January 23, 2018

Out enjoying our morning coffee on the balcony when raucous squawking broke out in the tree tops.  Pete and I were trying to see what was making all the racket when we spied two Cockatoos (Sulphur-crested) way up in a palm tree. They appeared to be digging into the bark with their beaks. There were more in the trees, but we were only able to see the two.  

Part of the morning was spent looking at brochures and websites for tours we want to take while we are here.  Of course the Great Barrier Reef is on the agenda.  It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is so impressively large that it is visible from space. It is the largest living thing on earth, at 1429 miles it is comprised of thousands of reefs and islands.  We have booked an all day snorkeling trip to 3 of the reefs for Thursday. We also booked a train ride up through the rain forest to the tablelands of Kuranda, where we will spend a couple hours then take another route back by Skyrail this coming Sunday.  

The plan for this afternoon was to catch the bus to Palm Cove, a busier, more commercial village up the coast.  Jane in reception warned us that there had been a serious accident on the main highway and that our bus might be long delayed.  We stood at the stop and waited until well after the scheduled arrival time.  It was while waiting that we spotted two Wallabies nibbling grass right beside the road.  Finally, hot and tired of standing, we backtracked to Coco Mojo for some refreshment.  Sure enough, just minutes after delivery of our beverages the bus came roaring by.  The people at the restaurant, our server and other guests were so kind, trying to help us figure out the schedule and where on the highway the bus stopped.  

After a light lunch, we headed back to the apartment, having decided to wait until tomorrow morning for the bus.  Pete took off down the coast to a screened swimming area.  I took a walk later towards his location, ran out of road, was warned about crocs and spied the swimming area another half mile down the beach.  The decision was made to walk the neighborhood instead. We are staying in such a quiet area, with old and new beach houses lining the street across from the esplanade.

One of my favorites is this house with the tree growing through the porch and balcony.  

Feeling ambitious, I made vegetarian enchiladas for dinner from a recipe found on Epicurious.  Boy, were they spicy! They required lots of avocado and wine to cut the heat.