The Church, The City

Today, I walked from my temporary accommodation at the Bohemia Resort to meet the local brethren for the first time. The group is about fifteen in total and meets on Grove St. in Manunda, Cairns. They handed me a list of songs as soon as I walked in and informed me that I was to lead singing! Most of the group was from Papua New Guinea, but all were fluent in English. A nice older couple, Stan and Kate Wall, gave me a lift back to the resort, pointing out some local attractions and restaurants on the way. Equipped with tennis-shoes and camera, I spent the rest of the day walking around downtown Cairns. The Rainforest Nature Dome, on the roof of a large casino, was free and accessible by elevator from the main entrance. The dome housed hundreds of different birds, flying around and squawking noisily. A particularly cheeky cockatiel found great sport in swooping down onto people's heads - much to the chagrin of most of the tourists. Afterward, I walked along the coastal boardwalk running all the way from Trinity Inlet to Cairns Harbour. Opposite the harbour rose rainforest-covered mountains with pillars of smoke rising from aboriginal settlements, setting a picturesque backdrop for the long rows of sailboats and catamarans along the main pier. Just as I pulled out my camera, a brief, cool rain passed over, leaving the most brilliant rainbow I've ever seen. For dinner, I rejoined the AustraLearn group for steak at Dunwoody's.

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