Life List Achievement #53 was snorkeling or diving in the Great Barrier Reef, and I was so excited for this focal point of our trip to Australia. We had attempted scuba certification back in Arizona in the spring, but due to illness, neither of us were able to complete the certification before moving. I was anxious that we wouldn't be able to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef just by snorkeling, but it turned out, I needn't worry!
This being such an important part of the trip, I had done a bit of research, and had selected Silverswift for our tour, because it seemed to be one of the faster boats, thus allowing us to see more of the Great Barrier Reef in a single day. They had scuba and snorkeling options at three different stops along the Outer Reef, plus food for the day. 
The weather was beautiful the day we went out, and we hung out on the front of the boat enjoying the wind and the views. We were provided wet suits, snorkels and masks, and they even had prescription masks, which Jaiman and I took advantage of and were really glad we did so. On our first trip out, we saw a giant sea turtle, large clams and anemone fish. The 
next two stops we also saw large clams and anemone fish as well. The coral and the fish were so close to us, I couldn't even imagine diving much, since we could see it all
from the surface. Sure there were deeper parts, but I definitely didn't feel like I was missing out by snorkeling. Lunch was a buffet that was nothing spectacular, but sufficiently good and fulfilling. On the last stop, there was a guided snorkeling tour during which our guide dove down and covered up the part of the clam that made it sense a predator, and it would close up in reaction. He also told us about some of the other creatures and critters. Jaiman and I pretty much maxed out our time at each of the three stops, taking in as much of the beauty 
as we could - it was really beyond description. I think the only thing I would have done differently would be to bring my own dry snorkel, because from time to time the snorkel would accidentally go under water and I'd suck seawater, not the end of the world but a dry snorkel is just a little bit better.
After our two concluded and we were shuttled back to our hotel, we walked around a bit, looking for dinner and Pokemon, and actually found a Corsola which we hadn't anticipated catching in Australia. We ended up catching two during our time in Cairns, and would have loved to catch more, but were happy with our catches. 
Just outside the McDonald's was a group of young boys apparently from an Aboriginal tribe performing some of their dances and songs for tips. We watched them for a bit and tipped them before moving on. Later, we'd see an Aborginal show that was very much the same dances, so it appeared they were legit. There was also a fire dancer performance going on, but it was actually kind of silly, so we moved on quickly from that.
At the time I was booking our trip, I wasn't sure if we'd end up scuba diving or snorkeling, so I had left an extra day after the Great Barrier Reef tour before flying in case we did scuba. However, that was months prior, and I could barely remember what the next thing on the itinerary was without looking. Jaiman and I were using TripIt, as we normally do, to track our progress through our vacation. The one downside to this app was that if you don't book something for a particular day, it just shows the next thing without showing that there was nothing booked on a particular day. We'd been traveling so long I suppose that we weren't really aware of what day it was. So, the next thing on our itinerary was a flight to Sydney, so the next morning we packed all our things and tried to check out. The front desk attendant informed us that we still had another night, and then it dawned on me that I had booked the extra day. Feeling foolish, we headed back upstairs to figure out what to do with the extra time in Cairns. On the suggestion of a couple we had brunched with in Melbourne, we used the extra day to visit the rain forest, specifically the Kuranda Village.
By the time we were up and ready to go, we had apparently missed the train into Kuranda, so I decided we should take an Uber. Our Uber driver was an absolute delight, and I honestly would have been more than happy to have him just drive us around all day. He took us up into the rain forest and dropped us off in the Kuranda Village. We weren't quite sure what it was we wanted to do, but we got our bearings and figured we'd catch the train back to Cairns later that day, and with that, we were on our way to wander the wildlife park of Kuranda.
While cuddling a koala had not been on my list of things I had to do, the opportunity presented itself at Kuranda, and I decided it was a great touristy thing to do. However, it wasn't quite time to hold the koalas when we arrived, so we went to a little wallaby enclosure and fed the wallabies by hand, which was adorable. 
Then we went back up to get in line for the koala cuddles, and got our picture taken holding a koala named Yoshi. We walked around some more, visiting Bird World where all sorts of exotic birds flew around us in close proximity, even landing on Jaiman a couple times (but I was too slow with the camera to capture it).
When we were happy with our time with the animals, we headed over to the other side of the village for the Aborigine experience at Rainforestation, where we saw a spear throwing demonstration, and a brief introduction to the didgeridoo to start. Next, we learned how to throw a 
boomerang and each got at least one chance to try it out with supervision. Finally, we were ushered into an outdoor theater where they put on a show for us, demonstrating their 
dances. With that complete, we caught the shuttle to the train station and boarded the scenic railway that brought us over the mountain and back to Cairns, with one stop for a photo opp overlooking a huge valley and waterfall. 
Cairns, you delivered a dream come true, and so much more! I will never forget my time spent there. And then we were off to our final destination in Australia, Sydney, where one of the most awkward travel moments of my life awaited us…
Exit the 101 on Cactus and head east far enough and you'll stumble upon a working architecture school founded and designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built by the labor of his apprentices. Taliesin West served as summer home for the elderly Wright and his last wife, who was not so elderly when they were wed. An experimental playground for Wright's architecture ideas and the basis for many of his greatest creations, Taliesin West is teeming with interesting history and is still a working school at the same time. Tours run daily, but to make the most of your visit, I recommend you make a day (or weekend) of it.
Start by acquiring or borrowing a copy of PBS's "Frank Lloyd Wright" documentary and watching it together. Warning, it is a bit long, so grab some snacks and drinks and settle in. You'll learn of his scandalous life, including a tale of cold-blooded murder, his either cocky or genius opinions, and about his career which really didn't accelerate until he was well past the age of 80 and had founded Taliesin West.
Book your tour of Taliesin West online and early - this saves money and ensures you will get the tour time you want, as they do sell out quickly (we arrived at 10:35 and they were selling tickets for the 12:30 tour at that time, by the time our tour had concluded around 1, they were sold out for the rest of the day). Before you do your tour, if you haven't seen or paid much attention to the Frank Lloyd Wright Spire, take a quick detour to Scottsdale and Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd to see it, then proceed to Taliesin West. Plan to get there at least 15 minutes prior to your tour - you may want even more time because the giftshop/bookstore had a lot of neat things and books in it. The tour allows pictures, so bring your camera and don't forget to take a few selfies - you can find pictures (that are probably better than yours) online or in the giftshop, but
selfies are cool because they are part of your experience. Bonus points if you know how to play the piano - you'll get an opportunity to entertain guests just like they did when Wright was running the school. If you have little ones, try engaging them with this scavenger hunt I put together.
After your tour, pick up whatever mementos you wish at the gift shop (I mean really, there's a sticker for $0.75, cool bookmarks, ornaments, fun books - it's worth bringing something home). Head over to Butterfield's for brunch. This has nothing to do with Frank Lloyd Wright, but it's in the perfect location between Taliesin and the Biltmore area where many of the houses he designed are, and it's amazing food. Next up, plug the following addresses into your GPS and let it guide you past the private residences just long enough for you to peak in. More info can be found here: http://franklloydwrightsites.com/arizona/
- 6442 E Cheney Dr, Paradise Valley - This is called the Pieper House and was constructed in 1952.
- 5802 N 30th St, Phoenix - This is called the Benjamin Adelman House and was constructed in 1950. The next location is just next door...
- 5808 N 30th St, Phoenix - This is called Boomer Cottage and was constructed in 1953.
- 6636 N 36th St, Phoenix - This is the Norman Lykes House, constructed in 1959. There are other really neat houses in the area, but if you're familiar with Gammage, you'll recognize the earth-toned curves of Frank Lloyd Wright.
- 2701 E Arizona Biltmore Cir, Phoenix - Optional stop if you aren't familiar with the Arizona Biltmore Hotel - this was another one of Wright's works and also makes for a pretty drive with impressive non-Wright houses.
- 1123 W Palo Verde Dr, Phoenix - This is called the Raymond Carlson House and was constructed in 1950.
- 6750 N 7th Ave, Phoenix - This is a church Wright designed, and you'll probably recognize the style of the spire and the sprawling roof.
- 5212 Exeter Blvd, Phoenix - I saved this one for last intentionally. This is the David and Gladys Wright House, designed for Frank Lloyd Wright's son, David, and has an impressive Gammage-like structure you can see well from the street. Tours are currently closed, but watch the website as they may open back up for public tours, which would make a great finale for your Frank Lloyd Wright Extravaganza.
I've somehow managed to live in the Phoenix area for 13+ years without
realizing the substantial presence of Frank Lloyd Wright's works until very recently. Of course, I knew Gammage was his design, and maybe I had realized at one time that the Biltmore was also his, and we have that street I pass every day called Frank Lloyd Wright Blvd. To my amazement, he had this whole school that he planted out in the desert in the Scottsdale area, as well as a number of private houses he had designed. I came upon this discovery just two months before I moved away, and totally by happenstance and curiosity. I was reading an article in some travel magazine I got subscribed to for free and usually ignore, and the article was about a midwestern roadtrip one could take to see some of the many sites of Frank Lloyd Wright. I really couldn't even say what made me wonder if there were such sites in Arizona, but I googled it, and found a full page of sites credited to the great architect. A few were familiar, but most were totally new to me. Anyways, I took on a minor obsession, looking for documentaries on Frank Lloyd Wright and resorted to YouTube videos, including tours of Taliesin West and David Wright's house. I borrowed the above-mentioned documentary from the library, and convinced Jaiman to watch it with me so we could go tour Taliesin West afterward. Without really a lot of planning, after the tour, we landed at a great brunch place we've been meaning to check out, and then I realized we were very near some of the houses Wright had designed and thought it might be worthwhile to round off our little trip with a few drive-bys. Ironically, when we got home, we popped in Bye Bye Birdie (because Jaiman hopes to meet Dick Van Dyke at the upcoming Phoenix Comicon, so that's been his minor obsession lately) and the opening seen shows the Guggenheim, which we will be visiting soon after move to CT in June. Again, I hadn't really planned this, but it worked out magically, and I wanted to share because we really made a nice day of it.
Whether you live in Arizona or are planning a visit, if you want some other day-trip excursion ideas, check out my Arizona Bucket List.
Life List Achievement #53 was snorkeling or diving in the Great Barrier Reef, and I was so excited for this focal point of our trip to Australia. We had attempted scuba certification back in Arizona in the spring, but due to illness, neither of us were able to complete the certification before moving. I was anxious that we wouldn't be able to enjoy the Great Barrier Reef just by snorkeling, but it turned out, I needn't worry! 
The weather was beautiful the day we went out, and we hung out on the front of the boat enjoying the wind and the views. We were provided wet suits, snorkels and masks, and they even had prescription masks, which Jaiman and I took advantage of and were really glad we did so. On our first trip out, we saw a giant sea turtle, large clams and anemone fish. The 
next two stops we also saw large clams and anemone fish as well. The coral and the fish were so close to us, I couldn't even imagine diving much, since we could see it all
from the surface. Sure there were deeper parts, but I definitely didn't feel like I was missing out by snorkeling. Lunch was a buffet that was nothing spectacular, but sufficiently good and fulfilling. On the last stop, there was a guided snorkeling tour during which our guide dove down and covered up the part of the clam that made it sense a predator, and it would close up in reaction. He also told us about some of the other creatures and critters. Jaiman and I pretty much maxed out our time at each of the three stops, taking in as much of the beauty 
as we could - it was really beyond description. I think the only thing I would have done differently would be to bring my own dry snorkel, because from time to time the snorkel would accidentally go under water and I'd suck seawater, not the end of the world but a dry snorkel is just a little bit better. 
Just outside the McDonald's was a group of young boys apparently from an Aboriginal tribe performing some of their dances and songs for tips. We watched them for a bit and tipped them before moving on. Later, we'd see an Aborginal show that was very much the same dances, so it appeared they were legit. There was also a fire dancer performance going on, but it was actually kind of silly, so we moved on quickly from that. 
While cuddling a koala had not been on my list of things I had to do, the opportunity presented itself at Kuranda, and I decided it was a great touristy thing to do. However, it wasn't quite time to hold the koalas when we arrived, so we went to a little wallaby enclosure and fed the wallabies by hand, which was adorable. 
Then we went back up to get in line for the koala cuddles, and got our picture taken holding a koala named Yoshi. We walked around some more, visiting Bird World where all sorts of exotic birds flew around us in close proximity, even landing on Jaiman a couple times (but I was too slow with the camera to capture it). 
boomerang and each got at least one chance to try it out with supervision. Finally, we were ushered into an outdoor theater where they put on a show for us, demonstrating their 
dances. With that complete, we caught the shuttle to the train station and boarded the scenic railway that brought us over the mountain and back to Cairns, with one stop for a photo opp overlooking a huge valley and waterfall. 
Cairns, you delivered a dream come true, and so much more! I will never forget my time spent there. And then we were off to our final destination in Australia, Sydney, where one of the most awkward travel moments of my life awaited us… 
