Two weeks ago my brother, James, and his wife, Debbie, came to visit us in PNG. For 6 months we have been excitedly looking forward to their arrival and now, before we could hardly blink an eye, they have come and gone! But our time together was very special.
We spent a week together in PNG where both James and Debbie got to experience some extreme bush flying with Bill. On Sabbath we took them out to a remote village for church...
...and then an afternoon trek through the jungle to a gorgeous waterfall.
However, the highlight of their PNG experience was overnighting in an Asaro mudman village.
When James was a little boy he saw a National Geographic featuring the Asaro Mudmen of PNG. It made a huge impression on his young mind. How could he know that some day he would actually have the opportunity to visit a mudman village?
(James and I pretending to be mudmen!)
We spent the day hiking around the area, exploring a cave...
Enjoying two traditional dances performed in our behalf ...
And watching the different stages of a mumu being prepared for our supper. (A mumu is a hole dug in the ground and layered with rocks. A fire is built on top of these rocks to heat them up. Then the food is placed on the rocks and covered with leaves and dirt to bake)
We slept that night in a traditional hut. It was all great fun and I highly recommend it!
Our second week was spent at Mission Beach in Australia. This was our jump off point for our various activities. On Sunday we drove down South to Wallaman Falls. At nearly a thousand feet it is the highest waterfall in Australia. It was quiet impressive and definitely worth the 1 1/2 hour drive to get there.
Along the way we passed this extremely quaint post office that is still in use.
Along the way we passed this extremely quaint post office that is still in use.
Monday was another high point of our trip as we made the 1 ½ hour trip by boat out to the Great Barrier Reef for a day of snorkeling. 
We could not have asked for a more perfect day and the reef was absolutely fabulous. It is hard to describe the incredible beauty of the underwater world. The immense corals and bright colorful fish in the Barrier Reef are some of the best in the world.
(Eddy Reef where we snorkeled)
(James and Deb getting geared up)
(The girls and I getting ready to brave the cold water)
(Bill was delighted to have the opportunity to go scuba diving again after more then 25 years since his PADI certification!)
Unfortunately I do not have an underwater camera so was unable to capture some of the spectacular sites, but we were delighted when this sea turtle poked his snout up out of the water for some air.
The water was so clear that you could stand on the boat and look down and see the fish swimming by.
Tuesday and Wednesday were rainy days so were pretty much just spent reading books and exploring the stormy beach.
These beautiful designs on the beach are created by crabs that throw little balls of sand they have dug up outside their hole. Use your imagination and see what you can see. Kind of like gazing at clouds.
(This looks like an eagle landing on his nest to me)
(This looks like a flower)
Thursday was another perfect, sunshiny day, so we took a water taxi out to Dunk Island to spend the day on the beach.
Bill and I tried our hand at snorkeling once again.
After lunch we hiked to the top of Mt. Kootaloo where there use to be a radar station during World War II. The view was awesome.
Briana and Betsy enjoyed trying their hand at sea kayaking.
Friday we sent James and Deb up on the skyrail to Kuranda village where we met them for a picnic lunch. 
After enjoying a river tour on an old WWII Army Duck - it can drive on land like a jeep and go on water like a boat - they headed back down the mountain by train.
Sabbath morning, as an early birthday celebration for Betsy, we went to a bird sanctuary where they offer “Breakfast with the Birds.” A huge enclosed canopy/screen forms an artificial rainforest environment where the birds can freely roam. It was really interesting.
My absolute favorite was the baby stork that had recently hatched. He was about 2 feet tall and as a baby was way larger then most any other bird around other then the emus and cassowaries. 
There were some other residents as well such as the fearsome salt water crocodiles...
Cuddly Koalas...
And fuzzy little wallabys...
....as well as kangaroos.
In the afternoon we drove way up north to the Daintree rainforest which is a World Heritage site. To get there we had to cross a river the old fashioned way – by ferry boat.
I have always been a lover of the dense, green rainforest. The Daintree Discovery Center has an elevated aerial walkway and a 76 foot tower you can climb to get a canopy view of the rainforest. I really enjoyed this as it gives you different perspectives of the rainforest that you can’t get just from walking along the forest floor. It was pretty awesome.
Anyone else want to join us for our mid year break in Cairns?
