Day 44 & 45: Cairns...

Day 44: Cairns is a pretty relaxed city by the beach. The people are very relaxed and friendly. I would say probably a little more friendly than Sydney. Today I spent snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef. It's interesting to see how big the 'Great Barrier Reef' is and how much sea life is down there. I met an Aussie, but he is originally from Tasmania. I learned that Tasmania is part of Australia, similar to how Hawaii is to the U.S. Then we were discussing some of the differences in words that we use, for example, we call the pouch that we use that we put in front of our waist a 'fanny pack', they call it a 'bum bag', makes you wonder how we came up with a 'fanny pack'! Then the other difference is that for 'trekking' they say 'bush walking'. I guess if you think about it we are walking around bushes. The other thing he couldn't get is that at the nice restaurant in the U.S. the more expensive the food, the less food you get, in Australia he told me the more money you pay the more food you get..... I met a Maori guy from New Zealand today as well. It was very interesting to talk to him. He was telling me that the reason that there is a high level of drug use and alcoholism in the Maori society in New Zealand is that the Maori people are in conflict with the Western culture and their traditional ways. The Western culture being a 'me' society and the Maori society being more of a 'we' society. After our talk I headed to dinner at an Italian restaurant down the road. It was late and I didn't want any caffeine in my drink a I had to get up early the next day. I looked at the menu and was happy to see 'lemonade' on the list, I ordered it. Once I got my 'lemonade', I realized I had a 'sprite'. I told my waitress that I ordered a 'lemonade', she was puzzled and I described to her what it was, she had never heard of it nor had ever seen it! The prices here are definitely higher than SouthEast Asia, not as expensive as the States, but close.

Day 45: Today I went the the aboriginal Cultural Center. It was interesting, they had a cultural show and dance and we learned about the difference herbs that they use. We even learned how to throw a boomerang! The aboriginal Culture reminds me alot of the American Indian culture in regards to how they utilize the land and nature. I headed to the 'Chemist' store after the show, the 'Chemist' is the word they use for 'Drugstore', my stomach was feeling queasy from I believe the 'vegemite' that I ate two days ago. I asked the pharmacists for some assistance, she directed me to a drug that relieved symptoms such as 'stomach wind',that is the word that they use for 'stomach gas'.