Cairns pt.I: Lagoons & Lazy Days

If you've ever been to Cairns, a provincial city in the far north of Queensland and a popular tourist destination, then you would know that walking around Cairns is kind of like strolling through an oven. A great big, steamy oven. Cairns is the last major outpost of civilization before the remote jungle of Cape York Peninsula overtakes the landscape, and like most tropical climates, it has an extensive rainy season. The humidity in Cairns sits like an uncomfortably thick blanket over the city, which in itself is nice enough -- a notable feature is the scenic Esplanade and the popular outdoor swimming lagoon -- but has fairly little in the way of cultural offerings. Plus, it's really really hot.

We arrived at the Cairns greyhound station to find a shuttle waiting to take us to our hostel, a cheap and thankfully air-conditioned backpacker joint so far off the main drag that a trip on the shuttle was necessary to go, well, pretty much anywhere. Needless to say, we decided to stay two nights and then move somewhere a little closer to town ... and the lagoon. With four days to spend in Cairns and funds dwindling at a rapid pace, I decided to spend one day exploring the tropical rainforests of the Daintree National Park -- with a visit to the popular Cape Tribulation and the township of Port Douglas -- and the remaining three days I would spend soaking up sun at the lagoon. Priorities here, folks. On my last night in Cairns before heading back to Sydney, I decided to go where no backpacker rightfully should -- a 4 star resort hotel. Granted, I had to skip a meal or five in order to pay for it, but after weeks of foul smelling, bedbug-ridden hovels ... you can't put a price on a 400 thread-count bedspread.

In the spirit of giving, I will reserve a whole separate blog post for my trip up to the tropical rainforests of the Daintree National Park and my real live croc sighting (you're welcome), but for now I will leave you with some photos of my lazy, lazy days in Cairns and a sincere "wish you were here!"