Woke up at 6am and had breakfast then got the tram up St Kilda Road then the number 86 to Southern Cross Station where we could catch the Skybus we booked when we arrived. We got there at 7.30am, just in time as it was just about to leave and the next one would have been about a 15-minute wait. The transfer to the airport was only about 20-30 minutes so we got there in plenty of time to check in and buy a few bits and bobs. I bought a couple of stickers for my well-travelled suitcase at home and also a new book to read when I am on my own later in the trip, called “The Killers Wife” (review to follow lol).
We took off at 9.30am and then had to put our watches back an hour ready for the local time in Cairns. It was only a short flight just over 3 hours so not really much time to sleep. The film was crap (or looked it) “Australia” staring Tom Cruises ex wife (can’t remember her name). The food was a bit crap, it claimed to be some sort of chicken curry with noodles but sadly it was not the nice white breast I like but more of the scrag end chicken I had come to accept whilst in foreign parts lol. We got an ice lolly afterwards and a drink from the bar. I made the mistake of ordering a red wine and coke only to be told the wine would be $6 thank you very much. The dirty EVIL, Robbin, bast@rds….THIS is in Australia! LOL (if your not a Catherine Tate fan that will mean nothing).
Once we landed we got off the plane then seemed to find ourselves outside without so much as a “Can I see your passport” or “what’s in the bag missus”. Very odd. Maybe it’s because it's classed as internal. Anyway, we then went back inside to claim our bags, which were pretty quick off, and then collect our car (we booked a car as you can’t walk to the bloody loo in Australia its that big).
The hotel was only 15 minutes away from the airport and dead easy to find (even for me, if I was driving). I forgot my driving license so Phil has to do all the driving, which he protests about but I know he’s happy when he’s in charge. If I did drive we’d only end up arguing cos he’d be passenger seat driving all the time, as he likes to be in control.
Arrived at the “hotel” which looks kinda Motel like with rooms stacked on top of each other 2 storey’s high with walkways. It’s going to seem like a downgrade compared to where we have stayed but by the time we got around to booking these I was back from holiday so started moaning about why we needed posh hotels when its meant to backpacking around the world ! lol.
We checked in and went to our cell/room. We were in Block A, and I think Lizzy Birdsworth and B-Smith were in Cell block H down the way lol (My mum will understand that reference I’m sure). Basic was an understatement. The walls were breezeblock painted cream, it contained two single beds that were on wheels. Imagine two very lightweight beds on wheels on a tiled floor! I leaned against the wall to do my journal and nearly rolled down the hallway.
After getting used to our humble abode, showering and changing we thought we’d head out for a drive and try to see the place so we weren’t wasting our first day. We headed over to Mossman where the rain forests were as it was meant to be nice. We drove through some of Cairns but could see as we were getting close to Mossman that it was getting a lot darker and cloudier and you could tell it was raining in the distance (guess that’s why its called the rainforest DOH !). We eventually got there at about 3.45pm and it was pouring down and the last guided walk left at 3.30pm. We had a quick look around the art work in the gift shop that had been done by aborigine folk which was very expensive and looked like something I could whip up myself t be honest. There were some that were just a piece of brown paper with lots of white paint handprints on (easy). Some of them were quite good as a lot of the aborigine style id to use lines of dots to make the shapes, but still very pricey.
Since we couldn’t do much and it was bouncing down we headed back to the hotel, via a few shopping outlets to check out the prices and get some supplies for the room.
Pretty early night as we wanted to get a full day in tomorrow if we can get a trip booked for scuba diving.
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