Duh, It's a Rainforest

Cairns is really rainy right now, due to it being the wet season, but I'm not complaining. At least I'm not working, right? Cairns reminds me of Rehobeth Beach (but straight) mixed in with a bit of Ft. Lauderdale (but younger). Throw in some pretty mountains and tons of rain and there you have it! Very relaxed as most people are here to go diving, snorkeling, sky-diving, or take trips to the local islands.

I'm staying at my first real hostel now I'm in Australia and while it's not a full fledged 'party' hostel, it's lively enough to make it a fun place to hang out and meet people. I'm in a dorm room with some other girls and the showers are around the corner so it's not bad. None of the girls are party animals, so nobody is coming in making a racket at night. Last thing I need are a bunch of 19 year old bippies waking me up with their drunken antics. It makes for one pissed off Fick! It has a proper kitchen so me and another girl, Vicky from England, have been cooking pasta dinners at night to save some cash. They have a beach themed bar with cheap drinks and they put on fun games involving pool or trivia to keep people occupied, which is good because it rains so hard you can't possibly go outside, even with an umbrella. I learned it rains betreen 3 and 4 meters each year in Cairns. Where does it all go?

Anyhoo, Vicky and I were walking around town, eating and taking pics of the Esplanade, streets and marina when we happened upon a casino in town. At the top was a small rainforest sanctuary with some animals and plants native to Australia. We went in and I got to pet my first koala! As bad luck would have it, my camera battery died and I forgot to chuck the extra in my bag, but Vicky got the pics and I hope to lift them from her before we part ways in a few days. I learned lots about the native species here and even learned that some of the female species make out better than the men (spiders, triggerfish, kangaroos). Yeahhhhh!

Some things I've noticed regarding Australia. With the American dollar in the shitter and the Aussie dollar raging right now, the exchange rate is almost 1 to 1 which means my buying power is very, very low. Things are expensive, so items like accomodation and food are going to have to be thrifty. One thing I won't scrimp on are activities. It's what I'm here for, so why not? If I want to break the bank and go diving for 3 days on a live aboard, I'm doing it! As long as the good people at Visa say I'm allowed :) After I get to Sydney and meet up with Sean, I'll be staying with him for 12 days that that will help maintain the piggy bank, as long as we don't end up in the pub each night (start your office pools now on that one).

G'day mates!