Cairns 1/23

So the weather forecast called for rain, but much like Alaska, the meteorologist was incorrect. No rain just blue skies and sunshine, all day.... So I hear it is -6 back home. So anyway it was beautiful. We spent the day walking around downtown Cairns. We stopped at the local lagoon and took a swim. Because of the crocs and "stingers" (jellyfish) most of the beaches in Queensland state are closed to swimming. The people improvise by putting up nets in the ocean or pumping saltwater into a man made area called a lagoon. Basically it is a giant saltwater swimming pool at the beach. The lagoon was packed with locals and tourist alike all enjoying a hot day in the sun.

After the swim we were on a mission to cuddle a kola. We went to the Cairns Casino/zoo. Atop the casino was a rainforest dome. We payed a fee, and got to take a picture holding the fuzzy little guys. Too bad they are endangered because they would be a sick pet. The handler told us that Cairns is the only place in Australia where you can hold a kola.

That evening we decided to try a local eatery called Dundee's. It was located on the boardwalk in the marina. The marina was home to 100 of sailboats and tour ships. Dundee's on the other hand was home to a traditional Australian meal. Dundee's featured beef, chicken, pasta, kangaroo, emu, crocodile and fresh seafood. Wanting to try something new and different we opted for some Australian wine and a sampler platter of kangaroo, fish, croc, emu, and buffalo as our appetizer. Just so you know kangaroo taste like beef, croc and emu taste like chicken. Not bad, but quite spendy.