this side of the world has some seriously fantastic markets. although not quite on the same level as the fiji marketplaces, cairns' fresh fruit and veggie stalls are impressive. fresh stuff is a luxury after a long passage, believe me. you know what else is nice? not getting thrown all over the place by a swell whilst cooking. i made this salad tonight and it was delicious if i do say so myself. but it's all about the ingredients, clearly. bed of fresh lettuce, green and yellow capsicum, cucumber, tomato, onion, avocado, pineapple, carrot strips and fresh coriander (which as my former crew mate andy would say, is "a dream") all tossed in a balasmic vinegar, olive oil, honey, dash of lime juice and salt-pepper dressing. topped, of course, with grilled chicken breast marinated in a soy-honey-ginger sauce. i've got to deliver now that errol has named me the "offical cook" on board.

in other news, i started my padi scuba course today. i was the only person that signed up for today, so i had one on one instruction as opposed to the one on twenty the day prior. after another day in the pool and classroom i'll have three days and two nights on the great barrier reef. dream. then i think we'll pull out of cairns and head west along the north coast towards the indian ocean. long passages upcoming. africa upcoming!?