March 12th, 2020 Day 68 of 128

Cairns, Australia…a full day in port on our 7 hour excursion. We woke up to another day of heat, 82 degrees, humidity, cloudy skies and rain. A little liquid rain fell on us all today. We had a scenic bus ride through Cairns and got see the colonial period buildings, shops and the Esplanade, which is the heart of the city. We took the bus to the Kuranda Scenic Railway station where we boarded the train that was built between 1882-1891. We took a 90 minute, 21 mile train ride through the rugged mountains, we saw waterfalls, drove through 15 tunnels, and crossed 37 bridges. When we arrived at the end of the tracks, our bus transferred us to the town of Kuranda where we had two hours of time to eat lunch on our own and to do a little more retail therapy. We bought a handmade crossed boomerang that was handmade and painted here in Kuranda. It will be a great souvenir to hang on our wall when we get home. After our free time we boarded the bus again and it took us to the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway. I had an alcoholic beverage with lunch to help ease my nerves a little as these contraptions are not among my favorite things, but hey, I hate heights. But, I know everyone else was very excited so along we went.   We traveled above the rainforest canopy and saw views of the Coral Sea and Green Island. We saw an amazing tree with a large hole in it about halfway up the tree. We were told there is a mated pair of Cockatoos that live in that tree and the James Cameron used that very tree as his inspiration for the home tree in the movie Avatar. That was totally cool. (Photo below). After we got back to the bus we got a bonus trip to see a beautiful beach community of Palm Cove. Miles of beautiful beaches and only one small area that has a boom around it and that is the only area you can swim this time of year. The jellyfish infestation is so large this time of year; it is dangerous to swim anywhere else at the beach. On the way back to the ship, we pulled over and had a chance to hop off the bus one last time as the bus driver took us to a field filled with wild wallabies. There is a lot of residential construction going on right now and some of their habitat has been destroyed. So the wild wallabies like to spend time in this particular field and we had the pleasure of getting to see it. So cool!! So in the world today the news about Tom Hanks and his wife contracting Coronavirus while being here in Australia was being talked about everywhere. Then came the news about Trump restricting travel from European countries. None of this is directly affecting us yet, but having Australia all in the news while we are here is not the most comforting feeling in the world. As we traveled back to the ship, we drove down the Esplanade again and we finally got our first glance at the flying foxes we have been hearing about for a while. These are some HUGE bats!! They hang upside down from the trees in the downtown area at dusk. Don’t stand under those trees. We made it back on the ship in time for our 5:30 dinner seating and awaited the sail away that we frequently get to see as we are right at the window at the back of the ship in the dining room. Unfortunately, a crewmember was ill (rumors flew) and had to the taken off the ship and to the hospital so our sail away was delayed. At about 6:30pm as the sun was setting, and we were finishing our dinner, all those flying foxes made their way from the trees in downtown, through the high rises and right across the rear of the ship. They flew across the bay where we were docked and across to the island on the other side. For at least 20 minutes we watched the bats circle as they raised up high enough to clear the buildings and then make their way to the island. It was fantastic to see. I love when these sudden and unexpected surprises fall into our laps. I also believe in my heart that that is Don making a memory for us from above. So we will now have 3 day at sea as we travel through the Great Barrier Reef as we make our way to Darwin, Australia. Praying for that crewmember to be o.k. Praying for you all to stay safe and healthy back in the United Sates. Praying decisions are being made on our behalf that are protecting us and keeping us safe as well. Love and Hugs….Debra

(Enjoy all the photos, sorry there are so many…not really, kisses.)

Our bus selfies for today.  We got stuck in the back of the bus.

They can not swim in the ocean, so the town build a lagoon where the locals go.

Sorry, This picture is sideways, its of the flying foxes.