Submitted by Daniel Intriago on the 2019 winter session program in Australia sponsored by the Department of Chemical Engineering…
During my free weekend of the program which happened to land on the weekend of Australia Day, I decided to take a flight to Cairns, Queensland, which is on the northern coast of Australia. A group of friends and I had reserved a boat ride and snorkeling session in the Great Barrier Reef for Saturday morning. After a rocky, 4-hour boat ride out to the dedicated snorkeling location, we were unfortunately informed that the waters were too dangerous to explore due to the cyclone weather Cairns was experiencing throughout their summer season. Luckily, the crew was a wonderful group of fun people, and the boat ride to and from the reef was a great time for most of us. To make the most of our trip to Cairns, our group ended up exploring two waterfalls in the rainforest. On our way from the waterfalls to the airport, however, there was a landslide that blocked the only exit from the parking lot! The locals informed us we would most likely have to stay overnight. I was about to purchase another flight home when we were told there was a one-lane path being cleared for us to leave. I was able to make my flight and safely return to Melbourne for the remainder of the program. Although my trip to Cairns did not nearly go as planned, it was definitely a great experience!