Whitsunday Islands, Australia

I spent four of the best days of my life on a sailing trip around the “I-ran-out-of-superlatives-to describe” Whitsunday Islands on the Queensland coast of Australia, in between Cairns and Brisbane. In fact, with all the places I have traveled to, I rate the Whitsunday Islands on my “top ten list”.

Why? Well, imagine sunny weather, cool breezes, glacial-blue waters and 74 welcoming islands. Top that off with warm water temperatures and coral reef and one has got a recipe for paradise. The coral reef there is a fringe reef while not technically part of the main Great Barrier Reef, was far more superior to it. For the first time in while, I saw vibrant, colorful coral and schools of multi-colored fish. My highlights include swimming amongst schools of fish and observing the color changes of the fish as the sunlight shone at different angles. I also observed a stingray, turtle and dolphins! Moreover, I got the chance to observe large fish in action as I fed them bread. Lastly, my CS host Joe caught a dead toadfish (poisonous to eat, though).

The trip itself was amazing. There were the six of us--me; my host and caretaker of the boat (Oceania) Joe; Mark, an Aussie; Maura, an Italian CSer; and Jane and Fran, a pair of German twins. We sailed on the Oceania, a 52-foot sailboat. I played skipper for part of the trip, steering us to safety. Each day, we would go for a swim, a snorkel and an R&R session on the deck. I especially enjoyed sleeping on the deck with the cool breeze brushing against my face, while gazing at a sky blanketed with stars. Then in the morning, I would wake up to the most beautiful sunrise and be surrounded by the cleanest water in this world.

One very special place in the Whitsundays is Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. This is perhaps the world’s longest and whitest beach. The silica-derived sand was so soft and pure, providing a gorgeous contrast to the different blue hues of the water. We also hiked up a peak for unparalleled views of Whitehaven Beach, the sea and a lagoon with swirls of the white sand. This is probably one of the world’s “top ten views”.

Cairns, Australia

Cairns is the tourist capital of the Great Barrier Reef. I was here to go snorkeling, mindful of the fact that the reef might cease to exist in a few decades.

Cairns is very touristy. Europeans, Chinese, Japanese and Koreans, you name it and they are here. The only exception being Australians, who seemed to be in the minority. The city is geared for tourism not only to the Great Barrier Reef, but also to the nearby rainforests, Aboriginal parks and wildlife sanctuaries.

My main activity in Cairns was joining a day trip abroad a catamaran to the Outer Reef. It is a shame that one has to travel two hours away from Cairns in order to spot some undamaged coral. The trip was a full day but I only got to snorkel for about 1.5 hours, at two different reefs. I saw some colored coral, anemones and colored (blue, green, yellow) fish. However, I was disappointed at the lack of color amongst most of the coral, probably due to bleaching from pollution and global warming. Isn’t the Great Barrier Reef supposed to contain the best and brightest coral in the world?

One interesting observation I noticed while here (nothing related to the reef) is the ubiquitous traffic roundabouts. Thus, instead of traffic lights or stop signs, Australians prefer to utilize roundabouts at their junctions.

Budapest, Hungary

Budapest, the capital of Hungary, straddles the Danube River with hilly Buda on one side and flat Pest on the opposite side. The city is renowned for its history (as one of the major cities of the Austrian-Hungarian empire), thermal baths and goulash.

I visited Budapest during its hottest week--38°C and high humidity. The conditions were quite unbearable and thus I did not visit the thermal baths (I’ll have to come back in the winter for that). However, I did walk around, primarily staying close to the Danube. My highlights include the views of the neo-Gothic Parliament and Danube from Castle Hill; the neo-Romanesque Fisherman’s Bastion and the Cave Church below Gellert Hill.

I also got a chance to experience authentic Hungarian goulash. Goulash is found in many countries in Central and Eastern Europe, but the Hungarian version is a soup rather than a stew. However, it is still a hearty soup, filled with beef, potatoes, carrots and paprika.