In the middle of Canadian winter, you come straight to the middle of the summer in cosmopolitan city of Cairns, northern Queensland, Australia. You know that the opposites work well here - summertime in winter, left hand side car traffic and even people, supposedly walking upside down. When you make your first strides in Cairns to get the first feeling of tropics, you come across the name of Cape Tribulation that flashes from numerous tourist offers located along the streets. You seem not to notice it in the first moment or even ignore it but it falls into your memory when checking the shop windows, colourful tourist offices and even sandwich people advertising a lot of tourist destinations. Then you rent a car and the person assisting you draws the last limit line you’re not suppose to cross unless you want to rent the 4WD. The line is right at the Cape of Tribulation.One day I went to a funky new age store and got involved with a friendly conversation with its owner. In the absence of clientele we talked a lot comparing the lifestyles from our countries until she said, “you should really go and see the Cape Tribulation, one of the several spots on Earth of heightened energy, typical for Sedona or the Egyptian pyramids". Well, that statement, like the red flag, sparked my imagination and sharpened the appetite to see what my subconscious was being bombarded with already. After that conversation I knew it for sure that I wanted to go and see what’s out there. So I got myself ready for a day’s trip and after reading some tourist information about my destination, I set out for a trip although my feeling of new age's concept of heightened energy rather falls into severe ignorance of basic laws of physics.
The map showed the distance of about 120 km north of Cairns. Pretty close, one might say, but you have to include very winding road along the coast of Coral Sea on the Cook Highway up to Port Douglas and further north through the Daintree Rainforest Park. After passing Port Douglas, I entered a sleepy city of Mossman and checked what’s out there in the morning. The first eye contact with local and predominantly aboriginal people left me with an impression of being a complete stranger here. They already spotted a rented car, my digital SLR and me, looking around for something new and unexpected. Then a short trip took me to a ferry that operates on a steel line spanning the river full of crocodiles. It took only 5 minutes and $Aus 16 (round trip) to get to the other side and drive in the Daintree National Park. Actually, that’s where my tropical rainforest adventure started. I experienced the rainforest in Hawaii and saw something like that in Mexico but what I saw after a few kilometers of driving in the park went beyond my boldest imagination. One might say, “what’s the big deal about seeing the rainforest?” but it was all worth seeing it. Huge trees of unknown shape, colour and smell with voices/sounds of wildlife living inside give impression of one huge organism, living with its ingredients in perfect harmony. High air humidity and temperature above 30 degrees Celsius along with the presence of almost 600 kinds of eucalyptuses the Aussie have down under, contributed to unusual orgy of fantastic scents that I have never experienced before. After passing a few desolated beaches (Mayal Beach, Thornton Beach) I knew it instantly that I was approaching the Cape Tribulation. 
Its name came from Captain Cook who noted in his logbook about troubles his ship came across when it scratched the coral reef during his second trip in 1781.
A parking lot with cars and vans marks the end of the road - literally. A gravel road starts a bit further north towards Cooktown. There's no point to venture up there while driving a small Daihatsu Quore so I am turning back from very bumpy road after some 50 m or so. Is it a real end of (civilized) Australia?..., looks like it! A short walk from the parking lot takes me to a spiritual paradise that was worth seeing and traveling to. Well, some say that not the destination what's the most important but journey itself but when you want to go and see the Cape Tribulation this rule doesn't apply. Personally I can't imagine traveling up there and not being able to see that part of land, it is like licking a cake through the store window. Something is wrong with the rule or people who first invented it. The worse is that throngs of others repeat it without thinking what's missing behind the words. This time the destination was what really mattered. Anyway... huge space of beach, still a few people around. Quite heavy and low hanging clouds cover not so distant mountains, it's humid and it's hot in the air, it's about to rain or has it just stopped? One of the first things that came to my eyes was the expansion of the rainforest towards the sea. It's usually the oposite when you expect seeing salty sea eating up and taking over the plants from the beach. The whole atmosphere is close to total silence as the sea is pretty calm, no huge waves. Some people, like me, are interested in what mangrove forest looks like. 
Well, it looks very strange with gray roots, arch-like shaped and sticking out high above the level of almost white sand. Then a small creek comes out from that forest, it's all in dark orange, kind of rusty colour..., and this unusual sounds of nature some 100 metres away - birds?, cassowaries?,... what else? To check it all I am coming into this weird scenery. Small crawling creatures that, I suppose, live here, make their way out from under my feet trying to escape when I am moving forward. All of the sudden a loud shriek of some creature breaks the silence. I am stepping in amazement when still admiring this all strange looking environment here... After a short and quite intensive rain, I can see a now-a-day Robinson Crusoe pulling his boat out from the dense forest right to the sea. I am bending my body pretty much down to the level of sand and taking a peak into his campsite - it's a make-shift locum but very well prepared to everyday beach life. Nearby a small willbarrow with lots of exotic fruts in it, a knife, a jar with small change inside, a small plastic bucket for garbage and a note, "help yourself for $1" so people come and do help themselves. Is it the Robinson's idea to support him a bit in his secluded life? What does he need the money for?, I am trying to guess... Maybe he needs some gas to make his boat for fishing and moving into the sea...
All of the sudden it starts raining and it's a very intense shower. Although the air is hot and humid, the raindrops are pretty cold so a nearby tree serves as a great shelter for some 5 minutes when it clears out completely and the Sun's coming out back again. While under the tree, some yellow flowers catch attention with their intense colour, shape and great smell. Some people came to help themselves with Robinson's fruits and left some change in the jar. I am trying to walk towards the ocean water and enjoy its freshness and temperature after the rainfall. Still mesmerazing scenery everywhere I look, still the place where the sound of silence is heard, still unbelievable quietness. Is that what the heightened energy place is all about?
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