Some Well-earned R and R...
Trip Start
Mar 10, 2007
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48
188
Trip End
Jan 08, 2008
Tully,
Australia
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Thats Raft and Rainforest guys, not Rest and Relaxation. I did that yesterday.
Today, I was up with the dawn again and off to the Tully river to see the rainforest from the river and tackle some grade four rapids (team manouvering and the possibility of being capsized by the water) on the way. It was, in short, incredible. Five hours on the river, a BBQ lunch on the banks, and some complusory and deliberate rafting "accidents."
This was one of those days when the smile just never leaves your face, despite getting cnstantly soaked and regularly pushed from the raft by your guide (if you object to this don't sit next to the guide, which generally means taking or finding a friend). everyone else got the chance to stay on the raft, I was an example of how safe it was to be in the water - I didn't know it until I was floating downstream, but the water was pleasantly refreshing, so it was okay, and the human river train (bit like a conga line) was also enjoyable.
We had a fantastic time at the waterfall, with our compulsory flip as we went over the edge, coming up inside the upturned raft and swimming to the shallows to reboard (it's hard to pull yourself back onboard when you have a huge lifejacket infront of you), then there was the deliberate flip, where our guide got us to paddle into the surf of a hydraulic rapid (they are supposed to catch the raft and keep it in the current of the rapid without pushing it downstream) which he, and every other guide on the river knew would flip us, just so he could see us in the water. Still, that was part of the fun, and everyone in the raft went in, including our guide!
The rainforest was spectacular, reaching down to the banks or cascading over the cliffs with trailing vines, waterfalls, and mosses climbing high above the river. When we were not in the rapids the whole spectacle was incredibly tranquil and very beautiful and very green. Electric blue butterflies fluttered high above the water, along with a few neon dranonflies and some turkey fowl joined us for lunch, or rather stole our leftovers.
In all, it was an awesome day. I'm still smiling a day later from the memories.
If you want to see some shots of the river and rafting go to www.raft.com.au, I couldn't take my camera, it would have been destroyed.
