Monday, 6 May 2013

7th May - Indonesian rally - Botanical Gardens - Tanks - flowers


Tuesday 7th May

So have we turned into Lotus Eaters?  Why aren’t we off and away??  Several reasons – it is very nice here, peaceful, in our little marina at the end of a muddy creek, in the middle of an aspirational little suburb.  It’s a good place to avoid strong winds out there, and to do some research into the Indonesian Rally, which leaves from Darwin in July.  If we decide to do this, we will go to the Louisiades on the way back – major change of plan… A few of the boats here belong to people who went on this rally last year; they said it was absolutely wonderful.  We have yet to be convinced, but we are thinking thinking thinking, and looking looking looking at maps and charts…



Yesterday was to be a totally touristy day.  We got into our cairnsoldercar at 8am and shot off through peak hour traffic to deliver the air bottles to our shy and reclusive CSA Gas and Air Supply people.  And did we find them, swiftly and easily – just around the corner and there it is, you won’t miss it…  Well we did miss it all over again and sent an anxious half hour or so driving around the bewildering back blocks of Cairn’s light industrial zone until FINALLY there it was, as reclusive and difficult to find as ever.  The people there, fortunately, are professional and hardworking, so it was worth getting there.



We then spent a pleasant half hour in the tourist information office, booking tickets for the train to Kuranda and the SkyRail back to town.  We had been a bit foolish thinking we could squeeze all of this in with our hunt for CSA on Monday…



So instead of a major Tourist Event, we wandered around the Botanical Gardens for a few hours and went to an art exhibition in an enormous disused oil tank, for World War II - Tank #5, nearby.  I took many MANY photos of flowers and then had a joyous time at the computer admiring them and trying to decide which ones to put on this blogpage.   (I am taking no credit for these lovely photos; my camera is wonderful, I just point and shoot…)



I have been trying to point and shoot at a colony of charming little catfish which live under 2XS in the marina.  They leap to the surface when I put food through the hatch, and I am very keen to capture them. But every time I am poised with my Canon there are NO charming little catfish, just green, slightly murky water…

So here is a koala instead…a cheaty photo, taken at Hartleys CrocWorld…



When we returned from our dinner party on Sunday night it was nearly midnight.  We both went to the cosy little shower/toilet cabins and found them, as always, clean and well-provisioned with soap and toilet paper etc.  Early Monday when we returned for our morning ablutions – no toilet paper in any of the four cabins!!  We were outraged; what a mean-spirited crime!  We bought a sixpack to give to the manger, as a gesture of solidarity but Rick wouldn’t take it.  He said he has a large supply, which he needs because this happens all the time.  It must be people living in the marina, because it is all locked up at night… Nobody would climb the fence, just for toilet paper, would they??

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