TOWNSVILLE

We had to be weighed the other day to board the flight, and to my astonishment, was at 153.6 pounds, about what I was when I left Honolulu three weeks ago.  I'm eating a lot and drinking too much.  But I'm sleeping a whole lot. 

When we returned from our recent Regent Seven Seas cruise from Dubai to Singapore, I noticed that I only gained a couple of pounds, a big surprise.  The key was sleep.  Read my posting of 23December2022.

We were yesterday in Townsville and this morning docked in Cairns, our last stop in Australia.  Being bored on a cruise is a kind of luxury.  Usually, the day is filled too many activities.  I slept until late in the morning, and my day began with another sumptuous lunch.

After a three champagne lunch, I caught the cruise shuttle into town.  I wanted to visit Townsville's two aquaria.  

• However, before boarding the vehicle, I learned that both were closed for reconstruction.  

• 
  But there was a free bus that took you around The Strand, sort of the Waikiki of this city.  
• It took only a few minutes to get to the connection point, and there was a tourist guide there, who said their shuttle makes a round in half an hour.  
• Another couple from the ship was also interested.  We waited for 45 minutes.
• Turns out that this was the first work day for the driver from Darwin, and the whole day was a mess.
• It was 3:45PM when we boarded.  At the first stop, he said, sorry, but he would be going to lunch.  If he spent only half an hour for lunch, we would not return until 4:15PM, and the final shuttle back to the ship was at 5PM.

• 
  The thing about leaving a cruise ship is that you absolutely cannot return too late.  It's stressful to be away, especially if there was any chance of something going wrong.
• Turns out he got a take-out, and our ride continued.

• 
  The beach side of The Strand is like a combination of Ala Moana Beach and the coastline of Hilo.  The other side is a never-ending series of apartments, hotels, restaurants and homes.  
• About 20 minutes into the trip, the driver stopped and mumbled something about a bird.  I couldn't quite understand what he was saying and why this was so important, but took a photo anyway, which you'll see below.  That was the highlight of the roundtrip.
• We got back in time and I re-boarded the Odyssey without incident.

The Townsville Cowboys are a professional rugby team.  See the bird?  At the base of that tree.  Townsville is what I call a sleepy town, but on Sunday it is dead.  Everything is closed.  Hardly anyone even walking around.  A boring, but stressful, day.  The rest of the night went well.  First, sunset from our veranda.  I've never, ever, seen such a strange rainbow.  With Venus and the Moon.

Then dinner in The Restaurant.

Rode some, but walked little.

Tomorrow we leave Australia for New Caledonia.

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