We've just come from a delicious tasting of rare tropical fruit at the Information Centre next door.  We stumbled upon it yesterday when we went in looking for maps, and decided to attend today.  They run it only on Mondays and Tuesdays, from 1 to 2, at a cost of $4 each.  If you want to go, be early, because there were about 50 people there in the end.  We were lucky with front row seats.


The manager, a very interesting speaker, showed us the fruit before cutting, talked about its uses and how to tell when it's ready, etc, before her helpers passed around the various fruit.  Some of them were absolutely delicious- sapote, for instance, or abiu, or some of the others we tried, 13 in all.  She also showed us the amazing way a banana flower works.  I've noticed these dark red things hanging off the banana trees so I was pleased to have it explained.  Each petal unfolds to reveal a tiny hand of baby bananas, each of which will grow to maturity, given the chance.  Did you know banana is not actually a fruit, but a herb?

This is a banana flower.  Each dark red petal when peeled off  reveals the tiny pinkish fruit beneath, which will grow into a hand of delicious green, then ripen to yellow, bananas

This weird object is known as a Buddha's hand. We didn't get to taste it because it's going to be a show exhibit- I assume it's a good example.

    My favourite, Amazonian Custard Apple
     - tastes exactly like lemon meringue!


We've had a few drizzly days so not doing much.  We have movies and books (or kindle) to amuse us so we're happy.


Yesterday John and Marg moved on to the Atherton Tablelands - they'll meet up with us in Cairns on Friday. Sunday we leave on our Thursday Island tour.  Friday and Saturday we hope to catch up with my sister, who's currently visiting her daughter in Cairns.