It's half way over

Well, the trips almost over and so far we have been able to mark several items off of our list that we have wanted to do. Bungy Jumping, the Kuranda Train, the Zoo, etc. We are scheduled to go out on a Reef Tour this Friday. James will scuba dive in the morning and then my Mom, Dad, James and myself are going to do something called a scuba drift. The guide take us to one part of the reef and we drift with the current for about an hour back to the boat checking out the reef and it's inhabitants. We are all really excited for it and are looking forward to the adventure. Hopefully my ankle will hold up and Dad won't dislocate his shoulder. They also have submersables that take you down into the water so that you can see what's deep down in without scuba diving. We have had a few clouds and rain the past couple of days but today was gorgeous and we should have similar weather for Friday. We are still trying to get used to the lingo they use hear. Words like fortnight, fairdinkum, chuck and others all take getting used to. James has been practicing using them in his everyday speech so don't be surprised if you hear him say "No worries mate" when we get back to the states. We are amazed everyday at the number of people that we see walking bare foot around town. Their feet are like leather but are as black as can be. The gravel of the roads or the rocks on the sidewalk don't seem to bother them a bit. We have done a little shopping and when looking at the cost of shoes, we now understand why so many people walk around with out them. A standard pair of Nike's is selling for about $180.00. With the exchange rate being almost dollar for dollar, I can't imagine paying that much money for a pair of basic tennis shoes. I know, I may be cheap but that is just too much money. I have been learning a lot about their culture, government and day to day living. It is mind blowing to think of how an average person could live over here with the price of things. Everything seems to be really inflated compared to what you can purchase similar items for in the states. But, we are enjoying our time here and trying to make the most of our holiday (vacation - holiday is another australian term).