Cairns...

Yesterday was supposed to be a "down" day for me after excursions the previous two days, but I found myself doing an awful lot of walking just staying here in town.  The Botanical Gardens here is spectacular, with a huge variety and very well kept, and I wandered around there for a couple of hours.  There is also an art museum I visited here in the CBD (Central Business District).  It was small, but well done, and I found myself looking at how things were \displayed as much as the artifacts and objects of art themselves.  Just goes to show what influence working in the museum at Durand Union Station has had on me.  I am now thinking along the lines of how to tell the story as much as the story itself.
There is a farmer's market that operates here on Fridays through Sundays, and an arts and crafts market that is only set up on Saturdays.  I spent some time wandering through both of them.  The farmers market was a real education, just looking at all the different varieties of produce I've never seen before.  Many of the signs were written in two languages as well.  The Asian population here is huge and you frequently hear them conversing in their native languages, as is to be expected.  Even with the Aussies, speaking English, I have to listen closely to decipher the accent and the phrasing takes some getting used to as well, but I'm coping rather well I think.
The public pool here is really something too!  It's as big a pool as I think I've ever seen, triangular in shape\, with sand next to one of the long sides, making it seem like it's a beach.  It was packed yesterday, as is to be expected on a warm sunny Saturday afternoon.  Young and old, it seemed to be a favorite spot to hang out, whether to swim or sunbathe or sit in the shade reading a book.
Well, I'm going to sign off now so I can get ready for today's excursion...snorkeling at the Great Barrier Reef!  Unfortunately I won't have pics to post tomorrow because I'm leaving my camera, phone, and other valuables here at my B&B.  I don't want to have anything get lost or damaged, so I'll just have to count on my memory to preserve this experience.  G'day mates!