Cairns, Australia Sept 13, 2009

13 September 2009, Sunday

Time to leave Sydney. I will have to say that after we left the business district, I did start to like Sydney more but, still, it’s a city. :) I think we needed more time to explore it to really appreciate the city. But, like I said, we are out of here! We had breakfast at the hotel and hopped on a shuttle to the airport. Our flight wasn’t until 1:25p so we were able to take our time in the morning getting ready and eating breakfast. Our flight was three hours up to Cairns and luckily, they had a movie for us to watch on the plane. Can’t remember what it was called tho but it had Russell Crowe as a journalist for a newspaper and Ben Afflick as a congressman with Robin Wright as his wife. Remember that one? It was pretty good. Anyway, so we landed in the late afternoon in Cairns and yes, controlled fires here just like in Sydney. It must be that time of year. They do that in the states too. Don’t go to any national parks in September in the states cuz that’s when they set them on fire. Trust me, I know. :P


The weather here in Cairns is so pleasant. I was able to wear a dress and sandals at night and wasn’t cold!! That’s a first for me. I’m always cold. Anyway, we got a taxi to the hotel, found our room and immediately left it for dinner in town. It’s kind of odd: the travel agent booked us a room at the Cairns Colonial Club Resort for a night and she knew that we would be getting in at around 5p and leaving at about 7a the next day so we can’t enjoy the pools at all. Or the bars connected to the pool. :) I wonder if this place was cheap or had a deal going on. I’m not complaining tho. Our accommodation is fine except that we have 2 double beds in our room. Hey, more space. :) Anyway, the town of Cairns is very interesting indeed. I don’t really know how to describe it but it feels to me as one big tourist trap. During our previous week of travel, anytime we mentioned that we were traveling to Cairns to a local Australian, they always gave us that down trodden look as if to say, “Really? That crappy place?“ Now, I understand that look. It’s almost like a city designed to shop til you drop. Not really something that I like to do. Oh well. We’re only here one night.


We dined at Ochre who specialized in Australian cuisine. So, quite fittingly, I tasted emu, crocodile, and (yes, sadly) kangaroo from David’s plate and I’m sorry to say, I didn’t like any of them. But, then again, David said that the restaurant wasn’t that good (yes, he’s a food snob) and that it probably would have tasted much better if it was prepared properly. I had the veggie platter of hummus, baba ganoush, yogurt covered cheese and a pesto gnocchi. It was pretty good but it was very different from what I’ve tasted before. Oh, and I almost forgot. They had Cuban rum! David was very happy. He had a mojito with Havana Club and I got a cocktail with lychee and Havana Club as well. Mine was very watered down tho. Maybe the bartender thought I was under 18 (the legal drinking age in Australia). :P


We spent the next 10 minutes trying to find a taxi and finally found a Prius taxi (cool huh!) which took us back to the hotel. It’s so warm in our room: David’s got the A/C cranked up and the ceiling fan on full blast. It sounds like a prop engine and I feel as if at any minute it’s gonna take flight and chop off my legs. But, it looks like its been up there for a long time so that probably won’t happen. :P We’re gonna try to head to bed early tonight cuz we’re being picked up pretty early tomorrow from the hotel. We’re heading on our diving adventure out to the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) on a live aboard boat. Should be fun!! Night all!