Thoughts and Reflections
About A Trip To Australia
(Click on Australia to go to the main Australia web site)
Among
the many sites that most intrigued us about our visit to Australia, Cairns
and its many attractions including the Great Barrier Reef and the tropical
rain forest. This was our chance to experience 
the
unparalleled beauty that this portion of Australia and we took full advantage
of it. In leaving the dry interior of Australia, I was not at first certain
what to expect as we flew over the many miles of austere beauty that flowed
by beneath us. Then, we leapt out over the ocean and began our approach. This
was our first taste of what was in store for us. My first thought was that
this lush panorama was much as I had envisioned Hawaii might look like. That
we are traveling to Hawaii in July of 2000 will give us the chance to see
if my impressions were correct. After landing, my first impressions seemed
fully confirmed as shown by the shot I snapped from the balcony of our hotel.
Cairns
is located in northeastern Queensland, on Trinity Inlet of Trinity Bay. It
is the center of agricultural and forest industry as well as shipping in the
region, but the main focus for us was its existence as a tourist resort community
with a diverse mix of restaurants and sights to see. As with other points
in Australia I was surprised by both the unfamiliar and familiar. As we walked
the hot humid streets at night we found Kentucky Fried Chicken, dive shops,
excellent local sea food restaurants, outdoor barbecues, always friendly people
and an active night life. The dessert on the left, by the way, is a marangue,
mostly egg whites, but very very tasty and we definitely did not finish it.
Suffice it to say, we enjoyed many a fine meal while in Cairns.
The
other element of interest was the native wildlife. As we walked along the
beach and then up the street that paralleled our hotel we noticed a car that
looked like it had been draped with great swathes of white paint in thicknesses
of an inch and more. This included the windows. All the windows. It was at
this point that we became aware of the cacophany of sounds being made by the
Sacred Ibises in the tree above this hapless car. I provide the picture we
did shoot of the Ibises at a later time and a closer shot taken in Sydney
to get an idea of what these creatures actually look like up close. They are
very large and give new meaning to the old childs song about being happy that
cows don't fly. At least for one car owner, I suspect he or she wished that
the Ibises did not fly as well. We walked well out into the street and away
from the tree in question.
The most impressive adventure of all, however, was the one that followed the
next day, when we were given the opportunity to snorkel in the Great Barrier
Reef. This called upon us for an early start, but it was well worth it.
