Quote of the Week - Ralph Waldo Emerson

'For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness'

Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park, QLD

Our first stop after the coastal drive along Mossman-Daintree Road was Mossman Gorge, Daintree National Park which lies 80km north of Cairns. As named, it is a rainforest. You are probably questioning whether this was just another bunch of trees? or was it something more.? You may wonder what could you possible see in a rainforest and believe that they are all the same. The answer to this is no, they are NOT all the same; each rainforest is unique to itself, with wildlife and vegetation of its own kind. What you see & feel in one rainforest differs from another; the companions you go with also adds to the ambiance of the forest. I hope that what i captured during this trip gives you an idea of the different things you may see in comparison to my posting 'A walk back to nature'.

 

...The Track...

The highlight of this rainforest track was that we were very, very welcomed guest to the native creatures of this forest. These natives were more than happy to get as close as they could to us, eager to come into contact with us, so much that my friends and I were more than just afraid, we wanted to get out as fast as we could. Was it love at first sight? No, they treated all of our species just the same, one bite and they were hooked. What creatures am I referring to? MOSQUITOES, oh my gosh did i get bitten...I hope you realized that was sarcasm earlier when I referred to this as the highlight of the day.

... Much room for Mushrooms...

 

...Vines & Climbers...

...Sprouts of Nature...

 ...Back to Basics...

...Pictured: Sophia Mok...

 
These two images makes me relate to the part in a movie where you are on a chase or being chased in the rainforest for a crime, or a get-away from a beast that is after you (like a bear), or perhaps Edward Cullens (The Vampire from Twilight) who comes swooping down from the branch tops to ensure your protection...

A bit much?...haha, yeah I know - I couldn't help myself.

...Roots... Not all Evil...

...Nature left its Mark...

The girls and I went through the rainforest a little faster than I would have taken if I was on my own but with the amount of ground we wanted to cover in the span of 1 day I had to make do with what we had. Hope you enjoyed this post as much as I did capturing the images.

Remember, feedback is more than welcome!

- End -

The Coastal Drive, Cairns, QLD

So I just couldn't help myself, I should be doing other things like working on my assignment but I just had to flesh out these pictures which are one month overdue. Today is Day 3 of our long weekend away in Cairns. The agenda: Daintree Rainforest. We had hired a car - Holden Commodore - for our convenience that day, just to make getting around simpler - to come and go as we pleased. It's not the cheapest of expenses but it was well worth it. Time is priceless and this convenience gave us that time.

Our designated driver - Sophia took us for an amazing scenic coastal drive along Mossman-Daintree Road. It was definitely a breath-taking experience, particularly if you've got brilliant weather like we did that morning. If ever you decide to go up to Cairns, this is a drive not to be missed; and if you have the chance, drive, don't go by coach, it makes such a big difference. This coastal drive is one where you can imagine yourself sitting in a sports convertible with its top off, a slight breeze blowing through your hair, the sunlight warming up and toning the surface of your skin, your sunglasses just at the bridge of your nose; you then come to a moment where you realise this spectacular view is not worth hiding behind some shades; you take them off and if you could get out of your seat, you would get up and view the ocean. 360 degree views, mountainous on your left, coastal on your right. Did I mention this was a breath-taking drive?

I now leave you with a few shots from the 2 pit stops we had that morning:

...Like an Oasis...

...Memories of Friendship....

L2R: Sophia & Lily

...Sandy (I mean Sunny) much?...

... Thank you again to our driver...

Pictured Above: Sophia

 

 ...Take me back....

...I was left Mesmerised...

...Last shot courtesy of a fellow tourist...

L2R: Karen, Sophia, Myself & Lily

- End -

Quote of the Week - Martin Luther King Jr

'Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illuminates it.'

Sunrise at The Marina, Cairns

It's Easter Sunday morning; my high school girlfriends and I had flown from Sydney to Cairns the day before for the Long Weekend. 6am and two of the girls (Sophia & Lily) were still fast asleep, exhausted from waking up at 4am the morning before. This leave us two photographers, Karen & I wide awake in anticipation to catch the morning sun. We planned to hit the marina that was about 20 minutes walk away and that we did. Here are some of the shots I snapped early that morning:

Something about this tree caught my eye, I'm not sure what it was, perhaps it was its stark nakedness to its neighbouring partners, the eerie feeling of isolation it brought when you sat next to it out-looking the pier, or perhaps it was just a statement of its own. I am bare. I am wilting. Awaiting...Light touch me, shine and bring me growth...

 

... The boardwalk ...

...So Sensual, it speaks for itself...

...Sleeping Beauty...

....The Awakening...

...Illuminating...

 

...Warmth...

 

...Sea Breeze...

...She is ready to fly...

-End-

Quote of the Week - Lao Tzu

“Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.”

Autumn at Mount Wilson

Autumn is such a lovely time of year. The transition of green to shades of orange and gold. It's the time for change and the time for regeneration. To get rid of the old and regenerate. Saturday was a beautiful day, the sky couldn't be any more blue, though maybe a little warmer and the drive up to Mount Wilson was so nice and relaxing. My brother had went the week earlier for the food and wine festival which i disappointingly missed but Nathan made up for that. Here's some of the beautiful colours I captured that day.

Most of the trees were becoming bare with falling leaves whilst the floor was scattered with wonderful arrays of orange and yellow. I liked how the the trees made an arch along the road. Too bad there wasn't enough leaves on both sides to brighten up the picture. Maybe next year.

This was shot from one of the two gardens we went to that day, the bench overlooked the large garden the owner had, I regretfully didn't get a shot from this spot.

I saw the leaves in this tree and fell in love with it. How bright and red it was. It just stood out from the rest. I decided this photo was skyworthy, and so i took it from below, just so it just looks that much more special. It was definitely something worth looking up to, leaves to be admired.

This bench spot outlooks the a little pond. Isn't the sky pretty =)

...More colourful leaves...

...One of my favourite leaf shapes...

This petunia was all alone between the leaves of this massive fern but the brightness of the blue caught my eye.

...Gold leaves oooooh yeah ...

...I just had to have a shot of scattered leaves on the floor...I just couldn't leave without this shot...

 

If hadn't been raining it'd would've been nice to find a pile of leaves and jump in them. Childish I know.

...& last of all, a big thank you to Nathan for driving me up there so these shots were possible.

- End -

Final shot courtesy of friendly passer-by