Cairns or bust

When we sailed to Hawaii from Vancouver, we met Peter and Marion by chance on a tender from the ship to the island of Maui. Laura struck up a conversation with Marion on the trip over, and we subsequently met back at the ship for drinks. They were from Sydney, and answered lots of our questions about what to see in our short time in Australia. They departed for their home after the Hawaii leg, but not before inviting us for dinner once we landed in Oz.

Dinner was last night, and it couldn't have been more wonderful. These were folks we'd met for a sum total of about an hour, spread over a few days on a ship. Turns out that we had much in common, and we were disappointed when the clock struck 11:30pm and it was time to catch a cab back to our hotel - we still had to pack for the flight to Cairns this morning. The dinner they fixed was spectacular - salmon, flat fish (an Aussie favorite), lamb, steak and two salads - followed by dessert and coffee - followed again by a selection of Australian chocolate bars that were strange to us, but turned out to be mostly small variations of North American favorites (O-Henry, Caramilk, and Mars Bars come to mind). We've had chance meetings that turned into a dinner invite before - with mixed results - but this was really a great evening.

This morning we were up and out of the hotel (or is it a hostel - hard to tell) with two backpacks and Laura's gigantic bag (which is slowly dissolving - it is now adorned by several strips of duct tape, and one wheel is held on by chewing gum and spit). We checked the huge bag into long term luggage storage at the Sydney Airport, and we'll collect it when we're back from Cairns. I've convinced Laura to downsize into her backpack for this short four day stint north to see the Great Barrier Reef, and once she was unencumbered she will admit that light and carry-on is the way to go.

So it's off to Cairns we go - a three hour flight from Sydney. I have no idea what to expect, except that the wallet will take further shrapnel from the Australian economy (it's expensive here!). What the heck, when in Rome....