We've been gobsmacked!

As we spend more time with the locals, we are learning some pretty funny Aussie slang.  Words like "gobsmacked" (meaning you have been astonished/surprised) or "ah, you are goin up in the woop, woop "(meaning you are traveling somewhere very far away).  We haven't heard a ton of slang in Palm Cove as so many here are visitors like us including the help in the restaurants.  We've met waiters/waitresses from all over the globe.  But when you do happen along a true Aussie, it can be quite the challenge to actually get the gist of things at times.  Similar to the Bahamians, if the locals are talking to themselves, the slang and dialects can be so thick that it is difficult to understand much of anything.  That being said, everyone we've met has been helpful and friendly.

Yesterday we took a day boat trip out to Fitzroy Island which sits just off the coast of Cairns.  It is a good sized island and hosts several miles of mountain hiking as well as swimming/snorkeling.  We were definitely gobsmacked by the beach on this island.  Instead of sand, the beaches were covered with chunks of broken coral from the thousands of miles of reefs that fill the Coral Sea.  It "chinked" like pieces of broken glass as you walked on it.  This is certainly not a beach where you can go barefooted for very long, but listening to it twinkle as the waves washed ashore was magical.  We've never seen anything like it before.  Our snorkeling trip delivered more new sights even though water visibility wasn't the best.  We spotted corals we've never seen before in bold colors like deep purple and chartreuse green and a few new fish species.  The snorkeling got us super excited about our scuba trip to the Great Barrier Reef next week!

Coral "sand" 
We took a long hike up to the Summit of the island before lunch.  We are definitely getting our mountain climbing legs and lungs back into working shape.  However, age does require more frequent rest stops!😉

Looking west to Australia's shoreline














We ended our day with a lovely cup of coffee with another couple who had been snorkeling near us on the beach.  Jerry is a lawyer and works for the UN.  He and his wife, Toshiko, currently live in Palestine but are looking for a place to retire in the near future.  Tony is a native to Australia and Toshiko is from Japan so they are exploring both countries for now.  We had so much fun listening to their stories.  As we left to catch our ferry back to the mainland, Tony and Toshiko offered us a place to stay if we were ever in Palestine.  We exchanged information and hope to catch up with them in the future.  Once again, the kindness of strangers has been remarkable.  Dan is beginning to wonder if we look homeless since people keep offering their homes to us!

Do we look homeless?
Stay Curious!

Cheryl & Dan


Comments

  1. GolomarSeptember 30, 2019 at 7:08 PM

    Hi Cheryl & Dan: See you've escaped the coming winter by turning your world upside down in Australia. Do you look homeless? You do have that eternal tan street people sport in the sunnier climes.

    If you want to pass as real Aussies the first thing you have to learn is the universal greeting, "G'day g'day, how ya goin', what d'ya know, well strike a light" and to help you get the pronunciation correct here's a link to the Aussie singer, Slim Dusty, who has made this part of his repertoire:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=goo5Lf84TxM

    P.S. I hope you have a chance to visit Ayers Rock (aka Uluru) in the middle of nowhere before they move it closer to Sydney to make it easier for the tourists.

    P.P.S. "Golomar" (aka Marc Goodman) who still thinks the best leaf lettuce in the world has to be at PF Chang's.



    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C and D UntetheredOctober 1, 2019 at 8:32 PM

      Loved the youtube link and helpful hints provided! We seem to hear a lot more "Hiya" than G'day at least so far. Perhaps that is because we are in such touristy spots at the moment. As we head north into the hinterland, I suspect that will change! Fond memories of our lunch at PF Changs with you & your mom. Thanks for all the smiles!

      Delete
  2. Royal Cruise HurghadaDecember 20, 2019 at 3:04 AM

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