Wednesday, September 06, 2006
Off to Cairns ...again!!
There's something in the air in Cairns. Maybe it's the fresh seaside smell, the interaction with nature, or the droves of drunken backpackers laying around with their gear out! Whatever it is, I'm headed there again this weekend. This time I am going to see the ponies (and that's not some crude reference to a Mexican donkey type show). The amateur horse racing cup is in Cairns and supposedly about 30,000 people will descend upon the quaint seaside village to get absolutely blotto, sunburned, and broke. I will be one of them, but I'll not come back to the mine site with empty pockets. I usually don't bet the ponies. I've had a go before at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, AR, and didn't have a good run at all. The guy I was with found a pace near the end and made his money back plus a little, but I cut my losses (Hey Weav, jackass). I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a good gambler. So, I'll sink my piss while cheering on any horse that looks like it could use my support, without actually betting any money on it. I usually pick it right, until I stand to lose something, them my horse tends to suffer spontaneous asthma or some other freak, performance altering affliction.
Let's be honest, why do people actually go to a "cup" race? It has nothing to do with the horses. It could be a cane toad race and it would draw just as many as long as they have cold beer and a good excuse for the lady folk to dress up! It is the pervo's special, the races. Slinky dresses, alcohol, and a nice breeze blowing....P-l-e-a-s-e! It's a fashion show on grass, coinciding with a drunken mingling of social classes. You can pick them right away by the fine details of the cut of the suit, selection of fabrics, accessories, and the drink in their hand. The "upper echelon" will be sipping champaign and mamosas in fine egyptian cotton shirts or linen suits while the blue collar boys will be donning the Target collared dress shirt, black belt, brown boots, and trousers that are just that little bit too short... and swilling Victoria Bitter (VB to the Aussies) beer. It's a wonderful site to see pissed-up, wealthy middle-aged women in silk gowns and satellite-dish sized hats stumbling through the grass in their $2000 high heels. The good Aussie blokes passed out on the lawn, sunburned to a crisp, with a big smile and empty pockets. The evening out on the town after the race is that much sweeter, as folks segregate to their respective social groups...sunburned and suffering from their first tier hangover before their second trip up the hill. I, too, will be making the hike as many times as physically possible. I tend to be constrained to only 2, drunk-down cycles before I just want to go to bed. Not a good trait for an all-day, all night event, but I'll find some way to power through. As for what I will be wearing to the races, I have not a clue. I have to go shopping, as all of this trip to Cairns materialised today (the day before flying out of site on an unscheduled trip). I'll probably be wearing just a shirt and trousers. Something in a nice, light material with a pastel shirt. The temp will be 28 degrees Celsius, which is not too hot, but the sun will be fierce. I'll be slapping on the sunscreen between drinks for sure. I got a bit too much sun 2 weekends ago and it's peeling a bit now, so I look a bit like a low-grade leper.
I'll try to take photos of either me or Phil acting a fool! Run pony run!
There's something in the air in Cairns. Maybe it's the fresh seaside smell, the interaction with nature, or the droves of drunken backpackers laying around with their gear out! Whatever it is, I'm headed there again this weekend. This time I am going to see the ponies (and that's not some crude reference to a Mexican donkey type show). The amateur horse racing cup is in Cairns and supposedly about 30,000 people will descend upon the quaint seaside village to get absolutely blotto, sunburned, and broke. I will be one of them, but I'll not come back to the mine site with empty pockets. I usually don't bet the ponies. I've had a go before at Oaklawn in Hot Springs, AR, and didn't have a good run at all. The guy I was with found a pace near the end and made his money back plus a little, but I cut my losses (Hey Weav, jackass). I've come to the conclusion that I'm just not a good gambler. So, I'll sink my piss while cheering on any horse that looks like it could use my support, without actually betting any money on it. I usually pick it right, until I stand to lose something, them my horse tends to suffer spontaneous asthma or some other freak, performance altering affliction.
Let's be honest, why do people actually go to a "cup" race? It has nothing to do with the horses. It could be a cane toad race and it would draw just as many as long as they have cold beer and a good excuse for the lady folk to dress up! It is the pervo's special, the races. Slinky dresses, alcohol, and a nice breeze blowing....P-l-e-a-s-e! It's a fashion show on grass, coinciding with a drunken mingling of social classes. You can pick them right away by the fine details of the cut of the suit, selection of fabrics, accessories, and the drink in their hand. The "upper echelon" will be sipping champaign and mamosas in fine egyptian cotton shirts or linen suits while the blue collar boys will be donning the Target collared dress shirt, black belt, brown boots, and trousers that are just that little bit too short... and swilling Victoria Bitter (VB to the Aussies) beer. It's a wonderful site to see pissed-up, wealthy middle-aged women in silk gowns and satellite-dish sized hats stumbling through the grass in their $2000 high heels. The good Aussie blokes passed out on the lawn, sunburned to a crisp, with a big smile and empty pockets. The evening out on the town after the race is that much sweeter, as folks segregate to their respective social groups...sunburned and suffering from their first tier hangover before their second trip up the hill. I, too, will be making the hike as many times as physically possible. I tend to be constrained to only 2, drunk-down cycles before I just want to go to bed. Not a good trait for an all-day, all night event, but I'll find some way to power through. As for what I will be wearing to the races, I have not a clue. I have to go shopping, as all of this trip to Cairns materialised today (the day before flying out of site on an unscheduled trip). I'll probably be wearing just a shirt and trousers. Something in a nice, light material with a pastel shirt. The temp will be 28 degrees Celsius, which is not too hot, but the sun will be fierce. I'll be slapping on the sunscreen between drinks for sure. I got a bit too much sun 2 weekends ago and it's peeling a bit now, so I look a bit like a low-grade leper.
I'll try to take photos of either me or Phil acting a fool! Run pony run!
# posted by K-Fleet-13 @ 12:17 AM 
