beware of crocs

hi, everyone. we're in cairns, australia now. it's our fourth day here and we're just now sort of settling in. we stayed at a hostel for two nights and found a nice sharehouse to stay in for a couple of weeks before we start wwoofing at the winery in mossman (about one and a half hours north of here). the weather is in the 80's and Humid. the 'h' is capitalized on purpose. we don't have air conditioning but we're getting along just fine...it has regular internet access, running water and a shower so we feel like we've died and gone to heaven.

our flatmates are all nice and laid back. we've gotten to know Allen who's from Ireland, Marco who's from France and Lisa who's from Japan. Here's a photo:

we've really enjoyed talking to them and getting to know more about their stories, what brought them here and what their plans are. they all speak english and are very familiar with Obama and US politics. robbie and i had a conversation about ethnocentricity in the US (why is it that I never bothered to become fluent in a foreign language? I couldn't tell you who the prime minister of Ireland is to save my life). shame on me.

today we walked to the "beach" which was to our surprise, to put it nicely, a swamp. the great barrier reef blocks most of the waves from coming into the shores so now the mud accumulated and crocodiles live there. we saw this sign that said DO NOT SWIM! RISK OF INJURY OR DEATH BY CROCODILE! that's alright...plenty of beautiful beaches to come. luckily, there's an awesome public pool area that's open all day. we spent the afternoon there playing the hot/cold game (lay in the sun until you're burning up, jump in the pool and swim until you're chilly again, repeat, repeat). life is good.

tomorrow we'll start the search for an inexpensive car. we're hoping to find a good little hatchback/station wagon that won't break down within the next five months. wish us luck!