We arrived in Singapore on 19 Dec. '97. We had just finished our holiday in Cairns, Australia.
We arrived in Cairns on 11 Dec. '97. It was summer. The temp. was 32 degrees Celsius. Though S'pore is sometimes that hot, the climate in Australia was different. You had to go out armed with hats or caps, sunglasses and sunblock if you intend to stay outdoors for some time. Headaches, sunburns and heatstrokes are unavoidable without protection.
We were picked up by a coach, at the airport, to Port Douglas. We made bookings of transport and accommodation at Cairns through a Singapore agency.
The road was winding, made worse by the food served on board the plane and the jet lag we experienced. Also, we were unprepared for the journey and are not frequent travellers.
The buildings at Cairns were mostly low-lying. Don't be deceived by the poor appearance of the shopping malls for they are most grand on the inside, just like those along Orchard Road in Singapore. The structure of the buildings may be explained by the cyclones that do hit Cairns at certain times of the year.
We did not go fishing, for crocodiles are most aggressive at this time of the year. We missed swimming at the beach too 'cause of the box jellyfish that were prevalent during this low-tide season (most of them will be swept near shore).
We stayed at Driftwood Mantaray Holiday Apartments. The hosts there were warm and friendly. We made enquiries and local tour bookings through them. The apartments are owned by people from around the world. You cannot imagine how nicely furnished the ones we stayed at are. We stayed at the penthouse. It really is reasonably priced for those who do not intend to backpack, but wish to get affordable accommodation. Please note that that was their low season.
Our place was at Macrossan Street, the main shopping area. It took us less than five minutes to walk to the four-mile beach. It is nice to take a walk along the beach in the evening, a chance to get away from the heat as it is breezy there.
There was a video rental shop down the street. It was one of a few shops that was open till 10 o'clock. Most would have been closed by 5:30 p.m. We went there every night to rent a video, so we can go back to S'pore and tell others that we have not only gone sightseeing, but have also watched a lot of movies, from Marvin's Room to The Truth About Cats and Dogs. They must be wondering why we go all the way there to watch videos.
As we went on a free and easy tour and did not stay at a hotel, we often go to the supermart to buy groceries. We made use of the kitchens at the apartments and cooked our own dinner every night. It helped us cut down on our expenses by quite a bit.
You only need a day to familiarise with the surroundings. The populated area is really small. I went to the video shop once and the guy could remember me for the subsequent visits. So you can imagine how sparsely populated the place is.
We went to the rainforest on our first day. From Port Douglas, we went to Mossman in a 4WD on our way to the rainforest. In Mossman, we saw alot of sugarcane plants. In the rainforest, there was this place where huge boulders were aplenty. You wonder if giants ever stayed there.
The place was beautiful. The rocks were smooth and flat. Shorts should be worn so that you can wade in the icy cool water of the swimming hole. The fishes there loved to swim towards us, always trying to kiss our feet. They are not shy.
We had a break after that. Phil, our guide, brought out banana cakes. He was working for Gary's Safaris. The cakes, which looked like muffins, were prepared by Gary's wife, Bev. They were soft and not greasy. We don't think you can get anything like that in S'pore.
After this, we left for Daintree rainforest. It reminded us of the Bukit Timah nature reserve in Singapore, except that this one had the strangler tree. The tide was low. The swampy area within the rainforest would be flooded to an unimaginable level during the wet season. Though hot, we were lucky to be there then, if not we would not have been able to visit the rainforest. Saltwater crocs inhabit the swamp, so we had to be wary of them, even on land and at a distance from the banks. Phil told us that crocs would attack anyone isolated from a group, as had happened to a woman before. She died. Phil didn't take us further, as there were lots of sandflies and mosquitoes.
We went to Cape Tribulation. You would not be able to notice that it was the merging of the reef and the rainforest. Yellow hibiscus lined the inshore.
We then travelled along a private road, which was extremely bumpy, to the Dinosaur Falls. The rocks there were sharp. You had to be careful.
Our last destination for the day was the eco river cruise. Dark clothings are not advisable at all, for all of the above journey, as the mosquitoes, and I mean a lot, will follow you close behind.
We were hoping to spot some crocs. I suppose that it was fortunate that we only saw a baby croc. The boat driver made sure that the boat did not go too near the banks (the crocs' favourite spot for sunbathing). We didn't go further upstream as the driver-cum-guide told us that a croc's nest was up there. The mother croc will only think that we're trying to harm her eggs, and... you know what.
On our second day, we walked to the Sunday Market, as it is called. We walked from end to end of the street, starting from our apartment, of course. Don't miss the shipwreck museum! You should go to the seafood market at the pier also. Tiger prawns can be bought. The markets are just next to each other. However, the stalls at both markets are only opened in the morning to very early afternoon, so you should seize the day and rise early if you want to visit both markets, which is really a worthwhile experience. You can't get it in S'pore. It is different from the flea market in S'pore. St. Mary's by the sea, a church, is also there.
Our mothers went shopping. they combed nearly all the shops at Macrossan St. They were unaware of an upmarket mall at the pier, which we went later.
We walked to the Bailey Hooley train station and took a train ride. We did not know what we were in for. The landscape was not pretty. There were only the two of us left at the last station. There were only two others when we boarded the train. We only realised that the service was actually for guests of various resorts, which the train passed, like the Radisson Reef resort, after the ride.
It was drizzling when we walked back to Driftwood. People we saw on the streets did not care to give two hoots about the rain. They were strolling leisurely, doing their round of shopping. I think they knew that the rain would not get any heavier. I was even thinking of using a raincoat. I wanted to get to a sheltered path quickly and was in a hurry to return back. Luckily, I did not have my raincoat with me or I may stick out like an alien.
We went to the reef with Quicksilver the next day. It was very crowded and sunny. (You had better get there early!) We went snorkelling at Agincourt Reef. It was a choking experience. It had seemed easy swimming on the surface. We were glad that we did not pay and waste our money to join the guided snorkelling tour, 'cos there just was no turning back. The seawater was really cold, and you had to pass water of 10 metres deep before you got to shallower waters to do the snorkelling tour. The coral near the ship looked awful.
A food stall at the pier, selling sandwiches provided service that was far from satisfactory.
Anne and Desiree.
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