The world is a big place. We’ve tried our best to take advantage of our current locale to visit parts of the world that previously seemed unreachable. In August 2014, we spent two weeks traversing Australia. Japan on its own could fill years of travels, but we’ve started chipping away with trips to Kyoto and Osaka, Fukuoka and Mt. Fuji among others. However, our latest adventure has been the most epic yet. Spanning 33 days, three countries and every transportation method imaginable, we’ve had a taste of southern Asia that’s left us hungry for more.
From Tokyo to Delhi, Kathmandu to Bangkok… our 2015 tour de Southeast Asia. Click on the image for a closer view.
Beginning in Delhi, India, we toured the northern part of the world’s seventh largest country before crossing into Nepal. From Kathmandu, we flew to Thailand, where we lounged on amazing white sand beaches, explored national parks, lived with the locals and wandered through one of the world’s greatest cities.
A couple on vacation from Krabi helped us get settled in Kiriwong
Along the way, we met amazing people with both heartbreaking and heartwarming stories. We experienced the “real” India, Nepal and Thailand, but could also see the impact that tourism is having on the identity of these cultures. We ate what the locals ate and what the tourists ate—spoiler alert: they’re not the same.
The streets of Delhi
This trip was not only a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but also a perspective-altering one. The reality of seeing developing countries in different states of progress trumped anything I’ve ever read in Time or Newsweek. Our eyes and minds opened as we struggled to understand a way of life that flew in the face of what we know to be “right”—arranged marriages, extreme poverty, access to education and gender inequality.
Our made-from-mud duplex in Nepal
It also brought new opportunities. I can now say that I’ve played cricket (on the banks of the Ganges River, no less) and I generally understand this sport that mostly remains a mystery to Americans (despite being the second-most popular sport in the world). We slept in overnight trains, mud huts and bungalows—the latter included a 5 a.m. wake-up call from both a crowing rooster and a flying chicken landing on our roof with a thud. We gained a better understanding of Hinduism as well as the role it played in shaping Indian society and many of the world’s religions. And we learned a thing or two about toilets around the world (“squatty potty” anybody?).
Enough with the teasers. Let’s dive right in with a look at some of the best food we’ve ever eaten… anywhere! Meet northern Indian cuisine!
The final leg of our Australian adventure landed us in the middle of Sydney’s rainiest August in over a century.
August in Sydney is typically mild, but August 2014 had 10 days with more than 10 mm (0.4 in) of rain
The first day was mostly lost to the rain and wind, but after a 3 a.m. wake-up call for our flight out of Melbourne, the day of rest was welcome. We watched storm coverage on the news, napped and dodged the drops to get over to the nearby food court. Luckily, the weather broke long enough over the next couple days that we were able to get out and see Sydney’s central business district (CBD).
The Sydney Opera House, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the world’s most distinctive buildings
Rain or no rain, we didn’t come all the way to Sydney to NOT see the Sydney Opera House. Named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2007, it’s easily one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The architecture is breathtaking from up close as are the details you can’t see in pictures.
We took a tour of the Opera House, which I’d highly recommend for visitors to Sydney. The story of the Opera House and how it came to be is fascinating. More than 230 design proposals were submitted for the building, but the chosen design by Danish architect Jørn Utzon was pulled from the pile of previously-rejected designs. The plans were roughly sketched and, even after construction began, nobody was quite sure how the sails of the Opera House would be constructed. The final product was $95 million over budget and 10 years behind schedule.
With all the deserved fame from the architecture, it’s easy to forget this is a functional performance venue. There are six different theaters and studios hosting both musical and theatrical performances multiple times a day. Construction improvements are actively underway at the 40-year-old venue to better meld the Opera House’s multiple masters of performance and tourism.
The Government House is the official residence of both the Governor of New South Wales and the Queen of Australia, who also happens to be the Queen of England
The Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens are a short walk from the harbor. The Government House offers a grand entrance to the gardens. Since 1996, the house has been open for public tours on weekends, but since we were there in the middle of the week, we missed out on the formal tour. It also serves as the official home of the Governor of New South Wales and, when visiting, Queen Elizabeth herself.
Part of the giant Royal Botanic Gardens, located east of the Opera House
The gardens themselves cover nearly 75 acres. Paths criss-cross every which way and lead to different local flora and fauna. The park wraps around Farm Cove, a small bay off Sydney Harbor and the landing spot for Queen Elizabeth’s first visit to Australia in 1954, the first time a reigning monarch had come to the continent.
The “I wish” statue, a rainbow lorikeet and Mrs. Macquarie’s Chair in Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens
Fresh flowers were placed in the hands of the “I Wish” statue, mounted in 1946 at the site of the first Wishing Tree. A rainbow lorikeet failed greatly at its attempts to blend in to the background. I hovered over Mrs. Macquarie’s rain-soaked chair, a bench carved into the sandstone by convicts in 1810 for Governor Macquarie’s wife Elizabeth who enjoyed watching the ships sailing into the harbor.
The view of the Sydney Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge over Farm Cove during an extended rain storm
The rain found us again while we walked the gardens and we spent a good 20 minutes under a large tree waiting out the storm. But with a view of the Opera House and the Sydney Harbor Bridge over Farm Cove, it wasn’t much of a hardship.
Part of the old Sydney Hospital, established in 1788, was originally built in 1811
While Australia’s largest city is a major and modern metropolis, its colonial history dates back to 1788. Buildings, like the Sydney Hospital are more than two centuries old and clash with the glass and steel backdrop of downtown Sydney.
The site of Sydney’s first European settlement, The Rocks
Some of Sydney’s first European settlement has been preserved on the harbor’s south shore in an area known as The Rocks. While it’s mostly a tourist destination now, it has the degenerate past of many a port town. Still, buildings dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries stand today. Five cannons are mounted at the ready under the Sydney Harbor Bridge at the Dawes Point Battery. The defense post was built shortly after the settlement of the area to protect the area from incoming fleets, including an American ship in 1798 and Russian fleets in 1850 during the Crimean War.
A view of Darling Harbor and some blue sky!
On our last day in Sydney, we wandered more of the CBD. We crossed the bridge at Darling Harbor, an in-development entertainment district that also housed the residents of MTV’s The Real World: Sydney. I’m sure they’ve scrubbed thoroughly since the MTVers left town.
Queen Victoria watching over downtown Sydney
Sydney felt like a whirlwind, and probably still would have even had we not lost a day to the weather. There are several districts, each with their own unique personality and we only managed to sneak in part of one of those before our time was up.
Sydney Harbor from our airplane window
And, with that, our Australian adventure was over. 17 days, four amazing Australian cities, five flights and a lifetime of memories.
The second half of our Australian adventure kicked off in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria and regular ranked as one of the world’s most livable cities. While Cairns and Adelaidewere a more of a “doing” vacation, Melbourne was more about “seeing.”
The first thing we did in Melbourne was go shopping, but not because of the great shopping in The City. It was 33°C/91°F when we left Tokyo and it cooled to 23°C/73°F in Cairns, but Melbourne was in the middle of winter. We were greeted by nighttime temperatures nearing freezing. We knew it’d be cold, but when you leave the middle of a Japanese summer, it’s hard to imagine needing to bundle up.
Queen Victoria Market has served Melbourne since the 1800s.
Fortunately, the daytime weather was sunny and comfortable. We took advantage of the sun on our first full day to explore Queen Victoria Market. The public market covers a few city blocks and features row after row of goods, food, produce and cafes.
Vegetables at Queen Victoria Market
The market was like heaven with its copious varieties of fruits and vegetables, cheeses and olives and sweet desserts. We bought fresh-baked bread, local cheese, marinated olives and eggplant, fresh vegetables and a bottle of Hungarian (?!) wine which we dined on for a couple days.
The famous “American Doughnuts” truck serving up hot, fresh jam doughnuts
The longest line of the day (and if we’ve learned anything from Japan, it’s if you see a long line, get in it!) was for “American Doughnuts.” This van has been serving up hot, fresh jam doughnuts since 1950 and it was worth the wait. As for “American,” I guess it’s like an American jelly doughnut, but a little less sweet. Super tasty!
The modern architecture of Melbourne
The next day, we did a loop around the city center. The juxtaposition between old and new is always interesting to me. Despite its status as Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne is still a city on the rise. Half-built skyscrapers can be found all over the city. The buildings that have been completed recently are architecturally and visually striking. One of those half-finished buildings looks like a hastily-stacked pile of books in a library basement. Others blend colors or other visual elements to create illusions that trick the eye at a distance.
St Paul’s Cathedral in downtown Melbourne
But Melbourne is a city originally established in the early 1800s, so alongside those modern marvels sit glorious architecture more than 150 years old. St. Paul’s Cathedral rises from the heart of downtown at the intersection of Swanston and Flinders streets, just a couple blocks from the ultra-modern Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI) building.
The City Circle Tram surrounds the heart of downtown Melbourne making it easy to get around town
The simple and convenient transit system is part of the reason Melbourne gets those high livability grades. The free City Circle Tram runs around the outside of the downtown area, stopping at all of the tourist locations, including the Victoria Harbor waterfront.
Tranquil Victoria Harbor anchors a new shopping district
The Docklands area around Victoria Harbor is known for shopping and Etihad Stadium, home to five of Melbourne’s Australian Football League teams. While we poked around some of the shops (and stopped into Costco for kicks), the panoramic views of downtown beyond the harbor were the main attraction.
A mural painted on the stairs of Southern Cross Station
Art and culture are as much a part of the city’s landscape as the architecture. A giant mural painted on the stairs of Southern Cross Station. The “Cow Up a Tree” statue in the Docklands. And these guys…
These guys were filming a man in a gorilla suit chasing a man in a banana suit all over town
On multiple occasions, we saw a man in a gorilla suit chasing a man in a banana suit. Through Queen Victoria Market. Around Federation Square. They were being filmed, so it was a little less odd, but still…
Indigenous art, human forms made from string, hair and other materials, at NGV Australia
Speaking of Federation Square, it’s home to ACMI, which highlights Australian film and television as well as the impact of the moving image on popular culture. It also houses the Ian Potter Centre: National Gallery of Victoria. We didn’t spring for the paid exhibitions, but the free exhibits were more than enough. A decent-sized collection of Indigenous art is available on the main floor.
A snippet of the “If I Was White” exhibition at the NGV Australia
One of the more impressive exhibits was the “If I Was White” collection. The work is meant to highlight the ongoing struggle of Australia’s indigenous (or Aboriginal) population since they were displaced by early European settlers. While their fate is not unlike the plight of Native Americans in the U.S., it’s seemed more apparent during our Australian travels and you can tell Australians might struggle with it more than Americans do. It’s certainly more than a blog post can cover.
Utilizing Melbourne’s great bike share system
On our last day in Melbourne, we wanted to take the train to the beach in St. Kilda for the craft market, but the investment in the train card for a single day didn’t make a lot of sense. The downtown tourism kiosk suggested we rent bikes from the bike share for the day and ride to St. Kilda. The system works pretty well. You’re charged a flat fee and then an additional fee every 30 minutes, but if you dock your bike in one of the many bike parks, the time is reset.
Rod Laver Arena, home to tennis’ first major of the season, the Australian Open
The ride was great, but we didn’t make it all the way to the beach. We started to head south out of downtown. I really wanted to see Rod Laver Arena, home to the Australian Open, one of professional tennis’ four major championships. While centre court wasn’t accessible, we could see some of the practice courts, laid out in the famous blue hard court.
The Shrine of Remembrance was originally built as a memorial to Victorians who served in World War I, but is now a memorial for all Australian war veterans.
We got a little lost, but thanks to the great Western invention of the street grid (sorry, Japan!), we quickly found our way again. After ditching our bikes for good, we headed back toward downtown past the magnificent Shrine of Rememberance and Australia’s version of the Eternal Flame.
Cupcakes from the Sunday Market. We only wanted four, but six were just two dollars more!
Our Melbourne adventure was coming to an end, but not before we stumbled on a Sunday Market with a booth selling artisan cupcakes. I’m not ashamed to admit that these were purchased (and possibly consumed) before a proper lunch was eaten.
The miles and miles of running/bike paths, public markets, great restaurants and shopping without the overwhelming “city feeling” were reminiscent of Portland. The sightseeing in Melbourne was great, but I can see how a person would really enjoy living there.
Adelaide was one of my favorite overall stops on our Australian holiday, mostly because we got to spend a couple days with our friends who live there. The side-benefit of having local tour guides not withstanding, it was great to see them and their hospitality was really and truly appreciated. There’s no way we would have seen the things we did if it weren’t for them.
Cappuccino—the national beverage of Australia? Maybe…
For example, we learned that you can get a good cappuccino anywhere. Literally, anywhere. Convenience stores, gas stations… they all have full-on espresso machines like you’d find in your favorite coffee haunt. I’m not sure I’d ever had a proper cappuccino in the States, but it’s my new favorite beverage.
Koalas hanging out in a tree at Cleland Wildlife Park
We were treated to a day at Cleland Wildlife Park, which was an amazing experience. The park aims to create a sustainable, natural environment for its resident animals with very few enclosures. As you wind through the park, you’re able to interact directly with kangaroos and wallabies, who eat park-provided pellets right out of your hand. While we were too early to hold a koala (!!!), we did get to pet Arthur the Koala and pose for a picture with him.
Viktoria had the kangaroos eating out of her hand
We watched in awe as baby kangaroos and wallabies tucked into their mothers’ pouches. A group of school children were visiting the park as well, raising my stress level if not that of the animals. They giggled with joy at the baby kangaroo who had unwisely left its mother’s pouch. As the kids chased after it, the baby roo did some fancy maneuvering, hopping in a large circle until it had shaken its pursuers and dove safely back into mom’s pouch.
The baby roo is poking its little head out of its mama’s pouch
South Australia is home to 18 different wine regions. It was only prudent that we do some serious research to see if South Australian wine could compare to Oregon varietals. As it was later in the day, we only had time for one of the regions, the Barossa Valley. The Barossa is famous for its Shiraz. While we’d call it “Shirah” in the U.S., the Aussies prefer to keep the “Z” (or “Zed” in true Aussie form) and pronounce it “Sherazz.”
The view of the vineyards at Grant Burge in the Barossa Valley
We stopped at two vineyards before the sun set on the Barossa. Grant Burge’s winemaker was recently named the 2014 Barossa Valley Winemaker of the Year. They were generous with their samples, but our favorite was definitely the 10-year Aged Tawny Port. It might be worth another trip to Australia just for one more taste of Tawny. We also visited the beautiful Château Tanunda Estate. Our hosts sneakily bought us a bottle of their Nightwatch Sparkling Shiraz, which now awaits a special occasion in our refrigerator.
Central Market has been serving Adelaide since 1869
On our last morning in town, we had breakfast at a cafe in Central Market, a public market full of local produce, bread, meat and treats. We gasped in horror at local specialties like kangaroo chorizo and croc sausage, sampled a funny little tree fruit called mangosteen and grabbed a couple deep-fried Russian piroshkis for the road.
We really can’t thank our wonderful friends enough for taking a couple days out of their lives to lug us around Adelaide. It was a trip we’ll remember for a lifetime.
The second leg of our Australian adventure took us to the capital of South Australia, Adelaide. Lesser known that its capital city brethren Sydney and Melbourne, we probably wouldn’t have included Adelaide on our itinerary had we not been visiting friends. In the end, we were glad we did.
Adelaide has a much different feel than Cairns, obviously, but also from the other cities we visited. While New South Wales (Sydney), Tasmania and Western Australia were established as British convict settlements, South Australia was intentionally developed as a British colony. As a result, there’s a much more colonial feeling to the city and its architecture than Sydney or Melbourne.
Construction began on the majestic St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral near Victoria Square in 1851, although the tower was only added in the 1990s
Adelaide has earned the nickname “City of Churches” thanks in part to the many religious refugees who helped found the city. Beautifully ornate churches pepper the city, creating an interesting architectural landscape. Scots Church Adelaide, for example, was founded by Scottish immigrants in 1850 and frames the north end of the central business district leading into the architecturally-diverse campus of the University of Adelaide.
The Adelaide Cricket Oval overlooking the River Torrens in North Adelaide
In contrast, the modern remodeling of the Adelaide Cricket Oval in the parklands near North Adelaide, stands out as a modern marvel. The stadium built on the 140-year-old cricket grounds overlooks a great public space on the opposite side of the River Torrens. Black swans floated gracefully on the water as the setting sun reflected upon the river.
The Kensington Hotel is now home to a neighborhood pub
The tug between old and new Adelaide is apparent around every turn. Homes built in the late 1800s and early 1900s still stand, although with modern amenities and structures added on over the years. The 170-year-old Kensington Hotel is now home to a neighborhood public house. One of Adelaide’s great old churches traded theology for tumbling and now hosts kids trampoline classes. The historic Adelaide Railway Station now doubles as both the terminus for the Metro line and home to Adelaide Casino.
Check back soon for the second part of our Adelaide visit, including koalas, kangaroos and wine country.
Cairns is a charming coastal town, but it’s not exactly a tourist hotspot on its own. The real draw for Cairns is that it is the gateway for the Great Barrier Reef.
We scheduled two separate trips to the reef; one departing Cairns for the outer reef and another from Port Douglas (about 40 miles north of Cairns) bound for the Low Isles.
The ride to the reef was a bumpy one. A good number of riders ended up seasick on the back deck.
The first trip from Cairns went out about 27 nautical miles to the Flynn, Pellowe and Thetford reefs. The weather was rainy and windy, resulting in some pretty choppy water. As we boarded the boat, we were encouraged to purchase seasickness medicine from the bar. Everyone chuckled with the certainty that WE would not be susceptible, but with the added information that all but six of the prior day’s 40 or so passengers got seasick, most popped the pills. Regardless, about half the passengers spent a good portion of the trip on the back deck filling those little white paper bags.
The water was crystal clear at the outer reef. We could see the fish swimming under the boat.
All the misery of the ride would be forgotten as soon as we reached the outer reef. As the guides on board said, nothing cures seasickness like getting in the water. The beauty that lay just beneath the water’s surface would cure most ailments.
Getting my snorkel on!
Floating on the surface of the Coral Sea, the underwater paradise opened up below us. It was like a real-life Finding Nemo with a world of fish in every shape, size and color. More than 600 species of coral provided an underwater maze to explore. The coral gets its rainbow of colors from the algae that makes a home within it. “Bleaching” or whitening of the coral occurs when the coral gets stressed and expels the algae. These are real, living organisms.
The Great Barrier Reef colored the surface of the water, offering a subtle glimpse of the magic below.
We spent about 40 minutes at each of the three sites, guided along the way by the marine biologists who doubled as tour guides on board the boat. Along the way, we were followed by a humphead wrasse who befriended the boat seven years prior and follows it between the different reefs. In exchange for food, the fish poses for pictures with divers and snorkelers.
We departed Port Douglas on a sailboat headed for the Low Isles
A couple days later, we headed north to Port Douglas for a sailboat trip out to Low Island, one of the two islands that make up the Low Isles. It was a much slower, smoother trip just a few miles offshore. Low Island has an active lighthouse and the former keeper cottages are now used as research facilities by the University of Queensland.
A view of Low Island from the boat anchored offshore
Snorkeling around Low Island offered a completely different experience. The marine biologists were amazed at how low the tide was, likely a result of the supermoon that occurred the same day. As a result, much of the coral was above water level. As we snorkeled around the edges of the island, we often found ourselves crawling along the sea floor more than floating above it. We were literally on top of the coral in some places and ended up with a front-row seat for one of nature’s most amazing creations.
We had several visitors around the sailboat, including a shark and a sea turtle
As we headed back to shore, we were visited by the island’s natives. A black tip reef shark circled the boat several times and a green sea turtle floated lazily by before taking off on a fast swim toward the island.
On the first trip, there was an underwater photographer who captured some of what we were seeing and while it would have been great to have an underwater camera, there’s something to be said for being able to focus on the beauty and not on capturing the perfect picture.
The two trips were so unique that it’s hard to pick a favorite. If you ever have the opportunity to visit the reef, I’d highly recommend doing something similar or maybe even adding in an introductory scuba dive. The coral and marine life were so unique in each location, I can’t imagine it would ever get old.
When we’re out adventuring, we often find ourselves asking the question “Are we old people?” It’s usually to do with the company we keep, but I don’t see it as a bad thing. “Old people” are usually past the “have to” part of their lives and in the “get to” part that’s so much better. Although, we do enjoy early dinners and I like to complain about the noisy kids on my lawn, even though I don’t have a lawn anymore.
We had a free day in our Cairns schedule and decided to book a half-day tour of the city. Of the 16 or so folks on the tour bus, we were by far the youngest and two of three identified by the driver as “those of you who use Facebook.” Nonetheless, we made some new friends and had an amazing day.
Our driver/guide, Eric, has lived in Cairns for nearly 30 years and was a wealth of information about the city’s history. He filled the time between stops with stories and visuals of local legends, such as the draw for big-game fishing in the 1970s that brought the likes of Lee Marvin and John Wayne to the then-sleepy port town. One of the visuals was a preserved cane toad in a jar that was brought in to clear out the beetles that were eating the sugar cane, but instead just multiplied and took over the town. Fans of The Simpsons will remember this story from the “Bart vs. Australia” episode.
We started our tour by winding our way through the streets of downtown Cairns. The city has a long and interesting history. It was founded during the Australian gold rush in the late 1800s, but was nearly abandoned 20 years later after the gold dried up. It wasn’t until Japanese developers started buying up land in the 1980s that present-day Cairns began to take shape.
A portion of one of the stained glass windows at St. Monica’s Cathedral
The great thing about these tours is that you get to see things that you’d never discover on your own. About 15 minutes into the tour, we pulled into St. Monica’s Cathedral, the Catholic church in Cairns. From the outside, it’s a fairly plain building, but inside is one of the world’s largest themed stained glass displays. The work took nearly seven years to complete and is a modern take on creationism of Australia’s northeast coast. The colors were magnificent in the midday sun.
Delicious scones with jam and cream and a “cuppa” at Cafe 88
After winding through a bit more of the downtown area, including the newly refurbished hospital and the local cemetery (remember, this is an “old people” tour and apparently old people enjoy these things), we stopped at Café 88. If we’re being honest, this stop was one of the reasons we booked this particular tour. We were treated to tea, coffee and authentic scones with jam and cream. In ‘Merica, we’d call these scones “biscuits,” but whatever… they were awesome! We sat with a couple from Western Australia and another from Adelaide.
Tour guide Eric showing us some of the native fruits at Cairns Botanic Gardens
Full on scones, we headed to the Cairns Botanic Gardens to walk it off. Tour guide Eric takes his job seriously and had clearly boned up on his garden knowledge, walking us through the planted side of the garden and explaining what we were looking at along the way.
Clockwise from top-left: The tattoo plant grows up a host tree; a giant, GIANT spider makes a temporary home in the trees; The “chainsaw” tree; a brush turkey
The Botanic Gardens are a mix of both regional and international plants with a little local wildlife mixed in. Early on, we saw a brush turkey’s giant nest and later on saw said brush turkey trying to liberate a tourist’s lunch. We learned the local names for plants, like the tattoo plant, which plastered itself against a nearby tree, or the rain tree whose resident bugs have a knack for expelling drops of water on unsuspecting onlookers.
A view of Cairns looking east from a hillside
The next stop was purely for photos as we headed to the edge of a hill overlooking Cairns. From here, we could see modern day Cairns as well as the trails formerly used by the cane sugar farmers and the dried riverbed that ran through prehistoric Cairns.
Looking down Barron Gorge from the bridge over the dam. The sand bank on the left was washed in from the overflow caused by Cyclone Nargis in 2008.
Back aboard the bus, we headed for Barron Gorge. The Kuranda railroad line runs alongside the gorge and was built entirely by hand in the early 1900s. The BYOS (bring your own shovel) operation was a major source of jobs during the era. The workers also discovered a way to lug their beer kegs to the work sites from Cairns, taking turns rolling the kegs up the previously completed tracks.
Photo from the State Library of Queensland shows workers taking their beer keg up the hill while building the Kuranda railroad
We finished our day in Palm Cove, one of the picturesque northern beaches, before making the hour-long trip back into Cairns.
Picturesque, and aptly named, Palm Cove
This would have been an ideal tour for our first day in town as we saw several sights that we wished we could have gone back to see, including the gondolas riding over the treetops into the tablelands. Regardless, I’m glad to have had the opportunity to get a taste of the real Cairns.
It wasn’t long after we found out we’d be moving to Japan that the idea of a trip to Australia came to mind. From the U.S., an Australian vacation is an expensive proposition, including a flight approaching 20 hours and several thousand dollars of travel expenses. However, from Tokyo, the northern coast of Australia is a little more than seven hours away.
Over two weeks, we’ll have visited four Australian cities: Cairns in Queensland, Adelaide in South Australia, Melbourne in Victoria and Sydney in New South Wales. We’re already a week into our journey as I’m writing this on the flight from Cairns to Adelaide.
The bushy Foxtail Palm is popular with tourists
Cairns (pronounced “Cans” by the locals) is on Australia’s northeast coast and is home to the Great Barrier Reef. At first glance, it’s a small tourist town, but as the week went on, the treasures of Cairns began to present themselves.
Relaxing with a good book along the Cairns Esplanade
We stayed in the northern end of town, which is connected to downtown Cairns by the beautiful Cairns Esplanade. Running alongside the bayfront, it features wonderful greenspaces connected by a paved walking path that was usually most crowded in the late afternoon. It was clearly designed to act as Cairns’ backyard. Free exercise equipment, beach volleyball courts, kids play areas and free BBQ/picnic spaces line the Esplanade, leading to the Lagoon, a free community swimming pool and lounging area.
Fresh veggies were among many treats at Rusty’s Markets in downtown Cairns
The downtown area is roughly five square blocks tucked between the Esplanade and the harbor. The obligatory souvenir shops, tour kiosks and a variety of beachwear stores border a wide selection of international eateries. The area comes alive on the weekends with a Saturday Market on the Esplanade featuring only locally-made goods. Rusty’s Market is a large, indoor farmer’s market that runs Friday through Sunday. Primarily a place for the local farmers to sell fruits and veggies, there’s also an abundance of local crafts and plenty of snacks. The Cairns Night Markets are open after 5 p.m. every night and offer another opportunity to snap up souvenirs.
Inland from Cairns lie the Atherton Tablelands, home to the last remaining rainforest that once covered the Australian continent
Cairns itself is sandwiched between two World Heritage Sites. To the east lies the Great Barrier Reef. On the west is the Atherton Tablelands, home to the Daintree Rainforest. According to one tour guide, the rainforest once covered the entire Australian continent, but now only covers one-half of one percent of the country.
The classic shoreline of Trinity Beach
Further north are several beaches leading into the small town of Port Douglas. We spent part of a day walking along Trinity Beach. The unique beach sand was made up of larger flakes of rock and salt, which sparkled like diamonds against the tan backdrop.
A sampling of the gorgeous shells sprinkled throughout the beaches of Cairns
The tropical sea life that makes its home on the Great Barrier Reef left a treasure trove of classic shells on every beach. As with everything on the Reef, it’s okay to look, but we had to leave these beauties behind.
These wallabies were in a boxing match that deserved its own pay-per-view special
Near one of the bus stops back to Cairns, several wallabies made a home in a large field. I’m sure we weren’t the first to confuse these guys with kangaroos, but a tour guide straightened us out later. These guys were even putting on a classic ‘roo boxing match for us.
Over the next couple weeks, I’ll go into more details of our trip to Cairns, including a couple very memorable trips out to the Great Barrier Reef and a local tour of the city as well as our adventures to come in Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
