Days 299-300: Exploring Cairns

As I mentioned, Cairns, as a town, is pretty dull. I had planned quite a bit of time in the area, so I wasn't really in a huge rush to take off on tours right away. I spent a few days walking around town booking things and just exploring around. On the second day I tried to walk to the botanical gardens because somebody had mentioned a rainforest hike there, but I ended up taking a wrong turn somewhere and getting lost, so in the end I gave up on it. The most interesting part of town was probably the harbor, which is the launching point for a lot of boats heading off to visit the reef.

Overall, not a terribly exciting couple of days. I bought a few groceries from across the street, since Australia is getting too expensive to eat out often. I also just relaxed and sat around the hostel talking to people and reading. I was just noticing the other day much I've read in the last 10 months. There is still a lot of empty time in the evenings and while waiting or travelling, but there are much fewer ways for me to spend that time lately, so I just settle on reading. At some point in Cairns I got around to reading the last book of Wheel of Time - feels a bit like the end of an era.