Cairns

Wayne made it safely back to the boat and he and Capt Paul have been fixing things on DWD anchored off of Keppel Island!  I "jumped ship" a day before Wayne arrived, got a Queensland Rail pass and thought I'd see a bit more of Australia!

I really like Cairns.  At least what I've seen of it.  I've stayed in Cairns four nights and only have had one day to look around a little... well, really my tasks were to do laundry, book my next adventure and book train tickets.  I was out on a live-aboard dive boat for 7 days, diving of course... Port Douglas for a day of diving and up into the rainforest for a day (Kuranda). Cairns is an expensive place to be however.  Breakfast yesterday cost me AU$25.50 for a ham and cheese omelet and a pot of tea! A gal that was on the dive boat with me lives in Cairns and they had just purchased a modest older home... no view (except of the hillsides) for AU$420,000!  She mentioned that her sister in Texas had just bought an updated bigger home in Texas (I can't recall where exactly) for US$178,000!  BIG difference!  There is also a prevalent homeless community here... for such a small community there were quite a few to be seen on the streets.  I was never approached or asked for money like in other places I've been though! 

So back to the beginning...I arrived by train on a rainy afternoon and walked with all my luggage through the mall (so as not to get as wet).  I actually did walk around for awhile (with luggage) as I got misdirected a few times by kindly helpful folks... so getting a little tired and frustrated on my way past I stopped in at the Best Western and asked how much for a night...I was told AU$120.00!  Nope... found motivation and finally found my destination only four blocks away at the Bohemia Central (backpackers place).  I was able to get a room to myself for the night for only AU$30.00!!!  It is definitely a tourist town... easy to walk around with luggage.  A lot of people are... just not as much as I had (dive gear AND underwater camera gear AND a few changes of clothes).  Which reminds me...almost everyone wears a hat here in Australia!  I first noticed in Gladstone... waiting for the marina courtesy bus across the street from a school.  At recess all the children would come outside wearing the same color hats!  Another observation on my short stay in Cairns is that a majority of the tourists here are of Asian decent.  I met a young Chinese gal on the dive boat, and another Japanese gal.  I digress... 

After returning from the wonderful dive trip (another story for another day) I came back to the Bohemia Central hostel and the owner looked at me a bit funny.  I had told him I would be back (can't beat the $30.00 for a private room) but I guess he thought I would find another place!  Perhaps he thought I did not really fit in with the other residents there!   Ha ha ha!!!  He gave me the same room...a big one which is great for organizing all my stuff!  Oh, and yesterday was Anzac Day in Australia!  It is something like Veterans Day in the U.S.  This was celebrating 100 years!  I did miss the parade and the music... laundry you know!!! 

These pictures were taken out of Port Douglas... another tourist town.  This is Cape Tribulation... where the rainforest meets the sea!

Cruising boats out near this lighthouse island...I imagine it is where Wayne might spend a night or two when he gets up here.  It is beautiful!

So, I'm finishing this blog on the train.  I'm headed south to the Whitsundays.  I'll be there for 6 days (and some diving) to see what all the fuss is about... then to Townsville to go diving on the Youngala for a few days before meeting back up with Capt Paul and Wayne in MacKay.  At least that is the plan right now.  Subject to change of course!  This blog has been a bit of this and a bit of that.   It hasn't covered a lot of what I've been doing but at least it's checking in!  Bottom line is that I do like Cairns!  Perhaps enough to come back again some day!