Ok so I admit it I was a bit harsh on Cairns. It's amazing how you can take against a place on first impressions when greeted with monsoon like conditions. Granted, the city centre is a write off but on discovery of the esplanade today (when the sun (!) made an appearence) I was pleasantly surprised, not least by the eye candy provided by the joggers. Sitting here, reflecting on my adventures so far as I approach the half way mark on Friday, I'm really happy with the people I have met. There is Thomas, a German guy who seems to be travelling around Oz in a similar vein to me so we ensure we meet up for a drink at every leg of the journey. There is Pernile, now a Facebook friend, who shared the horrors with me of the Outback hostel and Kurt the Sydney guy who has never had a long term relationship who may come and visit me in London. I've also set myself a challenge to pick up an unusual artifact in each country I visit. So far I have managed to negotiate a really quite impressive painting from a gay Hong Kong artist, and a pretty vase made by a local in Ayres Rock. On the health front, I felt pretty dreadful during the night with a bit of a temperature. Doing my homework, I registered today for Medicare which is kind of like their version of the NHS and discovered that we didn't just export out prisoners but a healthy dose of our beaucracy too. Regardless, following a free visit to a doctor in a 24 hour walk in centre that puts ours to shame and a course of antibiotics should set me straight, so to speak. As has a lovely massage by a charming Scottish chap known as 'the massage guy'. Today being a bit of a 'day off' back to business tomorrow with a visit to Port Douglas with Derek driving!