planes, boats and automobiles

View from Cairns city
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After the mix up over the plane times, we were glad to finally take off at 1135 hours, for the short flight to Cairns. We landed and as we exited the plane the humidity hit us like opening an oven door. It was 35 degrees C with 75% humidity, and unless you have experienced it yourself it is hard to describe, but stand next to your open oven, and imagine sweating from every pore with any little movement.

We got to our hostel, Cairns City Backpackers, and luckily we had air con. in our double room. One of the pubs in town gave free dinners to backpackers, and there was a bus to take us there too. Just bog standard chile con carne and spaggy bols.

Tracey coming back to the boat after scuba diving
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On the Friday it was Tracey's birthday and we went for a birthday lunch, as dinner was free, to a restaurant called Verdis in town. We had battered prawns to start and fillet steaks for main. Whilst Tracey went to the loo the waiter asked if I (Joe) wanted him to rustle up a cake with sparklers and get the others in there to sing 'Happy Birthday'. I knew she would hate it and so declined.

That night we met PK in a bar-Rattle and Hum- and then went on to the Woolshed for a few calebratory drinks.

So clear you could drink it??
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Saturday we chilled out, before getting up early on the Sunday and heading to the harbour and meeting up with the crew of the FALLA an old pearl lugger that now ran trips to the great barrier reef for snorkelling and diving. We travelled about an hour and a half before stopping at part of the reef for snorkelling. We snorkelled for around 45 mins looking at several reef fish and lots of coral, before moving a little further out and trying our hand at scuba. We both panicked a little at first, but got used to breathing under water, and carried out 3 safety techniques whilst still near the boat. We did these then surfaced to move out to the open water. Tracey was sunk to the sea floor, but I (Joe) started to panic again, and tried breathing through my nose, which is a bad idea whilst scuba diving. Tracey went out with the instructor to the coral, and touched starfish and a giant clam on the way.

sunset over the reef
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We sailed back in after a great day, and went to the Woolshed for our free dinner, before getting an early night.

The next morning we picked up our WICKED campervan, and managed to get one with air con. and Bunnies on the side. We picked up supplies from the supermarket, and headed off to our first stop within the Atherton Tablelands.