Cairns, Australia

I gave away my excursion ticket today in order to stay behind and see the ship doctor. I dread seeing my bill now - seeing a ship doctor is absurdly ridiculous $$$ but Ronnie insisted I get seen after another night of horrible coughing. The good news is that it's bronchitis (not pneumonia) and I should be fine if I continue taking the antibiotic our travel doctor sent with us.

I was also happy to learn that the lady we gave my ticket to was already on the waiting list for that excursion, so that worked out well.  I sent Ronnie off with instructions to take lots of photos, and to get closer to his subjects. ha! I'm proud of him and I will share some of my favorites that he took today. However, he will write a few words about what they experienced. (bottom)

 

beautiful Lady Gouldian Finches - native to Australia

Ronnie: It was a rainy day from start to finish. The rain was already coming down when we boarded the bus, and it never really let up. Still, we made the most of it as we drove through Cairns, getting a glimpse of the town on our way out, and then seeing entirely different areas as we returned along another route. Cairns is a modern city with a population of about 180,000 people. 

Our first stop was Kuranda Village, a touristy spot tucked into the rainforest. There were all kinds of shops to explore—books, local goods, a butterfly museum and visitor center. It would have been easy to spend more time there if the weather had cooperated, but our schedule kept us moving along.

We watched a demonstration of a didgeridoo, a long wind instrument crafted by Indigenous Australians from eucalyptus wood. It is naturally hollowed out by termites and produces a deep, resonant drone. It is considered one of the world's oldest musical instruments. It was used to call animals and also in their dances.

From there, we continued on to Rainforest Station Nature Park, where we watched an Aboriginal cultural performance. I especially enjoyed the demonstrations of boomerang and spear throwing—I even gave it a try myself and did surprisingly well!

Each dancer had an animal name given to them at birth. They are not allowed to marry someone with the same animal name. After their dance, we boarded Army Ducks for a ride through the rainforest. Although we didn’t spot any wildlife (despite the area being full of it), we were surrounded by incredibly dense, lush vegetation. This region is believed to be one of the oldest living rainforests in the world, which made it all the more fascinating—even in the pouring rain.

And one can see from the photos, the rain wasn’t just a drizzle—it was coming down hard.