Sydney to Cairns Monday August 3rd

Monday August 3rd, 2009

Well it is 9:30 AM and we are at the airport waiting to board our flight to Cairns. Last evening after we finished packing we went back to the harbour for dinner to Cocckle Bay Wharf. Boy were things hopping down there. From our table Jack spotted the casino so we took a walk over to it when we were finished. Denny, Laurie, Lucyann, John, Jim, Joan, Jan and Glenn we have a new casino to visit. It had lots of machines, probably comparable in size to Turning Stone. There were some neat machines, lots of penny ones. Jack found a roulette machine where you place your numbers/bets on a machine but they actually spin the real roulette wheel. The game was good to Jack, about $60 in profit.
Looking back on the past five days, we were impressed with the cleanliness of the city, ease in getting around and the friendliness. The city reminds us a lot of New York City and Toronto, but in our eyes Sydney was the best of the 3.
The food here tends to be pricey. You could do fast foods but we get that back at home so we opted for something more unique on most occasions. The one thing that was different, was that many of the restaurants have their dining area outside, under overhead covered pavillions. This is prevalent all around and year round. What they have near your table are those propane/gas upright heaters that look like large street lights. They surely can warm the area, in fact last evening we had to ask them to turn it down.
Even though the meals were a bit pricey, entertainment was not pricey. Along the harbour and throughout the pedestrian malls there were lots of entertainers set up. We saw clowns, violinists, guitarists, singers, comedians, Aboriginal entertainers, and the list continues. Not only were they free, they were pretty good. Some used it as an opportunity to sell their CD’s.
Another thing that we found impressive, was the prevalence of students wearing school uniforms. Donna also noted how important outdoor play time seemed to be to education. We saw a few other school groups on a walking fieldtrip. You definitely knew they belonged together as they had uniforms similar to what our girls had in grammar school. There uniforms also included sweaters with the school logo, backpacks and even cotton hats (like the kind fishermen wear). They were all so neatly dressed. Boys wore ties and blazers or sweaters and girls wore jumpers or skirts.
At the cathedral yesterday morning the bishop of Sydney said the mass. It was a celebration honoring the 30 year anniversary of the Catholic Deaf Community of Sydney. As we wrote earlier, the choir consisted of boys and young men numbering at least 40. They sang in Latin and in English. They stood behind the altar. Since the cathedral is so large, they had video screens on some of the pillars so that all could see what was occurring. The homily was a good one and it reminded us some of our older churches where the pulpit is a raised platform that is gotten to by climbing a spiral staircase. The church was packed and communion was given in various stations. In the line we were in, just before it came time for us to receive, the priest stopped and followed a women who was heading towards the door. She had taken communion in her hand but had not place it in her mouth. He followed her, caught her and told her to place it in her mouth. He didn’t return to the line until she did. There was lots of incense during the mass as it was a high mass.
For all of our left handed friends and family (Lori, Dad, Denny Sue, Emily to name a few) you would be in your glory. Although we did not see many left handed people it really seemed to be a left handed world. When you walk through the streets, you stay to the left, You enter escalators on the left. You drive on the left. So many things were the reverse of what we are used to …silverware settings on the right.
Architecture here is very interesting. There is so much history in each of these buildings. Yet in so many of them the exterior represents the past while the décor inside, as in the hotels and stores is ultra modern/contemporary. Bathroom styles throughout the city are very imaginative - from urinals to wash basins to hand dryers. Oh and even when you have to go to the bathroom you have to make a decision… which button to push…did I do enough to warrant a half flush or a full flush. And when you are on the streets ready to cross the road, they tell you which way to look before you cross.
We learned a few different words that had to be used regular - toilet is bathroom, lift is elevator, Sheila refers to a girl. Instead of saying your welcome it is no worries. Well it is time to board the plane.

Monday Evening

We arrived in Cairns safe and sound. The airport is under some construction so we had to take the long way around the terminal to get our luggage. The weather here is warmer tahn in Sydney, which means we should be able to get pictures of each othe rwithout having to wear our coats.This town is definitely different from Sydney. It reminded us of a cruise ship port. Beides the water there are lots of mountains around. Our hotel room is actually a mini apartment. It sits on the wharf, Remember we said the architecture here is different. Well our apartment is very contempary. Lots of white and chrome. The kitchen area is bigger than ours at home. We are grateful to have a washer and dryer to do our laundry. The furnishings in here remind of items you would find in Ikea. We have a corner room with a corner patio.
After we got checked in and had some lunch we booked our excursion for tomorrow. We are going to Kuranda. More on that tomorrow. We then went into town and went grocery shopping for some food items for breakfasts. It definitely was not a Wegman’s. The name of the store was Woolworths…does that ring a bell to any one. The front of the store was a grocery store and then the back was just like the Woolworths I remember. Some of the things that struck us were that the eggs were just on a shelf, not in a refrigerated section. Most of the milk was also on a shelf.
Since we had laundry to do we ordered pizza for dinner and ate in our room. We actually have a couch to sit on and watch TV instead of a just a desk chair or a bed. The TV is a 42” plasma.

If this gets sent without pictures it is becasue the download is not working right tonight.
Melissa, don't have to check to check the house, just wondering if you had been by. We haven't gotten any emails from Mr. Pacer or Scott so we figure everything is fine. Pearls for Jen ...necklace, earring, ring, bracelet...what's her preference??