Photos of week one and two in Cairns
Pic #1
Here is a shot of Charley and me at Cape Tribulation far north
of Cairns. Captain Cook, the first European to explore Australia's
northern coast named the Cape. This is where two
World Heritage parks meet. The rain forest comes down
to the ocean and the coral reef comes close to shore.
Charley and I just waded because of the threat of jellyfish. The
scuba diving from here north is reported to be the best any where.
Pic #2
On our boat ride on the Daintree River we saw this crock
lounging on the shore, just visable through the branches. The water
temperature determines if the crocks, being cold blooded, sun themselves
on the riverside. Normally the water is warm enough this time of
year that the crocks stay in the river all day. It was just
cold enough that this one, the first crock they'd seen in months.
felt like sitting on the bank.
Pic #3
The beach at Cape Tribulation was lined with these BBs of sand.
About a meter wide right below the high tide mark, this
band of sand art is created by an army of dime sized crabs.
The crabs make these balls of sand as they tunnel through
the beach in their search for food. They roll the sand balls
with their hind legs out the hole, using the same technique as the
Dung Beetle in South Africa. I wondered if the crab's random
patterns inspired aboriginal bead art that was displayed in the galleries
of every city I visited.
Pic #4
Our turn around point on our first rain forest walk
was a suspension bridge. The fifteen minute walk was through
a dense growth of trees and vines. It was easy to immagine this sort
of jungle supporting dinosaurs. The geologic process of continental
drift is supported by comparing these living plants with 120 million
year old fossiles in South America and Antartica. The jungle was very noisy
with incredible bird calls. Some birds were melodic others sounded
like a cat getting its tail pulled.
Pic #5
In the jungle even the caterpillars are dangerous. Our guide
told us that this one would sting and cause an itch
if touched. Charley and I wondered what kind of
butterfly a stinging caterpillar would make. We
reckoned some kind of fanged venomous beast of a
butterfly that would come out only at night. In
addition to stinging insects there were plenty of
large bugs and other dangers including a number
of thorny vines and even exploding mangrove seeds.
Pic #6
This rain forest is usually shaded by its canopy, a dense
ceiling of leaves that lets little light down to the ground but
last years Cyclone Justin opened up some growth opportunities.
It'll take twenty years to reform the canopy. The trees
blown down will quickly rot and provide nutrients to a
new generation that will grow into the distinctive sun shade.
Most of the palms in this picture are the 'Fan Palm'.
Pic #7
Charley sends greetings from the from the turn around
point on our bus tour. The people on the tour were a
mix. Italians, Australians, English, Canadian and
American, a group of fourteen with two guides in
a four wheel drive bus. We stopped for tea and
had lunch at what looked to be a very nice hotel
surrounded by jungle. Australia's property laws
have created pockets of private land within the
National Parks. The National Parks are islands
of protected land that together make up the World
Heritage Site designated rain forest area.
Pic #8
The view from our second floor room at the Oasis
Resort in Cairns looked out on their swimming pool.
The room was nice and less expensive then comparable
hotels on the water. Its best feature was the ice machine.
The hotel is popular with the tour groups but reasonably
priced food was just two blocks away on the Esplanade,
Cairns main beach front strip of shops with many places to eat.
Pic #9
The only picture I have of the snorkling trip is me leaving
the shuttle boat at the end of the day (until I get my underwater
pictures developed and scanned). It is always fun to
swim in the ocean but the snorkeling suffered from poor
visibility and the wave action. The best views were had by
diving under water and looking at the sides of the coral mounds.
The top of the coral had been battered by Cyclone Justin and
clumsy snorkelers.
Pic #10
This shot shows three dialysis stations at the Cairns
Private Dialysis Center. The windows allowed the view out and
the light in, no fluorescent lights here. At night there are reading
lamps by each chair that can illuminate the Chinese stir-fry or aimed
up on the ceiling providing indirect ambient lighting.
Pic #11
Who needs the Internet when you have this view. Even rain is
interesting to watch when you are comfortably inside. There is a TV
and VCR available, most runs I nap, eat and play FreeCell on my laptop.
Pic #12
Having only two patients using a unit means no waiting,
your machine is ready when you are. The unit can send out for blood
work at an additional cost, the first test is free. I had my
hematicrit checked it's 33, so I increased my EPO. I've been holding
back the EPO I've been carrying to make it last. I also checked my
PTH that has, it turns out, gotten too high, due to a lack of IV
Calciltrol. This a result of poor planning on my part. I should have
been taking oral Rocaltrol since leaving Seattle. After exhausting the
unit's spare supply of IV Calciltrol I started taking oral Rocaltrol daily.
Pic #13
I answered this furnished room for rent ad in The Cairns Post.
It has been an interesting experience living in the tropics outside the
comfort and service of a hotel. There are a lot of bugs in the tropics,
food storage is an issue. When in doubt stick it in the fridge.
Pic #14
This is the stereo section of the outdoor living area. Ceiling
fans keep the air moving and the bugs down. The stereo plays exclusively
techno dance music, which some would call funky. Original art on the floor
and hanging in every room give the house personality.
Pic #15
Places to drink tea, chat and listen to the repetitive sound
of rain and/or techno music. I had heard of the techno/rave scene before
but this is the first time I have knowingly met any of its members. For
all the hype they lead remarkably quiet home lives. The house is a refuge
from life and work's daily aggravations. It's also a place for my housemates
to vent, so I know some inside Cairns dirt.
Pic #16
Everyone has his or her favorite spot in the house. I setup in the
unused dining room an animal if not bug free zone. I like the dogs, Bella and
Sam but it is also nice to have a spot to read and write without distractions.
The bugs in the tropics are predator and prey, the decomposers and pollinators.
Beetles, ants, cockroaches, mosquitoes and flies own this land. Humans are just
part of their landscape. However, I had come to enjoy the barrier hotels put
between their guests and nature. I just don't like bugs.
Pic #17
It is nice having Sam (getting scrubbed by Uli) and Bella (in the river)
around. Walking them I saw the neighborhood park, an undeveloped Mangrove swamp
and rain forest. The difference being the amount of drainage. I tagged along
on outings and felt the unique satisfaction a dogs acceptance can give.