June 25, 2008
... continued
I shared a taxi into the city with the two guys who were sitting beside me on the plane. It was cheaper than paying a full fare on the shuttle bus. I was dropped off at my chosen hostel, the Dreamtime Traveler's Rest, just outside the city centre. It was a small place, really clean, quiet, and nice. I arrived after 10:30 PM, and the reception was closed. I found my key waiting for me in the designated spot beside the Coke machine. I said 'hi' to the two German girls (both named Jenny) sitting on the patio, had a shower, and went to bed. I was tired!
June 26,2008
I slept in again. After shaking off the cobwebs of sleep, I went to reception to pay for my accommodation. I asked if there were any buses or tour going north to Cape Tribulation that day. I really only wanted to stay in Cairns the one night and then head north to the beaches and jungles at Cape Trib. Unfortunately, all the buses for Cape Trib leave before 7 AM. I booked myself onto a two night tour for the next day.
I didn't end up doing much for the rest of the day. I did my laundry at the hostel (finally having a chance to clean to clean my hoodie and jeans after wearing them almost constantly for five or six days). Cairns was warm enough that I could walk around in t-shirt and shorts during the day. It was cool enough in the evening and night, though, that the hoodie and jeans needed to come out again. I predicted that they would get a lot more use in the near future.
I spent a few hours walking around the Cairns city centre and waterfront. Cairns is not a really big city (about 100,000 people) and seems mostly reliant on tourism to drive its economy. There are lots of foreign tourists, as many international flights come straight here. Many shops had storefronts and signs in Japanese, as evidence to the number of Japanese tourists that come here. Cairns is also a popular vacation spot for the Aussies, too. I ended up talking with a few Aussies who came to Cairns for even a few days to enjoy the sun and water.
Cairns has a marina, but no beach. Apparently they tried to dredge the harbour over a hundred years ago to create a deep water port, but all the only result was a buildup of mud flats along the short. Consequently, Cairns became a refuge for wild birds. If you wanted to go swimming in Cairns, you had to go to the manmade lagoon (which was closed for renovations that day), or head out of town.
The city centre was quiet and there wasn't much to see, other than the waterfront itself.
There was a mall, but shopping isn't my thing. I enjoyed some cheap fish and chips. It wasn't a food I ate very often back at home, but I had acquired a bit of a taste for it in Australia. Now I understand why my dad wanted to order it so much when he was in Australia back in February. As long as the fish is light and flaky, its quite tasty! Of course, I put l put lots of vinegar on the fries! Yum!
I headed back to the hostel, and used the internet for a few hours. I had to leave early in the morning for my trip to Cape Trib so I kept it a quiet night.
June 27, 2008
Woke up early to catch my bus to Port Trib. It was actually more of a tour than just a simple bus trip, so there were a few stops on the way. The first stop was Port Douglas, a popular and posh beach town about an hour north of Cairns along the picturesque sea-side Captain Cook Highway. Our bus driver warned us that food in Cape Trib can be expensive (since its somewhat isolated), so we should take advantage of the grocery store in Port Douglas while we could. I did just that. I hadn't had breakfast yet, so I grabbed a chocolate bar and went to snap some photos of the marina in the twenty minutes or so that I had left.
From Port Douglas, we drove further north along the Captain Cook Highway, past sugarcane fields, cane trains, and mountains to Mossman Gorge. We had about half an hour to walk around the pretty gorge and vegetation.
After Mossman Gorge, we continued further north, crossed the Daintree River on a ferry, and for lunch on a beach. There were some people on the tour who paid extra for the deluxe package and got to eat a buffet lunch sitting in a restaurant. I, instead, ate my AU$5 garden salad sitting on a log on the beach itself. I walked around the beach for a while to stretch my legs. The weather that day was overcast, and not that warm. Not really beach weather. I did see some cool things, though. I found this pair of coconuts on the beach that had already started to germinate and grow into new palm trees:
After about an hour on the beach, the bus picked us up and drove the rest of the way to Cape Trib. It wasn't that much farther. I was dropped off at PK's Jungle Village, my chosen accommodation, at about 1 PM. The bus driver said he would pick me up in two days at the same time.
I didn't do much else that day. The weather wasn't that great. That night I sat around the hostel bar and played cards with various people (mostly some Canadians from Alberta). Sadly, I spilled beer on their cards. How embarrassing. There were a few people there, but I wouldn't call it crowded. There was this attractive Dutch girl there named Marina who was flirting with me (I think). She was pretty annoying though and continually complained about how bad the weather was back in Holland. She wouldn't stop talking! She went to bed early, thankfully. After a few more drinks I went to bed, too. I was in a seven-bed dormitory, but there was only one other person sleeping there that night.
June 28,2008
As I lay in bed, I heard the rain on the metal roof of the dorm. Ugh. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. I was in a rain forest, after all. I stayed in bed as long as I could, watching anime on my MacBook. After a while, I had to pee, so it was time to go and face the world. At least the rain had stopped by then.
I spent the day wandering around the Cape Tribulation area. I had the option to go on several tours, but I declined all that stuff and went on several self-guided walking tours. Very close to the hostel was Myall Beach. The tide was low and lots of rocks were exposed in the sea. The sky was still overcast so pictures weren't so pretty. I walked north, forded a creek, and walked over the saddle of Cape Tribulation itself to see Tribulation Beach. I went to the lookout and looked out over the lot of it. It was prettier than Myall Beach... more more about that in tomorrow's section. From there, I walked back along the highway to the hostel for lunch.
After lunch (muesli, soy milk, and a banana), I explored the nearby jungle boardwalk. The jungle at Cape Tribulation is reputedly one of the oldest jungles in the world. Apparently its been there for literally tens of millions of years. It looked pretty primitive to me, given the number of giant ferns and crazy palm trees I saw there. I made a rare decision to walk through the jungle by listening to music on my iPod (I had been stuck on The Kills lately -- my favourite song right now is definitely "Last Day of Magic"). While strolling down the boardwalk I saw a gaggle of people up ahead looking at something. One of them saw me and held out his hand, signaling me to stop walking. I was bopping to the music and almost missed his signal. It was a good thing I saw it. Immediately beside the path, only six feet away from me, was a big cassowary grazing in the bushes. Oh man. Cassowaries are big birds; this one was probably about five feet tall. They had sharp talons (reminds me of Napolean Dynamite!) that can rip a person open. They're considered very unpredictable. I backed away slowly and gave the big bird plenty of space. After thirty seconds it wandered back into the jungle on its own. This encounter was definitely my closest brush with a dangerous animal in Australia. Oh man.
After the jungle boardwalk, and my close brush with nature, I walked down the highway to the store and the pretty swimming hole. From there, it was back along the beach back to the hostel where I had a quiet time for the rest of the afternoon.
That night, the hostel had a barbecue where I enjoyed steak, sausage, and a big pile of salads. There was a live band entertaining the guests. The band was two old guys on guitar backed by another old guy on drums belting out (mostly) reggae tunes. I sat around drinking wine with and playing cards with a guy from Edmonton and a girl from San Diego. We played a card game called "Thirty One," which I had never played before.
June 29, 2008
The weather was much nicer today. Blue, inviting blue skies, but stiff breezes from the sea. I wandered back to Myall Beach to take more photos. These turned out much nicer than the ones from the previous day's. This is a photograph of Myall Creek pouring itself across the beach toward the sea. I think all the cool, clear water running across the sand looks so fascinating.
I had my final meal at PK's Jungle Village and got picked up by the same bus and driver from two days before. It was time for the tour to continue! Out first stop was Tribulation Beach. Ha ha, I had walked there the day before by myself. Now, the weather was much warmer and I was there with other people. No worries. The beach was much prettier under blue skies.
There was a big lizard on the beach, too. The beastie was probably about 80 cm long.
On the bus back to Cairns, I met Caroline, from Ottawa. We chatted on the way back. I wasn't sure where I was staying in Cairns, yet. She told me about her hostel, the Bohemian Central. It had a dumb name, but it sounded good enough for me. I also made friends with Tim from Tennessee.
The next stop on the southbound leg of the tour was Marddja Boardwalk. This boardwalk was similar to the jungle boardwalk I walked to the day before, but the jungle itself had a different character. It had more swamps and mangroves, and fewer giant ferns and fan palms. Our tour guy showed a tree that we could stick our heads into. We all took turns sticking our heads into the tree while he stuck our cameras in there too and took our photos. I know it sounds ludicrous, but it worked out really well!
After the boardwalk we continued driving south through the jungle. We crossed the ferry over the Daintree River again. Right on the other side of the river we stopped to have a break of tea and biscuits before we boarded a boat for a cruise on the Daintree River. What was the big deal about the river? It was filled with crocs!
We saw a lot of wildlife along the river. Four crocs of various sizes, including a big male about four metres long, a brilliant blue kingfisher bird, a few snakes, and a swooping osprey. The tide was coming in quickly and our guide told us that the crocs had been sunning themselves all afternoon on the mudflats but would be slipping back into the water pretty soon. We were lucky to see even four crocs at the time. I guess I was lucky!
The river was our last stop on the tour. From there, our driver drove us all the way back to Cairns in one go (about two hours). The road was very windy and the driver drove very quickly. The bus swayed back and forth and I felt a little nauseous. Bleck. It was like Laos all over again... but only for an hour instead of eight!
To be continued...
... continued
I shared a taxi into the city with the two guys who were sitting beside me on the plane. It was cheaper than paying a full fare on the shuttle bus. I was dropped off at my chosen hostel, the Dreamtime Traveler's Rest, just outside the city centre. It was a small place, really clean, quiet, and nice. I arrived after 10:30 PM, and the reception was closed. I found my key waiting for me in the designated spot beside the Coke machine. I said 'hi' to the two German girls (both named Jenny) sitting on the patio, had a shower, and went to bed. I was tired!
June 26,2008
I slept in again. After shaking off the cobwebs of sleep, I went to reception to pay for my accommodation. I asked if there were any buses or tour going north to Cape Tribulation that day. I really only wanted to stay in Cairns the one night and then head north to the beaches and jungles at Cape Trib. Unfortunately, all the buses for Cape Trib leave before 7 AM. I booked myself onto a two night tour for the next day.
I didn't end up doing much for the rest of the day. I did my laundry at the hostel (finally having a chance to clean to clean my hoodie and jeans after wearing them almost constantly for five or six days). Cairns was warm enough that I could walk around in t-shirt and shorts during the day. It was cool enough in the evening and night, though, that the hoodie and jeans needed to come out again. I predicted that they would get a lot more use in the near future.
I spent a few hours walking around the Cairns city centre and waterfront. Cairns is not a really big city (about 100,000 people) and seems mostly reliant on tourism to drive its economy. There are lots of foreign tourists, as many international flights come straight here. Many shops had storefronts and signs in Japanese, as evidence to the number of Japanese tourists that come here. Cairns is also a popular vacation spot for the Aussies, too. I ended up talking with a few Aussies who came to Cairns for even a few days to enjoy the sun and water.
Cairns has a marina, but no beach. Apparently they tried to dredge the harbour over a hundred years ago to create a deep water port, but all the only result was a buildup of mud flats along the short. Consequently, Cairns became a refuge for wild birds. If you wanted to go swimming in Cairns, you had to go to the manmade lagoon (which was closed for renovations that day), or head out of town.
The city centre was quiet and there wasn't much to see, other than the waterfront itself.
There was a mall, but shopping isn't my thing. I enjoyed some cheap fish and chips. It wasn't a food I ate very often back at home, but I had acquired a bit of a taste for it in Australia. Now I understand why my dad wanted to order it so much when he was in Australia back in February. As long as the fish is light and flaky, its quite tasty! Of course, I put l put lots of vinegar on the fries! Yum!
I headed back to the hostel, and used the internet for a few hours. I had to leave early in the morning for my trip to Cape Trib so I kept it a quiet night.
June 27, 2008
Woke up early to catch my bus to Port Trib. It was actually more of a tour than just a simple bus trip, so there were a few stops on the way. The first stop was Port Douglas, a popular and posh beach town about an hour north of Cairns along the picturesque sea-side Captain Cook Highway. Our bus driver warned us that food in Cape Trib can be expensive (since its somewhat isolated), so we should take advantage of the grocery store in Port Douglas while we could. I did just that. I hadn't had breakfast yet, so I grabbed a chocolate bar and went to snap some photos of the marina in the twenty minutes or so that I had left.
From Port Douglas, we drove further north along the Captain Cook Highway, past sugarcane fields, cane trains, and mountains to Mossman Gorge. We had about half an hour to walk around the pretty gorge and vegetation.
After Mossman Gorge, we continued further north, crossed the Daintree River on a ferry, and for lunch on a beach. There were some people on the tour who paid extra for the deluxe package and got to eat a buffet lunch sitting in a restaurant. I, instead, ate my AU$5 garden salad sitting on a log on the beach itself. I walked around the beach for a while to stretch my legs. The weather that day was overcast, and not that warm. Not really beach weather. I did see some cool things, though. I found this pair of coconuts on the beach that had already started to germinate and grow into new palm trees:
After about an hour on the beach, the bus picked us up and drove the rest of the way to Cape Trib. It wasn't that much farther. I was dropped off at PK's Jungle Village, my chosen accommodation, at about 1 PM. The bus driver said he would pick me up in two days at the same time.
I didn't do much else that day. The weather wasn't that great. That night I sat around the hostel bar and played cards with various people (mostly some Canadians from Alberta). Sadly, I spilled beer on their cards. How embarrassing. There were a few people there, but I wouldn't call it crowded. There was this attractive Dutch girl there named Marina who was flirting with me (I think). She was pretty annoying though and continually complained about how bad the weather was back in Holland. She wouldn't stop talking! She went to bed early, thankfully. After a few more drinks I went to bed, too. I was in a seven-bed dormitory, but there was only one other person sleeping there that night.
June 28,2008
As I lay in bed, I heard the rain on the metal roof of the dorm. Ugh. I shouldn't have been surprised, though. I was in a rain forest, after all. I stayed in bed as long as I could, watching anime on my MacBook. After a while, I had to pee, so it was time to go and face the world. At least the rain had stopped by then.
I spent the day wandering around the Cape Tribulation area. I had the option to go on several tours, but I declined all that stuff and went on several self-guided walking tours. Very close to the hostel was Myall Beach. The tide was low and lots of rocks were exposed in the sea. The sky was still overcast so pictures weren't so pretty. I walked north, forded a creek, and walked over the saddle of Cape Tribulation itself to see Tribulation Beach. I went to the lookout and looked out over the lot of it. It was prettier than Myall Beach... more more about that in tomorrow's section. From there, I walked back along the highway to the hostel for lunch.
After lunch (muesli, soy milk, and a banana), I explored the nearby jungle boardwalk. The jungle at Cape Tribulation is reputedly one of the oldest jungles in the world. Apparently its been there for literally tens of millions of years. It looked pretty primitive to me, given the number of giant ferns and crazy palm trees I saw there. I made a rare decision to walk through the jungle by listening to music on my iPod (I had been stuck on The Kills lately -- my favourite song right now is definitely "Last Day of Magic"). While strolling down the boardwalk I saw a gaggle of people up ahead looking at something. One of them saw me and held out his hand, signaling me to stop walking. I was bopping to the music and almost missed his signal. It was a good thing I saw it. Immediately beside the path, only six feet away from me, was a big cassowary grazing in the bushes. Oh man. Cassowaries are big birds; this one was probably about five feet tall. They had sharp talons (reminds me of Napolean Dynamite!) that can rip a person open. They're considered very unpredictable. I backed away slowly and gave the big bird plenty of space. After thirty seconds it wandered back into the jungle on its own. This encounter was definitely my closest brush with a dangerous animal in Australia. Oh man.
After the jungle boardwalk, and my close brush with nature, I walked down the highway to the store and the pretty swimming hole. From there, it was back along the beach back to the hostel where I had a quiet time for the rest of the afternoon.
That night, the hostel had a barbecue where I enjoyed steak, sausage, and a big pile of salads. There was a live band entertaining the guests. The band was two old guys on guitar backed by another old guy on drums belting out (mostly) reggae tunes. I sat around drinking wine with and playing cards with a guy from Edmonton and a girl from San Diego. We played a card game called "Thirty One," which I had never played before.
June 29, 2008
The weather was much nicer today. Blue, inviting blue skies, but stiff breezes from the sea. I wandered back to Myall Beach to take more photos. These turned out much nicer than the ones from the previous day's. This is a photograph of Myall Creek pouring itself across the beach toward the sea. I think all the cool, clear water running across the sand looks so fascinating.
I had my final meal at PK's Jungle Village and got picked up by the same bus and driver from two days before. It was time for the tour to continue! Out first stop was Tribulation Beach. Ha ha, I had walked there the day before by myself. Now, the weather was much warmer and I was there with other people. No worries. The beach was much prettier under blue skies.
There was a big lizard on the beach, too. The beastie was probably about 80 cm long.
On the bus back to Cairns, I met Caroline, from Ottawa. We chatted on the way back. I wasn't sure where I was staying in Cairns, yet. She told me about her hostel, the Bohemian Central. It had a dumb name, but it sounded good enough for me. I also made friends with Tim from Tennessee.
The next stop on the southbound leg of the tour was Marddja Boardwalk. This boardwalk was similar to the jungle boardwalk I walked to the day before, but the jungle itself had a different character. It had more swamps and mangroves, and fewer giant ferns and fan palms. Our tour guy showed a tree that we could stick our heads into. We all took turns sticking our heads into the tree while he stuck our cameras in there too and took our photos. I know it sounds ludicrous, but it worked out really well!
After the boardwalk we continued driving south through the jungle. We crossed the ferry over the Daintree River again. Right on the other side of the river we stopped to have a break of tea and biscuits before we boarded a boat for a cruise on the Daintree River. What was the big deal about the river? It was filled with crocs!
We saw a lot of wildlife along the river. Four crocs of various sizes, including a big male about four metres long, a brilliant blue kingfisher bird, a few snakes, and a swooping osprey. The tide was coming in quickly and our guide told us that the crocs had been sunning themselves all afternoon on the mudflats but would be slipping back into the water pretty soon. We were lucky to see even four crocs at the time. I guess I was lucky!
The river was our last stop on the tour. From there, our driver drove us all the way back to Cairns in one go (about two hours). The road was very windy and the driver drove very quickly. The bus swayed back and forth and I felt a little nauseous. Bleck. It was like Laos all over again... but only for an hour instead of eight!
To be continued...
1 comment:
Haha I just got it!
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