Location: Cairns, Australia

New blog header picture: Sunset as we sailed from Sydney to Brisbane.

Brisbane

We sailed into Brisbane in the morning, and I needed to appear with my luggage and report to Australia Customs. Which took only a minute. During this field trip I am traveling with two couples, so we all disembarked the ship and jumped on a small bus. Note: seems it is normal in Australia for a bus to carry luggage in a small trailer hooked to the back.

We had a bus tour of Brisbane – I enjoy the sandstone-based architecture. We then visited the Botanical Gardens, specifically the Japanese Garden. I need a back yard large enough for a lake and water fall.

We then drove to the top of Mount Coot-tha. What a fantastic view of Brisbane. We then went to the airport and flew to Cairns.

Cairns

We re-crossed the Tropic of Capricorn, thus entering the tropics, and wow you could feel it. My glasses immediately fogged up as I walked out of the Cairns airport (pronounced “Kaahns”). 90deg F and 80% humidity. Or the other way around. Either way, it is thick.

That night we visited the Tjapukai Cultural Center. We were kind-of face painted as we participated in a fire ritual.