Cairns Part Five: Saying Goodbye is Hard to Do

We had six nights and seven days with Jeff's parents but it felt more like the blink of an eye than an entire week.  We really only had one down day all week, which we filled with lounging, beach-walking, and a visit to the small-but-fun Cairns Tropical Zoo.  Mama Osborn wanted to see koalas, and the zoo helped her go one step further as we all got to hold one of the gray fur-balls.  Ma and Pa Osborn found out that koalas don't smell quite as bad as their reputation.  We also fed kangaroos, which was awesome for the Osborns who's only 'roo sightings had been the road kill that litters the highway between Alice Springs and Uluru (Ayer's Rock).

The other highlight of the zoo was watching the keepers feed a large saltwater crocodile named Zack.  The first feeder was in training and watching her slap a dead pig carcass on the ground in an attempt to get Zack to attack his meal was a little painful.  Let's just say that it's a good thing that none of us are vegetarians.  Mercifully, the a more experienced zookeeper came out at the end and fed Zack for real.  The animal's speed and jaw strength were impressive.  It was just a few moments between the time when the pro stepped in and when Zack scurried forward, jumped up, and slammed his powerful jaws down on the poor piggy.  The crunch of the pig's skull was chilling.  But all one had to do at the zoo to shake off such a gruesome scene was to walk 100 meters or so over to the koala enclosure, where a 5 month-old koala stole the show.

The afternoon and evening were spent lounging, snacking, packing, and getting ready for our farewell dinner (which was delicious - our best in Australia up to that point)at a little spot called the Blue Lagoon Cafe, just down the road from our rental in Clifton Beach.  Jeff had crocodile and everyone's food was well done, but Annette would like to give special props to the sticky ginger pudding she had for dessert.  Sweet, just the right amount of ginger, and baked to perfection.  She doesn't usually go for ginger desserts, but this one became the high bar for sweets the rest of our time in Oz.  The parents Osborn were more than satisfied too with the atmospheric outdoor seating and good food.  Indeed, the Blue Lagoon (a recommendation from our Daintree tour guide, David) turned out to be an excellent way to say goodbye to Jeff's parents and Cairns.

Ma and Pa Osborn flew out the following morning.  Tears all around.  We spent the rest of the day arranging flights and camper vans for the next few weeks. We flew to Darwin early in the morning the day after Jeff's folks flew to Sydney.  As they were on their flight home, we were missing them already!