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Saved: September 15th 2021
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I arrived in Cairns after dark. Leaving Alice Springs was hard. In one week I'd come to love the center of Australia and I shed a few tears as the plane took off. Ultimately, the tears were probably good for my eyes. My whole body was tired of the smoke, which got really bad again the afternoon I left.
It was a good flight, but I still wanted to cry myself to sleep, from general weariness, when I got to my hostel. I was tired of being sick, tired of being in hostels, and tired of spending so much money. Fortunately, a good night's rest made a huge difference to my mood and the humid, un-smoky air was helping my body to heal.
For an hour or so before bed at the end of my first day in Cairns, I sat with a group of mostly English people talking about finding work, being "old" backpackers, and partying. It was bizarre. I just listened, feeling like a fish out of water, until someone noticed my
Geology of Australia book and asked if it was an interest of mine. I suddenly became excited about sharing geology and my knowledge of the earth--it
made me realize how much I love "outreach," or rather confirmed the realizations I had about that while I was on my Outback tour.
My second day in Cairns was an early start for my trip out to the Great Barrier Reef. It was an awesome day (Sharks on a soapbox). On the way back, I asked one of the crew where the best place to watch rugby that night would be.
A dedicated All Blacks fan
When I was planning the Australia portion of this trip, one of the things I took into consideration was when the All Blacks pool matches were. I tried to make sure that I would be in a place where I could watch the matches on the tele. And so, after showering and having dinner, I headed out to find the Courthouse to watch the rugby on the big screen tv set up outside. New Zealand were playing France, and it was a good game. At some point in the second half, I was "adopted" by some "local Kiwis" who, truth be told, were more welcoming and friendly than any of the true locals. It was awesome to be
treated like a sister, even if just for one night, although it did make me homesick for New Zealand.
Working days in Cairns
I had two extra days in Cairns, before and after my snorkel trip. Originally I had thought I might head up to the Daintree, but by this point in my travels, I was getting frustrated with how expensive everything in Australia is. Instead, I spent the two days working on writing up some of my research. I'd start my day with a full breakfast at an Italian restaurant in the shopping centre across the road from my hostel, followed by a walk the full length of the Esplanade/Promenade (it was about 7.5km return from the hostel). Then I'd spend the rest of the day in the hostel couryard with a cup of tea and my computer, working on a research paper. I'd be so much more productive if I could work in a tropical garden all the time!
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