Party town USA-- er, Australia

So we've been in Cairns a day now and we've run out of things to do. It's a cute town but I think we've walked it about 30 times already. We're realizing more and more that we're big city people, definitely missing Melbourne's cosmopolitan vibe and cool neighbourhoods...though maybe not the weather.

How can I describe Cairns (or Cannes, as everyone here calls it, not to be confused with the French place)?? Well, it's a little bit Cancun-- plenty of Girls-Gone-Wild bars here, many Mexican restaurants (the one we hit up made a pretty decent margarita, though it also played Irish music :S ), palm trees, and teenyboppers in tiny skirts and fratboys in popped collars. It's definitely tropical- it's rained about 8 times already today, and not just a sprinkle, but a mean cats-and-dogs downpour. (Check out our video!) And then sun, and then more rain, and more sun, and so on....

No croc sightings yet but there was a kitty and a few geckos. Also, huge bats flying around everywhere after sunset! It's funny to be in a coastal town where there sort of is a beach, but YOU CAN'T GO THERE (stingers and sharks= how annoying!). In place, there's a lagoon (a big cold shallow swimming pool) by the ocean and people swim there instead. We dipped our feet in and took spy pics of people in speedos. They call people "blokes" here and many people don't wear shoes here (including in the mega-mall that's by our hostel and joined with the train station). There's a digeridoo shop on every corner, and all the souvenirs one could ever want. Around the town are these lush green mountains that look sort of out of Lost (REALLY miss that show!) and we're dying to explore them. Perhaps we'll rent a car/motorbike and check out something a little more interesting than wet t-shirt contests, ugh. But we heard Australia's east coast is kind of just a big party....

On the bright side, we moved to a really awesome hostel room (has a balcony with hammock! even a TV!), and indulged in brie and baguettes for breakfast. And we're absolutely hooked on TimTams, a yummy Aussie chocolate cookie. Actually, maybe it's about time to get off this computer and back to our room... to live the high life, eat some more TimTams and brie. Saturday night in Cairns, woohoo!
Love D & A xoxoxo