Hey everybody and welcome to my final blog entry :( I didn't have much time over the last week or so of my travels to sit down and have a blog session so even though I am now back in England and my time travelling already seems a lifetime ago, I thought it necessary to bring it all to a close. So here it goes...

When I wrote my last blog we had just completed our Whitsundays boat trip and were back in Airlie Beach for a few days of relaxation before continuing up the coast. We had two days in Airlie which we mostly spent lazing by the lagoon in the sunshine :) By this time we were into the Easter Bank Holiday so there was lots of people around with a really lively atmosphere which was cool. The night life in Airlie was really good too so after a tiring couple of days lying by the lagoon we headed out of a few cheeky drinks and a boogie. On Easter Sunday we exchanged chocolate Easter Bunnies (which were completely metled by midday!) and boarded the Oz bus up to Townsville where we caught the ferry over to Magnetic Island, one of my favourite places on the East Coast. (Magnetic Island was named by Captain Cook who claimed that when he discovered the island, the hands on his compass began to play up so he put it down to the fact that the island had magnetic qualities...guess who was listening carefully on the bus journey to the island lol?) From the minute we set foot on the island to the minute we boarded the ferry back to Townsville two days later the sun was shining and the there wasn't a cloud in the sky. It was absolutely gorgeous! Our hostel in Magnetic was really cool too, set right on the beach with a swimming pool...I could easily have spent a few more days there. On our first night there we were reunited with some of our friends off the Oz bus for the last time so we spent the evening in the hostel bar and made the most of the $3 gin and tonics! The next day we were feeling very energetic and decided to hire bikes to explore the island. ..not my usual hangover cure but it definitely did the trick! A lot of people chose to hire mopeds or open top cars but not us...we like to be different hehe. There 's only one main road on Magnetic Island making it very easy to find your way around so we set off exploring the different bays and sites along the way. We had a little walk along the rocks and spotted some rock wallabys which was cool...and then embarked on the biggest hill climb EVER! The guy at the bike hire shop warned us about the hill and advised us to push the bikes up the walking track...which turned out to be a very bumpy dirt track in direct sunlight. Let's just say by the top of the hill we were all down to our bikinis and 'glistening' haha. Nice. However, as the saying goes, what goes up has to go down and our journey back later on that day was sooooo much fun! Throughout the day we stopped off at a few of the bays for a sunbathe and a swim to cool us down and also stopped to do the koala walk where we were lucky enough to see a baby koala...so cute! When we got back to the hostel that evening we were exhausted...but what a fantastic day :)

The next morning we went to drop the bikes back and then caught the bus over to another pretty spot called Picnic Bay where we spent the morning in the sunshine. In the afternoon it was time for us to leave so we boarded the ferry and headed back over to Townsville. Ellie had arranged to meet some family friends that night so me and Elle went for our free hostel dinner (spag bol of course!) and then sussed out a local bar with 2-4-1 wine...perfect hehe! The next day we were back on the bus for a short trip up to Mission Beach. Here we stayed at Scotty's beach house, a really cool and friendly hostel with a much needed swimming pool! To be honest there really wasn't much to do at Mission Beach except for lay by the pool...which we were quite happy to do. It was only at this point on the coast that we really experienced the Ozzy heat...even I, as a devoted sun worshipper, had difficulty lying in the sun without having to jump in the pool every 5 minutes! On our second afternoon there we went for an afternoon stroll along the beach which was really lovely. Mission Beach is one of the places in Oz where you can skydive and we watched people landing right on the beach...so cool!...I was very tempted!

The folllowing afternoon we boarded the Oz bus for the very last time up to Cairns, our final destination in Oz. On the way we stopped off at a Croc Farm which was cool...but also slighty terrifying. The keepers were feeding 6m long crocs about two or three feet from us, pretty scary! Feeding the kangaroos afterwards was a bit more up my street lol. Also got the chance to hold a snake and a baby croc...only after checking that its mouth was firmly taped shut. We arrived in Cairns early evening, showered and then headed straight out into the city centre for a bit of a shin dig lol.

The following day we spent exploring the city, although the weather was pretty miserable so the majority of the day was spent in the indoor shopping centre. The next day we headed up to Cape Tribulation on a 'When Rainforest meets Reef' style tour. On the way up we stopped off at the Daintree Rainforest and also the Daintree River where we went crocodile hunting aboard the Daintree Boat Cruise. Really enjoyed this part because so far we'd only seen crocs in captivity so to see them in the wild was pretty cool. We reached Cape Tribulation late afternoon and pretty soon after this the rain began. I guess being in the rainforest should have prepared me for it but it was absolutely POURING! Cape Tribulation is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef so the next morning we were up early to board the 'unsinkable' Ocean Safari to see the reef up close. Some of the boats that take people out to the reef carry hundreds of people but we were really lucky to be part of a small group of seven people. This meant when we were snorkelling we were able to stick together as a group with the guide taking us to all the hot spots and pointing out things that we would no doubt have swam straight past if we'd been left to explore alone. The whole experience was amazing and we saw so many cool things including turtles, reef sharks, sting rays and of course, Nemo...in fact a whole colony of them! Also got the chance to hold a blue starfish and stroke a black velvet sea cucumber haha. I did expect the reef itself to be a lot more vibrant and colourful and although the sea life was more diverse there wasn't as many fish as we saw snorkelling on the Whitsundays...but despite this, to snorkel on the Great Barrier Reef was a privilege in itself...especially seeing as in five years time the reef may have all been destroyed :( That afternoon we left Cape Tribulation and headed back to Cairns for our last night in Oz. We stayed at Gilligans Hostel which is supposed to be the No.1 hostel in Oz...and I totally agree with that. It was more or less a hotel...but with bunk beds. Absolutely LOVED the complimentary white fluffy towels! The next morning we headed to the aiport and I began my journey home.

We arrived in Singapore late evening and caught the train to our hostel in the Little India district. As soon as we left the station the humidity really hit us...the heat was pretty intense. That evening we checked into our hostel and went to explore the night market. The next day we had some lovely weather and we headed to Singapore Zoo which is definitely the most amazing zoo i've ever been to! There are no cages as such, just enclosures with moats separating you from the animals. Pretty cool...but also slightly un nerving when you find yourself metres away from a hungry white tiger! In the afternoon we headed into the centre of Singapore and checked out Orchard Road, the place to go for a spot of retail therapy. I have never seen so many shopping malls in my life! We then walked back to the hostel, taking a little de-tour so that I could have a glimpse at a couple of the temples. It was then time for a very emotional goodbye as I headed back to the aiport to catch my flight back to London, leaving Ellie and Elle to continue their adventures through Asia without me :(

So I arrived home safe and sound and am writing this from the comfort of my lovely house in Aycliffe Close. I've been back two days now and already my travels seem like a lifetime ago!...what an unforgettable two and a half months it was though :) I had the time of my life...and the saving up starts immediately for Amy's Big Adventure Part 2 hehe.

On Monday I enter the big bad world of work and begin my career at PWC...the beginning of a whole new chapter :)

Anyway, I am offically blogged out so all that's left to say is I hope you've enjoyed my blog and I look forward to seeing you all now I'm back in the UK :)

The End

xxx