Australia, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways #36

I love how in the middle of winter, you can take a 3-hour domestic flight and find yourself in a part of the country where it is perfect t-shirt and shorts weather and just humid enough to remind you that you are in the tropics.

Here are some pics of the seaside in Cairns. They have a huge outdoor swimming lagoon right by the sea. The only downside about this place is the crocs, sharks, and jellyfish lurking about during select times of the year....

A fiery night in Cairns

Finally got a chance to sort through the pictures I took on my short trip to Cairns, so expect the next few posts to be Cairns-centric.

zzzzzzzziiiip..! Rewind 3 weeks back to my funemployment days...

I arrived at my hostel on a Wednesday night, a few days earlier than my friends Nhung, Mai, and Trang who I'd be meeting at the hostel on Friday. Coincidentally, Wednesday night at my hostel was fire show and barbecue night. Food and fire for $12 helped to engrain this place in my memory as one of the best hostelling experiences I've had to date.

Here are a few snaps of the fire dancers.

The State Library

Over the past week I have managed to get caught in the rain just about every day. I'm pretty certain the clouds are making a game out of building their pent-up anger from afar and sneaking over to whereever I am in the evening to unleash their fits of rage as I walk home.

I'm starting to learn that clear skies in the morning doesn't mean you can leave your umbrella at home, and that the only predictable thing about the weather here is that if it rains, shallow puddles form on the road, turning the walk home into a cruel exercise in puddle-dodging.

It's a futile exercise. No matter how hard I try, my feet will meet puddle and they will get wet. Maybe I really should consider getting a pair of gumboots.

Here are some pictures of the State Library of New South Wales. It's filled some of the oldest books I have ever laid eyes on and are not behind a glass case. Most of them have something to do with Australian history. There is hardly a piece of wall that is not occupied by bookshelf or stained glass window. Strangely, this library doesn't have that old book smell, but it does have some good old-fashioned index card catalogues.