Taking to the Waters

Our hotel complex offers a choice of 3 swimming pools and in this warm sultry weather we decided to take a dip and cool off.  Selecting the prettiest of them all, a couple of small pools surrounded by palms, we dipped our toes in.  I kid you not, it was absolutely freezing!  So we sat on the step with our feet in the water until they acclimatized to the 40 degrees below, or so it felt.  Then gingerly moved to sit on the next step down, which brought the water up to our waists.  Next, after our various stone cold bits and pieces had started to thaw, it was down another step so we were in water up to our chests.  Then very bravely, we submerged up to our shoulders, and that’s as far as we wanted to go.  How can such an enticing looking pool be so viciously cold, we wondered?  It didn’t really warm up at all – so much for enjoying warm tropical water.  But never mind, we enjoyed a chat with a couple from Tasmania as we all gingerly slowly inched our way further and further under water.

Looks are deceiving, the water was icy cold

We walked down to the Esplanade to go out to dinner.  Crossing one of the many zebra crossings on our journey downtown, we came across this unusual sight.  Have you ever seen  traffic lights slap bang in the middle of a crossing before?  Very strange, we thought.  No doubt anyone walking across with eyes fixed on their cell phone would walk right into it.

Traffic lights in the middle of a crossing

Dinner tonight was at the Cairns RSL Club.  We ate in the very popular outside area, looking  across the road to the memorial on the seaward side.  This is indeed a very striking memorial.

The memorial across the road from Cairns RSL Club

We had decided on a roast meal each, pork for him and lamb for her, as we really felt the need for some freshly cooked vegetables.  And what great meals they were, just the sort of roast dinner that Mother would cook.  Plenty of meat with tasty gravy, roast veggies and greens, it really hit the spot, and the price was very reasonable too.  Everything stopped at 6.00pm when the Ode of Remembrance was read – the 4th stanza of the poem, For the Fallen, written by Laurence Binyon.

Selfie taken at the restaurant

Sitting so close to the footpath there was plenty of time for people watching, as they streamed past the open air restaurant on their way for a night on the town.  Birds were flying by as dusk fell, and parrots were screeching in the trees over the road.  And we noticed that most of the 4WDs rumbling past had snorkels fitted, perhaps they were all off roaders in the wet season, we wondered.

Another great day in tropical Cairns, and then it was back to the hotel for a reasonably early night.  We have to be up bright and early in the morning for a day trip, so need to set the alarm for 5.30am.  Tell you all about our big day out later…………