Kuranda Tour; May 7th

Originally I was suppose to blog about the Kuranda Tour yesterday. We had to reschedule our plans to today because of a miscommunication between the Cairns YHA and the coach service.

Today was a beautiful day. It was sunny and a little cooler when we woke up, but as the day progressed it became much hotter. Luckily, we were not in the sun much today because the Butterfly Garden was inside, at the Sky Rail we rode in a enclosed cart, and while we walked around the rain forest the trees blocked out the sun.

While at the Butterfly Garden I noticed the butterflies were cared for very well. There was a few different ways I could tell. The first way was the workers found a way to make the same type of nectar that the butterflies would eat in the wild. Another way was they had a breeding laboratory where they monitored the growth and health of the caterpillars. The last way is once the caterpillar turned into a butterfly they would wait until there wings were fully dried before releasing them into the exhibit. They waited for the wings to be completely dried so both males and females had the best chance at finding a mate and reproducing.

While on the Sky Rail I realized there was some advantages and disadvantages of being on it. One advantage is it was a great way to see how large the rain forest was. Another is you could see the top of the trees, the bottom of the forest, and the environment around the rainforest. One disadvantage is there is no way to see all the wild life that is at the bottom of the rain forest. Another is you can not experience walking through the rain forest.

After the Sky Rail we made our way to Tjapukai. I learned a lot about the way First Americans lived. I believe the food and medicine was the most important to them. They used nuts from the trees to get food, and without food they would have no nutrient and would not survive. They also used leaves from trees as medicines, and without these medicines they could contract a disease or illness. The food and medicine was the most important because it kept the First Americans alive.

One thing I noticed while I was walking around in Kuranda was it reminded me of a craft show. It had many different vendors that were selling items and food that were mostly handmade which is similar to a craft show.

Even though we were suppose to do these activities yesterday it turned out to be a good day. I really enjoyed seeing all the different types of butterflies and different vendors in Kuranda.