Life is not good when you're in a country with a stronger currency and a higher standard of living. Australia was the first country/continent I visited outside Asia and it was quite a painful experience. I can't imagine how I'll survive with EUR, GBP, USD and JPY. I'll save the story for another day when I eventually get there. The exchange rate prior to departure was S$1=A$1.28. Here are 9 pointers on how to get by in Cairns:
1. Rent a vehicle.
If you plan to travel to other towns/cities and you don't have a driving licence, you better get one before your trip or travel with someone who can drive. Bus to Port Douglas costs A$70 pp return, renting a car (auto) is about A$62 for a day (exclude petrol for unlimited km). That's half the cost! Our hostel recommended A1 Car Rentals, a short distance away from where we stayed. The lady at the counter has a bad attitude though.
2. Book your activities through your hostel.
Globetrotters has a strong network with the tour operators and offer very competitive prices. Brian, Linda and John are nice folks who provided useful travel advice, arranged our transfers, outdoor activities and more importantly, settled whatever claims the operators were trying to make when we have already paid.
The hostel has basic kitchen facilities, free wifi, breakfast and evening meal at Woolshed. The only downside is its location; Lake Street is about 20 mins walk to town.
3. If you don't drink tap water, make sure your hostel has a kettle.
This is where the pain started. We ran out of water and there wasn't a water dispenser around. John assured us tap water here is safe for consumption. I don't have the habit of drinking tap water so we went round looking for mineral water. S$3.45 for the size of bottle I'm holding was simply unacceptable to us. (I don't even know why I'm smiling) We ended up with sparkling water (S$1.66). Lucky we spotted a portable electric kettle in the kitchen when we went back to Globetrotters. So much for undergoing unnecessary distress!
4. Share your meals and half the cost.
And the pain continues with food. A decent meal here costs around A$10. I can eat 4 meals with A$10 back home! We ate Chinese food for several days because it was the most value for money. A vendor even chided us for stacking too much food on the smallest plate!
We got really sick of Chinese food and switched to Western food. Shared a pathetic steak burger and chips (A$10) at Hides Coffee Cafe. There's free wifi and free flow of water from the dispenser! If you run out of water, you know where to go ;)
Another Hides-affiliated cafe selling English breakfast.
5. Give yourself a little treat.
A happy boy jingling coins in one hand and holding a big scoop of mango gelato (A$3.80) on the other hand. Bellissimo Gelateria at Cairns Night Markets has a wide range of flavours in generous serving at affordable prices.
6. Bring your own food and/or prepare your own meals (eat junk food in other words)
Lenard returned us the wrong change and we got away with free kebabs. Heh Heh. Actually, buying frozen food didn't help save much money. Grab whatever you can from home.
7. Do your grocery shopping at Coles, Cairns Central Shopping Centre.
Staying in the burbs was boring. Even in town, there's nothing interesting to see or do. We hung around supermarkets on overcast days. Although Coles is quite far away from Lake Street, it has more deals than Woolworths.
8. Alright, I had enough of sharing.
Look for Saigon Hut in Rusty Market. Quite popular with locals. After sharing every meal for 6 consecutive days, we finally decided to have a bowl to ourselves (~A$8 pp). Nice home-cooked food prepared by a Vietnamese family. This is what I call real food.
9. I can't stand it anymore, I'm willing to let it go and splurge on a good meal!
This is the day we've been waiting for after scrimping and saving for so many days. Can't leave Cairns without having seafood, even if it costs A$30 pp!
Barnacle Bill's was recommended by Linda. Scallops and prawns were very fresh. This was the first time I felt so relieved to be back in Singapore. Fishball noodles and kway chap taste extra good!
