8-27-14

Yesterday, was another full day.  I was picked up near my hotel and taken to a small village near Cairns, called Kuranda.  I started at Tjapukai (Jah-puh-guy) Aboriginal Cultural Park where there were shows and demonstrations by the indigenous people of the area.  I learned how to throw a boomerang properly so it returns.  I threw spears too, but my skills would leave me hungry if I depended on spearing a kangaroo for food.  The spear doesn't actually kill the kangaroo, but stuns it enough to slow down for the hunter to run over and kill it with a club.  I visited the women's hut, and learned about bush medicine and how different plants and herbs are used as antiseptics, laxatives, anti-diarrheals, headache cures, etc., which was right up my alley.  In the men's hut, I learned about different weapons and forms of punishment delivered to men who disobey the rules set by the clan.  I also learned how didgeridoos are made and the different methods of playing them using circular breathing - blowing out your mouth while inhaling and exhaling through your nose.  It's pretty complicated.  I'm going to practice my circular breathing when I get home.

To make a didgeridoo, the man walks through the woods tapping on small trees listening for a hollow sound.  They are hollowed by termites naturally.  The man takes the tree and cuts it to the desired length.  If it is not completely hollow, he has to burn out the remaining internal wood.  After it is hollowed out completely, he removes the bark and begins smoothing the outside using leaves that feel like sandpaper.  Then, he decorates the outside with the design he desires by carving or painting (with colors from crushed rocks).  The final step is to add beeswax to the smaller end (mouthpiece).  The beeswax will mold to the man's lips and make it comfortable for him to play.  The didgeridoo is traditionally played by men only, and women do not touch them at all.  There's a belief that a woman who touches a didgeridoo will soon become pregnant.

There was also face/body painting and a performance by the Tjapukai Dance Troupe, which included storytelling and details on the instruments like the didgeridoo, clap sticks, and boomerang sticks.  We learned about the different types of clothing that they might wear in the area, including belts made of kangaroo or human hair that were formed much like dreadlocks.  They also showed us how they would produce fire during a ceremony.  At the end of the show, they taught the audience a song and dance and invited people to come to the stage with them.  There was a group of kids on a field trip who looked to be about 4 or 5 who were so excited about dancing on the stage.

Tools in the men's hut

After touring the center, I sat down for a buffet lunch in the center's restaurant followed by painting a story stone.  Then, it was time to head to the skyrail station next door.  I met a family of 4 from NY who were taking the same tour.  They were Lorraine and John and their adult children, Rob, and Genevieve.  Lorraine and I seemed to be the only people who were bold enough to ask questions during the demonstrations, so we heard each other's American accents and hooked up when it was all over.  Rob works in Melbourne, so the family decided to visit for a family vacation.  I also met a guy from Kentucky who works for Chevron in western Australia.  He was in Cairns for a wedding and decided to take a few tours while he was in the area.

The NY family and I boarded a 6-seat Skyrail gondola together.  The skyrail is a cableway that glides above the rainforest.  The rainforest is nationally protected and its also a World Heritage protected site.  The skyrail took 8 years total to be completed - 7 years to receive all the necessary permissions and final sign off to build and 1 year to finally construct it.  Vehicles could not be driven into the rainforest, so equipment was delivered to the workers using helicopters.  The goal was to cause as little disruption to the environment and ecosystem as possible.  Some trees had to be removed and replanted, but only 4 died due to the construction.

We looked down in amazement at the forest canopy and the building structures that became smaller and smaller as we headed toward the sky.  It's a wonder to look at divine creation and human engineering from a bird's eye view literally.  There were a couple of stops along the skyrail where you could walk around underneath the canopy.  There were trees that had been there for hundreds of years or more.  One tree trunk was so thick that it would probably take 10 or more people to wrap around the base.  The park ranger said that it wasn't even fully grown yet, and that it would grow 2 to 3 times wider in 500 years.  We also saw trees that merged to become 1.  In actuality, the fig trees are predators to other trees nearby.  They attach themselves to the host and use the fertile humus created by ferns to grow and nourish themselves while slowly stealing nutrients from the host until it eventually dies underneath and rots front the inside.  The guide also told us that the ferns are favourite resting places for sunbathing pythons.  Why did he tell us that?  However, he said not to worry, because "they're not poisonous, they'll just give you a nice hug."  He told us to look for a purplish glimmer as we passed over the ferns in the skyrail.  We heard a few birds in the forest, but there really seemed to be no life other than the vegetation.  He told us that all of the activity happens at dawn and dusk, and we could come back then to see all of the mostly nocturnal creatures.  No thanks.  We boarded the skyrail again and crossed over the river below looking for "snapping handbags", or crocodiles.  There was a stop at Barron Falls where we could take pictures of the ravine below and the falls.  There were also a few relics from when they first built the power station there nearly a century ago.

Creepy tree hand

Ferns in the branches of other trees

The final stop on the skyrail was at Kuranda Village, a small sleepy town with shops and restaurants catering to tourists.  In fact, most of them closed at 3:30pm , the same time as the last train from the railway station.  Before boarding the Kuranda Scenic Rail, we had a little time to walk around and see the sites.  Most of them sold the same Aussie souvenirs and trinkets, but they also sold locally made products.  One of the ladies from Tjapukai told me that she and many of her family members live in Kuranda, so there are close ties to the indigenous community there.  I snapped a few pictures, and I purchased a few postcards that I thought would be perfect in a frame.  The main purchase though was an authentic didgeridoo.  I have wanted one of my own almost as long as I wanted to see Australia in person.  Back in 2000, my cousin, AJ, did a study abroad program in Australia.  Her pictures and stories inspired me to visit.  She also brought back a didgeridoo, and I found it to be such a magnificent representation of the experience and the beauty of the country.  That is the only souvenir I really wanted to take home, and my pictures of course.  I bought the didgeridoo and had it shipped to my home.  My purchase included details on the artist and the design, as well as an instructional DVD.  Upon completion of my purchase, I raced back down the the hill to the train station with only a couple of minutes to spare.

The Kuranda Scenic Rail curved through the wilderness over riverbeds, rocks, and hills.  There were 8 tunnels too.  The railroad was built nearly a century ago to connect the small towns and villages in the area to Cairns.  It was also used during WWII to transport troops and cargo, and it was used as a staging ground for the military.  The journey on the train was a great  complement to the skyrail, because you see some things up close and personal from the train that you couldn't see from the sky.  Plus, it seemed to follow a similar route, but on the opposite side of the falls.

I was so tired after the bus took me back to my hotel.  I dropped off some things in my room, and then I headed back out.  My first stop was at Peter Pan to check my email.  Next, I tried to figure out what I would eat for my last night in Cairns.  I decided on a restaurant called the Wool Shed, because they had an outdoor patio and the restaurant didn't have doors.  Plus, the menu seemed interesting and different at a reasonable price compared to the other restaurants in the area.  I ordered the pumpkin, nut, and chickpea burger with avocado because it was something unique and it sounded like it would be a good option.  There were no open tables outside, I found a table inside that was close to the entrance.  My burger was delicious.  I added a little barbecue sauce for an extra zip and my tastebuds were ecstatic.  A couple of kids sat at the table next to me and asked if they could push the tables together because there would be 8 of them total.  They had ordered for everyone and the food was ready before all of their friends arrived.  They sat the meals on the table in front of each seat, and it looked like it could have been a brochure for the restaurant, because it all looked so well-plated.  The portions were good from the salads to the ribs to the steaks, to the chicken, to the burgers, and more.  When the rest of the crew walked in a couple of minutes later, I realized that I had just seen them minutes before.  It turns out that they were the employees form Peter Pan.  I finished my dinner, said goodnight to them, and headed back to my hotel to pack my bags for my early morning flight to Ayers Rock (Uluru).

I always knew that my trip to Australia would include Sydney, and I added Uluru as a must-see a few years ago.  However, when I started planning this trip earlier this year, I learned that I could add Cairns to my list of destinations without breaking the bank.  In fact, I would still be under my budget.  It really was an afterthought in the grand scheme of things, but I'm so glad that I added Cairns to my journey.  It was a great introduction to Australia for me.  It is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, which was a bonus.  Too bad I didn't find Nemo while I was there.

Now, my plane is descending into Ayers Rock.  I can't wait to experience the magnificence of Uluru at sunrise and sunset.

Uluru from the airplane