Fergs Down Under, Reader's Digest Version

(karen)

I write to you from a crappy computer in Fiji, but the important part of that statement is that we're in Fiji! We won't be able to upload any photos or write our typical Discovery Channel style posts until we get home, so in brief here are the highlights from the last couple of weeks:

Magnetic Island
This is an island in Queensland just off the coast from Townsville. We read that it was a fascinating place to hike and see wildlife, but we were a little let down by the overall experience. The best part, however, was having our first legitimate wild koala sighting! We also tried to blaze a trail through some dense bush and learned the true meaning of BIG Aussie Spiders. It gives me the heebie-jeebies just remembering it.

Whitsunday Islands
Too bad the Sunshine State has been dealing us a heavy dose of rain and cloudy skies, but at least these parted briefly to give us fantastic views of Whitehaven Beach. Now I've only seen a little bit of this big world but I can tell you that Whitehaven is the most glorious beach on this planet. Photographic evidence to come...

Steve couldn't stay out of the water so we booked another dive trip that was somewhat murkier than our first, but was more than compensated for by the abundance of fish and corals. Seeing a turtle, moray eel, and a breeching humpback whale are memories to savor for a lifetime.

Eungella
We head inland to see the cutest little monotremes ever, the platypus! We battled our way through thick fog and past pythons (dead) to watch these critters motor around in the calm water, diving for bugs.

Brisbane
We cooled our heels and hung out with some folks we've met during our travels who reside in Brissie. Tam, who we met back in New Zealand, was so kind to let us stay with her for a few days before our flight to Fiji. To thank her I taught her to cook.

Fiji
This is the final leg of our trip, where tomorrow we are flying to one of the smaller islands for four sunny days of all inclusive meals and scuba diving. We'll be sure to share the stories when we return to the states. Thanks to everyone for your comments on the blog. It's so nice to have little messages waiting for us. Take care and we'll see you all very soon!