I know that I keep saying "WOW" but I cant stop!! This trip is so incredible! I have just got back from some time in the middle of the Rainforest righ in the North of Queensland. The forest is soo dense and seems to go on forever. It was facinating to wind up the hills from sugar cane country, accross the Daintree River, where I went on a boat and saw crocodiles - one was 5m long! Over the river we started to climb into the rainforest. It was amazing to look down from being at the canopy layer, seeing through the forest, like a cross section. My jaw was literally on the ground at how fantastic and clever the fragile ecosystem is. I stayed the nigth at a place called Crocodylus, which is near to Cape Tribulation, but far enough away to appear a million miles from anywhere! It is basically like tents on stilts in the middle of the rainforest. Outside my room there was a spider web about 1.5m squared, with a spider the size of my face in the centre! Although there were huge spiders all over the place, the fact that i had to walk under this one, with about a 2' clearance from my head all the time, made it a little bit of a bigger deal! I was told that it was indeed very poisenous, but not to worry as it wouldnt come out of its web! This spider, whose name I have now forgotton, creates an enormous web and then lets everything come to her. The male is a fraction of the size, and she eats him once he has impregnated her (obviously not a match made in heaven!). There was also a tree outside the tent, which is just stunning - i am putting photographs of all this on the website in a moment. Early in the morning I was also lucky to witness something really specail: Two VERY long and large pythons were outside the room and were strangling a possum. Apparently it is very unusual to see two attacking at the same time. In the end, when the animal was dead, they both went away and then the larger one came back and opened his mouth into the most enormous gaping hole and swallowed the possum in one. I then watched as the huge ball worked its way through the snakes body, getting smaller and smaller as the strong stomach acids from the python broke down and absorbed the catch. All this was from a foot away - initially - until a man came over and told me that the python looked like he was preparing for an attacking pose and I should step right back!!! On the way back to Cairns I went swimming at Mossman Gorge, diving off bolders into really fresh water that took you downstream. It was such clear, fresh clean water! Lovely. From this we stopped at Port Douglas, and it was a shame!! Coming from the rural beauty into another resort town seemed strange - not as strange as coming back into Cairns! For those of you who dont know I am staying an extra few days in Australia, before leaving for NZ due to the small matter of a lost passport!! Anyway, hopefully some time to have a few more 'wow's'! Lots of Love T x