Hi all, Well it's been a while since I added a postcard so I thought I'd best jump online and update you all on my carry ons. Its great to see new messages from cousin Cathy, BC and the rest of you. It sounds like its nothing but baby talk back in Ireland so there's no point in me heading in that direction for about 10 years! I don't want to catch that bug (just yet). I probably have a few other bugs, but we won't go there!!! Well, when I was planning my time in oz I was only going to stay in Cairns a night or two. Two weeks later I'm still here and to be honest could easily stay another couple of weeks. The first week was mostly spent doing my open water diving course which I have added in a seperate postcard. On the way back from my diving course on the barrier reef I overheard 3 lads talking with cork accents, so I thought I'd have to say hello and see where they were from. Before I had a chance to ask them I overheard one of them saying "this is the life and you wouldn't see this around Kanturk". When I heard that I was over straight away and said "sorry lads but I heard the cork accents where abouts are ye from?". The lads then told me they were from Kilkorney, Lyre and Kanturk. I introduced myself and how I knew these places so well and we then began the do you know so and so. As the conversation went on one of the lads (Niall) told me he was a school teacher in Liscaroll N.S and that he had taught my younger cousin Alan Sexton. Whilst he is over here on holiday his car was at my uncle Pat's garage being fixed!!! Small world hey? The lad from Lyre was Patrick Barry (donnie barry's son) and the thrid lad was a nephew of James Howard's (David Howard from kilkorney). We couldn't believe that we had bumped into each other!!! We arranged to meet for a few jars that night, but as the evning went we never ended up meeting again. The boys were heading down the east coast the next morning, so I haven't seen them since, but I'm sure they are having a ball. My time in captain cooks was pretty cool although it was fairly noisey at night. I was sharing a room with a girl from France called Cecile. She was really nice and showed me around the town one afternoon and also told me what to do and not do. She was moving on to do a child minding job near Mt Isa, so I hope that is all going well? On the Saturday morning and with a massive hangover I checked out of Captain Cook's backpackers and went over the road to Bohemia. This was where I met up with Christina and Katrin (two german girls I met on the Ayers rock trip). We went into cairns to check the place out as I hadn't really done this after being there for a week. I was too busy with the diving. That night we went for dinner and had a drink in the mad cow, but we were all shattered so headed back to bohemia for an early night. The next day we got up early and jumped on a bus up the coast to palm cove. This was a lovely beach north of cairns. We spent the day there and then met a friend of Katrin's who would had a beer with and went to another lookout spot. Back to the backpackers and I was getting spruced up for a night of watching Cork against Galway in PJ O'Briens (one of the only places in Oz not too charge you to watch the gaa games). That was a good night and another big session. I met a fella from Grenagh whose mother was teaching in Dromahane. Is there any one left back in Ireland? I think they are all here. Cork and Kerry both won and the craic in the bar was fairly good. Monday was quite for me before heading on a three day two night trip to cape tribulation with Katrin and Christina. This was failry good starting with a river cruise on the daintree river and seeing a few wild crocs. When at Cape Trib we continued to eat like Kings and Queens (the pounds are piling on). We also did horse riding on the beach and Kayaking which was all good fun. Cape trib is so beautiful and you feel so far away from civilisation. It was quality. Even the mobile had no coverage so just pure peace and quite for three days and not many beers eiether!! Will add another postcard at a later date have to check the latest news for Dublin Tyrone and Cork and Clare. TTFN Michael