AUSTRALIA DAY THIRTEEN 3/15/19 “Beware the Ides of March”

Travel day today. We are heading to Sydney, the capital of New South Wales and the most populous city in Australia. Before leaving Cairns (actually we are staying just north of Cairns in a town called Palm Cove) Patrice and I signed up for a Sunrise Kayak trip. We needed to be at the dock by 5:40 AM and this was a major concession for Patrice because she is not an early riser like I am. As compensation for her efforts I agreed to be in the back of the kayak and do most of the paddling.

We used Palm Cove Water Sports and the owner, Brad, was our guide. We had a wonderful time. We paddled to a nearby island were Brad filled us in on some of the local history and showed us some of the local animals. We got to see a few stingrays, a small shark (Brad said this type was harmless) and a fish that is apparently part shark and part stingray. It was very small and Brad said he sometimes picks them out of the water. I sort of ignored that comment until a little further up the beach he bent down and came up with one in hand. Clearly there is no risk of me trying to take his job.

On the way back to the dock Patrice stretched her arms out, took a deep breath and said, “Isn’t this relaxing?” Clearly she didn’t realize that her Sherpa in the back was gasping for breath and praying that a big wave would bring us to shore.

After a quick shower and another great breakfast we were on our way to the airport. While waiting to board the bus to the airport we saw a man with a big case of beer. Someone asked if he was getting ready for a party, but one of our fellow travelers, Garth, joked to the Aussie, that what he had was “Just one day’s supply”. I laughed but the Aussie didn’t seem to get the joke. My reasoning was that it really was just one day’s supply.

The trip to the airport was uneventful. Darrin, our guide, said the forecast for Sydney was heavy rains. Darrin likes to keep our expectations low so we are never disappointed. He alerted us that our flight was delayed and because of the weather some flights might be diverted to other airports. “Who knows we might even wind up in Perth” he quipped. That was a joke because a flight heading to Sydney being diverted to Perth would be like a flight from Boston to New York being diverted to Los Angeles. He was kidding. I think.

The flight did leave a bit late but we made up some time in the air. On board they had a wonderful entertainment system which was an iPad that locked into the seat in front and you used headphones for the audio.

Luckily we arrived in Sydney to be greeted by perfect weather. Soon we leave for dinner and tomorrow will be a tour of the city. Forecast for tomorrow is 100% chance of rain. Damn, can’t they give a guy SOME hope?