Cairns, Australia

Cairns (population 146,000) is the gateway city to the Great Barrier Reef; a nice little city, bereft of the corporate facia so common to the NZ and Australian cities traversed thus far. The city is also tropical, with intermittent rains, obsequious mugginess and heat.

We docked under a pouring rain, which prompted us to give up our expensive 8-hour snorkeling excursion - only to see the excursion go on -- with mixed reviews. We don't know what we missed, but we made up for it by walking the little town, visiting the world-famous Cairns Aquarium, Cairns Museum, the Modern Art Gallery, Rusty Day Market, and several shops where Cathy did some retail therapy to buoy her spirits!

The Aquarium was awesome, but the Art Gallery was a surprise. The indigenous art, together with very colorful pieces, really spoke to me.Read more