Cairns

After 3 days and 4 nights on the Gold Coast, we used Mommy's frequent flyer points to fly to warmer weather in Cairns. For Aden and Wiley, the best part of Treetops, where we stayed, was "upstairs," a room above the office with toys and books. One of Mommy's favorite finds at Treetops was in a swap box of sorts, where she found a sleeper gown for the baby. We spent part of our time just as we'd planned - relaxing and not doing much of anything, just enjoying the time together away from our normal routine. We also found some new things to explore. On our last day in Cairns, we managed to squeeze in all of the boys' favorite activities - a train ride, visiting animals, a ride on a skyrail, and swimming at the Esplanade (which we had already enjoyed earlier in the week).

We started the morning on the Kuranda Scenic Railway, riding up to a village a few kilometers away. Although we arrived at the train station 45 minutes early, the boys loved every minute of waiting on the platform. While we waited, we had a special treat of watching a steam engine pass through the station en route from Brisbane, in celebration of 150 years of the railway. We finally boarded our train and began the 1 1/2 hour journey up to the village, through tunnels and over bridges. The boys loved all the sights and sounds of the railway, from the train's whistle to the spectacular views of waterfalls and coastline. Although the train made one 15 minute stop at a scenic lookout, Aden was too excited to get off with the rest of the passengers, and he and Mommy stayed on board.

Because of the spectacle of the steam engine, we were late arriving into the village, where our time was already short. We had also discovered on our trip up that Wiley was running a fever (probably lingering symptoms suspiciously akin to swine flu - see "Honesty is the Best Policy"). So our first stop was to the local pharmacist for some medicine for Wiley. After lunch, Daddy took Wiley to the local doctor, just to make sure the ear infection was not raring its ugly head in time for more airplane travel, while Mommy and Aden set off to see some Australian animals. Aden seemed to enjoy the experience, but a playground had caught his eye on our way, so the animals only held his attention for about 15 minutes altogether - the same amount of time that Wiley was in the doctor's office, finding out that Mommy's worries were for naught. We met back at the skyrail station in time to catch our ride back down to the city. While the train was especially exciting for the boys, everyone enjoyed the relaxing ride on the skyrail, skimming the tops of the trees and making the return trip a bit faster.

After a full day already, however, our day had only begun. We finished some shopping, and took the boys to the Esplanade for one last picnic. This time we went at night, and had Pizza Hut dinner by the free public pool. Since it was later and getting dark, we had the entire pool almost to ourselves. Splashing through the fountains, walking through the sand, and swimming under the stars was a great way to cap off our family vacation.