Up, Up in the Air and Dining with the 'Roos

Another painful morning – 3:15AM wake up call!  But it was for a very good reason. We were going hot air ballooning over the Atherton Tablelands this morning.. 

We flew back yesterday from Lizard Island and are staying in the Shangri-La Hotel on the Marlin Marina.(view is from my balcony).  This is a lovely hotel, but, I must admit, we were all going through withdrawal pangs after leaving Lizard Island.  Our stay was truly paradise.

 

A bus arrived at the hotel promptly at 4:10am and we were off to the departure location at Mareeba, about an hour's drive north of Cairns. Couldn't see much along the route except a very winding road. The sky was pitch black until shortly before we arrived. By then the sun was starting to rise and we found ourselves in a big field with about 6 or 7 giant balloons, all in the process of being 'fired up'  for flight. These '450' balloons are the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, holding 450,000 cu. ft. of air. The balloon itself was 33 meters tall. Our balloon  The Koala,had a basket that held about 25 people.  

My first hot air ballooning experience was in Australia's Yarra Valley several years ago and there were only about 8 or 9 of us in the basket. I actually prefer this smaller balloon, but the scenery below us was fascinating.  There's no other experience to compare with floating gracefully over beautiful landscapes. The pastoral countryside below us had acres and acres of neatly planted rows of mangos, pineapples, lychees, bananas and pumpkins. I never realized when driving past the orchards how perfectly aligned the rows were. This area is apparently one of the best for ballooning as it is protected from strong winds by the surrounding mountains. Unlike other less protected destinations they only have to cancel about 25 flights a year.

Our pilot told us to watch for kangaroos as he slowly descended and sure enough we began to spot them.

As we dropped lower, they would start to run, but I was able to catch a few photos. You will have to trust me that there really is a kangaroo in the picture on the right, but he's there. As soon as we landed, we were put to work gathering and deflating the balloon – not an easy job for such a large one.

Our pilot, a typically funny Aussie, had told us there were 2 things you could count on about ballooning. One, you WILL come down and Two, it may NOT be where you had planned. Sure enough, that was the case for us, and the owner of the farm and his wife had a few choice words for  our pilot while we gathered the balloon!

It was a great experience and well worth the early rising. And good news awaited us in Cairns-- we had a totally unscheduled day until the evening. Unfortunately, the wheel on my large suitcase had broken off yesterday so I was off to the local Meyers (the store that hosted our dinner in Melbourne), to buy a new one.

Australian animals are known to be 'creatures of the night,' and I've sent clients for years to the Cairns Night Zoo to see some of these remarkable creatures in an intimate setting. Now it was my turn.  The evening began with traditional Aussie food such as barbecue followed by pavlova for dessert.  This is meringue with fruit and whipped cream and is as beloved by Australians as Vegemite (a kind of  thick soy sauce that they spread on buttered toast,ugh!). 

With full tummies (when haven't they been on this trip?) we headed outside with flashlights to help us spot these animals.  The koalas were adorable, as usual, but I definitely wouldn't say that about the crocodiles, snakes, toads and lizard.

The kids loved a chance to pet and feed the friendly kangaroos, and so did I!  The evening ended with Billy Tea and Dampers(tea brewed over a fire in a Billy can and yellow cake with honey)  by the campfire. And, lastly, dancing famous Aussie Bush Dances and singing  favorite  Aussie tunes.

It had been a VERY long day but another truly special one!  Tomorrow we head north to the Daintree Rain Forest region and more adventures but internet may be pretty spotty.
Linda