Travel to Port Douglas

I was hoping to get an earlier start but spent too much time trying to get my video of my dive to load to youtube. Four hours and 12 bucks later only one of my five videos was able to load...ehhh So learning that tech and certainly internet speeds here are about 10 years at least behind.  Oh well...just like anything here you'll give up for what you get....the beauty and style are the main take-aways.  Instead of waiting longer for a shuttle or paying an outrageous price for a taxi... I decided to rent a car for a trip up to Port Douglas which is an hour or so up the road.   There are a lot of tours that run out of this smaller more quaint version of Cairns.  Much easier trips with the proximity to the reef...lots of people opt for Port Douglas rather than Cairns...plus its a bit more refined and has a bit older crew of people versus the college set that is on the party circuit.  Panama City goes Laguna Beach....well maybe not that extreme!

Anyway, my first expierence at driving on the wrong side would provide some adventure.  Let me tell you that everything is just off from the right....no wonder my english friends are such poor drivers in the states...they are used to driving on the WRONG side.  Im convinced the car just doesn't operate the same from the right.  Whatever the case I don't like it and wont spend much time other than getting there and back to the airport....which worked out better as well, because I can drop the car in the airport parking and be done with it...no shuttle no taxi... all good!

So not long out of town I was already glad of my choice, even after the dizzying amount of round abouts that almost gave me vertigo... the road got coastal and I enjoyed the beach vistas around each turn.  There was even a local called Ellis Beach...which seemed to have a relaxed "gin n' tonic" feel to it that Im sure Ellis himself would appreciate.  I may try and hit it up for lunch on the way back.  As for now Im ready to get north.  However, some things distracted me along the way... So naturally I had to pull over and document.

I will try and get the video of Hand Glider when I get some time and a good connection.  As I get into town and get oriented, I find its going to be to windy for me to get on some excercise w/ the paddle board....and Im a bit late for a quick reef trip to snorkel....so I settle in and find a place to watch the US / Russia game later.  Not quite the 1980 version of Lake Placid classic....it should still provide some entertainment and a Favored Win for the USA is rare in Rugby so... I hope they just don't choke.  It would be a horrific loss if they somehow did....anyway.  Time to relax.