Far North Queensland, Part 2

Moving ahead: day 3 in Kuranda

Flecker Botanical Gardens.
Set deep within the tropical gardens is this delightful café. Serves a killer eggs benedict.

Barron Falls.
The area is really full of surprises. Who would've thought a short walk through the dense tropical forest would suddenly explode into a rocky gorge complete with a waterfall? Pity about the lack of water though.

Army Duck.
Very touristy, I know, but it is a certainly a unique way to see the rainforest by means of an amphibious vehicle from WWII, dubbed the 'army duck'.

Navy Duck?
This particular bird is renowned for its fishing prowess.

Far North Queensland, Part 1

In place of journeying to a winter and riot-stricken city, we holidayed in somewhere quite the opposite: warm and sunny, laid-back and simple, where the rainforest meets the ocean. Of course, none other than our very own Cairns.

So as to not bore with wordy tracts recounting our every adventure, below are some pictorial highlights, with captions (days 1 & 2):

The Lakes Resort and Spa.

Only minutes by car from the airport and to Cairns, and right beside the Botanical Gardens, this is a well-equipped, convenient and comfortable place to stay. Good value too.


Lake Barrine.
Right in the heart of the Atherton Tablelands, this lake was formed some 10,000 years ago, a result of volcanic activity. Serenely pleasant, beside it sits a tea house with the best scones I've ever had. Bad coffee, alas.


The Cathedral Fig Tree.

Nestled in the Tablelands, this is a particularly grand example of fig trees found throughout the rainforest. It is a result of relentless root formation by epiphytic, not parasitic, growth.

The Millaa Millaa Falls.
No better way to cool off in the tropical north.

Afternoon Tea.
Sumptious ice-cream served, worth every yard of the windy and occasionally hazardous road to get there.

What a riot!

Our planned eight-day sojourn in Athens and its surrounds, followed by three days gallivanting in Dubai, was prematurely aborted by the recent civil disobedience in many parts of Greece. What began as a reaction to the police killing of a 15-year-old in the anarchic Athenian suburb of Exarchia rapidly degenerated into a open-throated cry against the many social injustices experienced by the citizenry.

The history behind it all is really very interesting: ever since tanks rolled into university to quash mass demonstrations in 1973, killing many students (reminds anyone of June 1989?), it was henceforth written in the constitution that the military is not permitted on 'educational' property. Hence, universities throughout Greece serve as safe havens for anarchic activities. Not that this is necessary a bad thing; after all, it was thanks in part to these riotous students in 1973 that the military dictatorship was finally removed in 1974, paving the way for a democratic government (which admittedly isn't doing a fantastic job at the moment).

Rioting, looting, airport strike, general strike: safe or not it probably would not have made for a very pleasant holiday. Ah well, maybe another year. For now, it's off to Cairns instead!

Toodles all.

Hellos and Goodbyes

A very big 'welcome back' to John!

***

The time I spent in HK last week was probably one of the best trips there I've ever had. It was a very last minute decision, cashing in my soon-to-expire frequent-flyer points to fly back. The six-day whirlwind of shopping, eating, and family-seeing was so rewarding: exploring new places, revisiting some old and familiar ones, and reconnecting with people whom I've known my whole life long. It felt so brief, and yet so full. You know, almost like that 'my life flashed right before my eyes' feeling. Oddly, throughout I had this sense that I was saying goodbye, with some finality, even though I'm certain that I will be back there in the not-too-distant future.

I don't think it was the place nor the people I was really saying goodbye to there.