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Published: December 13th 2009
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Well after a nice week in Sydney I flew up to Cairns in the very north of Australia. Being close to the equator, it's in the tropics, meaning dreadfully humid conditions; palm trees; tropical birds and sudden sun to torrential rain type weather. At this time of the year it's the monsoon season - my first day there I'd be sitting in lovely sunshine, next thing I knew it was chucking it down with rain, on and off all day. Cairns is also very prone to storms - you can't walk into a shop without hearing radio tips on how to survive a cyclone. It's incredibly humid here - from the second I got off the plane at the airport, I was already dripping with sweat. Cairns is also one of those places that's hot all day and all night - even in the evening, the temperature didn't drop below 28 degrees. They don't call Queensland the "Sunshine State" for nothing!
The hostel I was staying at was a "5-star backpacker's resort" - supposedly decent by youth hostel standards. Not only do the rooms have en-suites, but the hostel also has its own branded water, a swimming pool, an artificial
beach, a gym and an internet cafe which doubles as a pizzeria. Not bad for $25 a night.
Highlights of my time here included a boardwalk to the lakes by Cairns Botanic Gardens. It really was like walking through a jungle, with some of the strangest insects and trees I'd ever seen. Approaching the saltwater lakes I started seeing crocodile warning signs - be careful not to fall into one of the swamps!
And of course, no visit to Australia's east coast would be complete without a trip to the Great Barrier Reef. So on my penultimate day I snorkelled there, which really was an amazing experience as I swam past these amazing fish of millions of colours and beautiful corals. "Be mindful of tiger sharks and killer jellyfish", the guides said as we geared up with stinger suits. Something nice to bear in mind then as I nervously slipped into the water, wondering what else I'd find in this ocean that could eat me. I also spotted a reef shark and a manta ray. Unfortunately my camera wasn't waterproof and I was too skint to buy a disposable - so no photos I'm afraid!
I probably
spent too long here, as I did find myself with days of doing nothing. I really wanted to go down to the Whitsunday Islands - unfortunately though, with 3 days to go it just wasn't worth the 20-hour bus ride.
So at the end of my trip to Australia I've seen some amazing things, yet can't help wishing that I had more time here. I've developed a craving to see more of Australia, but 2 weeks simply isn't enough time to travel across this massive country by bus or train. Particularly if like me, you haven't planned it all in advance!
Now at the end of my travels there's still plenty more "travelling" to do, with over 40 hours of flying to endure: Cairns->Syndey; Sydney->Auckland; Auckland->Brunei; Brunei->Dubai; Dubai->London, all within the space of about 3 days. Can't say I'm looking forward to it - then again, living on plane food and sleeping in departure lounges is all part and parcel of the experience!
I hope you've all enjoyed reading my blog, and maybe someday there will be more to come!
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