Sometimes it beats me why even a
comfortable bed does not help me to sleep a little while longer. A twisted body
clock, maybe. As is now becoming a routine, I woke up a couple of quarters after
three in the morning and I set about doing what I do at that hour. Write the
blog. The coffee was just the right tonic to make the senses active. As the blog went on the cups of coffee went on
too. Once that was done I lay down hoping that I could sleep some more. But no, the
mind just wouldn’t acquiesce. 
After quickly gulping down a couple of
croissants with strawberry jam I was at the reception to deposit the key and
get on my way. Since I had enough time on my hands I thought of visiting The
Strand yet again in the morning and I found that the place had been completely
transformed. The entire place was full of people. I found it a bit difficult to
find parking space. A remarkable thing I have observed in Australia is that the
facilities meant for people with disabilities are never abused or misused, be
it the parking lot or the toilet. The Strand gave off an air of gaiety – it was
getting ready to co-host the Commonwealth Games between 5 – 12 April. There
were teams, presumably from an event management company, in charge of all the
arrangements. The Park has been closed for more than a month and a brightly
colored fencing has been put around the proposed arena with plenty of
multi-colored containers within the fenced off areas. Even then people - young,
old and the in-betweens - were there cycling, walking, jogging, swimming, fishing
or merely sitting around admiring the magnificent views of the Port, the
Magnetic Island and the sunrise. The users of the facilities use them
responsibly and hence, they are more easily maintained. Moreover, the liberal
provision of bins to dispose of garbage, whether it be a park, street or
highway, makes people even more aware of their civic responsibility. Even the BBQ
facilities provided in parks and open spaces are never dirty – people who use
them clean up after use and make sure that the next one who uses it will not
have to clean up their mess.
It was but natural that there would be
a lot of speed restrictions between Townsville and Cairns as the Bruce
Highway/A1 had been affected quite badly by the recent floods. In fact, I found
that the most affected had been the Townsville to Ingham section of about 120
km. However, the entire drive from Townsville to Cairns was eye-catching –
miles and miles of greenery with hills draped in virile green fineries and
sugarcane plantations, banana and mango farms, watermelon and papaya cultivation. The
weather conditions are typically tropical with large leafy trees and plants,
orchids and bright colored flowers wherever you turn. I got the feeling of
travelling through the South East Asian countries, particularly Malaysia and
Thailand. What really turned my head was the absolutely marvelous waterfront
town of Cardwell. I could only drive through this time but I have marked it for
a short halt on the way back, when I head to Mackay tomorrow.
I had booked, cancelled and rebooked
accommodation at the Caravella Backpakers because of the situation I had faced
in Normanton. I had spoken to the receptionist at the accommodation and had
been told that I had no option but to cancel the booking free, which I did.
When the plan to visit Cairns was finalized the day before I rebooked a private
room with shared bath. When I drove to the place marked by Google Maps I was
awed by the location – bang on the waterfront esplanade. Just a road separated
the accommodation and the waterfront; breathtaking. The girl at the reception
took her time to check me in, explain the available facilities to me and give
me a brief of what I could do in the evening. But, as at that time, it was hot
and humid and I thought of catching up on my nap after lunch. The communal
kitchen was already getting busy with young boys and girls in various stages of
serious cooking. I didn’t find anyone cooking anything similar to Ramen
noodles! Some of them were cutting, chopping and sautéing vegetables in olive
oil and making salads. The Asian backpackers were making gooey things that
smelt, well Asian! 
The Esplanade is a happening place and
the Park is so well equipped that residents naturally gravitate there. A
section of the Park was meant for kids and people who accompany them – an
interactive park for kids. I haven’t seen this kind of stuff before; must say
that it is incredibly innovative and great fun for the young ones. The laughter
and camaraderie amongst kids there said it all. There was another section for
those keen on body-building, a kind of free gym with instructions about how to
use each of the equipment. A section of the park has a memorial for the
soldiers martyred in wars and another commemorating the part played by Cairns
in hosting the 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games. A couple of areas had large
barbeque centres and in one a massive birthday party was being held for a
giggling young one. The trees were all decked up and the birthday gift, a
bicycle, was unwrapped and displayed. The most interesting part of the park is
the beach and pool. An artificial pool has been created in the park with proper
beach atmosphere – sand, lifeguards, beach umbrellas, et al. What a magnificent
way of entertaining the citizens. At first, when you hear about the tax rates
in Australia you get a bit stunned. But, when the facilities that are available
to the citizen is juxtaposed there is pretty little to complain. Money is not
wasted in the effort to govern, as it is in India. Every cent spent in
administering the State or the Council has to be accounted for to the
satisfaction of the citizen.
I enjoyed a leisurely walk on the boardwalk
of the Esplanade up to the Marina, enjoying the sights and taking in the
beautiful views of the waterfront. At intermittent locations there are lookout
points from where the waterfront can be admired. It was low tide at the time
and many kids were down on the bed looking for crabs! All along the boardwalk
and the park there are toilets and places for people to relax. The Marina is
where tours to the Great Barrier Reef and other lovely sightseeing locations
take off from. The Helipad is also near the Marina. Services were suspended
because it had started raining and was way too windy for safe operations.
Agents were soliciting customers for sunset cruise – I found no merit in that
because it was overcast and there was hardly a sight of the sun that would set
in glory.
I made my way through the many cafes
and restaurants that had become busy on Easter eve. The cuisines gave off
various smells – Indian cuisine seemed popular and I spotted at least five
Indian restaurants during my three hour walk. There were quite a few street
artists too. The most fascinating one was a young boy playing the traditional
Didgeridoo wind instrument. The melody was truly haunting. The Night Market and
Food Court had swarms of people in them looking for traditional items to be
taken home as gifts or great food deals. I was bewitched by the store that sold
magnetic wiggle creatures made of pistachio nuts – amazing, to say the least. A
food store advertised a ‘take all you can’ deal. The enormous portions of
seafood that people took in their plates took my appetite away. The Bolands
Centre at the intersection of Spence and Lake Streets is an iconic building
which housed a boutique departmental store between 1913 and 1963. The Rusty’s
market is a must visit in Cairns with fresh food and bargains. I looked for a Woolworths
and got there. The intention was to find some good liquor deal, being Easter
eve! I found a 10 can pack of the Canadian Club and my day was done. When I was
picking up some hot cross buns I heard some chatter in Malayalam. I went to the
couple and introduced myself. They had come on Easter holiday from Brisbane.
I had to drag my feet to get back to
the accommodation. My feet had to be rested and the thirst quenched. I did both
in the common area of the Backpackers and found interesting young men and women
there – two 29 year old women from Germany on a nine-month tour of the world, a
30 year old Belgian guy scouting for talent he would be shortly hosting, many
Asians on a whirlwind tour of Australia, etc. It is indeed a very homely place and
I would recommend it to anyone on budget travel. For me, it was Canadian Club
and Turkey Spam before bed.
No comments:
Post a Comment