A Journal of Travel Tales Across 72 Countries
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Queenslanders proudly claim that Daintree, 165 million years old, is the oldest surviving rainforest in the world. There is an abundance of mangroves, explained by the proximity of the rainforest to the reef. Whereas in the Amazon and in Borneo, you paddle through the creeks to view wildlife, in Daintree, crocodiles have made it impassable. But enterprising Queenslanders have devised other ways to foray into the rainforest without getting tangled in strangler figs and vines or ending up as crocodile dinner.
Here, you can actually surf through the jungle without your feet ever touching the ground. Little do I realise what I am letting myself in for when I enlist for the Jungle Surfing Canopy Tour. I am strapped from my waist and thighs, dangled from a chain and pushed from a metal platform hoisted around a tree at a height of 20 metres from the ground. I sway violently and slide on the cable high above in the forest canopy and careen towards another tree several metres away where I am hauled on to a platform and the process is repeated. In fact, you can zipfly through the forest canopy without ever touching the ground. I am reminded of Himachal Pradesh where farmers still use similar techniques to surf with their crates of apples across the Sutlej to reach markets in Mandi and elsewhere. Of course, in Australia, you sign numerous forms indemnifying the jungle surf tour operators against any liability on account of accidents, whereas for India’s apple-growers in Himachal Pradesh, it is daily fare with no safety trappings, metallic or legal.
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