Cairns and Sydney - July 19, 2013

Well, I made it to Sydney!

I had an evening flight.  I thought I might be able to squeeze in some more beach time, but no such luck.  The weather was not cooporating.  It was raining in Cairns all last night and quite a bit this morning.  Long story short, all of the activities that were possibilities for today were either not conducive with the weather or else because of transportation issues I was not going to have time to do them and get back in time for my flight.

And to complicate things even more, it was a public holiday in Cairns.  It was also their Agricultural Show this weekend or their town fair.  The fair grounds were only about a 15 minute walk from my hotel so after I checked out and stowed my luggage at the reception desk, I walked to the fair.  I was there for several hours.  It was a typical fair with games, rides, livestock, produce, arts and crafts, vendors of all kinds of trinkets, and lots of really unhealthy food, there was even a little person dressed like a clown.  I walked through the whole thing.  I was most captivated by the “thoroughbred pig races.”  There were about 5 little piglets and there was an obstacle course they ran through to get to a trough of food.  Which ever pig got there first won.  A funny little thing.  The announcers were quite entertaining.  I also watched a brief equestrian show.

Then I came back to my hotel and sat in the lobby for an hour or so before the shuttle came to take me to the airport.

The flight was thankfully, again, uneventful.  We landed and then sat on the runway for an hour, maybe a little longer.  There was some kind of computer failure which was affecting the boarding process which meant that planes were not being boarded, which meant they were not leaving and there was no available gate for us to arrive at.  But that problem was finally solved and I made it to my hotel.  I took a taxi.  It is the first time in the 6 cities I have visited that I have taken a taxi.  The transportation desk told me to take the train, but it was 11PM.  I didn’t want to figure out the Sydney underground and walk the 10 or 15 minute walk from the station to my hotel.  So I took a taxi.  It wasn't too bad.  cheaper than a taxi from JFK to NYC.

I passed this house on my walk to the fair.  When I finally am able to buy a place I am going to name it like they did with the old English estates.  This is what I am going to name it:  Dunmovin Cottage. Adding the cottage to it makes it sound more romantic, as Anne Shirley would say and because, "a cottage is always so snug..."  What movie?  It's my favorite movie of all time.

I start out Sydney at the opera.  By the time I get up and ready and figure out the trains I don’t think I will get much in before the 1PM matinee.