Ballooning and Laundry

For something to do on the last day in Cairns thought I’d try a go in a hot air balloon. It seemed like a good idea when I booked it. Didn’t seem quite such a good idea when the alarm went off at 03:30am for a pickup at 04:10am. The balloon flight was from Mareeba in the Atherton tablelands over the mountain range from Cairns….hence the early start to give us time to drive there in time for sunrise. In the end it was worth it. The trip lasted about 30 mins. Time enough to go up to about 3000ft, drift along for a bit and back down again. Views over the landscape were beautiful and except for when the burner was on it was very peaceful. To plan for every contingency I had a good look at my fellow passengers and tried to decide which one could be sacrificed in the event that we started sinking into a crocodile infested swamp. In the end I thought it fairest that they all go. I’m sure they were all having the same thoughts….or perhaps its just me.







Bit of ‘excitement’ on the way back to Cairns when a tire blew out at about 60mph. No real drama..the driver just cruised to a stop…then we spent the next hour by the side of the road while the wheel was changed. Finally got back to Cairns and just lazed around for the rest of the day. Tried to figure out how a coin operated laundry works….it was beyond me so gave up and just paid $15 for them to do it for me. Now sitting at the airport waiting for a flight to Darwin.