Cairns

We slept most of the 3 hour flight up to Cairns, exhausted from the hectic week in Sydney! The first thing we noticed when we stepped off the plane was the humidity. It was like nothing we had ever experienced before - we hadn't realised that Cairns was actually in the tropics!! We found the humidity a little bit too much on the first day - so much so that we needed a nap and a dip in the pool before we were fit to do anything. Although on the coast it's not possible to swim in the sea there for 2 reasons: Crocodiles and Jellyfish!! Instead there is a huge lagoon in front of the Esplanade, the main front street in Cairns. The first evening we went for a wonder round the town, which we decided was very American - everything in blocks! We had eyes bigger than bellies when it came to the all you can eat Chinese buffet in the main food market - too much food even for us!! We had a look round the night markets which were definitely very cool if you were running low on 'I love Cairns' T-shirts and other assorted Australian souvenirs, i.e. crap and tack but it was still cool.

The following day we didn't do a great deal either. We looked at some dive courses but Paul had a cold so we had to put that off for a few days. Went to look round a small village in the rainforest called Kuranda. Quite touristy but very cool - unfortunatley everything was closing just as we arrived so we decided to go back another day. Found another place in Cairns that did cheap steak - $5 dollars this time so as you can probably guess what we had for dinner.

Jess had a job application to do one day so Paul headed off on his own on a day trip to Cape Tribulation. Got picked up by a minibus and taken, first of all to a wildlife park where I saw Kangaroos, a Koala (which was cool), a few Crocodiles, bats and millions of different birds (the feathered variety!) Went round with a couple from Sheffield and a few other backpackers. We were then taken to Mossman Gorge, a really nice area of the rainforest where we had time for a swim in the rapids and where I picked up a few bruises from jumping off rocks where I probably shouldn't have been!! Lunch was also included in the trip so we stopped at a cafe by the road with amazing views of the surrounding countryside. In fact, the whole drive incorporated stunning views of the sea, countryside and rainforest. Next up was a cup of tea which was grown locally then a boat trip down the Daintree River which meanders through the heart of the rainforest. Again, the scenery was stunning and we even saw a couple of crocodiles in the wild - much cooler than watching them in a zoo! Back in the minibus then and our final stop before Cape Trib was an orchard-type-place which grew tropical fruit and made it into ice-cream! I got 4 scoops - Soursop, Wattleseed, Mamey Sapote and Jakfruit (no, I'd never heard of any of them either!) - my favourite was the Jakfruit - well nice:D I also tasted the liquid which comes out of the backside of a yellow ant - it's an ancient Aborigional medicine for colds and flu and it tastes like lemon! We arrived at Cape Trib around 3.45 and had a walk along the beach. It is known as the place where 'the rainforest meets the reef' and is so called because Captain James Cook's ship, the Endeavour ran aground on the reef here. It was, however beautiful and I would have liked to have spent more time there. Never mind, back on the bus for the three hour drive back to Cairns and Fish and Chips for tea!

The next major exciting event was an all day, all inclusive boat/dive trip. Up way too early to catch the boat at 7.30am! We couldn't believe we were actually going diving on the Great Barrier Reef! The boat was amazing - very luxurious and modern compared to the dive boat in Thailand - the equipment as well!! We did 3 dives in total - each one was fantastic and we saw loads of really cool tropical fish including some Nemoes and cool coral! There was a fantastic all you can eat buffet lunch and a talk on coral and marine life all thrown in. Exhausted, we snoozed most of the way back and then went for, yes you guessed it, another steak before hiring a car for the next day!!

Picked up the car nice and early and set off back to Kuranda (see above) for a second look. Got chatting to the bloke selling local coffee and ended up getting 2 free coffees because we were friendly, apparently!! The coffee was so good we even bought a bag to bring home!! Looked round the shops and market which sold all kinds of handicrafts and hippie gear - really cool!! Then we jumped back into our lovely bright yellow car and headed to the Crystal Cascades - some pretty impressive waterfalls which you could swim in. We had our picnic lunch and a swim then head south along a spectacular and very windy mountain road known as "the Gillies" wich took you through the rain forest to Lake Eacham - a dormant volcano where it was pouring with rain!! Spectacular lake which you could swim in. We saw loads of huge fish and also some fresh water turtles :D Due to the rain we didn't stop for as long as we might have - instead headed to the nearest town, Yungaburra, for fish and chips!!! Quick drink in its only pub before starting the loop back to Cairns, still in the pouring rain!! Quickly packed as we were leaving that night and then headed back into town for a midnight bus. The task of refilling the hire car with petrol however proved not to be as straightforward as it sounds!! First problem - how to open the petrol cap - bearing in mind that I have never driven a car more modern than an M reg!!! Eventually found a lever under the drivers seat which opened it automatically - much to the amusement of the girl who worked there! Dropped the car off and left Cairns, still in the pouring rain for our next destination: Airlie Beach and The Whitsundays.

Overall impression of Cairns! Great diving, crap weather, way too humid, fairly american but beautiful surroundings!

Ciao for now!

Paul and Jess

xxx

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