Chilling in Cairns


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Oceania » Australia » Queensland » Cairns » Cairns City
December 20th 2010
Published: December 16th 2010
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Hi all, so this is my last blog, 41st one, bit spooky as same number of years I have been kicking around on this planet! Blogs total around 45,000 words and 1000 pickies!


Can vividly remember writing my first one back in January in Miami!
Writing this one the day before I fly home from Cairns, via Brisbane and Singapore, 24 hours in the sky plus few hours at airports! Finishing and publishing at Esmes house.


So last few weeks of my travels, or in my case last few weeks chilling in the sun!


Arrived at Cairns airport at silly oclock in the morning, 0410 to be precise! Caught a bus to the hostel, Northern Greenhouse, three of us got off the bus and the guy on reception let us crash in the tv room as check in was not until 0830.


He also let us go have some breakfast, free in the hostel, at 0630.
The hostel is nice with a nice swimming pool, free wifi and internet decked area with free pool table, free daily breakfast, free coffee and tea plus some free trips in the week and movie nights. The 6 bed dorm has Air con, fridge and private bathroom.


Hostel always seems quite busy with some regulars plus a regular turnover and is central to most things in Cairns, though Cairns is not that big with a population of around 130,000 people.


City mainly tourist industry and some sugar industry. Perfect for tourism due to weather plus nearbye Barrier Reef, Fitzroy Island and the rainforest. There is not a local beach in the city but Cairns has a man made lagoon where most people hang out, is a large pool but with sand at the edges! Cairns itself is not a big place so you can walk around and the hostel is central anyway.


However there are sandy beaches north of the city, but you have to watch out for stinging jellyfish, sharks and salties!


Did my usual wander round to get my bearings and see where everything is. Met Graham from Glasgow and Christina from Germany the first night in the hostel bar, we also went out to Gilligans club for some live music in the evening.


Chilled at the lagoon for a couple of days reading a book and going for a dip to cool down, quite often! Met Irene from Austria at the hostel free BBQ sunday night and we went to the botanical gardens together on the monday.


Gardens were nice with walks to couple of viewpoints up Mount Whitfield, not very high but sweaty! and a rainforest walk. You could see the city and the airport from the top of Mt Whitfield, not that high though well it is when you walking up it in this heat! Shame the gardens surrounded by tarmac roads, not the same after you have been in the real jungle!


Bumped into Graham after lunch and ended up in the Courthouse bar drinking all afternoon watching the ashes and chatting to the locals. Also had a drinking day next day as Grahams last day in Cairns.


Lots of trips you can book to the Barrier reef or into the nearby rainforests. Decided I did not want to pay over hundred bucks to snorkel on the reef as I have snorkeled and dived on several reefs on my travels, may sound strange to some of you but hey!


Met a load of people in the hostel Thursday, Rob and Kyle from Canadia, Corey from Reading and Greg from USA and we all went out on the town, was fun. On the Friday went on a hostel trip to Ellis beach, about half an hour drive from the city. Beach was nice and sandy and quiet, had a large net enclosure to keep the stinging jellyfish away as they are in season at the moment!


Weather amazing here, expected more rain as tropical climate and now in wet season, but only seen an odd shower here and there. Is 30 odd degrees and 25 at night so by nine in the morning it is back to 30 degrees!


On my last day a group of us went to the rainforest which included a sky cable car ride over the rainforest with a stop at Barron falls, the falls were quite impressive and there were some nice walks. On one of the walks the path had been flooded by the recent rain so we had to wade through. We were a bit nervous as this is croc country!


At one point we crossed the river and I managed to slip on the rocks and fall on my elbows ouch! My sunglasses fell into the river but I managed to find them! After the walk I also found a leech on my toe as I had been walking bare foot!


Taxi taking me to Esme and Gibbos and then off to stay at my parents for a while before heading back into Pompey over xmas at Esme and Gibbos. Peanuts birthday 21st and he has managed to get me a ticket to the Scunthorpe game at Fratton Park, will be a messy day I am sure! Look forward to seeing all my buddies!


Heard from my dad that my little MG poorly, got taken to the garage with suspect starter motor, battery and for MOT only to be told they think the engine seized and brake pipes rusted! My mate Mike has been looking after her, starting her occassionally but she obviously likes to be driven around more often. Will spend a bit of time seeing if I can get her going but if not will have to scrap as not really worth much now!


Oh well need to move on!lol MG was a leftover from a previous life but i did like my little girly car! May have to get a little run around from Keachey!


Time for some reflection on my 2010 travels;


Travelled (approix)- 33,000 miles by air, 8000 by road, xxxx by sea inc xx kayaking, walked and hiked around xxx


10 Countries visited - America, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, New Zealand, Fiji, Australia and Singapore airport!


Lived/slept - On the beach in the Carribbean, in the Amazon Jungle, next to Lake Titicaca, in the salt flats in a hostel made of salt, a remote Fijian island to name a few.


Eaten - Guinea pig, camel, kangaroo, grubs, lemon ants!


Worked as - iguana volunteer, showing tourists around, walking thru mangroves counting lizards, building a small school house, building a house in Norther Territories, painting, renovating a swimming pool.


Have met loads of really cool people from different countries, different ages and all travelling in different ways and for different reasons.


Hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs and following my adventures, I have had an amazing unforgettable time doing it all. Still not 100% what I am gonna do when I get home but no rush, will chill over xmas and maybe look for what work around or maybe try my hand at being an odd job man!


I know it is cold at home now, need to get my winter clothes from my shed! but am looking forward to home. If all else fails and I still feel the need to travel again I have seen some stuff I would like to do, like volunteering at a turtle conservation area in Mexico on the Carribbean coast, July to October but l will wait and see how my life pans out back at home!


Live life to the full!


Larf







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16th December 2010

Well done
Hello mate, I just wanted to say that it was a pleasure reading about your travels on all your blogs, some quite funny too. Maybe catch up with you sometime for a beer when you get back home. All the bast and safe travelling back home. Regards Paul Young

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