The nearest I'll get to the Orient Express

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An early start on what is looking like a better day weather-wise in Cairns. I took the shuttle bus from reception down into town to catch the Kuranda Scenic Railway from the station, which takes you through the rainforests to Kuranda (guess the clue's in the title...). The railway station is deserted for trains, other than this one - a vintage looking, 10 wooden carriages-long affair, with, and in total contrast to the rest of the train, a brightly coloured engine carriage. It looks like something off an old Miss Marple movie - I'm half expecting to be joined by the prime suspects sporting cravats and smoking pipes...

The carriages are restored 100 year old compartments, with wooden and leather seats, and pull down windows. It's humid beyond belief so the leather seats are not necessarily a good thing. A boy behind me, all of about 4, started kicking off at being left with his grandparents to enjoy the 2 hour train ride whilst his parents drove to the end point to meet them. A real sickening howl that went on so long that I thought the grandparents were going to lob him out the windown and back into the arms of his parents, who were trying to run as far away from the train as possible. The day has not started well.

However all calmed down as we set off on the journey, winding through the hillsides of the rainforest, through railway cuttings and tunnels constructed over 100 years ago. The scenery was spectacular - at times the railway feels like it's just hovering in the air, hundreds of feet above the ground below. We skirted past waterfalls, so close you could touch them were in not for the chance of losing a limb out the window. Mango, pineapple and orange trees all around, with lush greenery and the odd brightly coloured flower (who knew that bindweed flowers were blue rather than white here). We stopped for a while to look at Barron Falls, where some Chinese tourist decided to balance on the railings above a sign that said 'risk of death by climbing on the railings'...

Up to Kuranda and it's a real vintage feel railway station too. Only two platforms, full of greenery and vegetation with old fashioned signs and steps. I wandered into town, past the Irish pub (they get everywhere don't they - even the bloody rainforest!) and through the markets. The place is like some sort of crazed Glastonbury - hippie shops, aboriginal shops, hippie markets - and in the middle of it all, the world's hottest chilli pepper stall and a Scottish memorabilia and fudge shop. The place is mad. I avoided the bird garden and the butterfly garden as expected and decided to pass on the opportunity to hug a koala (hippies hug everything don't you know). To be frank, I wanted to get out of there - not that it's a horrible place, far from it, but there's no more room in my suitcase for gift shopping and that was pretty much all there was to do except walk (too humid) and hug birds (too bird-like). Key other shopping observations were countless taxidermy crocodile heads, kangaroo skins made into rugs, purses, nipple warmers (honestly), and enough $2 bracelet and anklets to please all the travellers that have ever been on an aeroplane...

I had a quick iced coffee in the rainforest restaurant before catching the train back. And what a journey that was. A group of Indian tourists with an iPod and speakers, blasting out bangra music over the sightseeing commentary (which was, strangely, different on the way down versus the journey up to Kuranda, despite being exactly the same train journey). Half way back and they were asked to switch it off, and instead did their level best to talk and shout as loudly over the commentary as humanly possible. I really wanted to get off the train by now!

2 hours later and I'm back, and now back at the hostel. Strangest thing of the lot is that all my room mates have disappeared (particularly weird when one of them works here!). I have the dorm to myself - no German nattering in the middle of the night. Splendid! I'm going to rest up, and get ready for my big day out tomorrow - my snorkelling withdrawal symptoms require me to spend the day at the outer Great Barrier Reef. Tough old life eh....

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