Hi everyone.
Leg 5 of our world tour has brought us to Cairns, which is in the north-east of Australia, handily located for the the Great Barrier Reef and the rainforests of Daintree.
We're staying in the only accomodation we booked before leaving the UK. It's called The Lakes, and is a very posh apartment complex at the northern end of town. After spending a lot of time in backpacker hostels it feels really strange being in a plush apartment, with a separate kitchen, bathroom (with jacuzzi), lounge and balcony. Despite her protestations that she'd forgotten how, June cooked a lovely meal last night, which we enjoyed with a nice bottle of Chardonnay listening to the wildlife in the neighbouring forest.
Cairns itself is a very nice place, surrounded by forested hills and the coast. There's a lovely beachfront walkway complete with fitness-mad Australian joggers, and a good selection of shops and restaurants. As in Perth and Darwin there's a lot of building going on - the country seems to be in the middle of a boom, and there is a lot of wealth on show.
The weather is a lot cooler here than in Darwin (30 degrees instead of 40) which is very pleasant, although there's a bit of wind and rain as well. We've decided to put off a trip to the Reef until the weekend in the hope that the weather improves, but we are planning a scenic train trip to Karunda tommorow, followed by a visit to the Daintree forest and Cape Tribulation on Thursday. We'll let you know how they went when we get back.
We've been on the road for over 10 weeks now, and occasionally my thoughts turn to what will happen when we get back. I'm surprised to report that I am not entirely dreading the thought of going back to work any more. The question though is whether I want to go back into IT, or to try my hand at something different. Being off the nine-to-five treadmill for this length of time has made me think a bit about what my life is really all about, and what I want to achieve. Maybe I'm having a (very premature) mid-life crisis? Watch this space.......
1 comment:
Hi Guys, Mark you shouldn't even be thinking about work again, far too much to see and do on your travels yet! While in Cairns, you should try and get up to the Atherton Tablelands. If memory serves, they can be done quite easily from Cairns. Kuranda railway is very scenic. Also consider a day (or half day) white water rafting. Can't remember the river name, but great fun.
Keep the reports flowing and keep us all jealous. Right, off to the loft again to search for my old rucksack. I know it's there somewhere!!!
Marc.
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