Return from the Whitsunday Islands without looking at the sea

Once having seen the vast ocean, no other water will suffice. My aesthetic threshold for the sea started from Hualien, then developed to Santorini, to Semporna, and finally to the Whitsunday Islands. I truly cried the moment I looked down at the Great Barrier Reef from the sightseeing plane. How can nature gift us such a magnificent masterpiece? How incredibly lucky we are to live on this beautiful planet... okay, I love the deeply buried Coral Sea. The white sandy beaches of the Whitsunday Islands are the softest I have ever stepped on. Because of the high silica content, even under direct sunlight, the sand doesn’t burn your feet—on scorching hot days, the sand stays at 24 degrees, what an amazing setting. We hiked to Hill Inlet, and the view from the lookout was a scene even a painting wouldn’t dare to depict. Nature is an inexhaustible treasure; all we can do besides listening and watching is just say “wow.” I only regret that our time here was too short. On the way back, the tide was out, and little crabs were everywhere. Greedy seagulls swallowed them whole, which secretly alarmed me. Whitehaven Beach had no signal, and while waiting for the boat, I happened to read this line from Pessoa under the shade: “Sometimes I hear the wind blow, and I feel that just to hear the wind blow is worth being born.” I realized I no longer need to sentimentally lament the crabs’ lives as futile and brief, because I never understood what gift creation had given them—they are crabs living in the Whitsunday Islands! Is there any sea view in the world that can still shock me? If there is, bring it on.