A Place in the Sun

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Predictably I suppose my flight North to Cairns was delayed by about an hour - although I again got an entire row of seats to myself (perhaps I smell???). I contemplated that fact while I sat outside Cairns airport in the morning sun trying to figure out how I would recognize my free pickup - until a van with Dreamtime travellers rest in huge letters on the side turned up and I was soon being driven to the hostel by Eva, a German girl between Abitur and University and killing time in the sun.

As we drove through Cairns to get to the hostel I started to like the city. It was all low rise, lots of Palm trees and a lot of happy looking people wandering around. The humidity, while unpleasant, really made it feel like you were somewhere different. The hostel turned out to be a "Queenslander" - a wooden stilted building with a lovely funky bohemian paint job to it, and a heavenly looking mini pool overhung by palm trees.

I took a walk into Cairns, and started my orientation with a trip to Rustys' market which seemed to sell every sort of fruit and vegetable I had ever seen, and many more besides. I didnt know what to do with most of the array of spiky, strange coloured and curiously named fruits on offer. With a few fresh mangoes and grapefruit in tow I headed to the waterfront. It seemed that cairns was a town with little more than restaurants, cafes, youth hostels and travel agents. All the girls seem to wear shorts far too short; all the guys seem to wear shorts far too long. Despite its superficial tackiness Cairns does seem to have an endearing feel to it - everyone seems relaxed and laidback and up for a good time.

I visited a travel agent and booked myself onto a dive boat for the following afternoon which took in a wide range of sites and included a scenic low level flight... more on that later. Then I returned to my hostel where a BBQ in honour of Spongys' (one of the Hostel girls) birthday was in full swing. Almost before this was over we were on a bar crawl on monstrous proportion, and freshers week mentatlity into the bars of Cairns. There was nudity and much more besides - although of course I kept well behaved and fully clothed. We ended up in the infamous Woolshed, but I was exhausted and headed home to bed at about 1, and despite the hot and sticky dorm I slept like a log.

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Comments

[Ruth]

Misbehaviour
I would have bet all I owned on you not behaving yourself on the woolshed? Were all the girls too young? Was the yelm not free flowing?! Glad you're having fun miss you beautiful!! xxx