Balinese Motel Cairns

... on the Barron River! <br><br>Got on my bathing suit and was sitting in front of the hotel waiting for the tour bus to pick me up. They showed up and I smiled and waved and hopped on. One of the guides asked me where I was from and I said America and everyone on board laughed and he replied "Knew it".  He said that he had guessed when they pulled up that I was American.  haha! Good ...

... hate public speaking but it wasn't to bad as I didn't have a clue who anybody was. Once the kids were in bed the party spilled into the pool for a while which was good fun and everyone started to drift off and go home or go to bed in the early hours but I ended up staying up chatting to Claire only realizing the time when the sun came up. So we headed to bed as well to get some rest before the kids would wake up.<br><br>Gaz &amp; LJ

... US navy ship docking in Cairns for a few days.... imagine - ozzies, backpackers AND sailors.... I had to escape!<br><br>So I checked into Dougies (LOVE the name - same name as my friendly shopkeeper at home!) and sunbathed pool-side all day - didn't even make it to the lovely beach!<br><br>Since arriving in Cairns I'd been looking for random road trip opportunities with no luck (most people were heading south where I'd just come from - and didn't have time for a road trip ...

... started swimming, and it was amazing, it was just great doing something I was always scared to do and to enjoy the experience was brilliant.<br><br>Now to my favourite bit of the whole trip!!!!! Prior to getting in the water we were given a intro/safety briefing, they discussed what to do, what not to do, what we would see, and what we would be very lucky to see!! I learnt a lot of the coral is poisonous and were told never to touch it. We were also briefed ...

... interesting building), we decided to go and find a caravan park for the night. John missed a turn and after discussing the legalities of a u-turn, John performed one at a set of lights. Next thing we know, a policeman has his flashers on and is asking us to pull over.<br><br>Now after 17,000 plus kms our tyres are a little on the bald side (dont stress everyone, they arent that bad and we are getting them changed while we are in Cairns) and we have lost the excellent number plate ...

... and then we are heading back to Cairns and onto Port Douglas. It's all seems to be going quite quickly now, nearly 5 months of travel. And I'm sure we will be home before you know it! But not before it warms up a bit down there.<br>Enjoy the photos, nothing too exciting<br>Regards to all<br>Lynn and Geoff<br>PS. Have had some happy family news, Courtney and Ricky have announced their engagement.

... I booked it for the 15th. Had to be up at 7.15 to wait for the pick-up. It wasnt raining but was a bit cloudy but I was hopeful. A big yellow coach pulls up, the driver calls my name and I rush forward ..... only to be told it was cancelled because it was too windy. Quite gutted. So I booked it for the next day, annoyed that I'd got up so early and so could have gone out drinking the night before with Soph and the others and without much hope of actually skydiving the next ...

... we headed back to Darwin where our group changed around a bit, then we were off the next day, heading south towards Alice Springs. We stopped at the oldest pub in the Northern Territory, walked through Katherine Gorge, swam in a thermal pool in Mataranka, visited Tennant Creek & some really weird UFO centre (the less said the better), saw the Devil's Marbels, passed the Tropic of Capricorn, before arriving at Alice two days later. We spent ...

... sleep 2 or 3 but I've got it to myself for 20 yos a night. I suppose I'm seen as the snob of the hostel as a result. But feck it - am I bovvered? I'm greeted at the Hostel by a receptionist who clearly has a bit of the old Irish blood in her - a head of ginger locks and a not insignificant pasting of freckles, operating under the name Michelle. She is like Mrs Doyle meets Ginger Spice. Clearly she will not be messed around by guests or other. She ...