Mittens 2019 booked! Cairns, Australia, 05 - 12 October

Started by AGA, Mon 07/01/2019 09:10:43

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Layabout

That works fine by me - You have booked the car at Cairns Airport already Snarky?
I am Jean-Pierre.

AGA

Check your PMs! Snarky said he booked a car.

Tamara and I just landed in Hong Kong. Will be here until Friday.

Privateer Puddin'

Enjoy! (and stay safe, tomorrow will probably be the worst of it while you're here)

Snarky

I've made it down to Sydney, writing this from the ferry heading back from Manly beach (water's too cold for swimming down here--should be warmer in Cairns). Man, the flight here is rough. Anyone want to recommend anything to see here?

Wiggy

Bienvenue snarky!

Personally I dislike Sydney, but Dixon St is Chinatown, good yum-cha there, great ambience at "The Rocks" at the southern base of the harbour bridge, pubs restaurants etc. King's Cross is the red-light district, tame by world standards. There are parks and museums but really I found it (lived there 3 times) overcrowded and impersonal and a little bit threatening. Up to you really, much better in Cairns though. See you soon.

Disco

Have fun, y'all! Quite crushed that I could not make it this year. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about it :D

Stupot


Mandle

Quote from: Snarky on Wed 02/10/2019 07:41:03
I've made it down to Sydney, writing this from the ferry heading back from Manly beach (water's too cold for swimming down here--should be warmer in Cairns). Man, the flight here is rough. Anyone want to recommend anything to see here?

The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb is great, but a bit expensive.

Snarky

Quote from: Disco on Sat 05/10/2019 03:19:17
Have fun, y'all! Quite crushed that I could not make it this year. Looking forward to seeing and hearing about it :D

Yeah, it would have been great to have you here! We're all ensconced in the Mittens Villa 2019 (except CJ+1, who'll only be by at the end of the week) â€" Wiggy left just now, having come by with lots of interesting tips and stories.

Quote from: Mandle on Sun 06/10/2019 01:46:38
The Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb is great, but a bit expensive.

Yes, it looked fun and I wanted to do it, but the price was just insaneâ€"around $300â€"and at over three hours it would have taken most of the day. I just got an electric bike and rode across the bridge for about $2 instead.

Privateer Puddin'

Quote from: Stupot on Sat 05/10/2019 22:59:15
Have fun everyone.
Post pics!!!

I'll pop a couple on discord through the week, but will post more after Mittens

Wiggy

I do soooo wish that I'd spent last evening chilling with you guys in the house! Instead I went to the Sports Club on NRL grand final night. Today my body is reminding me that it isn't 25 years old anymore, and it is accomplishing this by simulating an age of 206 years. It has been a slow, hazy day of un-wellness - but it's a self-inflicted wound, so no sympathy expected nor given. Anyhow, I remembered a reef trip I probably didn't tell you about. If you google "Quicksilver" it's a great website, and I have done this trip a few times now. It leaves from Port Douglas and takes all day, it rocks but it is expensive, expect not much change from $300, but all gear and equipment is included, the staff are genuinely interested in you and the food is first class and unlimited. It goes to the outer reef (Agincourt, which is part of the Ribbon Reefs), and the further out you go, the better the environment becomes. (Cumulating in the Coral Sea dive trip at Holmes Reef which is an all-night sail from Cairns. They guarantee a visiblity of 100m underwater or they'll reimburse you. They can do this because the visibility is about 300m - it's like floating in air!!) Quicksilver may not be for all of you, but at least check it out. They have won many tourism awards, and I have never heard anyone describe it as a waste of money or a rip-off. Expensive? Yes, but value for money, albeit a lot of money. For your consideration.
I might catch up with you guys on Tuesday night - I might have regenerated then. Enjoy! Someone please shoot me now..

AGA

Quote from: Wiggy on Mon 07/10/2019 05:25:11
I do soooo wish that I'd spent last evening chilling with you guys in the house! Instead I went to the Sports Club on NRL grand final night. Today my body is reminding me that it isn't 25 years old anymore, and it is accomplishing this by simulating an age of 206 years. It has been a slow, hazy day of un-wellness - but it's a self-inflicted wound, so no sympathy expected nor given. Anyhow, I remembered a reef trip I probably didn't tell you about. If you google "Quicksilver" it's a great website, and I have done this trip a few times now. It leaves from Port Douglas and takes all day, it rocks but it is expensive, expect not much change from $300, but all gear and equipment is included, the staff are genuinely interested in you and the food is first class and unlimited. It goes to the outer reef (Agincourt, which is part of the Ribbon Reefs), and the further out you go, the better the environment becomes. (Cumulating in the Coral Sea dive trip at Holmes Reef which is an all-night sail from Cairns. They guarantee a visiblity of 100m underwater or they'll reimburse you. They can do this because the visibility is about 300m - it's like floating in air!!) Quicksilver may not be for all of you, but at least check it out. They have won many tourism awards, and I have never heard anyone describe it as a waste of money or a rip-off. Expensive? Yes, but value for money, albeit a lot of money. For your consideration.
I might catch up with you guys on Tuesday night - I might have regenerated then. Enjoy! Someone please shoot me now..

Sent you a PM with the plans we have to date!

Privateer Puddin'

#92
Hello friends. Mittens is over for another year, and we've all gone our separate ways. I'm at the airport for a few hours, so here's some photos!


Everyone has arrived!


That's the second biggest boulder I've ever seen.




Chasing down boats!







Wiggy disapproves of Fosters




What is The Secret of Green Island?
Spoiler
Bird poop
[close]







The last night, playing Secret Hitler

Privateer Puddin'

Quickly put some drone footage together since not sure when I'll next have time to do it:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNZTOZxjjHU&feature=youtu.be

Mainly just stuff flying from the house.

Snarky

Nice! (As long as everybody's OK with having their photos posted.)
And thanks for a good Mittens, all!

It was great to see everyone. Particularly CJ and "+1" for the first time in years, and Wiggy for the first time ever. I'm sorry that you couldn't join us for more of the time, Wiggy, and particularly that we missed you on the last night. Thanks for the pizzas (which came very much in handy when AGA left us locked out of the house for close to an hour), the beer and wine, the local tips, and most of all your excellent company. If we'd managed to get you in on Jackbox I'm sure you'd have kicked our asses.

I'm also pleased that I can scratch "play the Dune boardgame" off my bucket list (even if we didn't quite grasp the gameplay strategies), after about twenty years. Thanks for indulging me â€" for the full 10 rounds even!

I'm still traveling Australia, seeing a bit more of Queensland. Just watched the sunset and full moon rise over Airlie Beach after an excellent dinner, and then wallabies feeding right outside my porch at dusk. Life could be worse.

Privateer Puddin'

Other than the one lady in Greece who thought photos stole people's souls, I think everyone's OK with photos. Let me know if not!

Glad to hear Australia is treating you well.

cat

Looks like you had a great time!
It's nice to see CJ and his +1 are still alive in Down Under.

Laura Hunt

Quote from: Snarky on Sun 13/10/2019 12:05:27I'm still traveling Australia, seeing a bit more of Queensland. Just watched the sunset and full moon rise over Airlie Beach after an excellent dinner, and then wallabies feeding right outside my porch at dusk. Life could be worse.

Dying of envy over here. Enjoy!

scotch

CLICK FOR HOT PICS


Had an amazing Mittens! Sad to be back. Great time exploring the rainforest, swimming at waterfalls, winning at Dune due to skill, killing Hitler, snorkelling on the reef, visiting an untouched aboriginal village. Mainly seeing people again. Great to meet Wiggy too, fascinating and storied guy, cheers for the VBs: the new Fosters.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQhe4Tu9d9I

Wiggy

The legend of the Clifton Beach pizza pixie is a myth, a dreamtime legend that tells of a great hunter who always had food and sought those who were hungry and provided for them. In that time it was goanna, crocodile or wallaby but nowadays pizza rules supreme, a little pizza joke there... a Very little joke...

I am so disappointed I slept-in on the day of the Green Island trip! I had such a great time with you guys the night before that I could not wake at the usual birdsong dawn, and instead saw the sun streaming through the curtains at 9:45. It has to be the worst feeling ever, I missed a great time and I had reneged on my promises to show you my aquarium and turn you all into water nymphs. No amount of apologies will suffice for that, and it is one of the biggest regrets of my life - the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

The next day was Kuranda, so I thought I'd "cut you off at the pass" and get to the house at about 5:30 with some pizzas - because there's not much to do in Kuranda, and as you enjoyed a slice or two of entree you could regale me with the tales of your adventures of the past days. When I got there, there was NCH - which is Australian slang for "the domicile was unoccupied". Thinking ahead, I left the pizzas there and went home to have dinner. After dinner, and sure that you guys had gone out for tea I took a little nap. I thought a couple of hours would invigorate me, and I'd join you at about 8:00 p.m. Woke up at 2:45 a.m. didn't I?

There is no amount of jet-lag that could have enabled any of you to be awake then, another screw-up. So I headed for the fartsack to sleep furiously quickly so I could at least catch up with you in the morning. It's a truism of life that the more you want something innocuous - like sleep - the harder it is to obtain. The more you desire something "naughty", the further it recedes. So I slept in again and missed saying goodbye. I feel so worthless.

Anyhow it was great to meet you all and put faces and real names to the legendary names. I hope you enjoyed your time in this part of the world, you were very welcome, and I'll have to do the next mittens properly! Anyone for Antigua or Western Samoa?

With much love and many regrets,

Wiggy

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