It has been raining on us since today's drive began, and Cairns is soaked under dark skies.

[Photo by Justin Mounts]

Journal by Neil Dana

Well here we are again, as a team, driving around the world. It is nice to be back together and run into all our daily challenges. I am really excited to head west across the entire desert and see the stars in the sky at night. But as for now, we are in Cairns at a backpacker hostel about 15 blocks outside of the center of town. It is pretty empty at the moment, with most backpackers staying in the center of town. We did receive a nice rate to stay here though, three nights for the price of two, and free Internet, even though the Internet is only open a few hours each day. There is always some kind of quirks with deals.

So, today it is pouring rain, literally pouring! We have designated today as a workday, and we all have various things to do. I have been editing some photos and catching up on some email correspondence. It is quite nice to spend a day in the rain indoors just working and relaxing. We are all looking forward to our dinner at the Woolshed tonight. In Cairns, you get tickets to eat dinner for free at the Woolshed, however the free dinner is a small plate of spaghetti or rice with beans, which is not enough food for the hearty appetite. So, for an additional $4-6, you can have a complete dinner plate, which isn't bad, and still much cheaper than eating anywhere else. After dinner, the Woolshed turns into a nightclub scene and fills up every night of the week.

After driving up here to Cairns and the north east coast of Australia, it reminds me of Central America, in that it is completely tropical and humid. I never realized how green and lush it was up here. I had always pictured Australia as a much drier place. It is really beautiful, and filled with endless fields of sugarcane.

So, I will keep today's journal entry short, as we are all working and doing the tasks needed to keep us in the public eye and raise money for Parkinson's. In fact, we met a news reporter today who is coming by early in the morning to do a story on us and put us on Channel 7, which is Australia's largest channel. That is really great publicity for us, and we are excited.

Until next Monday,

Neil

Help support our cause: The LONGITUDE Expedition is the longest journey ever attempted with a focus on Parkinson's Disease. The Drive Around the World team aims to raise money for Parkinson’s Disease research by driving four certified pre-owned Land Rover Discoverys around the globe following lines of longitude. Readers are encouraged to pledge small amounts of money per expedition-kilometer via a pledge form that can be found on our Parkinson’s page by clicking here. 100% of donations received go directly to Parkinson's research and all who donate $10 or more will be entered into a raffle to win an expedition-equipped Land Rover Discovery.