A Day Of Rest in Cairns

Arrived in Cairns later than expected due to a new computer upgrade that was causing problems (they did not have a valid passenger list...I'd hate to be on that IT team).

Today is my only free day in Cairns. I was going to lay poolside, but figured I'd see if their library had wifi. I thought the library was just a couple of blocks away, but found out my hotel is farther from the main drag than I thought (like 8 blocks). I also found that, not only does the library not have wifi, but they charge market rates to use the interest, and you have to buy a minimum of one hour (in all the places I visited, this is the first library to charge for the
Internet.

While I was there, I walked along downtown. I was not impressed. It reminded me of a typical American seaside town from 20-30 years ago, just with a large Asian influence. It's not pretty, nothing is free, and it's a totally tourist trap. The biggest commerce I saw was selling tours and activities for those visiting. To make it worse, the beaches here are not that great, at least today. It really does seem to be just a jumping off point for day tours in this area.

I found a pub with outdoor seating and an early bird special for pizza and "a pint", which was just what I needed (both the pizza and the beer). It started raining right as I was getting ready to go, so I asked for a bag so my stuff would not get wet. All they had was a garbage bag, so I walked to the hotel carrying a garbage bag filled with my day pack and some things I had bought. I got a few odd looks, especially because it stopped raining almost immediately. I'm guessing I looked like a bag person.

So I'm going to have an early night. Tomorrow I leave for a two day tour to the Undara lava tubes. It sounds a little cheesy to me, but if I'm willing to get into it, it will probably be fun. Here is a link to their website if you are interested: www.Undara.com.au.

Not sure if there will be an opportunity to use the Internet or not (I'm guessing there will be), but worse case I will be back in Cairns in two nights.

Interesting fact day 21: ok, I give. I did not learn any interesting fact today, nor do I have one saved up from a previous day. Look for one tomorrow (or whenever I next get to a computer).