FEB. 18th -- DAY 2, CAIRNS

Wake up to a beautiful day in Cairns...day 2!

The name of the excursion we are going on today is "Skyrail, Kuranda & Cairns".  The Skyrail is a 6-seat gondola the rises up over the oldest rainforest in the world.  The reason they know it is the oldest rainforest,  is that there is a valley here that did not freeze during the Ice Age, so some of these trees survived...and that is how they know it is the oldest.
There are 3 stops on the way up.

Richard & Leonor Vent

The first stop -- there is about a 10-minute walk through the rainforest.

A walk in the rainforest.

The second stop -- we see the Barron Falls, which is fabulous.

Took this from the gondola.

And the third stop is the Kuranda Station.

From the Kuranda Station we drive about 2-minutes to the village of Kuranda.  There is a market here that sells local crafts, a Butterfly Sanctuary and numerous restaurants and cafes.  There is a German restaurant close to the bus that is selling bratwurst, sauerkraut & fried onions on a bun.  We go there with Richard & Leonor...add a Beck beer to the order and we're all set.
We have an hour here before we have to leave.

We get back on the bus and head for Palm Cove...yup, we were there yesterday.

Apparently we are just doing a drive-through today.
On our way back to the city from here, we pass the field with the wallabies and we see them!  It is bright and sunny today and they are all out and bouncing around the field.  We don't stop....so, I didn't get a printable picture.

So we are back to the city and back to the ship.

We are having dinner with Carol & Rich.  We meet them at the Stars Lounge and have a drink before dinner.  She was a nurse and then retired and became a cruise agent for 10-years.   Rich worked for the government.  They are an interesting couple.  We had a lovely evening.

After we left Carol & Rich, we found out about a "Connoisseur's Wine Tasting" (and food pairings) on March 2nd.
Here is the lineup...

2009 Dom Perignon; 2016 Rombauer Chardonney; 2013 Louis Jadot Mersault, Chardonney; 2013 Jordon Cabernet Sauvignon; 2011 Joseph Phelps, Insignia; 2016 Inniskillin Ice Wine.

Wow...there is a moderate fee, but gotta do it!!

Back to our room.
Sea-day tomorrow.