I was still stick in Cairns, so we couldn't dive the Great Barrier Reef for now. The town of Cairns itself is in the off-season, and combining that with the on and off torrential rains, we decided to try our luck further south. After only a day in Cairns, we grabbed a bus out of town to a place a few hours south called Mission Beach, where we hoped we would still be able to dive the reef.

We landed at Scotty's Backpackers, a little family-run place that had a great energy to it. It poured for all but our last day there, and even on that day it rained, but we still got to see a little sun on our last full day.

At night, we hung out at the local bar and grill, watched movies in the common area, read, wrote, and played cards. During the day...pretty much the same. On the day it didn't rain, we made the most of it by jumping on a bus into town, checking out the beach, and having a picnic lunch.

Our last night, we entered a Texas Hold 'Em tournament that an Irish backpacker in Cairns told us about ("it's a right proper tournament," he said). He wasn't kidding. Sponsored by the on-line poker site, Full Tilt, they had beautiful tables with perfect felt, chips, and plenty of prizes. Best of all, it was completely free. You could get more chips by buying drinks at the bar, so of course, we had to imbibe.

The night began with six tables of players. Two people from Full Tilt ran the whole show, and periodically they announced certain prize opportunities.

Bev and I split up, and she landed at a table with some wily locals. My table was a pretty good mix between travelers and locals. Everyone was super friendly, and we finally began to get a taste of what we had pictured in Australia. There was even a guy at Bev's table people called "Crocodile Dundee."

Bev and I made it to the final two tables, and I ended up at the final table. With a low chip stack, I went all in and ate it against pocket Aces, but it was a great time.

The next day, we decided to take a swim in the pool again despite the rain. We also gave up on the weather and my health (still have a cold and unable to dive) and decided to go to Airlie Beach to sail the Whitsunday Islands, the thing to do down there, and hopefully finally dive the Great Barrier Reef.

Next up: Sailing the Whitsundays, the Black Widow, and Finding Nemo.