6.26.06
Cairns
Today we went back to Cairns for the day, and on the way we stopped at the Tjakaputi Aboriginal Center to learn about the coastal Aboriginees. First thing we did was watch a documentary on how the Europeans ruined the natives’ lives, then we watched an acting out of the Aboriginal story of creation. The final thing we watched was a short Aboriginal dance demonstration, followed by the 4 performers singing “Proud to be an Aboriginee,” which was this horrible pop song with muzak accompaniment and all; the irony is that the performances started by making all the whites feel guilty for our ancestors’ careless invasion of Australia, and ended with a painfully awkward pop song about the Aboriginal pride, sung in English. Fortunately, after the performances, I learned how to throw a boomerang and a spear! Now I am fit to hunt kangaroo and such. My brother caught the boomerang when it came back to him, like the stud he is (which is really hard, because those things are going 500 mph spinning towards your cranium - I ran away from mine). So Cairns is awesome. Tom the tour guide said that real estate here is the most expensive in all of the country, and I believe it. It’s a pretty beach town with ample shopping and a nice downtown area. We had really good dinner at the hotel, then went to the Night Market, which is kind of the staple of Cairns. My mom and I found a bunch of fun things, and bought a couple of them, including a platapus puppet and a boulder opal. Also, I put some lotion on that allegedly contained sheep placenta – pretty gross, but man was my skin baby soft. I didn’t ask how they got the placenta.
Interesting Cairns Facts:
+The Aussie government wasn’t interested in building an airport here prior to the major resorts being built, so the city fundraised and accumulated the money to build the airport on its own. It is now the 4th busiest airport in Australia.
+There are zillions of Japanese people around.
+Almost every store is Duty Free.
+My mom can’t find Maybelline or L’Oreal cosmetics anywhere here.
Today we went back to Cairns for the day, and on the way we stopped at the Tjakaputi Aboriginal Center to learn about the coastal Aboriginees. First thing we did was watch a documentary on how the Europeans ruined the natives’ lives, then we watched an acting out of the Aboriginal story of creation. The final thing we watched was a short Aboriginal dance demonstration, followed by the 4 performers singing “Proud to be an Aboriginee,” which was this horrible pop song with muzak accompaniment and all; the irony is that the performances started by making all the whites feel guilty for our ancestors’ careless invasion of Australia, and ended with a painfully awkward pop song about the Aboriginal pride, sung in English. Fortunately, after the performances, I learned how to throw a boomerang and a spear! Now I am fit to hunt kangaroo and such. My brother caught the boomerang when it came back to him, like the stud he is (which is really hard, because those things are going 500 mph spinning towards your cranium - I ran away from mine). So Cairns is awesome. Tom the tour guide said that real estate here is the most expensive in all of the country, and I believe it. It’s a pretty beach town with ample shopping and a nice downtown area. We had really good dinner at the hotel, then went to the Night Market, which is kind of the staple of Cairns. My mom and I found a bunch of fun things, and bought a couple of them, including a platapus puppet and a boulder opal. Also, I put some lotion on that allegedly contained sheep placenta – pretty gross, but man was my skin baby soft. I didn’t ask how they got the placenta.
Interesting Cairns Facts:
+The Aussie government wasn’t interested in building an airport here prior to the major resorts being built, so the city fundraised and accumulated the money to build the airport on its own. It is now the 4th busiest airport in Australia.
+There are zillions of Japanese people around.
+Almost every store is Duty Free.
+My mom can’t find Maybelline or L’Oreal cosmetics anywhere here.
posted by serota at 7:24 PM
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