...and then a galah stole my flip flop

Today we took a day trip by train to Kuranda, self-styled as ‘the village in the rainforest’. The hour-long scenic journey climbed up a steep hill incline and bent round waterfalls, giving us nice views of the city outskirts as it gave way to tree-filled valleys. At times the old-fashioned train wound across hairpin bends in an almost perfect horseshoe, and while I’m no trainspotter it was still a novelty to look out the window and see so much of it curved out.
We pulled up at Kuranda, a laidback, arty settlement full of hippy clothes and high-quality craft stores. It was magical, like Byron Bay but without the strongly-beating commercial heart. I found a retro store and obtained a blue peasant blouse for four dollars and Kat, Vicky and I, along with a travel friend we’d kept bumping into up the coast, had lunch in a sideless organic café near the market. Vicky had regretted not hugging a koala and went to the Koala Gardens. I headed to the Australian Butterfly Sanctuary, home to 2000 butterflies, and saw some amazing specimens, in particular the green-and-yellow Cairns Birdwing, Australia’s biggest butterfly. My favourite was the rainforest-dwelling Ulysses Butterfly - a large, beautiful blue specimen that liked sitting on my camera but not keeping still for pictures.
Next up was Birdworld Kuranda, which taught me the cheeky side of Aussie birds. First up, a galah. These parrot-sized Paris Hiltons of the bird world are pink, blue and white, and thought by some for being a bit dim. This specimen was very interested in pecking at my toes, and soon became determined to wrestle my (pink) flip flop away, while I was wearing it. To give its due, the thing had surprising strength but the thievery was halted by a member of staff.
I went off to admire the rainbow-hued collection of birds, nothing like I’d seen in the UK, and hoped to see if the cassowary was out in its enclosure. I was distracted by a cyan-blue parrot landing on my head and refusing to leave. Its claws hurt, and as I had no desire to be pooped on I tried to remove it but was nipped. Some members of the public laughed as the same member of staff as earlier extracted it and put it on the bird equivalent of Supernanny’s naughty step. What else could these birds do? Well, I was wise to a small, brown one scurrying on the ground and trying to peck at my feet, but not when it flew up and broke off a beakful of my hair. And the little mofo did it AGAIN, just as I was about to go through the exit, and the employee, standing nearby, turned to me and said that they prefer blondes.
I now understand how people get bird phobias. Meanwhile, part of my hair may be in a nest but at least I can say I‘ve left a lasting impression on someone in Australia.