Heading to Melbourne

We have checked out of our apartment and are currently sitting in the Qantas club lounge at the airport in Cairns. We almost didn't get in as the lady at the desk said we had the wrong card for entrance. We explained that our credit card entitles us to entrance at all American Airlines Admirals Clubs as well as the clubs of all airlines in the One World Alliance, of which Qantas is a member. Our card wasn't in her book, so she said she couldn't let us in. We held firm, and she finally relented and said she would make an exception. The Qantas club in Sydney let us right in with no questions asked. We are flying on Qantas, for crying out loud!

It is raining here today, so we picked a good time to leave. The weather will be much cooler in Melbourne as we are traveling south. I hope it will be less humid. Cairns definitely feels very tropical. My final thoughts on this city - again the people are very friendly, many things and activities are free, and the townspeople are very much aware that the tourists are the bread and butter of their community, so they endeavor to ensure you are having a good time. You can have a laid-back urban experience, visit the rainforest or explore the Reef all in the same day. The biggest surprise was that things are nearly as expensive here as they are in Sydney. Let's see what Melbourne brings.