"when it rains it really bloody rains" here in the tropics...this last week has been pretty eventful. The nice, hot sunshine turned to torrential downpours on my last day in cairns, the kind of rain that soaks you through the bone in 2 seconds flat. Before i got the night bus (11hours) i met up with all the people id met for our $10 meal deal at the Woolshed and i arrived in airlie the following morning, with hope of sunshine.. this lasted about 12hours before it started to rain again.
I checked in to what seemed the liveliest hostel in town and live bands playing in their bar and stayed there for 3 nights. The weather has been very tempremental but both days i have been out on boats the weather has been amazing, and i have those annoying suntan lines to prove it.
Friday i went out to the great barrier reef, to the KNuckle reef lagoon 95k from shore. The trip out was a bit rocky but as we pulled up to the lagoon, it was amazingly peacful and blue skies. as some of you may know im not a great fan of water because im not a very strong swimmer but the crew persuaded me to snorkle until i saw a white tip reef shark and i didnt get back into the water after that..so i opted for a massage on top of the pontoon..no need for the relaxing background music..i was actually in the middle of the ocean with real ocean sounds..
the 2nd day on the water was a sailing trip..although when my alarm went off at 6.30am for a 7am pickup i realised id had a bit too much to drink the night before ( a hangover on a boat is not a good idea). We sailed around the islands, stopped at whitehaven beach and enjoyed the all inclusive bbq, and drinks (yes including alcohol)..and i even survived without being seasick..i still dont like boats tho..
so, an amazing few days and then we got dropped off at Long Island resort..in thunderstorms..the hostel i was staying in was in fact worse than PK's and it was surrounded by dense rainforest miles away from the resort reception...there was 3 of us in the entire lodge...i was pretty scared some kind of animal was going to come and eat me in the middle of the night if i had to get up for the toilet but here i am up to today back to the land of living and wasting a few hours before i have a 14hr bus to hervey bay, (where it is also raining) ive got some sleeping tablets for tonight...lets just hope i get wake up for my stop or i may be in sydney sooner than expected...