Day 42 – Cairns, Australia – 1:15 PM

My day started this morning long before the sun rose.  I woke at 2:40 AM in Christchurch, New Zealand to prepare for my 3:20 AM shuttle to the airport.  Surprisingly enough, I was joined by five or six others who also woke at such a profane hour to catch an early flight.  My first leg, from Christchurch to Brisbane, Australia departed at 6:50 AM.  With the plane only half-full I had an entire row to myself.  I enjoyed stretching my legs and not being confined between the armrests for the three hour flight.

I deplaned in Brisbane, passed immigration and grabbed my pack from baggage claim.  I proceeded to the customs queue.  Being an honest person, while filling out the Australian entrance form, I checked “yes” to the question asking if I had contact with soil or the wilderness in New Zealand.  I hiked often during the previous four weeks; I acquiesced and checked the appropriate box.  When I arrived at the front of the customs line, the officer looked at my “yes” answer and told me to proceed down Lane 1.  I was far from the only person walking down Lane 1, but the vast majority went the opposite direction.  Lane 1 led me into a separate area where people were having all their belongings hand searched.  I immediately regretted checking “yes” considering the amount of things in my two packs.  I should have overlooked my hikes.  I mentally prepared myself to unpack each and every item.  Luckily, it never reached that point.  I, along with ten or twelve others, formed a single line with our bags at our feet.  A canine walked up and down the row and made no reactions indicating contraband.  We were free to go.  With a sigh of relief I picked up by bags and carried on.

After a 10 minute ride between terminals, I processed through security again and walked to my gate.  My second leg of the day, Brisbane to Cairns was scheduled to depart in just over an hour.  I grabbed a sandwich and found a seat.  I passed the time sending out emails and text messages and gave my phone a quick charge.  Boarding began a short time later and I found my window seat in row 12.  Minutes later a toddler walked into my row followed by her mother.  The mother turned to me and apologized.  I smiled and told her it was alright.  Her daughter behaved well and my two hour flight went by relatively smooth.  After sleeping four hours last night, I even managed to sneak in a nap.

I landed in Cairns to bright blue skies and the occasional cloud drifting overhead.  I proceeded to baggage claim and waited patiently for my pack to approach me on the conveyor.  My next task was to find a mode of transport to my hostel, Dreamtime Travellers Rest.  Hailing a cab was a solution, but an expensive solution in my opinion.  According to my confirmation email which I read this morning, there is a small bus that shuttles people from the airport to their hostels.  However, it appeared from their website that you needed to reserve a seat prior to arriving in Cairns.  I had not reserved a spot, yet knowing the spontaneity of backpackers, I thought it worth a try to walk up to the driver and ask if I could hop on and pay him the going rate.  I managed to find the location of the bus and the driver was willing to drop me off for $10 AUD.

Prior to arriving in Cairns, many warned me of the heat and humidity that would hit me upon exiting the airport.  They were not lying.  It reminds me of an August day back in New England.  My goal is to chase summer around the world and I’m on its heels.

I arrived at my hostel and reception was closed.  It was 12:30 PM and according to my email, reception closed between 1 PM and 4 PM.  I entered the patio area through a side gate and the hours written on the door indicated no check-ins between 12 PM and 4 PM.  That is quite frustrating as I would have eaten lunch at the airport rather than racing to my hostel hoping to beat the 1 PM deadline.  I currently sit in the patio area.  My first impressions are relatively positive.  The lone exception is the hours of reception.  Even though the patio is shaded, I can feel sweat accumulating on my forehead.  I cannot imagine lugging around two large packs in this heat.  It is almost 2 PM, only two more hours to wait.

After checking in, the first agenda item is to find a grocery store to buy food for the coming days.  I’m only staying in Cairns for two days before proceeding south.  Hopefully tomorrow brings sunny skies and I am able to explore the surrounding area a bit more than through a shuttle bus window from the airport.