Cairns

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Trip Start May 01, 2007 Previous
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  Cairns, Australia
Monday, January 14, 2008

The most dangerous thing to do in Australia (well, if you're me) is not to go snorkeling or SCUBA diving at the Great Barrier Reef (which I just got back from and which was AMAZING despite crappy visibility and really rough seas but more on that later), but, the most dangerous thing, at least for me, so far, is to change your clothes in the hostel room.  Yup.  I took my shirt off and when my hands got up over my head, the fan whacked off four nice little lacerations on my left hand.  I said, Gee Gosh Darn Boy That Hurt.

Anyway, the Great Barrier Reef delivered.  It's everything it's cracked up to be.  I guess when you're one of the "Natural Wonders of the World" and all that it really does mean something.  Them Natrual Wonders have yet to disappoint, now that I think of it.  We got a good deal (well, we're going to believe that we did) and were able to have a introductory SCUBA dive for only $10 over the cost of the boat

Rainbow from outside Cairns. Locked keys...

.  It was awesome.  I don't know if I'm going to run out and buy a full set of equipment, but I'm certainly considering a course in somewhere more inexpensive, say Thailand.

We saw a sea turtle!  And a giant wrasse, and fishes, fishes, fishes, and a shark.  It was so cool.  (Come to think of it though, the shark may have been dead, stuffed and placed there by the enterprising photographer).

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Lucky (and its occupants) took 10 days to get to Cairns from Sydney via wine tasting, Byron Bay, Surfers Paradise, Rainbow Beach, Fraser Island, Airlie Beach, the Whitsundays, Townsville, and Magnetic Island. 

One of my favorite parts of driving is stopping off in the little tiny towns throughout Australia, ordering a burger (complete with beets) and chips at a sidewalk cafe and watching Australian life go by.  Yesterday in Innisfail serves as a great example.  Sat there on the sidewalk, munching on my delicious hamburger, sipping a chocolate shake, occasionally dipping a fry (err, chip, sorry) into ketchup (err, toe-matt-toe sauce) and stared across at the characters that wandered in and out of the Crown Hotel (which serves as a hotel, drive through licquor store, restaraunt and bar, and probably more if you want)

Happy after diving

.  A super thin Aborignal man with a ZZ top beard wandered in and the guy that I'm sure was Mick Dundee's business partner kept coming out to smoke a cigarette and do transactions on his cell phone.  All the while El Caminos pull in and out of the drive through licquor store.  Take the same story, copy and paste it, replace 'Innisfail' with Blackheath or Ayr (but add a John Deere dealer) or about five other towns that we passed through.  I loved every one of those meals.

On the advice of some Canadian kids, err young adults, we swung by Murray Falls in a torrential downpour, changed into swimsuits and walked out to the falls.  The falls had grown huge and looked awesome.  They're no Vernal or Nevada Falls in terms of height but they rival in volume. 

Staying at the Tropic Days guest house which is just a splendid little getaway, one of those places that makes you feel like you're in your own home the moment you arrive (just watch out for the fan).

(Pictures to come, including Aborignal ZZ Top member).

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Cairns	Cairns	'Spirit of Cairns'	Fish hook in my sandle
Innisfail, Crown Hotel	Innisfail, ZZ Top Aborigine	On the road to Cairns

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