Cairns

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We were up early to check out of the hotel for a travel day. Given our struggles navigating Sydney the previous night we wanted to leave plenty of time for the drive to the airport, but as it turned out everything went perfectly and we got to the airport with plenty of time to spare. The three-hour flight to Cairns was uneventful and we were pleased to be greeted by sunny skies and much warmer weather. We found the streets of Cairns to be eerily quiet as we stopped in search of lunch. After a brief search we settled on a Raman noodle place, ordering three different dishes that were all ultimately indistinguishable. We pushed on (only another block, as it turned out) to check into our hotel. Unlike our lovely two-bedroom suite in Sydney, here we had two adjacent (non-connecting) rooms and there was a comical amount of knocking on doors and calling room-to-room as we settled in and enjoyed a little bit of down time. After a nice rest, Sonia, John and Lauren went on a walk up the boardwalk around sunset to indulge Sonia’s photography and to get a sense of the area. We walked along pedestrian boardwalk that follows the coastline, passing some pretty waterfront restaurants. We encountered many more people than we had during our lunch stop, and the town seemed far more lively. We stopped here and there for photography in the beautiful late-day sun and also to marvel at the water aerobics spectacle in a large public swimming pool just inland from the beach. The “beach” at this time was an expansive mudflat stretching for hundreds of yards at places. If we happened to be tempted to venture out for a walk on the sandier parts, the crocodile warning signs were enough to dissuade us! After a nice walk we headed back to the hotel to collect Andrew and get some dinner at one of the beachside restaurants, then off to bed to continue the quest to feel well-rested and fully on Australian time.

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Photos

Sea Birds
These are ibis picking through the mud at low tide. Not sure if they read the warning signs about the crocodiles...

Lorakeets
As we walked back towards the hotel, we followed a very large group of these as they moved together from tree to tree making an incredible racket. So beautiful, but couldn't get a good pic!

Sunset in Cairns
Just a few clouds and beautiful light at sunset.