Spirit of Cairns

Lori was in town this past weekend. She's becoming a pro at her commute, she even recognizes staff at the airport and other passengers on the plane. She had a very busy week, so a quiet weekend was in order. On Saturday night we went on a dinner cruise on a catamaran called The Spirit of Cairns.

We toured around the harbour while we ate (the meal was fantastic by the way, lots of fresh seafood). Then we went out about 15 kms to look at the Cairns skyline.

It was great night and I would recommend it to anyone visiting the region. Our only other excitement was going out for a walk on Sunday morning and somehow ending up in the middle of an organized walk to raise awareness for Rare Diseases. Not sure our presence made a difference, but it was fun.

I had to take a picture of this water fountain while I was on our walk though. As a former dog owner, I know it can be tough to find a place your dog can get a drink of water so I thought this was so cool.

Lori is back in PNG now but she's flying in on Thursday evening this week, so I have to figure out what adventure we can enjoy when she gets here.

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Weekend

On our original schedule for this past weekend, I was supposed to be in Cairns by myself but I ended up with lots of company. Lori's meetings were pushed back by a month and she was able to get a last minute flight up for the weekend. Getting flights on a Friday evening from Port Moresby to Cairns can be tricky, they usually sell out, but thankfully Lori nabbed one of the last seats.

I also got a chance to catch up with an old friend. My buddy Andy and his girlfriend Kerryn live in Melbourne and they were looking for a weekend getaway, so they came up to tropical north Queensland for a visit. Andy and I used to work together back in Calgary during my radio days. While I was working for XL103, Andy was working on-air and in production for our sister station Fuel 90.3. Andy and Kerryn went out to Green Island to see the reef and we all got together a couple of times for some good food, cold beers and a lot of laughs. It was an awesome weekend.

Now Lori and I have get down to Melbourne. It sounds like an amazing city.

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Kuranda

Lori was in town this weekend. She flew in Thursday evening and left first thing this morning. Her flight was at 6:00am and she was in the office by 8:30am. It's just a long commute, that happens to involve 2 different islands.

We had a great weekend and the weather was spectacular. On Friday we went to Kuranda, which is a small village in the rain forest nearby. To get there, we took the Kuranda Scenic Railway that basically climbs up the mountain for the entire length of the trip.

The train stops part way up so everyone can get off and take pictures of the Barron Falls. There hasn't been much rain lately so there wasn't much water in the falls, but it was still impressive.

The train ride takes about an hour and half, even though it's only about 30kms long. It's the 328 metre climb that takes so long. The village of Kuranda is nice enough, but it's a typical tourist village with cafes, art galleries and souvenir shops.

The highlight of the day is the return trip. We rode in a cable car over the canopy of the rain forest. The views were incredible.

The Skyrail is so long that it's broken into 2 different cableways and half way down, you have to change cars. While we were waiting to get on the next one, I told Lori to turn around and look up. She was not impressed.

We finally made it over Red Peak and started making our way back down to sea level.

It was a great day.The rest of the weekend was spent going for walks, dining out and binge-watching Downton Abbey. I'm not sure when Lori will be back, she has to go to Singapore for meetings, but the dates haven't been set yet.

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Life in Cairns

When I was back in Canada at Christmas, a couple of people told me they wanted to know more about our daily routine and not just the fun things we do. I'm a little hesitant to show more of our life in Port Moresby because it would upset some people (plus I don't like taking my camera out in public) but I don't mind showing you around Cairns.

Lori flew back to PNG early Wednesday morning, so we are both adjusting to life on our own. I had my internet hooked up yesterday so I can watch Netflix and have video chats again, which is great. Today I went for a walk on the esplanade along the shoreline. There were a lot of things I was looking forward to when we decided to get this place, but being able to go for a walk was at the top of my list.

Along the esplanade, there is a man made saltwater lagoon that's open to the public.

You may ask yourself why would they need such a thing when there is a beautiful beach not far away.

This is why.

Australia has great public spaces. They've set up barbecues and picnic areas for everyone to use.

We don't have a vehicle here, but luckily there is a grocery store a short walk away. How many people back in Canada remember these stores?

It's a great store, but this one is my favourite.

I think it's safe to say that I'll be happy here, but I have to be careful not to gloat too much. I sent this picture to Lori while she was at work in Port Moresby and she called me a jerk.

Anyway, that's just a snapshot of our life these days. Next week, I'll make my way to the golf course to see what that's like. Have a good weekend.

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Cairns Apartment

We have settled in nicely to our new apartment in Cairns. The building is a mix of hotel rooms and condos. The unit we are in is a little different, it's like a condo with a hotel room attached. The main part of the unit is just like a one bedroom apartment. It has a living room, kitchen and separate bedroom.

Then you pass through adjoining doors into a guest suite, with a mini-fridge, kettle, dishes and it's own bathroom.

The apartment is nice enough, it could use new carpet and some fresh paint, but it works for us. The best part is the view from our bedroom.

So needless to say, we are open to visitors if anyone wants to make the journey. Cairns is very much a vacation town with hot, sunny days and lots of attractions to keep you busy. It's even a port visit for cruise lines.

Let us know if you're thinking about coming.

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