Day 12 Cairns

We arrived last night and due to the lack of DST it was already dark. Picked up our bags, caught a taxi and checked into the Tropic Towers.

The keeper just happened to be in the reception area, she did not know what time we were arriving but was expecting us. We carried our baggage up to the room. It is nice a full kitchen, a living room with a convertible couch a bedroom with a queen and a bathroom with washer and dryer. We should be comfortable for the next few days.

There is also a broadband router with access you can rent by the hour day, 3, 5, 7 day interval. I quickly calculate that I will get it for 3 days and start it sometime tomorrow morning.

We walk to a restaurant a couple blocks away – Dunwoodys. It is large, has a bar, a small gambling area with slot machines, a dining area inside and out and outside a jungle gym for children. A quick check of the prices and we decide to eat – oddly enough it is much more affordable than I first expected. I hope that it is a general trend for Cairns!

During our cab ride the driver mentioned that there were no beaches – I could see from Pam's body language she was disappointed and concerned, however in the reception area there were hundreds of brochures of things to do. I think we are going to do a day snorkel trip to the reef, hit one of the zoos and probably go to Kuranda - so there is not a lack of things to do.

I slept very well except for strange dreams that again plagued my sleep. In one I was drifting down a stream on an air mattress. The water was crystal clear with a brown mud bottom -I drifted over a platypus that was diving to a log and around the curve about 10 feet to my left a salty crocodile. It was swimming with its mouth open. I tried not to move but it started swimming towards me. I woke hope then – probably for the best. Also a strange dream about Pam running off with a guy she met in Australia – funny – straight from the movie Along Came Polly!

Pam is picking up breakfast – I will have a conference call with Michael in about 30 minutes. Had a good call and got some additional work.

We had some cereal for breakfast and then hit the road.

We picked up a rental car and drove to the Cairns Tropical Zoo. Originally Pam thought we would be there for an hour or so – we ended up being there for 4 hours- it was amazing. It was not very large and not crowded at all. The girls got to hold and pet a Koala – satisfying at least one of their life-long ambitions. We were able to feed Kangaroos, touch wombats, snakes, crocodiles (a baby freshy) and a witnessing a large crocodile feeding. Some very informative talks about the species and preservation. We signed a Moon Bear or Asian Black bear communicae (petition). It seems they are farmed for their bile – kept in very small cages for their entire lives with a permanent tube to drain bile from their bodies. Very sad.

One of my favorite presentations was on the Nepalese Red Panda- or the Fire Fox! An endangered species – not native to Australia but the Zoo was chosen to participate in the breeding program. They have 2 males and just received a female. There are only 450 in captivity – and their numbers in the wild are unknown.

From there we drove to Palm Cove – supposedly ocean swimming. It turns out you have to swim in a netted area – there are stinger, or jellies basically jellyfish. So Cairns is not a surf or swim destination. You have to take a boat out to the reef so on we drove.

Ended up a Mossman Gorge – there is a freshwater swimming hole – it was quite refreshing. There was a constrained openings between 2 rocks downstream of the swimming hole with a strong current that dragged a kid through and then her mother went after her and said she was In trouble – I thought I was going to have to make a rescue but another guy got there first and told them to stand up. I don't know why everyone wants to swim against instead of across a current. There were signs indicating slippery rocks and that drowning had occurred. I can see why.

We took a 3km rainforest hike – Aria was in a foul mood and walked well ahead of us. It was beautiful and a good workout. It started getting dark during the hike and we emerged just after dusk. I was actually a little nervous that I had miscalculated the time it would take. I also forgot about the state not being on DST.

I had to drive the coastal road in the dark, no guardrail with most on-coming traffic leaving on their HIGH BEAMS. Allysha was complaining of feeling dizzy and her tongue hurting. I think she might be dehydrated and made her drink some water.

We made it back to the room about 8pm – the girls went to the night market for shopping and I sat down to do some work.

They brought back some Chinese food and Sushi, I set the alarm for very early to attend a conference call that did not happen – back to bed for a couple hours.

I could hear the girls talking in their sleep – and I had some very strange dreams that I cannot now recall.

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