Darwin - Cairns - Port Douglas - Day Fifteen -

Dear Lola,

Wake at 5:30am. 

Leave apartment 6am. 

Arrive at airport 6:20am. 

Enter airport leisurely to hear over loud speaker that flight 1871 from Darwin to Cairns leaving at 6:55am is closed. 

CLOSED! 

Run frantically toward check in - push to the front and out of breath desperately express that we need to get on that plane! "Ah you must be the Jamesons - you know you are very late." With a sharp emphasis and raise of the eyebrows on the 'very late' part. Lola your big, brown doey eyes help for sure as our bags are reluctantly checked in - thank goodness for that! Papa runs to check in your stroller, as we run (Home Alone style) toward our boarding plane!

Finally seated on the plane, we get a  chance to take a breath and wonder how this happened! Hmmm - arriving at the airport at 6:20 for a flight that leaves the ground only half an hour later is the short answer.

On a positive note we didn't have to wait around at all, and we have learnt that in our short experience that Qantas is incredibly reliable and efficient, leaving not a second past the time printed on our ticket!

The flight is a good one. You do your wriggle dance before falling asleep as our breakfast is arriving.

We arrive in Cairns and love it from the moment we step out of the airport. Beautiful green, lush mountains on one side & the ocean on the other form a stunning backdrop as we make our way to Port Douglas. It is overcast, balmy and drizzling, but as we arrive in Port Douglas the sun is out and we find our apartment, suitably titled 'Under The Mango Tree'.

After a drive down the main street and a grocery shop you sleep for a good 2 -3 hours as we settle in and have a bite to eat. We are keen to pop you in the stroller and explore a bit in the afternoon, checking out the beach, town & park playground. You become obssessed with these nuts you find on the ground, picking them up, turning them over, tasting them, trading them for more nuts, passing them to us, before requesting them back, and finding more to fill your little hands. We sit back and enjoy a cool beer at a cool pub as you continue on nut collecting. 

Back home for bath and bed. Movie for ma & pa on the lounge as we discuss what tomorrow will bring. My birthday of course!

Your mama