Later, passion subdued and well chilled after a couple of glasses of white wine, Robert slumbered for a couple of hours only to be roused to the sight of a woman sprawled on her side beside him in the aisle and being ministered to by the hostesses. Suddenly the ailing woman got to her feet and skipped down the plane to her seat where another hostess gave her oxygen. Gen commented that a former work colleague had had the misfortune to make two emergency landings on a Sydney-London flight when two people died from health mishaps in separate incidents on the same flight.
Arrival at Cairns went smoothly and we exited at 10pm to search for our hire car which had been thoughtfully left with a lockbox attached to the driver-side window. With the password keyed in, we were off and made our way to the B&B, narrowly avoiding a police road block where my two quarter bottles of chilled white wine might have registered consternation.
Next day we pushed on to Port Douglas, a feeling of beach village hits the tropics and Key West...in bright sunshine - for a big breakfast and a walk to the marina and the historic Sugar Wharf.
We spoke to a woman who mentioned that electric ants, unwanted importees from South America, have become a pest because when one stings it calls a whole colony in to cause serious damage to the unfortunate victim. Also noted that the local pub had nightly sessions of cane toad racing.
Next, we took the coastal road, with views of Thorntons Peak (looking like Mt Fuji) behind tidal mangrove beaches, to Mossman Gorge.
Walked for a couple of hours in the forest and was entertained at a swimming spot by the sight of a bush turkey nimbly jumping onto an unattended bag and disembowelling the contents in quick time. The friendly banter of the aborigine staff at the visitor centre made up for the eye-watering $4 cost of a cup of Daintree tea.
In the brilliant light of the late afternoon we headed for Daintree village, then down a dirt road towards our B&B.
En route we spotted bee-eaters by the roadside in search of insects accompanying cattle. Then we met a mob of brown zebu mix cattle being driven down the road by lady farmers in utes and a pair of scurrying brown and black sheepdogs.
At the B&B, there was a magnificent flame of the forest vine in full bloom - both red and turquoise.
Daintree Valley Haven B&B is run by Peter and Daphne Titus-Rees - two stone lions in front of the bungalow with a swimming pool in the lounge.
Previously a banana farm, running some cattle too. Peter lured Daphne from Richmond Hill, London to small Bismarck island off Papua New Guinea where he looked after plantations producing cocoa, coconuts, copra for exporting to Europe via freighter. Peter had workers coming over from different tribes in mainland Papua to the island - the best procedure was to have no more than 20 from each tribe because they would fight with each other - once you got 40 or more from the same tribe, they would gang up on Peter.
Dotted in the grounds of the Haven are rambutan, lychee, lemonade, lime, breadfruit and jackfruit trees. Rambutan and lychee have to ripen on the tree and a week before they are ready, the flying foxes swoop, as well as cockatoos and galahs who peel back the netting meant to keep them out. Sunbirds, Dusky Honeyeaters, and Restless Flycatchers flit in the trees and around the cabin.
Next to the house is a shed made from timbers from the old dairy in Daintree Village. Here there is a BBQ, outdoor Jacuzzi, and a fridge library for chilling thrillers.
The light outside the cabin attracts a glorious medley of beetles, katydids, and moths. Spiders feast on the midges in their cobwebs, whilst blue and red beetles indulge in an orgy of mating.
Close inspection of the myriad lines and colours reveals a constant fashion show of beauties - insect haute couture.
Spent a day winding up the road to Cape Tribulation via the Daintree Ferry, a chain ferry that crosses the Daintree River which marks the divide between the South and the North (no mobile coverage, all power self generated) Daintree regions.
Keeping an eye out for cassowaries, we pass a before/after sign; then pass through the forest over creeks and under liana entwined forest giants.
We roll into Cape Trib where Masons Cafe offers Aussie specials and all around mud-spattered 4x4s are resting after the trip on the 4WD road from Cooktown.
Next day, Ian 'Sauce' Worcester takes us on a river trip spotting wildife - over 30 out of the world's 50 mangrove species are here.
Spot massive Jabiru energetically probing for eels; then sneak up on a prehistoric looking Papuan Frogmouth snoozing on a riverside branch.
We turn up narrow, mysterious Barratt's Creek, filled with huge downed trees, for Sauce's target species - Little Kingfisher and Great-Billed Heron. As the sun sets, flocks of egrets skim past on the main river, like confetti twinkling in the sun's rays. As we approach the jetty, I ask Sauce about the Daintree River Train, a boat built like a train with carriages, but powered by three marine engines to chug across the river. Sauce says the original owners sold it on, and then it was sold again before it was abandoned within sight of the Daintree Ferry. The second set of owners lived back in the mangroves with two sons, aged 5 and 7.The locals warned of crocs, but the kids were allowed to go swimming and finally a croc got the 5-year-old.
Returned on a lazy drive to Cairns where we wandered the Esplanade and admired The Lagoon outdoor swimming pool with its fish sculptures and all its sunbathers.
Dropped the hire car off and was given a lift to the airport by chatty employee. Originally German, he had lived up and down the East Coast and was heading off to Tasmania in his VW camper. Apparently he did what the truckers do: when they hit a kangaroo, they pop it in the back and get the chef at the next pub to carve up some for the truckie and the rest for the chef.
At the airport, we reach the Virgin counter and see flashing 'CANCELLED' signs under our flight. The global Sabre software system for flights for 400 airlines has gone down and we are shipped off to stay for free plus meals at the Ibis Colonial Club Hotel in Cairns. What a nice surprise.
We phone Virgin to be told we can get on the 12.40pm flight next day; then settle down in the Homestead restaurant, overlooking the lagoon swimming pool embedded in greenery, to a steak dinner with cocktails and an excellent bottle of Shiraz. Time to reflect on the many times in Lima, Sao Paulo, Houston, and now Cairns we had taken time out for an unexpected stopover, courtesy of the airline.
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