Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 26.

Arrival at Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef.

Indeed, I felt sad to leave Singapore, having discovered that it offered visitors more than I had anticipated. Yet, as I sat in the departure lounge at Changi Airport, it wasn't for the flight back to London. Rather, it was one for the opposite direction, to Cairns in the Australian State of Queensland. It was an overnighter, as all the Round-the-World flights were.

Therefore, after daybreak the next morning, I looked out of the plane's port side window at the ocean below. Soon, the western coastline of land appeared, and I immediately identified the ocean as the Gulf of Carpenteria. The land now beneath me was Cape York Peninsula, the northernmost stretch of Queensland. As I looked from the window of the Boeing 747, I was astonished as well as excited by what I was seeing. The whole of the peninsula was covered with thick rainforest.

This contradicts the schoolbook image of Australia as a dry, sparsely forested semi-desert outback, the kind of landscape I was expecting to see. Instead, I was looking at the Great Divide. This mountainous eastern coastal strip of the continent was covered with rainforest. It's on the East Indo-Pacific Coast where most of the human population resides, with several main cities, Cairns, Townsville, Brisbane, and Sydney, all of which I have stayed in. West of the Great Divide, the forest peters out, and much of the land is a hot and dry semi-desert of schoolbook imagery.

After the plane landed at Cairns Airport, I was interrogated at Passport Control, where I had to empty my rucksack. When a Bible fell out onto the table with all my other belongings, the inspector became more contrite and apologised. But I reassured him that if the government paid me to do the job, I would have acted in the same way. I was learning from this kind of experience that a man with long hair entering the country raised suspicions. Fortunately, unlike Singapore of old, there was no barber shop in the arrivals lounge!

After exchanging a U.S. Traveller's Cheque in the airport lounge for a wad of Australian currency, I stepped outside to wait for a passing taxi to the town centre. I boarded one along with another backpacker, who moaned at the severity of Passport Control (he also had long hair). After covering a certain distance, the taxi stopped, and the driver asked me to alight, taking my luggage with me.

"Do you see that building right over there?" He asked with a local drawl.

"Yes", I replied.

"That's your hostel."

He climbed back into his car with the other backpacker still in it and turned off the road we were on and disappeared. I was left alone to walk the 200 metres of the coastal road into town.

I arrived at the hostel and asked the receptionist if there was a bed available for up to five days. I was offered one in the main dormitory. This was the advantage of arriving at my destination during the morning. Like in Singapore, this was the time of day some of the backpackers checked out of the hostel to move on. After settling in, I found a suitable store to buy groceries to stock up one of the food pigeonholes located in the upstairs member's kitchen and dining room.

One of the first natural features I saw from the moment I alighted from the taxi was a group of forested hills on the other side of town. This is the Trinity Forest Reservation, but for the potential hiker, a river separates those hills from the town, the Chinaman Creek. Without a bridge to cross the river, the Trinity Forest remains inaccessible.

However, I quickly learned that Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, and the streets were lined with shops and businesses selling diving equipment and diving courses of the PADI range of certificates, from beginner to instructor. Snorkelling was also offered.

Upon enquiry, the hostel receptionist suggested visiting Green Island, a coral cay on the Great Barrier Reef. She then sold me the appropriate catamaran tickets for a day cruise to the cay, where I had an opportunity to snorkel and see the Great Barrier Reef firsthand.

Stock photo of an aerial view of Green Island.

The yellow Big Cat ferried us to the island. During the journey, I attended a talk delivered to first-time snorkellers. The cay itself was very different from the so-called "desert island", with a single palm tree stuck in the middle as depicted in cartoons. Rather, a proper coral cay is covered all over with tropical forest vegetation. It's this rainforest that holds the sandbank island together, enabling it to survive storms.

This album shows Green Island Coral Cay as it was in 1997. According to the latest videos of the site, there has been some development, including a hotel for guests. In 1997, Green Island boasted just a restaurant and a swimming pool. By 2025, according to the Internet, its facilities will have expanded to a full-blown resort. In my day, a boardwalk cuts through the rainforest, and I managed to complete the walk without hardly any human development to be seen.

Also, according to what I have watched on YouTube videos, various areas of coral around the island look to be decimated, leaving a bare, boulder-laden seafloor. One YouTube world traveller, Gabriel Morris, refused to publish his underwater video of the seafloor around Green Island. Instead, he shows a video of corals taken at a different location.

Click here for the Index to find the link to the main Biography covering the Cairns experience, which is Weeks 78-81.

Photos of Cairns and Green Island on the Great Barrier Reef.

A main Square, Cairns.

The Pier Shopping Mall, Cairns.

The Pier, interior.

Another view of the Pier interior.

Mudflat as it was in 1997. It's different now.

View of Trinity Forest Reserve from near the Hostel.

Cairns Marina.

A Chinese junk is moored at the Marina.

Palm fronds, tropical beauty

Tranquil during high tide, covering the mudflats.

Threatening clouds resting on high ground.

Cairns Marina and Harbour.

They know how to disguise their car park with greenery.

I board the Big Cat catamaran for Green Island.

The boat pulls out of Cairns.

The mountainous coast of Australia.

The catamaran reaches top speed.

After the talk, the catamaran slows down...

As the Island appears on the horizon.

Approaching Green Island.

View of Green Island beach from the pier.

Part of the beach is concreted over to help stabilise the cay.

The beach is made up of coarse sand and broken seashells.

Beach view of the mainland.

Fitzroy Island is to the left.

A short hike across the cay's rainforest.

I took the short hike after the snorkelling to dry out. 

Underwater shots of the Corals.

I wore a button-up shirt in the water...

I was advised to wear a shirt to avoid sunburn.

Unfortunately, the water was murky.

But this didn't detract from underwater photography.

I was surprised by a lack of free-swimming fish.

Yet, to swim among the corals was a privilege!

The reef was healthier in 1997 than at present (2025).

Spot the fish.

A Sergeant Fish.

Coral comes with a great variety.

Sadly, there are already signs of reef decimation.

I just caught this Sergeant Fish on camera.

 Corals are colourful by day, but they're more so at night.

A beautiful underwater garden.

Sometimes, the water is less murky.

I literally hover over the seabed, a snorkel in my mouth.

Some fish swim by.

Fully dried out, I board the boat for home.

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Next Week, the stay in Cairns continues with a trip to Port Douglas.

Travel Biography Photo Extravaganza - Part 25.

Long Hair in Britain, but not in Singapore?

It took months of preparation to embark on the Round-the-World (RTW) trip, taking off from London Heathrow to Singapore Changi Airport in late May 1997. During those months, all my church friends knew what I was up to, but instead of congratulating me and wishing me success, they covered their envy by remorseless teasing. These were unmarried men of various ages, and a couple of them had a university degree, a few others attended college, but the one who teased most intensely left school without any formal qualifications and spent his working life on manual labour.

In other words, he was very much like me, who also left school in 1968 without anything to show for it, and spent my life getting my hands dirty. But there were differences. One was, I had a natural spirit of adventure, and I had no hesitation in lone travel to far-flung places, as soon as I was old enough. By contrast, he was far more interested in football (that is, soccer, in the USA), both on the field and on the stands. His social talk centred mainly around football.

So what does all that have to do with my planned trip? Simply this, he thought that all men must have short hair before entering Singapore, and a compulsory barber shop was established in the arrivals lounge of its airport. He also knew how much wearing long hair meant to me in 1997, as it still does now. What he wasn't aware of was that the ban on male long hair was lifted in 1993.

Or perhaps he was aware, and hoped that I wasn't aware. Therefore, not long before take-off, I boarded a train to London specifically to call at the Singapore Consulate. I was reassured by a staff member that the ban on long hair had already been lifted, and this Singaporean flew to his own city wearing long hair.

When our church friend learned of my trip to London, he was even more intense with his teasing. But supposing all that was true, that a haircut was compulsory at Passport Control, how would I have coped? I couldn't. Instead, I would have returned with the air tickets to Trailfinders, where I had bought them, and asked for an amendment to remain at Changi Airport for an exchange flight to Cairns. Had this been possible, no doubt, I would have had to pay extra for the amendment.

But none of that was necessary. After I received reassurance from a Singaporean, I was ready to fly out.

In Singapore.

Pavilions in Chinese Gardens (see below).

This week's album is a continuation of my 1997 five-day stopover in Singapore. In fact, the evening I made my way back to the airport for the ongoing flight to Cairns, I felt sad. Singapore turned out better than I anticipated, and I shall miss it. However, while I was staying there, rather than focusing on the city of modern skyscrapers, I instead focused on the natural beauty mixed into the urbanisation. This included Sentosa Island, a smaller island just off the main island City-State. Here, water features intermingle with tropical vegetation and are dominated by a 37-metre-high Merlion of white cement, making Sentosa a major tourist attraction for future generations, as well as a respite spot for the locals.

Sentosa Island at night looked magical! The Merlion is illuminated and gradually changes colour every thirty seconds or so. Crowds of Singaporeans saunter around and amass at the outdoor theatre to watch the Dancing Fountain perform its daily laser-light show. In the city, Clarke Quay is fully illuminated at night.

I didn't stay entirely dry during my stay in Singapore. There was an outdoor leisure pool with flumes at Sentosa, and I, along with a couple of lads from the hostel, swam there and floated slowly and peacefully along the Lazy River, banked on both sides with tropical vegetation. However, I set foot on Sentosa Island more than once, and on the second visit, which was on my own, I swam in the sea at Siloso Beach, a man-made strip of sand on the south side of the island, and backed by tropical vegetation, mainly Traveller's Palms, and outdoor bars.

A cable car line connects Sentosa Island with Mount Faber, with Harbour Station in the middle of the line. On one occasion, I boarded a cable car at Mt Faber, after spending some time admiring the views of the city from its summit, and rode the whole length of the cable car line to Sentosa, where I had a chance to swim in the sea.

A day trip to the Chinese and its adjoining Japanese Gardens, west of the City, was also on the agenda. To get there from the hostel, I boarded an East-West Line subway train at Bugis Station to alight at Chinese Gardens Station, after quite a long ride of 18 km and stopping at 11 stations before alighting at the 12th. Hence, the whole ride, one way, was over an hour. However, in 1997, only two lines were passing through under the city, and there was no need to change trains.

The most attractive feature of the Chinese Gardens was Lake Jurong, which is a widening of the Jurong River before flowing out to the sea. On one side of the lake are three pavilions, whose oriental beauty was featured on picture postcards sold in malls alongside Orchard Road. The pic above shows where I positioned the camera, on exactly the same spot as the professional photographer.

Chinese Gardens also featured Bonsai Gardens, an alfresco display of potted herbs. However, I was intrigued by their age despite their stunted growth. One of them, featured in this album, was eight years older than me. The whole exhibition was set in Chinese surroundings, and being already far from home, I wondered whether I had strayed into China itself! It's a fact that many newlyweds arrive at Chinese or Japanese Gardens for the perfect background for their wedding photos. Fortunately for me, a middle-aged singleton, I visited the gardens on a day when no weddings took place.

The whole park had a lookout tower of Chinese architecture, the Cloud Pagoda. A stair climb to the top offered great views.

Click here for the Index link to the main Biography covering Weeks 74-78.

  

Photos of Singapore as it was in 1997.

The Sentosa Merlion glows in the night.

I watch as the Merlion changes colour.

Well lit, Clarke Quay.

Traveller's Palms and other Tropical veg, Sentosa.

Kids play at Siloso Beach, where I had a sea swim.

Cable Car ride from Mt Faber.

Cable Car Views.

City view from Mt Faber.

View of the Cable Car from the summit.

A new record. 10,869 km is 6,757 miles.

City view from Mt Faber.

A couple of Chinese Pagodas, Chinese Gardens.

A clearer view of the Pagodas.

Oriental Architecture, Chinese Gardens.

One of the pavilions.

Chinese Bridge.

Bonsai Gardens.

An Oriental doorway to the next garden.

Bonsai Garden exhibits.

This stunted bush is eight years my senior!

Far East settings.

Cloud Pagoda, Chinese Gardens.

View of the Gardens from the Pagoda lookout.

A subway train is about to pull into the station.

I pose under a shelter.

Bridge of Double Beauty, Japanese Gardens.

Reflections at Japanese Gardens.

The Bridge of Double Beauty, Japanese Gardens.

Islamic Mosque, Bugis.

Little India, Bugis.

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Next Week, I arrive at Cairns, in the Australian State of Queensland.