Cairns to expect an influx of Mexican tourists

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...at least if word of this gets out !

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/more-than-50-tourists-are-stranded-in-gondolas-metres-above-the-ground-in-the-skyrail-rainforest-cableway-at-kuranda/story-e6freoof-1226604141179<br />

Quote:

OPERATORS of the Skyrail cable-car attraction near Cairns have been criticised for leaving tourists "swinging in the breeze" for hours after power was cut to the popular tourist attraction.

Approximately 54 sightseers sat suspended along the line for more than four hours yesterday afternoon after a fallen tree damaged the electrical control equipment around 4.20pm Saturday and crippled the cableway.

One cableway was back online within an hour and the other with 54 stranded tourists came back on at 8.25pm.

Visibly upset passengers, some arguing loudly with Skyrail staff, trickled back through the main terminal from about 9.30pm.

US tourist Sue Tempero said it was a terrifying ordeal.

"It was scary," she said.

"We were stuck for five hours. It was cold, dark and it was raining hard. It was just like being stuck in a lift except you are hundred feet up in the air."

She criticised Skyrail for a lack of communication.

However, a pair of honeymooning Mexican tourists said they didn't mind the delay.

"We had a lot of time on our hands," said Cinthya Prieto

"We did what all couples on honeymoon do. "Why not?"

She said she now had a story to tell.

"It was an adventure. I trusted everything would be okay. We had a great time. I thought we might have had to sleep there. I could have stayed up there all night."

The Skyrail Rainforest Cableway experience is a 7.5km-long journey over ancient rainforest, Red Peak and Barron River Falls near Kuranda in the state's far north.

It is usually a 2.5 hour round trip but a fallen tree crashed the entire Skyrail control system about 4.20pm yesterday.

It left 54 tourists - including the lovestruck couple - stuck in their gondolas up to 40m high in places until the cable way came back online about 8.20pm last night.

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@vikorr,

Smiles. On that last trip of mine in Italy, now getting to be quite long ago, 1999, I was on a train to Cremona (piazzas, violins) sharing the train car with a crew of mexican woman on a pilgrimage plus adventure. At the Piacenza stop, suddenly we had quiet and we all talked and they asked me where to stay in Florence. Well, I speak a little spanish and the leader spoke a little english. There were something like ten of them. Egads, I had my own itinerary all set since it was really tight re timing. And ten of them were going to show up at night time at the Florence stazione. I did know there was a good (from past experience) tourist info room there, where they could probably get help.

I assume they made it and had a good time. I also ran into a larger batch of mexican tourists at the Malpensa airport in Milan - and they sang hymns as they waited for our plane to Rome.

Good attitudes!

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@ossobuco,

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@vikorr,

Well, the three sets of mexican tourists together comprise(d) a lot of positive people..

Good to see you posting - I haven't seen you post much lately or maybe I missed it/them.

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@ossobuco,

I go through periods of posting on here. Sometimes life goes through periods of intense busyness, or I lose interest for a while, or other. Usually I end up coming back for a bit of mental stimulation because there's a number of thought provoking people around here (and sometimes also to post some amusing thing like this article).

It's a nice place to hang out Wink

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What is that Mexicans say. Manyana. (Sorry, I'm barely literate in Spanish.) But it means something like tomorrow or no worries, relax, chill. Anyway, I've always appreciated that kind of laid back attitude, probably cause I haven't got it at all. Irish impatience is more my stride.
Seriously though, who gets on a cable car without realizing nature can play funny tricks, especially in a storm. Obviously, if the cable car could have been fixed or moved, it would have been. Doesn't anyone read the fine print anymore???

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@Ceili,

No. Most of us get on elevators at the bottom, and expect to make it to the top, or where ever it is we're going.

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@vikorr,

Well done Mexicans! life gave them a lemon and they made whoopie.

I'd have been too scared that vigorous sex might make the car fall, or something, I think. Then again, hopefully not.

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And yet, we've all heard stories of being stuck in one or been stuck ourselves. We had a hundred car pile up here the other day. Everyone knew the roads were shite, everyone knew there was a greater possibility that an accident could occur, but I'll bet none of them banked on getting caught in something like that. Regardless, each and everyone of them had an expectation to make it to their destination. Accidents happen. Wether or not they could have been prevented is a good question.
If they cut all the trees down to prevent the cable car from getting hung up, perhaps it would negate the reasons people got on the cable car in the first place.
Did people or the proprietors know a storm was brewing, should people have been allowed on the cable cars? Was it a sudden squall, does this sort of thing typically happen? I'm sure the company will learn from this and install a communication system, or a better back up system.
My point is, while people have expectations of safety and having their plans fulfilled, we all have to deal with disappointment at times. In the last few weeks, there have been 4 disabled cruise ships. I've found the departure interviews interesting. Some people are blazing angry while others seemed to have found a reason to celebrate.
I go through spurts where I travel a lot. I now completely expect the plane I'm on to either be delayed or cancelled. Therefore I'm delighted when it's not.
See, it's all in the attitude. Wink

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@dlowan,

Quote:

Well done Mexicans! life gave them a lemon and they made whoopie.

I thought a true mexican would pull out the tequila and salt.

Five hours?- cystitis!

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@hingehead,

Sometimes.

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@vikorr,

Hello Friends,

A tip when getting prices on accommodation in hotels in Australia & in most places in the world, is to ask for their best price or if they have a seasonal rate or packages available for the period you are intending to travel. I suggest that this hotel has given you their rack rate (highest rate). Send another request and ask for their best rate for this period. February is not a busy month in Cairns & I would be surprised if you didn't get a more favorable response.

Thanks and Regards,
Jeff Lee

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Cairns to expect an influx of Mexican tourists

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