Day 49 of 55 - Back to El Arish, Queensland

Port Douglas was a 2-night/3 day stay, and it was time to return to El Arish and continue our visit with David. Along the way, we stopped in Cairns for lunch and then continued the drive south taking a side trip to a park called "Golden Hole" named after an old gold mine. We ended the day staying at the Eco Village in Mission Beach, minutes from David's house. Jeff and I voted on a bit of luxury that night, a place with room service and laundry facilities.

Here is a picture of Cairns, "The Tourist Capital of Tropical North Queensland."

A gorgeous park setting awaits at Golden Hole on the Russell River.

The water was crystal clear, cool and refreshing at Golden Hole. A welcome relief from the oppressive heat. But our stay was only an hour. We needed to get back on the road and back to David's neighborhood.

We booked a room at the Eco Village. Check out their website. It looks exactly as it did when we were there. http://www.ecovillage.com.au/

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Day 50 of 55 - Mission Beach, Queensland

Mission Beach became my favorite place in Australia. Gorgeous beaches, vegetarian friendly with a casual atmosphere. Below is a photo of Dunk Island, a popular vacation destination. So many islands, so little time.



This was the day David took us on a bush walk on his favorite track. This sunbird nest was right outside our door at Eco Village.



Here I am with a smile on my face BEFORE we took a 90-degree turn into the thick forest, and before I found freeloaders on my toes. Notice that I'm wearing sandals. For details about that horrifying moment, check out the book. Or maybe you've already read about, and laughed about, that episode. Not funny!!



Below is a picture of David enjoying a veggie sandwich prepared by the staff at Eco Village. We had brought along a picnic lunch, and it was delicious. Even though this was the middle of the day, a flash on the camera was necessary because it was so dark under the forest canopy.



A natural ceiling in the rainforest.



For our last night in Queensland, we headed back to David's place for a party with his rainforest neighbors. His treehouse deep in the bush is shrouded in mist.

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Day 51 of 55 - All Aboard the Queensland Railway!

Last night's party in the rainforest was fascinating. While I didn't take any pictures of David's friends, I will always remember the experience, because it caused me to rethink my work, my life, and where I live. I'm a writer and blogger today as a result.

The following morning, and before Jeff and I left for the train station, David took us to his own private waterfall. Below is a picture of David sitting at the bottom of the falls. The pool in the foreground was cool and refreshing.

When we got back to the treehouse to pack up and leave, the same baby cassowary that greeted us upon our arrival came back, as if to say good-bye. We hadn't seen him in between those two meetings, so this last sighting was especially meaningful.

Time to catch a train at the Tully Queensland Railway station. All Aboard!!!! We're headed home, but first a 3-night/2-day layover in Brisbane, the capital of the state of Queensland.

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Day 52 of 55 - Brisbane, Queensland

It was an overnight train ride from Tully to Brisbane on the Queensland Railway. Our first-class accommodations were wonderful, and while we traveled the same distance as it is between Boston, MA and Wilmington, NC, we never left the state of Queensland. In a country with only six states and two major territories, it's understandably a long distance, but many travelers are taken by surprise. The distances can be deceiving.

For the next three nights, Jeff and I settled into the Explorers Inn. Below is a photo of our home away from home. Unbeknownst to us, we were decompressing from being on the move the past eight weeks. Brisbane had much to offer, and we discussed taking a bus ride through the city, but there was little motivation to do any more than take short walks, eat in, and watch movies. The traveler in us was exhausted.




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Day 53 of 55 - Fun with Street Kangaroos

There's a saying among travelers, "When you start looking like your passport photo, it's time to go home."

Below is a picture of me visiting with the Brisbane street kangaroos, a nice bunch of fellows.



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Day 54 of 55 - Last day in Brisbane

This day was a repeat of Day 53. It's the shortest entry in the book and now the shortest blog entry. More photos will be in the next post.

Day 55 of 55 - Full Circle Back to Sydney

On this morning, January 31, 2000, we boarded the XPT in Brisbane, Queensland. The XPT is a sleek, modern and aerodynamic train built for speed. We were in Sydney, the capital city of New South Wales, by the end of the day, standing on the very same platform from where we had departed 55 days earlier.

Our journey through Oz was complete, we had come full-circle, and it was time to go home. Jeff and I booked a room at the Pacific International Inn on George Street (now called The Great Southern Hotel), the same hotel we stayed in on our first day in Australia.

The next morning's flight out on Qantas Airlines took us to Fiji where Jeff and I enjoyed a five-day vacation from our vacation at Tabua Sands.

Flying home, we lived February 7th twice when we crossed over the International Date Line (IDL) east to west. It was a 28-hour trip door-to-door, but we arrived the same morning as we left according to the itinerary. Crossing the IDL this second time caused us to get our lost December 7th day back, the day I mentioned losing at the beginning of this story.

Traveling to Australia for two months was an extraordinary experience, and I'm grateful for all the Aussies and fellow travelers who made our trip a huge success!

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