Travels to the Edge

Cairns in tropical northern Queensland is idyllic - a welcome opportunity to visit friends, Rob and Paula, and escape the cooler winter months in southern Australia.  I took an early morning tram and the airport bus to Melbourne Airport. I arrived around noon in time to enjoy the closing day of the Cairns Festival. Street markets, music and dance nearby the Botanical Gardens  I enjoyed the change of scenery and climate! Rob and Paula’s apartment is close by the marina The road north towards Port Douglas runs close to the coast  Through rainforests and by secluded resorts, like Thala Beach. And exclusive neighbourhoods- George Harrison had a place near here. We made it back to Cairns marina in time for a moonrise It’s wonderful to be here!

All things must pass. This Camino is coming to an end. Finisterre has been an opportunity to unwind and think back.  Yes I did spend time at the beach - reading THE medieval travel guide on the Camino, informative and orthodox, and very weird in parts. Other times were spent writing. I am happy with what I have done. I am looking forward to more recording and refining on my return home.  Mar de Fóra beach is an extraordinary place- naturally scenic and even mystical, especially at sunset. And now for something completely different! The Finisterre Pirate Festival. Hordes of locals gathered the other night to celebrate Finisterre’s pirate past. I could just imagine this place being a haven for pirates - Ahhh! Two pirate ships ‘motored’ in and did all sorts of pirate stuff like rescuing castaways, frightening the locals… Burying treasure.. . A couple of poor sods were abducted and made to walk the plank - while punters looked on and cheered.  Lots of locals, young and old, c...

People do strange things at the end of the earth - but hugging a concrete milestone, really? Getting to zero is not weird, it’s emotional. All the planning and preparation, starting out, finding ‘your way’, having problems with your feet and/or your pack, the joy and diplomacy of meeting people - ‘Buen Camino’, and saying goodbye - these experiences well inside us, and memories and random thoughts overwhelm. So hugging a tourist attraction is ok, right? My day started differently- in the dark, with an early breakfast. I handed in the key and left. Almost 32 kms to the Lighthouse at Cape Finisterre. The rotating wind generators sent a gentle hum down the hillside and across the valley. After dawn, there were decisions to make - Muxia right, Finisterre left - I took the ‘sinister’ path - hey I am left handed!  I passed a kind and generous, and unattended donativo stall. If you like it, pay what you think. More decisions and reminders that this is more than a walk - l went left again....