Australia Visit - Day 1

Well I guess this is officially day one (Friday 19th). I arrived in Cairns last night just past midnight. I'd had to pull out my fishing gear to be inspected at customs (they were checking for didymo) but because everything was dry there was no problems. I got to my parents house, had a couple of meat pies, some cherryripes and jaffas (candy) and headed for bed.

I awoke very early to all the birdcalls. The place was alive with activity and the greenery was spectacular considering it was the end of the dry season. Evidently there’d been a little rain leading up to my arrival. I wandered around the yard, looking at the fruit trees and things. The smells wafting around were very rich and tropical. As I sat out on the varandah the smell of mum’s white roses was strong and satisfying. People were moving about getting ready for work at a pace somehow different to Americans I know. The pace was more deliberate but more relaxed, almost as though far more was being achieved with much less effort. The way of dressing, the movements, the body language even the way they greet one another was overwhelmingly and refreshingly different.

A couple of pics of the front of my Parent's house in Cairns, Australia.

It wasn't a day of doing much, and we took a brief walk around the neighbourhood and went down the road for fish and chips for dinner. We spent a big portion of the day packing up for the trip. I did get to speak to both grandmothers and promised to see them both before I left. I also got to speak with my mate Dave Liston. I also promised to visit him but unfortunately I never made good on that one. Believe me, that is the biggest disappointment of my trip. I watched a bit of TV and was struck by the differences in programming and the culture difference between talk shows in Australia and America. I was early to bed though as jet lag caught up on me a bit.