Great Barrier Reef - best weekend ever

If you haven't been living under a rock (aka keeping up with my Instagram), then you already know I went to the Great Barrier Reef this past weekend. On Thursday we flew into Airlie Beach, a little beach town in Queensland in the North. As soon as we got out of the terminal, we were hit with a wall of humidity and misty rain. Our uber driver from the airport warned us our 3 day 2 night boat tour may be cancelled the next day. So, that night I did a bunch of things to lock in good luck (was undercharged for dinner and went back to pay more - personal growth) and the next morning the tour was ON! Thanks Karma. It was still raining, but we stayed very positive because we were just so excited. 

The boat we booked was built in 1902, meaning it's older than the Titanic, and it fought in WWI and WWII - for the Germans. Ironic. But if you know me you know I'm obsessed with historical stuff so that was pretty exciting to learn. There were about 30 people on it, all between ages 19-29. We get on the boat and immediately became best friends with every single person. We were pretty much the only Americans, and everyone else was a British tourist. Unexpected outcome of this trip - a deeper knowledge of British pop culture and slang... Not complaining. It really felt like Love Island, which definitely floated my boat haha. We had 3 hours of travel time to our first snorkeling stop, or as our German (continuing the above irony) captain Arnie would call it - Schnorkeling. During that 3 hours we all played card games together and drank from our communal wine bags, since SURPRISE we had no service. Which I absolutely adored. Not going on my phone for three days was probably the reason this trip was so good - I was fully in the moment and just happy and excited. Once we arrived at our first snorkeling spot, I got my first view of the Great Barrier Reef. It was a little surreal seeing something I've heard about so much my entire life. The reef itself was beautiful, and the best way I can describe it is that it looked exactly like Finding Nemo. To anyone who is wondering, though, I did not find Nemo. Still looking, will update.

The food on the boat was incredible, all cooked by one of the crew members. We had breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks every day, and we became a little family eating all together on the deck. At night we listened to music and continued playing games. In front of the boat, there was a giant net, and we could climb onto it and lie above the waves as the boat moved through the water. The second day we woke up incredibly early to go to Whitehaven Beach. When you look up pictures of Whitehaven Beach, you'll see beautiful blue waters and the whitest sand in the world. It's known as one of the most sought after tourist destinations. I'm sure you can guess where I'm going with this - our weather was terrible. Just rainy and cloudy. BUT. In my opinion, it made it even cooler. Walking onto the white sand against the white, cloudy sky made it feel like we were on another planet. It almost looked like a scene out of Interstellar or some other space movie. Maybe Star Wars. Either way it was so cool. While we were there we swam with sting rays (yes it was sort of scary and involved some hopping and screaming out of the water). My mantra of the trip while it was raining was: "It's not what it would've been but it's what it's going to be." And it went exactly how it was meant to go. Even though we didn't see Whitehaven beach in all its sunny glory, I'm so incredibly grateful we got to see it the way we saw it, otherworldly and special. After Whitehaven we were able to snorkel more and feed fish. Finally the sun started to come out, and the water was the most beautiful color I've ever seen. The fish were massive and not afraid of humans at all, so we got to actually touch a few of them (also pretty freaky). 

The cabins themselves were pretty good. Imagine the smallest nautical-themed room ever with bunk beds in it, and you'll have a good idea of what they looked like. I was actually able to get a great night's sleep, and the boat rocking was almost a comfort. Another thing I want you guys to know: we couldn't really shower. First, there was a limited amount of fresh water on the boat. If we ran out, we'd have to turn around and the tour would be over. This means we had to be extremely sparing with our water usage, and everyone was limited to one shower, once a day, for one minute. Like as in 60 seconds. Also, we couldn't use soap, since all the water gets dumped back into the reef, and shampoos contain chemicals that damage it. I sure as hell wasn't going to contribute to damaging the GREAT BARRIER REEF, soooooo.... I did use a small amount of soap for cleanliness purposes, but I said sorry to the corals so I think it'll be okay. The third day, we drove by a cool waterfall and hiked up to a cave painted 9,000 years ago by Aboriginal people. Finally, the sun was out!! The boat had a rope swing, so we all flung ourselves off of it and also jumped off the top of the boat. I seem to have developed a small fear of jumping from heights into a vast ocean. Not sure why. But of course I jumped and swung, because who am I to say no to a single experience???? We lounged on the roof and deck all day and played in the water. Everyone was genuinely just so happy. No one on phones, everyone just enjoying each other's company and our beautiful surroundings.

The experience was so special. It was dirty, and a little uncomfortable at times. We were so tired. We woke up at 6 am each morning and went to bed late each night. It was rainy. But I also made 30 new best friends, got closer with the friends I came with, and really feel like I grew a lot. It was so beautiful. Pictures won't do it justice. Living on a historic boat like that was also just magic. I tried desperately to snapshot every moment and record it into my memory exactly as it happened. I'm so grateful to have been a part of it. 

Every experience keeps getting better and better. All I feel every day is overwhelming gratefulness. I can't wait for more.