July 02, 2004

Cairns- City of Tourists

Frankly folks, I'm a bit disappointed by Cairns. It's supposed to be this major city in Australia...and we get there only to find a travel agency, a youth hostel, a motel, a crummy souvenir shop, another travel agency, another youth hotel, another motel, another crummy souvenir shop etc (ad infinitum). It felt like some incredibly long strip mall in Ocean City. OK so I'll admit I did get a nice baseball cap with a hopping Kangaroo but still! I ate at the only crazy, hippy place in the town. It smelt of incense and my waitress had dreads with beads that clink-clinked every time she moved. I had Pad Thai while I watched dancing people swinging their arms with flaming batons to a techno beat.

I'm being harsh but I must add that there are incredible things to do in and around Cairns. We decided to go see an Aboriginal museum. We paid $29 big bucks (pretty expensive for people on a shoe string budget) to sit in a theater and see the whole Aborigine/Evil white men culture history in 20 mins. Can't help but think it doesn't do them much justice. Then we moved from station to station to witness a person playing the didgeridoo and a short lecture on some native plants and how they are used to cure various ailments. That was about 20 minutes too. Then we practiced throwing a boomerang...once. I really felt like a stupid, rich tourist. One thing worth mentioning: Amaury had crocodile hot dog (he says it tasted like a regular hot dog. Bugger).

http://pix.alaporte.net/pub/24-Australia/02-Cairns/

http://pix.alaporte.net/pub/24-Australia/03-Tjapukai_Aboriginal_Center/

http://pix.alaporte.net/aussiepix/02-Cairns/

http://pix.alaporte.net/aussiepix/03-Tjapukai_Aboriginal_Center/

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Hot crocs are actually really really good. I told Dorothee it tasted just like a normal hot dog because I didn't want her to grab it from me and scarf it down.