The top side of the world down under

G'day!!!

So after 26 hrs of traveling (from Toronto via Vancouver and Sydney), we reached our first destination: Cairns.

We checked into our hotel, and after taking some long needed showers (and a quick internet fix; 26 hrs is long time to be disconnected), were off to see the city.  Being up north, we're quite a bit closer to the equator than Sydney or Melbourne, so the weather up here is tropical (read: humid), but at a solid twenty four degrees and sunny - I'm not complaining =)

We were dropped off at THE number one tourist location in Cairns (where the catamaran dock (and depart) from (and to) the great barrier reef; but since we'll be headed there in two days time, we decided to venture elsewhere.

Walking along the walled coastline, there were loads of people about.  Whether it be a pick game of footy, soaking up some sun, hanging out with your mates, or going for a dip in this huge outdoor swimming area (as you can't go swimming in the ocean due the fact, and confirming the stereotype, that everything in Australia can kill you.  In this case, it was apparently stingers we were to avoid an encounter with), or the short walk to the shops, and restaurants along the esplanade, this is definitely a hot spot for many of the locals to frequent on beautiful days such as today.

Considering that for the last day or so we had satiated our appetites with nothing outside of airplane food, it wasn't long before we found our way to a restaurant.  We ended up at an Italian place.  I know how ludicrous that sounds as a first meal, but we were looking for two things: a) seafood and b) a spot of wine.  I can assure you that we did not choose poorly.  The food was sensational, the weather was perfect and the view from the patio was exquisite.

As mentioned earlier, this was our first meal not served on a plane in a little while, which may have resulted in us over-indulging.  This is not a slight against air Canada, whose food and service were great, but you just can't compare the two (Air Canada, please feel free to compensate me for that backhanded compliment/plug).

Filled to the brim, we walked around the night markets and shops for a bit, before calling it a night. 

Thanks for reading!

Cheers,
Angelo