The Last Day in Cairns

The Perfect Day to be Burnt

The last day in Cairns started off with rainy weather. We were close to a tropical rainforest so that made complete sense. I think that in the summer, it would be worse in terms of heat and moisture. But checking out of the hotel was sad considering we had spent so much time there. It was like a home, sniff sniff. But we had hours before our flight, and we had conveniently hired a car so that we didn’t have to take a taxi back to the Airport. By the way, parking is a BITCH in Cairns – especially when you’re with a European, cos in Europe – any space will do. I have seen them park on footpaths, just because it’s closer, and when one car does it, all of them do it.

Alright, the plan was to have breakfast at Coffee Club and then go sunbaking (not me of course, I am already black now). It was the closest place to have a coffee near the lagoon, and it was good. She had these little pan cakes that were around the side of her main pan cakes, and I just had these massive ones with a hole inside so that they can shove more cream. I prefer peaches though, I should just carry around a can of peaches with me. Ma biche was always making comments that the servings in Australia were massive. In comparison to France yes, but in comparison to the US that’s a big HELL NO. We’re fatter based on the servings.

Anywho – the lagoon is the only place that you can swim in Cairns. There’s no where else, unless you wanted to attempt swimming in the former estuary of Cairns beach. You would have to wade through a shit load of crab holes and mud, with the added risk of random Crocodiles and the sand flies. No. The lagoon does its job. It’s not just warm from the sun, but from the shit load of kids that pee in it. It would have been funny had they the chemical that makes it turn yellow, I would have been totally busted.

So we find a place to sit, under a tree – where Marine was going to take the full force of the sun. Her poor european skin wasn’t going to make it, but it’s not like I didn’t bloody warn her. I was under the tree sipping a slurpy (totally Simpsons, but it was nice mango flavoured one which I haven’t had before). She may have been reading one of the twilight books while she read as well (so meh). But the parking for the car was going to run out, so I walked off to change the parking – I brought a towel so that I could block the sun around me, cos it was even burning me.

I managed to move the car, and buy a whole bunch of souvenirs from a store (cos every time I try to buy something for ma biche, she is always there). I went to the ONLY souvenir store in Cairns NOT run by asians, and she gave me a discount (a REAL one, not the put a fake price tag on the item and then bring it down). Lady was nice, it’s the store near the kebab place. Anywho – I was proudly bringing back the items when ma biche announces she had been burnt. I never realised it, but apparently, if you miss a spot with the lotion, that part of your skin burn. I just assumed the lotion spread by itself. But hay, she got herself a tan. It was autumn, and you can still get your ass burnt in Australia.

We went for another swim, where I peed in the water again with Marine knowing. She, like most others, just assumed the water had a sudden warm draft. It wasn’t a draft, it was pee. I also never got why they have these bloody fish, what the hell are they for? They don’t even squirt water like the ones in Brisbane. Anywho – it was a great trip, a first taste of Australia for ma biche.