Aussieland: Welcome to the Jungle

After enduring the longest plane ride of my life, we arrive in Cairns. My first thoughts "I just walked into an oven". Neither Boston nor Ithaca could have prepared for this weather. We hustle to get into the air-conditioned airport and reclaim our baggage. Only one last obstacle, transportation. We pack ourselves into three stifling hot vans and quickly open all the windows.

We stop to pick up our calling cards and then drive 45 minutes to get to our new home, the Centre for Rainforest Studies (yes "centre", Australia was colonized by the British). Ascending the mountains cools us off a bit, but the air remains humid in promise of rain. We walk up the access road in awe of the canopy and new sounds. Luckily, we still had a ways to go before we arrived at the centre for rainforest studies where we would be spending the next three months studying in.

Our orientation mostly consists of warnings. Don't walk barefoot or you'll catch Leptospirosis. Don't approach snakes because they're most likely venomous. Watch out the bear-sized boars, etc. At least there are no poisonous spiders and thus far the only pests that have bothered me have been the land leeches and flies, neither of which are not known to carry diseases.

The following day most people have experienced jet lag and wake up at 5 in the morning (or earlier). I somehow managed to forgo this annoying phenomenon, most likely since I spent the duration of my flight immobilized in my seat, trying to picture myself anywhere besides where I was (I hate planes if you haven't already guessed). Despite jet lag, everyone was alert enough for our first long hike.

The forest is quite spectacular. Even with the canopy concealing the birds, I can still hear dozens of different calls as we trudge along the trail. We are again warned of the dangers of Australia. We are shown a stinging tree, which ejects barbs coated with toxins into the skin upon contact. The unpleasant stinging effects can last several weeks for the affected persons, unless they have duct tape which is the most effective barb-removing tool. Another plant I had the privilege to encounter was a vine that stuck to my hat and wouldn't let go. This plant is not nearly as bad since all you have to do is "wait awhile" and it releases you. (This vine is appropriately named "wait-awhile" though I'm unsure of its scientific name).