Cat Tales: Miscellany and Mischief

Day 11: Cairns

30DBC December 11 Prompt: It's a 3-hour flight from Darwin to Cairns, so we'll fly out mid-morning to get there by noon/early afternoon- in time to check in to the Tropical Heritage Cairns  , have a rest, then check out the night markets down the street. Tomorrow, we'll check out the Great Barrier Reef. Make sure to set your watches and clocks forward a half hour, though, we've arrived in Queensland, which means we're in the Eastern time zone!

Flying is better than driving. In fact, if I could fly everywhere, I would.

I take my time in the morning since we don't have to be up at the crack of nope. I use the extra time to straighten my hair (it's been acting silly lately) and write some new ideas in my story bible journal over a hot cup of coffee that I can actually sip this morning instead of throwing down my throat. Then SB Musing pokes her head in the room and says it's time to head to the airport. I tuck my journal into my carry-on and head out the door with all my things.

Takeoff, once such an exciting part of flight, is now my least favorite part, though even as my nails dig into the armrest, my heart soars with the force of the engine's thrust. I am torn between excitement and a terrible, terrible dizziness and fear. It passes as we level out, though, and I pry my nails out of the armrest, avoiding the raised eyebrow of BlueMoon . It's a beautiful, clear day, and the land passing rapidly beneath us like a deep red quilt is mesmerizing. I settle back with a sigh of relief and pull my journal back out. No danger of motion sickness up here (unless things get bumpy).

The flight passes quickly. I finish my Rosary during the flight and doze off, waking up in time to feel the ear-popping descent of the plane as we come in for a landing. The tires hit the tarmac, and before I know it, we're whisked off the plane and into a shuttle that's going straight to our hotel. My phone has set itself forward a disconcerting half-hour, meaning that it's now around 1:30 instead of 1 like I had thought. It's nothing too terrible to get used to, though, and so as everyone gets settled into their rooms, I hang out in the lobby where there's free wi-fi and scroll through pictures of the Great Barrier Reef, an experience I expect to be one of the capstones of this whole trip.

We all meet up for dinner before heading out to the night markets. This is quite a fun experience, as it reminds me of walking along the Boardwalk in Myrtle Beach or the Strip in Gatlinburg, visiting all the local souvenir shops. I stop by a bead shop and purchase a beautiful amethyst wrap-around bracelet for my mom, and an ankle bracelet for my aunt. I save the best for last, a stop at the coffee and tea shop to purchase a bag of coffee to take home with me.

After the night markets, we all head back to the hotel with our treasures and settle in, looking forward with excitement to tomorrow.

AlyCatAuthor