Cairns

You find me in the International Terminal at the Cairns Airport, waiting for a flight to Osaka.

The flight (so far) has not been delayed.

The airport is busier than it was the last time I was here, when it was practically empty

I do not know why, but the domestic terminal is chockers full of shops and eateries. The international terminal - not so much.

Anyway, we flew up to Cairns yesterday afternoon and stayed in the Coral Tree Inn, close to the city centre. It's a budget hotel but had everything we needed: a large enough room, reliable wifi, nice and comfortable twin beds,  close proximity to The Esplanade with its eateries, harbour view and shops.

View of the hotel pool and breakfast area, 
from a landing, not from our room

We walked to The Esplanade for dinner and ate at the Little Sister restaurant

This was the view from our table:

Lindsey ordered the Moreton Bay bugs. I ordered the crispy barramundi. Lindsey was commenting that you pay a premium for eating in a coastal tourist area. And then our food turned up:

We had chips and green vegetables on the side. And you cannot complain about the amount of bugs or barra that we got for our money!

I wonder where the passengers on that VERY large 
cruise ship were off to

We had breakfast this morning at the hotel. $35 for two at a buffet style restaurant. Good enough value for money. Both hot and cold options, including scrambled eggs, potato gems, cooked tomatoes, veggie potato cakes, fruit, pastries, tea, coffee, toast. Even better value for money when you consider it was an all you can eat buffet, and I've just paid $34.50 for a soft drink, sparkling water, iced coffee and a (not very) blueberry muffin at the airport!