So after much selling and packing, finishing up of work and saying our au revoirs, we made it out of House 7 on July 6 with about 15 minutes to spare. Just enough time to grab a coffee/chai at Jane's Cafe (and hand over my car keys, sob) before Steven (Stephen?) drove us to the Novotel in Creswick to catch the bus to the airport.
Stoopid Tiger Airways almost falling out of the sky meant we almost didn't get to have our holiday, but some dogged determination, gritted teeth and hours on the phone and YAY Jetstar! Star jumps all round! Unfortunately we didn't get to sit together on the plane which was a bit of a boo. I like that moment of taking off - that's when you know your travel adventure has really begun. It would have been nice to hold hands and smooch and be excited together. But hey. The couple next to me did all the smooching and hand holding for us. And Tim met some nice people.
Arriving in Cairns was a dream. So warm and fragrant. Reminded me of landing in Perth the first time I came to Australia. Lovely to have that real sense of being somewhere different and new. Particularly after leaving a cold and rainy Melbourne.
Got a bus to the hotel - nice place, pretty little pool and palm trees in the internal courtyard. Headed out sharpish to get some food - had an Asian noodle-type feast and an ice cream at the night market then walked around for a while. It was quite late - 9pm-ish and I saw the temp was 18 degrees. Yummy. The rugby was on that night. Queensland v NSW. Tim explained the significance of the game (I won't go into it...essentially, it was a BIG deal) and it was very cool to experience - every bar was showing the game and we stopped in at one with a big screen in the garden. Masses of drunk people but all in a great mood. I loved it. It's so easy to get caught up in that excitement, even if you don't have the foggiest what's going on on-screen. Queen-sland-errrrr!!!
xLily
Ok. So it was Alphie Langer's last game. It was the State of Origin decider - game three of the greatest Rugby League series on the planet. The mighty Maroons (Qld) had won the last five series in a row (unheard of in itself) and were going for an unprecedented sixth straight win. By winning game two the Blues (NSW) had reinvigorated a series that, while passionate, had suffered from the fact that the Blues kept losing. A legend was leaving; a dynasty extended; a rivalry reignited, and we were in the northern end of Maroon heartland - where beer and cheering were as imperative as breathing and wrestling crocodiles. Well: at least that was my take on the situation, not being really up with these things.
ReplyDeletej gh sg v
ReplyDeleten cvv v c e vz
Written by Jobe
Translation: Sounds great, Can't wait to hear more.