Wednesday 5th August

My journal entries always become less interesting and less frequent as I stay longer in one place, because although I am doing things all the time, it is the same things over and over again. I can only write "I lay by the lagoon, I went on the internet and I sunbathed" so many times. What with my limited budget, there are not even any interesting nights out or meals out to write about.

But now I feel like I have entered a new stage of my time in Airlie, as I moved hostels yesterday! Before I had been staying at Beaches hostel, which although spacious and clean and well equipped with fridge in the room and ensuite bathroom and stuff, was just not very friendly! Due to a few things, no nice communal area other than the bar, most people only staying for one or two nights and just not a good atmosphere. Plus it was really noisy. So I moved to Backpackers By The Bay, which costs $5 a night more but is worth it!

BBB is up on a hillside, about 4minutes walk from the main highstreet, with views out over the bay, lovely big tall eucalyptus trees and a nice breeze blowing around. It is smaller and MUCH more friendly. It has a nice outside/garden area with tables and benches and hammocks and stuff and is a nice place to hang out. They show an openair film on a big projector every evening. Then last night I started learning to play poker, instructed by the guy that runs the hostel. I can see the poker lessons becoming a great part of most evenings that I am not working. Although there is a bar they don't mind you having your own alcohol, which is great for those of us on a budget! And yeah, it's just nice. The room is small and not ensuite, but I can put up with that. Was slightly surprised to find one of my 3 roommates being a 50-something woman, which will take a little getting used to (I'm not ageist or anything like that, and will give everyone of any age equal time&chance to get on with them etc, it's just a bit of a surprise to find that my 'roomie' is the same age as my mum..!).

Work is barely worth mentioning, last 'week' I was only given 14hours, which gives me not quite enough money to cover my rent, which is a pretty s*** situation to be in considering how I really want to save up money for my further travels. But I have almost become resigned to it now. Starting the 13th is Regatta week in Airlie, which should be really busy at work so hopefully will get decent hours that week. Other than that, I expect that I might leave Airlie after race week, to carry on up and accross and down the middle, then I am really considering returning to sydney for a few months to work, as I'm fairly certain I can get fulltime work there through work&travel, I KNOW I can get accomodation for $120 a week in Rooftop and I think I woudl be quite happy doing that for a few months to save up.

I loved sydney as a city and would like to spend more time there, the main reason I was getting itchy feet to leave when I was there before was because I had been in australia for two months and only seen one place! Once I have seen the east coast and down the middle, I think I will be quite content to stay there again to save up before going over to the west coast. Living costs ARE expensive there, but actually not that much more expensive than somewhere small like airlie, because at least in a big city you have the advantage of huge supermarkets and stores that are actually cheaper than the independant ones. I think the expensiveness seemed to much to me when I was there because I was comparing it to Thailand. But it's just an idea to return there, 'grass is always greener' and all that, but sometimes it really IS!

I am working this evening (shock horror), probably for a whole three hours given that it's wednesday and not a very busy night of the week.. $33..great! Ha ha yes I am a bit bitter, but acutally not as much as I was now that my plans are only to stay for another 3 or so weeks, I'm not even expecting to be able to save money working in airlie now, I think the best I can hope for is to break even while I am here, then save in Sydney.