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Cairns 29/04/05
May. 11th, 2005 03:45 pm
After spending the best part of a week in Mareeba, a smallish town up on the Atherton Tablelands, my work team packed up and we drove back to Cairns, parting ways at the airport. I picked up a hire car and found my way to the Cairns Esplanade and checked into an hotel, tired and worn. Showered, had a quick look around and then collapsed into the king-size bed for a much needed nap. I woke up just in time to wander out onto the little balcony and watch the sun sink over the mountains fringing the Tablelands, and was glad of it.
I roused myself, de-scruffed and hit the streets of Cairns for a wander. Thoroughly unimpressive, Cairns reminds me of the northern end of my childhood Gold Coast - nothing but souveneer shops and bars, designed to part eager tourists with their crisp Aussie dollars. Found my sleepy way to an unpretentious little 'net cafe and lifted my spirits with a strong flat white and a speedy catch up on my f-list. Made my little rant then returned to wandering, exploring the foreshore, before heading back to the airport to collect the Cuddlesome one. Happily reunited, we ventured back to the tourist strip for a late dinner and a stroll, checking out the fancy reef cruisers, before collapsing into bed for some quality uncounsciousness.
Next morning we regretfully awoke, stretched and checked out. We were both eager to get out of Cairns, despite still feeling weary. Breakfast and coffee at a little caf was greatly enhanced by a small flock of peaceful doves, happily foraging among chair-legs and shirfting feet. We have the doves down here, but they are shy little forest birds and are rarely seen, so it was quite a treat to watch them waddling past my sneakers. We joined the more astute tourists in sharing the crumbs of our croissants. Breafast over, we bid Cairns farewell and headed for the highway, northward-bound.
