Heading up to Rainbow Beach in Queensland was a planned excursion day for me. I knew it would take all day, and was excited to see more sea life and beach towns. Driving on the left hand side, well, I guess my brain has switched over now, but it still requires all my attention. And no snacking, bleh.  So, I packed up all my stuff and headed up. I booked with Epic Ocean Adventures and found them easily when I arrived. Friendly, relaxed people again, they are just everywhere here. A group of about 18 of us loaded into trucks and drove on the sand up to Double Island Point to set off. We had a short lesson in how to use the oars, donned our life vests and set off.

The water is super clear blue so we were able to see lots of sea turtles and a huge ocean manta ray. It was a beautiful day but mother nature provided some fun on the way back. The winds kicked up and it was quite a challenge to get back to shore. I had a great kayak partner so we dug in and made our way through the choppy surf. I had a great time, and took photos with locals on the beach. They insisted we needed pics with random Aussies to remember. Why not? I was humbly happy on the way out as everyone shouted goodbye to each other with mock affection from years of fun together.

The drive back was beautiful also, and I just felt the sweetness of life here down under, with half of my time here still to come, I’m feeling lucky as can be.