Cairns, Australia..... Part 2

Hi everyone,

Monday was a really busy day when I got back. Had lots to do and came home real late. Didn't have time to write anything. Those that sent email messages, I will respond soon.

This next set of pictures were taken at night around town. The main part of town was not busy, however, the water front was going great. There was an open night market with all the vendors selling everything from jewelry to massages. The food court had great food and the action was fun.

 This is one of the entries to the open market. It is in a building covering a half a block in width by a full block long. Shops were crammed in every corner. You could buy any in this shopping are at good prices compared to department stores. But the items were still expensive.

Walking down one of the isles I saw this rack of large tennis shoes. They are shoulder bags. I thought they were cool.

 Around the corner was this wall of kangaroo hides for sale. They ranged from $50.00 to $100.00, depending on the size. the fur is soft and would make a nice throw rug in the living room.

At the other end of the market was the food court. Food from all over the world was being made. I ate here at this place. In the middle of the picture are plates. You pick the size of plate and pay the price listed. The plates ranged from $12.95 to 15.95. I picked a dinner size plate at $14.95 and a coke for $4.00. Then you start at one end of the line and fill the plate as much as you can carry with an assortment of food. They had the usual Chinese noodles and rice plus chicken and battered shrimp. They also had whole crab, steamed mussels, jumbo shrimp, fresh fish and other assorted foods. The catch is, you only get one pass at the food bar. So, my plate was well mounded with an assortment of food.

 Now that I was full of great food, I went back into the market area. In this one section are massage shops. I must of walked around these 3 time before I decided to get a massage. The signs in front advertised an "A" package of foot, ankle, calf, neck, shoulders, and back massage for $15.00 it is a 40 minute process. What was strange was the "B" package was all of the above except the back massage for the same price and time. Of course, I opted for the "A" package. This is Kym from China. She was my masseuse. Kym was about 5 feet tall and couldn't have weighted more than 100 pounds. She first brought out a bucket of tea to soak my feet in. You can see the lady to the left with her feet in the bucket. after 10 to 15 minutes, Kym started massaging my feet. She hit every pressure point there was and I was wincing from the dull pain. She continued massaging to the lower knee on each leg attacking all the pressure point and muscles. From there she took me through the green curtain in the background where there were 12 tables and 6 massage chairs. Every one was occupied with people getting massages. I figured this little girl wasn't big enough to give a good back massage. I was wrong! Since I was laying face down on the bench I couldn't see her and the next thing I know she was on the table too and started hitting every pressure point in my back, neck, and shoulders. She found the bad spot in the middle of my back when I jumped a little from the pain of her fingers pushing in. 40 minutes later I was done and felt great. It was strange to get a massage with so many people in the same area. Yes, I did have my clothes on except my shirt. The women in there getting massages were allowed to leave there shirts on. It was well worth the 15 buck for the experience.

 After a great massage it was time to walk the shop and find some coffee. Here is what the sidewalks look like in this area I was in. The walkways were near the stores and tables with chairs were near the street.

 For you boot lovers. Here is a custom made pair of boots made from sheepskin and alligator skin. This was in a shop that sold all local made products.

Further down the street was this art gallery with origanal artwork from local aboriginal tribe members. The cheapest painting I saw was $1200.00 and they went up from there.

 Worked my way back to the market to walk through more of the isles. Here are some of the items for sale in one small shop.

 Jewelry counters were all throughout the market. Opals are very common in Australia and almost all the jewelry had some Opal stones in them. Most of the jewelry was silver and some were done in gold.

 Outside of the market down a shop or two was this bar with a wall of Corona beer bottles. I didn't drink in the bars because of the price. A 16oz of tap beer is $8.00. I went from a cup of coffee which only cost me $4.00 for one cup of black coffee. I could have saved some money by buying a bottle of water; it was only $2.80 for 1liter.

 It was desert time before returning to my room. This a shop that sold cones of Gelatia. (Think thats how you spell it). Its all hand made and they had a fruit or item depicting the flavor. I had a black cherry/walnut cone. All I can say is YUMMMM!

Those that like Red Bull. They had that flavor too.

 Almost forgot. The street music was unique. This guy was making good money with the crowd of people he captured playing aboriginal music. This finished my night in Cairns and my one day trip.

On the flight home I looked down and saw this atoll in the middle of the ocean. It was remarkable.

That ends my trip. Now I am back in the dusty hot world of Papua New Guinea. I hope the rain comes soon.

Take care all. Hope your enjoying the pictures.
ken