Another long travel day. We slept in a bit this morning and then went down for breakfast. We walked one last time to the Opera House area. Nicole got a pair of Ugg boots. Walked back to the hotel and chilled in the room for a bit. We boarded the bus for the airport at 10:45.
Our flight from Sydney to Cairns left at 2:00. It was a three-hour flight but we went back an hour so we landed at 4:00. After everyone in the group claimed their luggage we were taken to the hotel.
This is the first bad hotel. Our room smells like mold. It gave both of us an instant headache. We complained but the place is fully booked and they can’t change our room. Not sure that would help as the whole place is old and a bit run down.
We met our tour leader at 5:50 and she led us on a walk downtown to point out restaurants, shopping, etc. She was tired and distracted and it was hard to follow what she was saying. Cairns is a small town and it is easy to find what we need. After a bit we split away from the group and headed out on our own. We were hungry so we found some where to eat. The food was OK.
We walked around their night market for a bit and then came back to the room. It is only 8:30 but feels much later. I think we both hit the wall tonight. Travel days seem to drain us.
I am looking forward to going to the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow and going snorkeling. We will go to the inner Reef for two hours first. It will take a 50 minute boat ride to get there. Then we take another hour boat ride and go to the outer reef for three hours. We should get home after 5:00 tomorrow evening. Hopefully we won’t get fried in the sun.
My ankles swelled on the three-hour flight today. I drank a lot of water with dinner so hopefully the swelling will go down by morning. Feeling a bit rung out tonight. Thinking the excitement of the trip caught up with me today. Trusting my energy level will return for tomorrow and we will have a wonderful day in the water.
Grateful for another safe travel day, grateful for the heat and beauty we found in this city (it was 90 degrees when we got here today), and grateful this day is almost over!