Day 8: Sydney to Cairns, Australia
First day in Cairns! It’s just as gorgeous as I remember. I was last here when I was 16-years-old and I remember my first thought being I'm going to live here one day. That feeling is just as strong as ever.
As soon as we landed we headed to Palm Cove for a little while. The water wasn't as clear as it usually is because of storms off the coast. Good thing the kids got some beach time in before it down-poured on us. I spent the majority of my time there walking up and down the beach in search of sea glass and found a couple of nice pieces. There are lots of cute little cafes and shops lining the beach as well as some gorgeous luxury hotels.
On our way back to the city we got to see some wild wallabies hanging out in the sun. Unfortunately with all the land development they’re losing their habitats. The patch of wallabies we saw were hanging out in a field with a few horses out in the distance. There was a few hundred or so of them relaxing. They’re everywhere in northern Australia!
We also passed a ton of sugar cane fields which happens to be the second most important product of Cairns behind tourism. I noticed while in Sydney that all of the sugar options were natural raw sugar made in Australia. They are pretty self-sufficient as a country, so almost everything I came across was either made or grown right here.
Our hotel, the Bay Village Tropical Retreat, is just a quick walk from the city center. So far, this is my favorite place we are staying. Good thing this hotel is so close to the city center because my purse strap suddenly broke today. I took a quick stroll before dinner to the Night Market so I could pick up another bag. So many memories came flooding back on my walk from the last time I was here. I even passed by the hotel I stayed in last time, the Oasis - still as beautiful as ever.
Dinner was absolutely amazing at the Bayleaf Balinese Restaurant which is attached to the hotel. We had all sorts of amazing Balinese dishes including sate & sambal kacang (chicken, beef, and pork satay with peanut sauce), be sampi mebase bali (braised beef in coconut milk), be celeng base manis (pork in sweet soya sauce), be siap base kalas (balinese chicken curry), tum bebek (steamed minced duck in banana leaves), and plenty of jasmine rice. For desert we had the jaja kukus injin which is steamed black rice with coconut and palm sugar.
I was insanely full after all that food. Scarlett couldn't hang though. She passed out right at the table about halfway through the meal. Poor kid!
Tomorrow should be an amazing day on the Great Barrier Reef!
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| Scarlett heading out into the water at Palm Cove. |
As soon as we landed we headed to Palm Cove for a little while. The water wasn't as clear as it usually is because of storms off the coast. Good thing the kids got some beach time in before it down-poured on us. I spent the majority of my time there walking up and down the beach in search of sea glass and found a couple of nice pieces. There are lots of cute little cafes and shops lining the beach as well as some gorgeous luxury hotels.
 |
| Photo taken of me walking the beach by my brother, Jason, from up on the pier. |
On our way back to the city we got to see some wild wallabies hanging out in the sun. Unfortunately with all the land development they’re losing their habitats. The patch of wallabies we saw were hanging out in a field with a few horses out in the distance. There was a few hundred or so of them relaxing. They’re everywhere in northern Australia!
 |
| Scarlett channeling her inner wallaby. |
We also passed a ton of sugar cane fields which happens to be the second most important product of Cairns behind tourism. I noticed while in Sydney that all of the sugar options were natural raw sugar made in Australia. They are pretty self-sufficient as a country, so almost everything I came across was either made or grown right here.
 |
| Sugar cane fields with the edges of the rain forest way back in the distance. |
Our hotel, the Bay Village Tropical Retreat, is just a quick walk from the city center. So far, this is my favorite place we are staying. Good thing this hotel is so close to the city center because my purse strap suddenly broke today. I took a quick stroll before dinner to the Night Market so I could pick up another bag. So many memories came flooding back on my walk from the last time I was here. I even passed by the hotel I stayed in last time, the Oasis - still as beautiful as ever.
 |
| The central area and pool at the Bay Village Tropical Retreat. |
Dinner was absolutely amazing at the Bayleaf Balinese Restaurant which is attached to the hotel. We had all sorts of amazing Balinese dishes including sate & sambal kacang (chicken, beef, and pork satay with peanut sauce), be sampi mebase bali (braised beef in coconut milk), be celeng base manis (pork in sweet soya sauce), be siap base kalas (balinese chicken curry), tum bebek (steamed minced duck in banana leaves), and plenty of jasmine rice. For desert we had the jaja kukus injin which is steamed black rice with coconut and palm sugar.
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| Part of our first course. |
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| This kid can sleep anywhere. |
I was insanely full after all that food. Scarlett couldn't hang though. She passed out right at the table about halfway through the meal. Poor kid!
Tomorrow should be an amazing day on the Great Barrier Reef!
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