Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous

We woke bright and early and caught a cab to the airport by 6:30 am.  Best of all...NO RAIN!  We arrived at the airport with plenty of time, checked in and got ready to board our flight up to Cairns.  There has been some debate about how to pronounce "Cairns", but I think we all agree...the "R" is silent!  Some of the locals have been over heard pronouncing it "cans" and others "canes".  Which one is correct, you ask?  The world may never know (and I'm not convinced that the Aussies even know, at this point)!

The flight north was uneventful, and three hours later we arrived in Cairns where, to our surprise, we had to set our clocks back an hour. Interesting since we all knew we were flying almost directly north of Sydney. Apparently time zones are divided horizontally and vertically when it comes to observing Daylight Savings Time and they throw in some half hour increments too. That makes keeping track of what they are doing in Arizona seem like a piece of cake!

After adjusting our watches, our shuttle service was waiting to take us up to Port Douglas, where we'll be spending the next five nights. Little did we know how exclusive Port Douglas is, "Situated just a one hour drive north of Cairns along one of Australia’s most scenic coastal roads, the Captain Cook Highway, Port Douglas is a tropical paradise found - and not surprisingly – a popular haven among celebrities, rock stars and politicians seeking anonymity - far and away from the madding crowds and paparazzi."

Our accommodations, the Coconut Grove, are absolutely stunning!  Brad and Eric are sharing a two-bedroom (two-floor) apartment, and Ken has his own luxury one-bedroom apartment down the hall.  The two-bedroom place has one floor with the bedrooms, living room, kitchen, bathrooms and balconies, while the second floor has our own personal BBQ area, pool and spa.

All in all, it should be a very comfortable stay here in Port Douglas!  Tomorrows agenda:  R&R!