OZ update!
27 Oct
Hot Air Ballooning.
Minibus picked us up at 0440 hours and we were given a piece of 'bad news'. Nope, the weather's fine, but we were going to get a free upgrade to a one-hour balloon flight, because only one couple (which we had yet to pick up) was doing the one-hour flight (All of ours were half-hour flights) and 'it 's not nice to throw you(us) all overboard'. Good on ya, Mate! :)
The flight was rather spectacular. We managed to spot kangeroos, catch a glimpse of mariajuana country (Yes, it's in the Northern Territories, those small-scale drug lords...)
Hovering precariously over a crocodile-infested stream, we finally made a smooth landing (only 3 bumps qualifies the landing as a smooth one), helped with the packing up before heading to the Museum for a champagne breakfast.
Back at the motel for a nap.
Went to Cairns Central (The Mall) for some retail therapy, passing a Crazy Clark's along the way. It's a discounter/liquidators shop, and prices are rather reasonable in Sing Dollar terms.
Lunch at the International Food Court at the Mall. Settled on Thai Cruisine... At A$8.50 for Rice+2 side dishes, it wasn't exactly cheap...
28 Oct
Continental Breakfast.
Kuranda and Rainforestation Tour. A more relaxing last-minute tour after two rather hectic days.
Gondola to Kuranda. Simply, a cable car ride that stretches nearly ten kilometres over three stations. At the Barron Falls Station, we took a walk to the viewing platform nearby and boy, were we utterly disappointed! It was merely a trickleor water, and the 'lake' which serviced the falls was a mere 'puddle of water'!
Got a boomerang at the Kuranda Original Markets, a Tropical Crush drink and a 'LEWD' cap and T-shirt at the cultural (new) markets.
Running a little late, so we hurriedly boarded the bus to take us to the rainforestation village.
BBQ lunch at the restaurant in the reforestation village. Consisted of a fine buffet spread: Pork sausages, chicken chop, beef steaks and a palate of cheese.
Did a duck tour and saw an aboriginal cultural dance, where the 'aboriginals' did their routine, bellowing like wild monkeys and hopping around like Chickens on steriods.
Did some boomerang throwing, observed how the Dooderidoo was played and saw the use of the javelin.
Dinner at the Food Court within the Night Markets. Fish & Chips. At A$7.90, it's on the 'reasonalbe' scale.
More shopping... :P
Will carry on next week, so stay tuned to find out where we're going after Cairns!
Swee Shoon
Dear Visitor,
A very warm welcome to my Blog. NSS@Home is very much a personal Blog as it is an information Blog. It is an attempt to capture my many experiences, be it good or bad, in and around Singapore, including eateries, movies and other services.
Thank you, and have a pleasant day ahead!
Sunday, November 21, 2004
Okay... nearly a month since I last blogged.
Plenty has happened since then, so here's a brief update (in stages)
24 Oct
Departed for Cairns via Brisbane.
25 Oct
Took a A$3 sky train to the domestic Terminal at Brisbane. And that is per person, for a five minute ride. Ours is free, and yet we are still complaining of insufficient capacity, too slow, etc.
Lunch at Brisbane: Fish and Chips at the Food Court.
Haha... we pollute the minds of Aussies... :P We are first in queue at the Jetstar ticketing counter. Being a budget airline, it doesn't have any seating allocation, so...
Arrival at Cairns.
Dinner at Rattle N Hum: Fisherman's basket for me. Gosh, I think I'll putting on pounds!
Visited the Night Market to purchase some souveniers.
26 Oct
Continental Breakfast.
Picked up at Queen's Court Motel for an Outer Barrier Reef Cruise.
Our Guide for the day hails from Malaysia - Eddy.
Free coffee and tea on the house. The tea tastes horrendous though, akin to sewage water. Mummy claims it's the taste of seaweed.
We head out for Moore Reef via Fitzroy Island, anchoring off the reef alongside a pontoon.
Had a buffet lunch, which was really nothing much... 'Seafood' being only prawns.
We take a submersible and glass-bottom boat trip around the pontoon, before getting some snorkelling done. First time snorkelling and I took in lots of salt water. Tip: Look 45 degrees downwards to keep the mask tightly sealed around your face and prevent water from entering your breathing tube.
Mum claimed that the reef was not as beautiful as the one in the Maldives.
Dinner at Lychee Bistro: Stir-fried Lemon chicken, Cheesecake and Lychee Ice Cream. By Golly, the decoration on the Cheesecake (Crushes Pistachio nuts and Dabbles of strawberry and Mango sauce) made it look like a dessert from an Italian Fine Dining Restaurant.
Plenty has happened since then, so here's a brief update (in stages)
24 Oct
Departed for Cairns via Brisbane.
25 Oct
Took a A$3 sky train to the domestic Terminal at Brisbane. And that is per person, for a five minute ride. Ours is free, and yet we are still complaining of insufficient capacity, too slow, etc.
Lunch at Brisbane: Fish and Chips at the Food Court.
Haha... we pollute the minds of Aussies... :P We are first in queue at the Jetstar ticketing counter. Being a budget airline, it doesn't have any seating allocation, so...
Arrival at Cairns.
Dinner at Rattle N Hum: Fisherman's basket for me. Gosh, I think I'll putting on pounds!
Visited the Night Market to purchase some souveniers.
26 Oct
Continental Breakfast.
Picked up at Queen's Court Motel for an Outer Barrier Reef Cruise.
Our Guide for the day hails from Malaysia - Eddy.
Free coffee and tea on the house. The tea tastes horrendous though, akin to sewage water. Mummy claims it's the taste of seaweed.
We head out for Moore Reef via Fitzroy Island, anchoring off the reef alongside a pontoon.
Had a buffet lunch, which was really nothing much... 'Seafood' being only prawns.
We take a submersible and glass-bottom boat trip around the pontoon, before getting some snorkelling done. First time snorkelling and I took in lots of salt water. Tip: Look 45 degrees downwards to keep the mask tightly sealed around your face and prevent water from entering your breathing tube.
Mum claimed that the reef was not as beautiful as the one in the Maldives.
Dinner at Lychee Bistro: Stir-fried Lemon chicken, Cheesecake and Lychee Ice Cream. By Golly, the decoration on the Cheesecake (Crushes Pistachio nuts and Dabbles of strawberry and Mango sauce) made it look like a dessert from an Italian Fine Dining Restaurant.