Having finished our respective diving courses and with one day left in Cairns, we became restless, in most part due to the terrible weather. Sunshine state my arse. Its rained harder (pretty much every day) than I've seen since Christmas Day. Yes, that was a bummer.
We were also keen not to spend more money. You are invited to believe that it is impossible to do anything out here unless you are part of a guided tour, for which you pay muchos moulah for the privilege. After cross-questioning Brad at the travel desk in the hostel, he admitted that it was possible to visit the tablelands without doing a tour. Brad is amazing. He winks and giggles and calls you 'darling' every other word. His favourite phrase seems to be 'cheap and cheeky'.
The evening before our German roommates (sweet, but very young, and spent a lot of time just sitting in the hostel room watching movies) had gone out to sample some of the local 'herbal merchandise'. Returning after we were asleep (us oldies) they had evidently thought it very sweet to bring us flowers, which they had scattered on the floor between our bunks. Unfortunately we didn't notice these when we got up at 7, and in the dark room managed to trample them all. This incident was rather awkwardly not eluded to when we returned later that evening... Assuming they were rather embarassed. Well, I would be. To add insult to injury, we checked out this morning before they were awake, so didnt say goodbye. On hearing our latest bus had been cancelled we then had to check back in, and have been put in a different room. So we are now sitting in the bar, cringing in case they come in and think we just requested a room change! Nothing could be further from the truth - the new room smells even worse, and on meeting one room mate he told us that the guy on the other bunk was 'a little strange'. We discovered this to be true. On meeting, he asked where we were from, and then started talking about foxes, and flying foxes, and how if we went to the library we could hang upside down with the flying foxes, and we should introduce them to English foxes. It was, erm, bewildering.
So we hired a car and set off! Back on the open road. Toot toooooot! Wind in the hair etc. Well, more like rain in the hair. It was torrential. Arriving at our first destination we started off to walk to the nearby Barron Falls. 20 minutes later we were soaked and fearing for the lives of our cameras. I volunteered to run back to get the car. By the time I returned I looked, and felt, like I had got in the shower with all my clothes on. And then we couldn't see the falls because the cloud was so low. Doh!
The radio was also a casualty of the weather. So we had to resort to a couple of spotify playlists I had on my phone. Unfortunately, one of these was 'the super fabulous gay playlist'. So we cruised along the waterlogged roads to 'macho macho man!' Distractions were provided in the form of roadkill. There was a disgustingly large amount. Luckily we weren't responsible for any more by the end of the day.
We visited a beautiful lake (well the tourists pics were beautiful) which was again obscured by the general cloud and rain. And an amazing curtain fig tree. Probably about 100ft tall with immensely long roots that made up about 90ft of the tree. It was astounding and other worldly. We also stopped at some markets. One specialised in Kangaroo skin products. There was a kangaroo skin bikini. And a kangaroo skin man thong. There was also a pair of kangaroo bollocks adapted to fit the head of an automatic gearstick. Blimey.
The landscape changed and became greener and wetter. Almost ethereal with the low cloud grazing the treetops.
A circuit of three waterfalls was rather more successful. They were all utterly beautiful and broke us out of our 'drive by shooting' mentality. Not what it sounds like. This involved driving up to beautiful things, winding down the window and taking pictures without having to get out of the car.
The drive home was long and incredibly windy through the mountains, which, with the slippery roads I did not enjoy driving. Feeling rather sick, we hit the low ground. Whereupon the heavens opened again. The rain was constant and incredibly heavy - the windscreen wipers screaming in indignation. As night began to fall it became impossible to see, which scared the shit out of yours truly behind the wheel. Our return to Cairns was marked by some very tricky sign reading - at one point I literally swerved out of the left hand turn lane at the last moment, indicating I thought, but instead hit the windscreen wipers (naturally). Having changed sides, I then indicated. Unfortunately left, rather than right. I pity whoever was behind me. Although as Harri pointed out, at the least they now knew I was a potential threat...
It was an unusual day, but certainly memorable!
Sunshine state? Hmm
We were also keen not to spend more money. You are invited to believe that it is impossible to do anything out here unless you are part of a guided tour, for which you pay muchos moulah for the privilege. After cross-questioning Brad at the travel desk in the hostel, he admitted that it was possible to visit the tablelands without doing a tour. Brad is amazing. He winks and giggles and calls you 'darling' every other word. His favourite phrase seems to be 'cheap and cheeky'.
Forest dragon thing. Not Brad.
The evening before our German roommates (sweet, but very young, and spent a lot of time just sitting in the hostel room watching movies) had gone out to sample some of the local 'herbal merchandise'. Returning after we were asleep (us oldies) they had evidently thought it very sweet to bring us flowers, which they had scattered on the floor between our bunks. Unfortunately we didn't notice these when we got up at 7, and in the dark room managed to trample them all. This incident was rather awkwardly not eluded to when we returned later that evening... Assuming they were rather embarassed. Well, I would be. To add insult to injury, we checked out this morning before they were awake, so didnt say goodbye. On hearing our latest bus had been cancelled we then had to check back in, and have been put in a different room. So we are now sitting in the bar, cringing in case they come in and think we just requested a room change! Nothing could be further from the truth - the new room smells even worse, and on meeting one room mate he told us that the guy on the other bunk was 'a little strange'. We discovered this to be true. On meeting, he asked where we were from, and then started talking about foxes, and flying foxes, and how if we went to the library we could hang upside down with the flying foxes, and we should introduce them to English foxes. It was, erm, bewildering.
So we hired a car and set off! Back on the open road. Toot toooooot! Wind in the hair etc. Well, more like rain in the hair. It was torrential. Arriving at our first destination we started off to walk to the nearby Barron Falls. 20 minutes later we were soaked and fearing for the lives of our cameras. I volunteered to run back to get the car. By the time I returned I looked, and felt, like I had got in the shower with all my clothes on. And then we couldn't see the falls because the cloud was so low. Doh!
Barron falls. What we could see of them, before the cloud dropped.
The radio was also a casualty of the weather. So we had to resort to a couple of spotify playlists I had on my phone. Unfortunately, one of these was 'the super fabulous gay playlist'. So we cruised along the waterlogged roads to 'macho macho man!' Distractions were provided in the form of roadkill. There was a disgustingly large amount. Luckily we weren't responsible for any more by the end of the day.
We stopped at a dam...
We visited a beautiful lake (well the tourists pics were beautiful) which was again obscured by the general cloud and rain. And an amazing curtain fig tree. Probably about 100ft tall with immensely long roots that made up about 90ft of the tree. It was astounding and other worldly. We also stopped at some markets. One specialised in Kangaroo skin products. There was a kangaroo skin bikini. And a kangaroo skin man thong. There was also a pair of kangaroo bollocks adapted to fit the head of an automatic gearstick. Blimey.
Curtain fig tree
The landscape changed and became greener and wetter. Almost ethereal with the low cloud grazing the treetops.
A circuit of three waterfalls was rather more successful. They were all utterly beautiful and broke us out of our 'drive by shooting' mentality. Not what it sounds like. This involved driving up to beautiful things, winding down the window and taking pictures without having to get out of the car.
Milla milla falls
The drive home was long and incredibly windy through the mountains, which, with the slippery roads I did not enjoy driving. Feeling rather sick, we hit the low ground. Whereupon the heavens opened again. The rain was constant and incredibly heavy - the windscreen wipers screaming in indignation. As night began to fall it became impossible to see, which scared the shit out of yours truly behind the wheel. Our return to Cairns was marked by some very tricky sign reading - at one point I literally swerved out of the left hand turn lane at the last moment, indicating I thought, but instead hit the windscreen wipers (naturally). Having changed sides, I then indicated. Unfortunately left, rather than right. I pity whoever was behind me. Although as Harri pointed out, at the least they now knew I was a potential threat...
It was an unusual day, but certainly memorable!
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