PORT DOUGLAS, AUSTRALIA

We cancelled our tour to the Great Barrier Reef from Airlie Beach; the weather was terrible--very grey skies, rough seas and rain all day.  However, today was great!  There was sun and cloud, no rain, and little wind.

We had a private tour to the oldest rain forest on earth, just north of Port Douglas at the Mossman Gorge.  We walked about 4 km in 2h through a magnificent rain forest.  They estimate that only 4% of the species here have been recorded, so there is much to yet discover.  It was hot (90 degrees F. or 36 degrees C.) and humid, but in the rain forest there is little sunlight on the forest floor, so that helped.

Now we have 2 sea days before reaching Darwin.  We are nearing the equator as it is 15 degrees South latitude.  We do not go as far north as the equator, but get close at Bali.

g'day!