =] ) so I managed to slowly pull myself away from the animals and turn my back on the habitat. This might seem silly, but this was so hard to do. I could have stayed there all day long and never gotten bored or lose my sense of awe. Guess I'll just have to go back one day (fingers crossed that'll be next September ;).

Okay, okay. Just ONE last picture! They are too freaking adorable!!!

Daintree Rainforest

By 7:30 on Monday 10/1, I was all ready to go exploring in the Daintree Rainforest.

I was excited about the sites, time out and about, and experience. But I was nervous about being a single traveler on the tour, assuming that everyone else would be there with at least one other person. Luckily, this tour takes no more than 8 passengers. Small numbers, regardless of the fact that everyone was there with someone else, encouraged conversation and inclusion. I always felt like part of the group and forgot several times that I was there alone. The tour guide was technically also a single traveler. The tour guide, Les, was very personable. I was the last to be picked up and he addressed me by name and introduced me to everyone in the car and even cracked a joke on my accent. I like that he could pick up from our short interaction that I'm one that can take a joke. There were 2 couples on the tour and a daughter, mom, and grandmother. Everyone was very nice and laid back.

Our itinerary for the day:
- Rainforest and Mossman Gorge
- Morning Tea
- Daintree River Cruise
- Alexandra Lookout
- Thornton Beach
- Cape Tribulation
- Lunch at a Hideaway in the Rainforest
- Ice Cream at the Daintree Rainforest Ice Cream Company
- 4WD Through the Rainforest to Cassowary Falls

We spent a lot of time in the car, but when we weren't in the car... We were seriously living, exploring, and experiencing!!

The Rainforest was... well... green! Very green! And extremely shady. Surprisingly though, it wasn't rainy. Les showed us Strangler Figs, Wait-a-While, Rattan, Ginger, and tons of other plants native to the Rainforest. He explained certain characteristics, purposes, and the growth of each one. He also talked to us about the soil, the roots, and the way the trees of the forest all work together as one giant ecosystem.



Strangler Fig

Daintree Rainforest Tree Roots

Wait-A-While

Mossman Gorge was absolutely beautiful. It is extremely clean/pure water. You are actually allowed to swim in it, but it was a little chilly, so we just looked. We did however see a turtle there and I named him Federico.   The crystal clear water cascading over large, smooth rocks lined on both sides by Rainforest with the sky peeking in from above... It's a sight that a picture can't possibly capture.

On the way to our next stop - Morning Tea and the Daintree River Cruise - it started raining and everyone's spirits and attitudes dropped a bit. For morning tea we had Lamington, which was my first time and it was delicious!! Because of the rain, the temperature dropped significantly, but luckily the receptionist at our resort advised me to take a light jacket. The first half of the river cruise was done in the rain. Our boat guide told us that because of the rain, temperature, and high tide we were very unlikely to see a crocodile, which is the main attraction of the river cruises. The second half of the cruise, the rain cleared, which was nice, but we still didn't see any crocodiles. We did however get a beautiful view, see a sweet little yellow bird and its nest, a pretty ugly Tawny Frogmouth, and marveled at the Mangroves. If the Mangroves were taken out of the river, the entire river ecosystem would fall apart. The Mangroves offer homes and protection to the fish as well as breeding grounds for the crocodile and an area to raise and protect their babies.

Mangroves

Alexandra Lookout was pretty, but because of the overcast weather and thick, low clouds we really couldn't see much or far. There were however some beautiful, sweet smelling flowers there. Next we stopped at Thornton Beach to eat some fruit - fresh pineapple and oranges.

We stopped at Cape Tribulation and walked down to the beach, which was gorgeous. It was clean, white sand, blue blue water, and mountains and trees lining the sides (just like every other beach here). We walked up to a lookout there as well where we could see mountains stretch out and the coral in the unreal blue ocean. Cape Tribulation is the only place in the world where 2 items that are World Heritage Listed exist. After Cape Trib we drove to the tour company's private location for lunch. It is this cool small cleared area in the middle of the Rainforest that is really hidden away. We explored the nearby streams, forest, etc until the lunch whistle was blown. For lunch each person got an individual box with a mix of meats, vegetables, cheeses, and pastas. Each person got a roll as well. You could pick and choose the items out of the box and eat them as is or put them on the roll. It was very light and fresh which was nice on such a long day.

For dessert we went to the Daintree Rainforest Ice Cream Company. The grow the fruit there and make the ice cream there. They only have one option of ice cream which is 4 pre-chosen flavors in a bowl. The 4 flavors for the day were Passion Fruit, Wattleseed, Raspberry, and Soursop. If you know me, you'll know prechosen foods with no other option really isn't ideal... but I decided to just go for it. To my surprise I loved all 4 flavors (some took a few bites to get used to). My favorite was Soursop, which was extremely surprising considering it sounded the most unappetizing. I also really enjoyed the Raspberry.

The last stop of the tour was Cassowary Falls. The tour company I went with is the only Daintree tour that has access to this location. The site started off with open fields and free, roaming cows - the ones that look like the ones in India. Everyone got super chatty and excited when we saw what we'd be getting in to get to the falls - a zebra striped 4WD. We drove through huge puddles, up and down gravely hills, through open fields with tree covered mountains in the background and a blue sky overhead. We also drove through parts that were lined on either side with the lush green of the Rainforest. We arrived at a dead end and followed our tour guide, Les, through a hidden path to a beautiful scene - a waterfall emptying into a clean, clear pool of fresh water. A few people went swimming, but it was really cold so the rest of us stayed back. Les fed the fish and we saw an eel then we hopped back in the 4WD and headed back to our tour van through the Rainforest, open fields, puddles, and mountains. There we ate some fresh fruit - oranges and pawpaw.

This was our last site on the tour and it was time for the long ride home. I hated to have to say goodbye to all the unbelievable sites and beautiful nature, but I could officially say I have seen a Rainforest - The Daintree Rainforest in Queensland, Australia to be exact. =]

The Great Barrier Reef

The night before I left I made arrangements to rent and pick up a digital underwater camera from a different boat/company at the marina before boarding my boat. This required me to walk to the marina rather than using the prepaid for transportation to and from my apartments and the marina. I packed my bag the night before in preparation and started to get excited.

Prepared for extreme motion sickness I ate a light breakfast and took TravelCalm before I left. Then I headed out for the 15 minute walk to the marina. I found the boat with the camera with no problem. The guys on the boat were super nice and quite funny. Liam (on Poseidon) and I chatted a bit while he prepared the camera and I paid. Then I went back to the office of Wavelength (the company I was snorkeling with) to wait for the others and walk down to the boat. I spent most of that time trying not to freak out about what I was about to do and trying not think about the motion sickness.

On our way down to the boat I talked with the skipper (Peter) about my history of motion sickness, specifically on boats, and he assured me I would be well taken care of. We went down to the boat and it was way smaller than I was expecting, which wasn't good for my motion sickness. I climbed aboard, we took off our shoes and put them in buckets, and put our bags and things in cubbies towards the front of the boat. There was some yummy breakfast out, but I didn't eat any because I wanted to keep the motion sickness down, so I just took my seat - somewhere where I would have a good view of the horizon. Peter warned us that the water would be pretty rough out, but not so rough that it would keep us from experiencing The Reef. Not exactly what I wanted to hear, but I was determined to make the best out of it... even if that meant throwing up for the whole hour and a half ride out to The Reef.

I spent the majority of the ride out with my neck craned to the side looking at the horizon. The problem? Motion also has a tendency of making me really tired, so I had a hard time keeping my eyes open, but I needed them open to look at the horizon and keep from getting motion sick. The crew, however, took this as me feeling sick so they kindly brought me a cool towel and some ice to chew on. A while later I just couldn't stay awake any longer. I walked (more like stumbled terribly due to the waves) to the front of the boat to get my towel. I then ungracefully stumbled back to my seat, wrapped up in my towel (I was freezing from the wind with the speed of the boat and the cold ocean spray), turned sideways in my seat, rested my head and body against the seat, closed my eyes, and passed out for the rest of the journey.

I woke up to a slowing of the motor and the other crew member (Tim) talking about wet suits and fins and masks. We were nearing our first site on the reef and the energy of everyone on board immediately picked up. We all got geared up - fins, wetsuit, mask, and snorkel - listened to a quick safety lesson from Tim, and a quick informative piece from the marine biologist (Emma), and were released into the water. Before I get to this whole water part... Can I just say how absolutely uncomfortable wetsuits are?! They are suffocatingly tight, super thick, and you can't walk or sit properly in them. However, I was grateful for the warmth and buoyancy they provided.

1st Site:
I was all geared up and super uncomfortable with my feet dangling in the freezing, beyond blue, water. I hopped in and swam out in the direction of the coral, where everyone else was... I got about 75 feet (total estimation) away from the boat and panicked - fast irregular breathing, couldn't think or focus, everything kind of tilting/spinning. Legit panic attack right there in the middle of the ocean over the Great Barrier Reef. Just like last time in Hawaii when this happened (we were snorkeling off a beach, not a boat), I took off swimming as fast as I possibly could back to the boat. The crew mates all asked if I was okay and this and that (they are so caring and super sweet). I told them I was fine, I just panicked, and that this happened last time, but I'd get it figured out. I took off all my gear and walked around the boat for a few minutes to get my breath back to normal. I then politely told myself that this is possibly a once in a lifetime opportunity and I did not spend all this money and come all this way (without getting motion sick might I add) to sit on the boat!! Then I told myself the plan and followed through with it.
Step 1: Sit on the edge of the boat, just toes in the water, for a minute or so - keep breathing regular
Step 2: Put fins on, sit for a minute or so - keep breathing regular
Step 3: Put mask on, sit for a minute or so - keep breathing regular
Step 4: Put snorkel in, sit for a minute or so - keep breathing regular
Step 5: Move down to bottom platform of boat, feet and legs in water, sit for a minute or so - keep breathing regular
Step 6: Grab noodle (didn't do this the first time, turns out it is a serious peace of mind keeper item, kind of like a snorkeling security blanket) - keep breathing regular
Step 7: While maintaining natural breathing, hop back in the water and take it nice and slow
During all this the crew was amazingly nice. They talked with me a bit to refocus my mind, reassured me, etc.  Reasons why I panicked: 1) The flippers were extremely unnatural - I felt like my feet were bound and couldn't move. 2) I was in the middle of the freaking ocean. 3) I was no longer in my element - I was in the fish, sharks, turtles, eels, etc's element. 4) The waves were quite brutal, knocking you around a bit, putting water in my snorkel, etc. 5) I was completely reliant on myself for total buoyancy. 6) I couldn't upright myself (I later figured out how) or stand up.
Anyways... After all this, I was finally able to snorkel at the first site. I mostly stayed around the edge of the coral over the sand (even though the sand was way way way down there at least I could see exactly what was below me) but I still got to see a sea cucumber and some very pretty coral. Oh yeah, and I almost forgot... I SAW A TURTLE!!! Legit turtle just swimming along on his own and we followed him for quite a bit. It was like God's little reward to me for working up the courage to get back in the water. The turtle was a good size and was so graceful, just gliding along. Apparently others saw a huge blue starfish, a sting ray, and a reef shark, but they were way out there and there was just no way I was going to make it out there without freaking out. Guess that just means I'll have to go back one day. ;)

When the horn blew we got back on the boat for morning tea and headed to our next site, only about 5 minutes away. They said to leave your wetsuits on if you could, but I just couldn't. It was so very extremely uncomfortable. The other piece of gear that was starting to become uncomfortable - the snorkel. To hold it in properly you have to hold your mouth in a very unnatural, open position which leaves your jaw aching and your lips super dry and salty. At the second site we had the option of doing a long tour - about an hour with the Emma, a short tour - about 20 minutes with Tim, or just doing our own thing. I decided on the long tour with Emma. I knew if I was left to do my own thing I wouldn't do anything because I'd be too busy trying not to freak out, plus the tours would allow us to see and touch things we wouldn't be able to on our own.

Site 2:
I got geared up and hopped in the water with way less anxiety than last time. There were about 10 of us or so with Emma on the long tour. She brought us up a few things - a sea cucumber, a mushroom anemone, a starfish - all of which we got to touch. She also dove down and showed us how a giant glam works and pointed out some other creature life on the coral. She took us in and around the coral where she knew some cool fish were hanging out so we saw that as well. The horn blew and it was time to go back to the boat for lunch, which was super yum - rolls, chicken and other meats, fresh veggies, and fruit. During lunch Emma gave us a little presentation and talked with us about The Reef - what we've seen, what we might see, how people and animals are damaging The Reef, etc. Afterwards it was on to our next and last site.

Because the next site was only about 15 minutes away and I figured I wasn't going to get motion sick I went up to the top of the boat for the ride to the third site. Up there I met 2 girls - 9 and 11 - from New Zealand. They were very sociable and well spoken for their age and were very interested in where I was from and my digital underwater camera. They were also curious and concerned about whether or not I felt seasick on the way out. We sat together for the ride there and had a great chat. They were rather sweet girls.

Site 3:
At this site everyone was just doing their own thing again. As I was sitting on the edge of the boat getting my gear on, Emma asked if I was going in (because apparently how long it was taking me was as noticeable to other people as it was to me). I told her that I was, I was just trying to talk myself out of freaking out (my breathing was a tad irregular and I could sense that I was on the edge of freaking out). She told me that whenever I was ready to jump in to come and find her out there. She jumped in and swam off and I finished gearing up. I then looked for her (easy to spot with her bright yellow float thing as a safety measure for us snorkelers) and told myself to just swim as fast as I could straight towards that yellow thing without taking note of what was around or under me, just swim. Why did I have to swim as fast as I could? Where she was was on the other side of the coral... I would have to swim directly over quite a bit of coral to get to her, so I did. Straight line, no looking around, just swimming really fast. Strangely enough, as soon as I made it to where she was... I was completely comfortable with being over the coral, looking around, etc. I followed her for the remaining time at the site, but she didn't mind. Throughout our time at The Reef, several people would come over to her every now and then just to talk, ask questions, see what she was seeing, etc. Tim and Emma actually told us at the start that they rather enjoy our company when out snorkeling The Reef.

Following Emma proved to be a brilliant idea - she knew where all the good stuff was. I saw Nemo/Clownfish (2 of them actually) as well as a couple giant clams, some bright blue, green, pink, yellow, purple, etc coral, a large black and white striped fish with yellow accents, and much more. She also knew where she was going, how far she was from the boat, etc at all times so I could just focus on experiencing The Reef instead of all that other stuff. It was also beneficial because she could take pictures of me with my camera.

The horn blew and it meant it was time to board the boat and head back to the marina. =[ The Skipper turned those frowns upside down by letting us jump off the top of the boat into the water!!! It felt so liberating to just let go of everything and jump into the blue blue water of The Great Barrier Reef in Australia!! And we didn't have to wear our gear which was even more freeing!!

On the way back I sat up top with Peter and chatted with the two young girls from before and an older couple. The sun was out, the ride was much smoother than our ride in, and the conversation was lovely. At some point I went below to chat with Emma and we too had a lovely conversation. We arrived at the marina and all said our goodbyes, and hopped off the boat. I returned my camera to the company, got the memory card, and walked back to Wavelength's office. Turns out, due to returning my camera, I just missed the shuttle to get a ride back to our apartments - good thing I walked the route earlier that morning and knew where to go. And just like that... my day at the Reef was over... =[ For the next couple of hours whenever I walked my legs felt like they were still on the boat, definitely a weird feeling. I would seriously go back tomorrow if I could. It's just a whole other, unexpected, colorful world below the ocean's surface. There is so much going on below that slick, blue surface - hundreds of species of fish and coral. God could have just left our oceans to be these huge expanses of boring water and sand, but no! Simply for our pleasure he created a whole different, beautiful, intriguing world for us to explore and take care of. Certainly too much to see all in one day. Guess that just means I'll have to come back. ;)