A Few Lazy Days at Mission Beach

Even though, in general, Australians are more keen to the realities of celiac disease, I'm often relegated to the salad menu when dining out. Fortunately for me, the salad menus have been awesome! We were getting close to Mission Beach when we came upon an isolated little gem named the Mint Cafe. It was decorated in light greens, and had catchy beat-laced world trance music pumping out of little hidden speakers. The server was aware of gluten problems and let me know exactly what I had to choose from. I decided on the salmon salad, and I'm glad I did because it tasted amazing! It was huge too. I can't wait to recreate this one for my friends:)

The salad basically breaks down to this:

• Mixed Greens/Spinach
• Capers
• Avacado Slices
• Smoked Salmon Slices
• Spanish Onions (thin Sliced and halfed)
• Tomatoes (wedges)
• Italian Vinaigrette Dressing

That's it. That's all it is, but it's awesome!!

After we filled our stomachs, we ventured into town, exited the vehicle, and proceeded to sniff out some live music. We ended up wandering through a small maze of mom and pop shops until the echoing music led us to a little pub facing the beach. A lone guitarist/song-writer sat on a little wooden chair, with his amp (aka bear holder) to his right, and the blissfully inebriated owner playing spoons to his left. I'm pretty sure Dennis and I were the only non-Australians in the place, and that everyone there knew each other well. He was a great musician, played a huge variety of songs, and much to our touristy-gleeful delight, he even played Men at Work's "Land Down Under!" And of course, Dennis and I were the only ones clapping afterwards. When we realized it, we tried to fade the clapping out smoothly, but the gig was up. Awkward... Still, it ended up being a great night, and we closed the place down with the locals.

Mission Beach is seriously chill. Everybody seem slightly sedated. I thought about living there, on a little house on the beach, owning a bed and breakfast or a hostel, and just living a relaxed, tropical life. Sigh... Who knows where life will take us.

Next stop, Magnetic Island

A Day in Mossman, Australia

There's not much to Mossman, except a few cafes, a skatepark, and a beautiful state park.  I ended up staying in a place called the White Cockatiel for a night, a place known for its transformation into a "nudist" retreat from October to May.  Mossman gorge is beautiful, speckled with unbelievable swimming holes, and lined with boulders worn round by countless flash floods.  I spent a few hours gleefully jumping from rocks and diving into the crystalline water.  It was cold, refreshing, and all around a perfect place to swim.

However, before I ventured into Mossman Gorge National Park, I stopped at a little cafe on the edge of town called "Tobys Estate."  I think Toby's is a chain, but I can't be sure. What I am sure about, is that they have the best Cappuccino and breakfast plates.  I ordered an Omelette with spinach, goats cheese (very soft and creamy), cherry tomatoes and Spanish Onions.  It was perfect!  I've been taking a lot of notes while eating around Australia.  There have been a lot of unique taste combinations that I'm looking forward to bringing back with me.  Next stop, Mission Beach!

Living Gluten Free On The Beach

If you look closely, you can see my friend Will clinging to the trunk of the coconut tree.  Using a simple rope and skills he acquired through months of practice, Will cut down a cluster of coconuts for us to eat with our lunch. The coconuts were ripe and full of milk.  Delicious! Coconuts are a bit challenging to get into, but with a sharp hatchet and a little patience, the procedure gets easier and easier.

We met Will and his partner Sheila (who also has celiac disease) at the Cairns Skatepark.  They are both from Arizona and have been traveling around eastern Australia in a mini bus for nearly six months.  They plan on staying another six months before returning to the states.  Although theirs is a no-frills experience, I understand the allure of what they are doing.  

Traveling around and sleeping on beaches is fun, but is also a bit challenging for  us with gluten sensitivities.  

What I've been sustaining on is a mixture of fruit, nuts, protein bars, and whatever we cook over the fire. In addition I carry around rice/corn cakes and 

one jar each of jam, Nutella, and peanut butter.  Will and Sheila made burgers with cheddar cheese and fresh avacado one night.  I used my skateboard and a sheet of aluminum foil as my "skateplate" and sat on the beach under a nearly full moon.  It was pretty amazing! 

Right now I am at the Cape Tribulation Beach House.  We had to cross a river ferry to get here, and I'm not kidding you, it was like going into Jurassic Park!  Just this morning I watched a four foot Goana (Monitor Lizard) ramble by me as I was eating my morning meal of rice porridge and Nutella covered rice cakes.  It moved too quick to get a pic, but it was cool nonetheless!  Last night a few friends and I were treated to a fancy meal at one of the local cafes, and the whole time we were there, we watched "flying foxes" flying overhead, and listened to their loud screeches.  It was pretty wild!  Flying foxes are like dogs with wings, no joking.  They only eat fruit, but are still intimidating to me.  Flying foxes are everywhere up here.  You can find them hanging upside down in the trees during the day, chatting away and bombing unsuspecting tourists with guano:)

Roasted Root and Bacon Salad

If you ever get a chance to go to Cairns Australia, I highly suggest going to a little place called FUSION ORGANICS.  It's a stylish little cafe that specializes in serving people with food allergies. Them menu is color coded with little hearts, so that you can easily pick out the foods that are safe for you. When I walked in, I was struck by the wide variety of gluten free baked goods available. It was awesome.  I wanted to order one of everything, but since things tend to be on the expensive side, I settled for two dishes.

The first dish I ordered was called "Roasted Root and Bacon Salad." It was absolutely delicious!  I dissected it and think I know how to recreate it when I get home. 

INGREDIENTS

• Leafy Greens
• Roasted Red Peppers
• Roasted Onions
• Roasted Sweet Potato Chunks
• Roasted Zucchini 
• Crisp Bacon Pieces 
• Honey mustard dressing
• 

It looked as if all the vegetables had been cooked before hand, and then either roasted or stir

 fried before mixing together with the bacon and fresh leafy greens (Kale and Wild Lettuce), and tossed with honey mustard dressing.  This salad is awesome! You've got to try and make this one:)

For desert I ordered a slice of Pumpkin Pie Cheese Cake.  Even though it was gluten free, the pie crust was amazing. It was moist and crumbly, just the way I like it.  Today I plan on going back and testing more of their fare.  I'll dissect what I eat again so that I can make it back home.

Tonight my friends and I are heading from Cairns to a little beach campground just north of here.  We plan on gathering wood, having a bonfire on the beach, setting up tents and camping on the sand.  Sleeping to the sounds of crashing waves is amazing!  The next morning we'll be heading north to Port Douglass and a place called Mossman to explore the Daintree National Park.  I'll document what GF goodies I find up there!  I'll be back.

Australian Bush Tucker

So here I am in Australia.  I arrived four days ago in Cairns, after a grueling triple connection flight.  It took a few days for the jet lag to wear off, and I'm just beginning to feel like myself again.  It is absolutely beautiful here!  As an undergraduate student, studying psychology, I went on exchange to Newcastle University (about 2 1/2 hours drive north of Sydney).  It was the first overseas foreign country that I'd ever gone to, and had been a dream of mine since I could remember.  My life has not been the same since.  I am now a complete travel junky, and get a little depressed if too much time goes by without international exploration.  My partner Mindy was bitten by the same bug, so we end up satiating our travel hunger together.  It's a good arrangement:)

Since I've been here I've had a pretty easy time eating gluten free. Wherever you go in Queensland Australia, you're bound to run into a Woolworths, or a Coles, and they both stock GF goods.  Woolworths and Coles are the Australian equivalents to Wegmans, Price Chopper, Genuardis, Acme, etc.  What's cool about Australia, is that there is a Gluten Free section in all of their major grocery supermarkets.  They pretty much got all you need, like GF flou

rs, bread mixes, pastas, sauces and the like.  To get a loaf of bread, you need to see the bakery people and ask them to fetch you a loaf from the freezer.  Unfortunately, GF bread in Australia is much like what we have at home; small, hard and dense.

You're also likely to come across random stands or shops in outdoor markets that cater to people with food allergies.  The second day I was here I found a place that had Gluten Free Meat Pies. You can get all kinds of pies, from vegan to seafood to kangaroo, and if you opt for a "floater," your pie will be served to you upside do

wn in a bowl of split pea soup.  Meat pie stands are totally an Australian thing, kind of like our hotdog stands.  Although I ate it cold, it wasn't that bad (although it wasn't that good either).   

I had met a bloke in the airport in New Zealand who was also headed to Cairns. We chatted up a bit, and I gave him the book I had just finished reading called "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk.  It was a book given to me by my good friend Dana.  She's been trying to get me to read stuff from that author for a while now.  It was very twisted and raw, making a great read in my opinion.  But I digress... The New Zealand guy ended up picking me up from my hostel and taking me on a tour of the local swim spots.  There were signs warning of Crocodiles all over the place, but the swimming holes were beautiful.  I was diving off of rock banks into crystal clear water, shaded by rainforest canopy, and surrounded by the calls of parrots and cockatiels.  Being that we were partially shaded, I underestimated the strength of the sun and got a bit burned.  My friend told me th

at in Australia they have a saying that goes, "slop, slip, and slap it on mate." Which means, Slop on some sunblock, Slip on a long sleeve shirt, and Slap on your visor or cap.  The sun here is serious!

After swimming we arrived in a little town that processes sugar cane and got a bite to eat at the local Pie Shop.  They didn't have any gluten free pies, but made a killer sandwich with egg salad, roast beef, beet slices, cheese, onion, cucumbers, and Italian

 dressing.  It was completely healthy and filling.  Queensland is also littered with roadside fruit and produce stands, so being celiac is not really a problem.  

Cairns is nice, and it has a sweet skatepark full of friendly people from all over the world, but we are feeling like it's time to move on. Before we go I'm going to check out a place called Fusion Cafe, that according to the Lonely Planet Travel Guide, is the best cafe in Cairns, and is also the best place for people with food allergies. As soon as I find it, I'll be writing about it.  Well, enough work for the day, I hear the waves calling me.