Cape Tribulation Part 3

The only photos of us together from this trip.

Trying to make Emilio jealous.


Showing off the mug at a restaurant. KT admiring the bamboo, TV trying not to get sick smelling the corpse flower. Having a good time at the Cains pool, and enjoying our excursion to Barron Falls.




KT preparing for her day at sea and on the reef. Looking glamorous in Port Douglas, and enjoying her special center.












KT under attack, first by a bug and then by a carnivorous plant.





Taking refuge under the umbrella palm. Later we survey the rain forest, only to find a Gnome hiding in the strangling fig.














Relaxing at the beach. We found a hammock and break was announced so we could hang out.





The lure of the waterhole was too much even for KT.
She even enjoyed riding down the rapids and a free water massage.






A self portrait on the ferry on our way to Cape Tribulation.
KT tide pooling with the squishy crawlies.



How not to open a coconut.







How to get into the coconut the right way, and then enjoying the sweet, sweet goodness inside.
Somehow a pasty guy got into the photo.




A monkey in the coconut tree.

APEC Meeting and Protests

Last weekend, September 8-9, and the preceding week leaders from around the Pacific came to Sydney to the APEC meeting. It caused a great deal of excitement and a huge pain for those of us living here. A large part of downtown Sydney had streets closed off and 12 foot fences erected to control access. Bus routes and trains were rerouted or closed off. There were significant traffic delays. Despite all of that there was electricity in the air, with people going about their business with an extra bit of pep. It was very exciting to have the leaders of some of the most powerful countries in the world all in our city. Some of the leaders included, Presidents Hu Jintao, Putin, Roh, Yudhoyono, and Bush, as well as , Prime Ministers Abe, Howard, and Harper among others.
The first three photos are of downtown Sydney, aka CBD (Central Business District), during the APEC week. You can see the fences and heavy Police presence and empty streets which are usually full of traffic. The last two photos are from Saturday September 8th when there was a mass protest against APEC. There were expected to be between 10,000 and 20,000 people at the event. You can also see the very heavy Police presence at the event. Despite the large number of protesters and Police there were few incidence and only 19 people were arrested and at least 5 were later released without charges.
The police were accused of being heavy handed in that they wouldn't allow people to cross the road except at one controlled point. It was amazing to see so many people and police officers there. It was also neat to see the riot gear the police had and the huge water canon truck that was ready to be used in case of trouble. Over all an interesting experience, but I think most people are glad that it's over.

Cape Tribulation Part 2: The Rain Forest

These are some of the different areas of the Cape Tribulation rain forest, which is allegedly the oldest rain forest in the world according to our guides. There are the Mangroves which start at the beach and trap soil in their roots leading to the build up of land. These slowly give way to the eucalypti which grow among the rest of the trees, including palm trees of various sorts. Cape Tribulation is truly a place where the rain forest meets the Great Barrier Reef. Both ecosystems are awe inspiring and so varied, and yet they depend and build each other up. One of the things that was interesting about the rain forest was how busy it was. There were tons of sounds both day and night, as well as visual movement. Things were constantly changing, yet it was very peaceful at the same time.

Some one decided to throw that waterfall a bone. While Kt takes a self portrait on the ferry. There is also our little rental car taking a well deserved break, we drove it pretty hard. Some fuzzy trees with all sorts of plants growing on them. There are also some photos of prime croc habitat, but we did not see any this time. I guess this time of year it's too cold and the crocs stay buried in the warm mud. Stay tuned for part 3....