It is now the 30th of October - one more day and it's Halloween! I was mistaken about Australians, they do celebrate this most ghoulish of holidays. So, today I will find a costume : )
I've been working nearly every night since the 24th. The 25th and 26th were spent saying goodbye to Joseph and Dylan from Tennessee and saying hello to my good friends Rich and Martyn. We spent a lot of time basking in the gorgeous sun of Cairns, soaking up a tan and cooling off in the lagoon. I will take pictures soon so you can see what everything looks like. I am truly looking forward to spending the next month and a half here; it's beautiful, full of interesting travellers, never dull, and almost always sunny- this is why I came to Australia.
I visited a casino for the first time while Joseph and Dylan were here. Didn't spend any money, but it was fun to walk around and watch people playing blackjack and poker, slots (called pokies here), and other games. Perhaps I'll test my beginners luck with $10 one of these days, but for now I'm low on money and happy to just watch.
Cairns is a great place to be if you're low on cash. My hostel offers free breakfast of toast and coffee in the morning, the grocery shopping is affordable for lunchtime, and dinner is always free at the Woolshed. Now that I've began working, it's difficult to catch the free dinner so I'll have to start brown bagging. Cans of tuna are a lifesaver. I also chug orange juice like none other.
On the 27th, I woke up with cold symptoms - sneezing, stuffy nose, and stuffy head. That was my trial day at the Rattle & Hum, a very busy restaurant/bar just a few stores down from my hostel. They were offering $18/hour and 35 hours/week, far more than the $15/hour and 4 shifts/week at Bellevista. With high spirits and low health, I walked into the Rattle at 4:50pm and started my first shift bartending. I thought it would be frightening to be faced with multitudes of faces shouting drink orders, but it was surprisingly easy to take orders one at a time and pour the drinks I was already familiar with after being in Australia for a month. I even made a few cocktails that night!
After eight hours of non-stop drink-pouring, we closed the bar and went home at 1:00am. Silly as I am, I showered, prettied up, and went out to find some friends at the nightclubs. After finding them, I decided I was too tired to stick around and wound up heading straight back to the hostel. There were snorers in my room. Bad sleep #1.
On the 28th, I woke up quite late after not sleeping much that night. Feeling even more sick, I rolled out of bed, ate a quick breakfast, visited Martyn at the lagoon, then went straight back to bed to sleep from 12:00 to 5:30. Then I showered, got back into my uniform and walked to work. My shift was from 6:30-11:00 on the floor. This job consisted of taking drink orders from the tables, bringing them to the bar, then carrying the drinks back to the tables. I was not quite as comfortable doing this job. Carrying heavy trays full of precariously full drinks is not the job of a naturally clumsy person. Luckily I did not spill a single drink. I did break three glasses, which took quite a bit out of my self-confidence as all three happened in front of customers. In fact, two of them broke onto a table and into the drinks I had just served, which made it necessary to re-serve. Luckily, that table of young guys was quite nice about it and refrained from teasing me too much.
Happy not to close that night, I rolled out at 11:00 and spent some time with Martyn, the new night manager of our hostel - exchanging work for free accommodation. We talked until around midnight, then I went to my room to get ready for bed. Just as I was about to head into the room, a guy and girl walked in and closed the door. Not cool. I knocked before walking in and telling them not to keep me up because I was tired and sick. Well, when sharing a bunkbed with a busy couple, it is impossible to sleep. This was my first experience of hostel humps and I was not keen on the timing. Instead of kicking them out, which was well within my rights at 1:00 in the morning, I wrapped my sheet around me and huffed out to the commonroom, where Martyn was still writing in his journal. Exhausted and grumpy, I plopped down on the couch and tried to sleep there. For the next hour and a half, I drifted in and out of sleep as people came in from the night and decided to cap their evening by chatting on the couches surrounding mine. Finally, at 2:20, I got the courage to return to my room. Trying to make as much noise and bed-squeeking as possible, I settled down and finally tried to sleep a proper bed sleep. The night had something else in store for me though. Snorers #2. This time, there were two guys in the bunk across from mine in this four-share room, both of them snoring in chorus. I spent the next three hours vascillating between madly deciding what I could throw at them and resignedly squeezing my pillow over my ears. It was not at all fun. At 5am, I finally drifted off into a desperate, fevered sleep.
29th. Surprisingly, I woke up quite early, ready to start the day. I grabbed a coffee at Maccas, then went to the internet cafe to Skype with Benji. It had been a few days since we had spoken and we were both quite eager to catch up. After two hours of chatting, I signed off, visited Martyn at the lagoon, found a place to stay over Christmas in Sydney, had lunch, hung out with the hostel people, took a three hour nap, then once again got ready for work. My shift was another 6:30-1:00 at the bar. It went smoothly and swiftly, with no broken glasses or missed drink orders.
I really enjoy the company of my co-workers (even my manager) and am looking forward to keeping this job going! It's nice to look forward to going to work. I've earned a few tips (technically, we should put them in the tip jar that goes towards the staff party, but anything over a fiver is kept under the table), met some of the regulars, and shared my first post-work drink with the other bartenders.
That sums up my last week in Cairns! I hope my cold goes away soon - it seems to be fading, which is good. The weather is still fabulous, but I believe it's supposed to turn for a few days soon. Hopefully it's not Sunday and Monday, my first two days off! I start work as a part-time receptionist at my hostel in return for accommodation on Monday. That will certainly save me a lot of money, which will go towards having an amazing Christmas with Benji in Sydney!! Maybe we can go skydiving together : )
Hello to everyone in Victoria! Hope you have an awesome, crazy, safe Halloween! Don't forget to keep in touch with me : )
xoxo - Katrina
Friday, October 29, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Long Overdue - 20th-24th
There is a reason I haven't been blogging on a daily basis. Now that I'm not adventuring from Brisbane to Cairns, my days no longer consist of awesome adventures. Don't get me wrong, Cairns is certainly not boring, but the fun here lies in good friends and what we make of it, not exploring tropical beaches and discovering sea life.
I arrived on a Monday and it is now Monday again. One week in Cairns and I feel like I have been here much longer. I moved from my first hostel (Caravella 149) to Waterfront, which is closer to town and saves my mangled feet from walking.
Monday - Thursday pretty much consisted of job-hunting. I spent hours searching for job postings online, in the newspaper, and at store-fronts. After handing out countless resumes, it turns out none of this was necessary. All I had to do was sunbathe with friends at the lagoon and I'd get a job. Well, almost. We (Andre, Nicolai, Chris, Sabine, an Aussie guy, and I) were lounging by the lagoon in the steaming sun, talking about work, when the Aussie guy suggested I pop into Bellevista (a popular bar I had not yet applied at) because he heard they had two free positions. I grabbed my purse and walked over immediately. The man did not even glance at my resume before setting a trial shift for Sunday the 24th. Spirits high, I paid my hostel up until Sunday and had an excellent night of Woolshed dinner and poker at the hostel.
On Friday, Andre left on a dive boat for his internship; Nicolai and Chris (Denmark), and Sabine (Holland) left to work on a mango-picking farm on Saturday; Martyn "Pudding" arrives today and Rich "Haggis" is coming soon. In the meantime, I spend my time with two guys from Tennessee and three Dutch girls. We go out for free dinner at the Woolshed each night (mass produced spaghetti and rice), and often go dancing afterwards. My days are usually my own. I take the morning to use the internet, then go for a walk around town, still hunting for new job openings. If it is sunny, I'll read at the lagoon. If it's not, I often watch movies or play cards with people from the hostel.
Speaking of jobs and the internet; I was paying for my internet on Saturday and mentioned to the guy that I was looking for work. He said they had an open position as a promoter and I asked him to hire me. No resume needed, I am hired for 25 hours/week, getting paid $16.50/hour to stand outside their door and promote the internet cafe by handing out free half-hour internet slips!
On Sunday, I had my job trial at Bellevista from 4:30-6:30. Butterflies in my stomach, I walked into the bar and was set to collecting glasses, washing them, serving food, and generally keeping the bar clean. Fifteen minutes after I arrived, the bar was packed for Happy Hour. I mean packed. There were people sitting on the ground. I learned to pile glasses high and carry 30 at a time in my hands, or 100 in a basket. My fingers learned tollerence as I carried out hot plates of pizza and willed myself not to drop them as the heat radiated to my bones. I slopped alcohol from half-empty glasses all over myself, sweated in the barely-air-conditioned bar, swerved and danced out of the way of the bartenders as I restocked their cup fridges and trays, broke two glasses (only two), and had the time of my life. It was so much fun! Everyone I worked with was incredibly friendly. They did not hesitate to whisper tips in my ear when I wasn't sure what to do, were ready with compliments when I did a good job, and made sure I ate and drank when I had forgotten to do so. At 9:30, three hours after I was scheduled to finish, the boss told me to roster my hours and head home. He asked me to come in the next day to collect my trial wages and discuss availability. I got the job!!
Absolutely full of adrenaline after such a great night, I showered and met up with my Tennessee friends and a couple Australian girls to dance the night away at the local gay club, Vibe, and later at the party-central hostel, Gilligan's. At 2:30, I fell into bed, exhausted and happy after an excellent day/night.
So, that sums up my first week in Cairns. I am looking forward to staying here until mid-December, when I'll fly to Sydney to meet with Benji for Christmas!
Love and hugs to everyone back home (and everyone reading this).
xoxo - Katrina
I arrived on a Monday and it is now Monday again. One week in Cairns and I feel like I have been here much longer. I moved from my first hostel (Caravella 149) to Waterfront, which is closer to town and saves my mangled feet from walking.
Monday - Thursday pretty much consisted of job-hunting. I spent hours searching for job postings online, in the newspaper, and at store-fronts. After handing out countless resumes, it turns out none of this was necessary. All I had to do was sunbathe with friends at the lagoon and I'd get a job. Well, almost. We (Andre, Nicolai, Chris, Sabine, an Aussie guy, and I) were lounging by the lagoon in the steaming sun, talking about work, when the Aussie guy suggested I pop into Bellevista (a popular bar I had not yet applied at) because he heard they had two free positions. I grabbed my purse and walked over immediately. The man did not even glance at my resume before setting a trial shift for Sunday the 24th. Spirits high, I paid my hostel up until Sunday and had an excellent night of Woolshed dinner and poker at the hostel.
On Friday, Andre left on a dive boat for his internship; Nicolai and Chris (Denmark), and Sabine (Holland) left to work on a mango-picking farm on Saturday; Martyn "Pudding" arrives today and Rich "Haggis" is coming soon. In the meantime, I spend my time with two guys from Tennessee and three Dutch girls. We go out for free dinner at the Woolshed each night (mass produced spaghetti and rice), and often go dancing afterwards. My days are usually my own. I take the morning to use the internet, then go for a walk around town, still hunting for new job openings. If it is sunny, I'll read at the lagoon. If it's not, I often watch movies or play cards with people from the hostel.
Speaking of jobs and the internet; I was paying for my internet on Saturday and mentioned to the guy that I was looking for work. He said they had an open position as a promoter and I asked him to hire me. No resume needed, I am hired for 25 hours/week, getting paid $16.50/hour to stand outside their door and promote the internet cafe by handing out free half-hour internet slips!
On Sunday, I had my job trial at Bellevista from 4:30-6:30. Butterflies in my stomach, I walked into the bar and was set to collecting glasses, washing them, serving food, and generally keeping the bar clean. Fifteen minutes after I arrived, the bar was packed for Happy Hour. I mean packed. There were people sitting on the ground. I learned to pile glasses high and carry 30 at a time in my hands, or 100 in a basket. My fingers learned tollerence as I carried out hot plates of pizza and willed myself not to drop them as the heat radiated to my bones. I slopped alcohol from half-empty glasses all over myself, sweated in the barely-air-conditioned bar, swerved and danced out of the way of the bartenders as I restocked their cup fridges and trays, broke two glasses (only two), and had the time of my life. It was so much fun! Everyone I worked with was incredibly friendly. They did not hesitate to whisper tips in my ear when I wasn't sure what to do, were ready with compliments when I did a good job, and made sure I ate and drank when I had forgotten to do so. At 9:30, three hours after I was scheduled to finish, the boss told me to roster my hours and head home. He asked me to come in the next day to collect my trial wages and discuss availability. I got the job!!
Absolutely full of adrenaline after such a great night, I showered and met up with my Tennessee friends and a couple Australian girls to dance the night away at the local gay club, Vibe, and later at the party-central hostel, Gilligan's. At 2:30, I fell into bed, exhausted and happy after an excellent day/night.
So, that sums up my first week in Cairns. I am looking forward to staying here until mid-December, when I'll fly to Sydney to meet with Benji for Christmas!
Love and hugs to everyone back home (and everyone reading this).
xoxo - Katrina
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Feeling Hot Hot Hot
I got into Cairns at 8:00pm on the 18th and went straight to sleep at Caravella 149. It's $18/night here with free dinner at the Woolshed each night. Pretty sweet deal! I'm sharing a room with five other girls; haven't met them all yet, but the three I have met are really nice. We all went dancing last night : )
My first day in Cairns involved a lot of walking. I woke up at 6:30, showered, and went to McDonalds for a coffee and free wi-fi. Nothing else was open, so I computed for an hour or so, then went in search of jobs. I looked at the Classifieds in the Cairns Post and didn't find many promising openings but I did follow the one waitressing job listed. When I Google Mapped the directions, it looked like a short walk from where I was sitting. Unfortunately, scale fooled me and I wandered halfway across this much-larger-than-Airlie-beach city for 40 minutes before finally giving up because I wasn't even halfway there. So, with no other leads to follow, I decided to just pop my head into every popular-looking pub/restaurant and hand my resume out. A couple places said they'd be hiring in the near future so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll give me a call!
At around 2:00, I met with a friend from Brisbane (well, from Sweden, but I met him in Brisbane) and we had lunch with a couple of his friends. After that, Andre and I went sunglasses shopping and he showed me around the lagoon. There's a man-made beach here that tops Southbank's dunk tank in Brisbane. It's beautiful and I look forward to taking a dip today!
After shopping with Andre (and finally finding him a pair of sunglasses), I skyped, then went back to the hostel to get changed for dinner and a night on the town! Tuesday nights at the Woolshed offered inexpensive drinks and great music so the two girls I had met from my room (one from Korea, one from Ireland) and I got all jazzed up and met up with Andre and a few of his friends for a great night of dancing, free dinner, and fun.
It's now 9:50am on the 20th and I'm about to head back out to hand out more resumes. Wish me luck!
Signing out from wonderful, sunny Cairns, I'll talk to you soon!
xoxo - Katrina
My first day in Cairns involved a lot of walking. I woke up at 6:30, showered, and went to McDonalds for a coffee and free wi-fi. Nothing else was open, so I computed for an hour or so, then went in search of jobs. I looked at the Classifieds in the Cairns Post and didn't find many promising openings but I did follow the one waitressing job listed. When I Google Mapped the directions, it looked like a short walk from where I was sitting. Unfortunately, scale fooled me and I wandered halfway across this much-larger-than-Airlie-beach city for 40 minutes before finally giving up because I wasn't even halfway there. So, with no other leads to follow, I decided to just pop my head into every popular-looking pub/restaurant and hand my resume out. A couple places said they'd be hiring in the near future so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll give me a call!
At around 2:00, I met with a friend from Brisbane (well, from Sweden, but I met him in Brisbane) and we had lunch with a couple of his friends. After that, Andre and I went sunglasses shopping and he showed me around the lagoon. There's a man-made beach here that tops Southbank's dunk tank in Brisbane. It's beautiful and I look forward to taking a dip today!
After shopping with Andre (and finally finding him a pair of sunglasses), I skyped, then went back to the hostel to get changed for dinner and a night on the town! Tuesday nights at the Woolshed offered inexpensive drinks and great music so the two girls I had met from my room (one from Korea, one from Ireland) and I got all jazzed up and met up with Andre and a few of his friends for a great night of dancing, free dinner, and fun.
It's now 9:50am on the 20th and I'm about to head back out to hand out more resumes. Wish me luck!
Signing out from wonderful, sunny Cairns, I'll talk to you soon!
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Ready, Set, Dive!
WOOOHOOOOOOOO!!!! That's about all I could say an hour ago. With adrenaline rushing through my veins, the wind screaming through my hair, and Mission Beach swiftly approaching, I could think of nothing but how absolutely, mind-blowingly incredible life is.
I got on the bus at 9:15 last night and promptly fell asleep. Fifty shifts to find a comfortable position later, I arrived in Mission Beach at 4:35am. It was dark and my contacts were out, nothing was open, and I was in dire need of some sleep. So, I reached for my inner vagabond, got out my pillow and sleeping bag, lay down on a bench, and tentatively fell asleep.
It was a fitful sleep and I awoke at 6:30 with too much traffic going by for me to be able to be comfortable closing my eyes with my bags left out in the open. So, I picked up my life and went to the nearest hostel to seek a safe place to leave my things for the day (and a clean washroom). With that settled, I walked down the muggy 7am road in search of the skydiving shop.
When I arrived, I signed my life and legal rights away, payed $35 for the membership fees, and sat - hands shaking - with the five other parachuters. At 9:00, we watched an explanatory video, got harnessed up, met our tandem divers, and were herded onto a shuttle bus heading for the airstrip. The small plane was just being fueled when we got there so we walked around as our excitement and anxiety built! A couple minutes - an eternity - later, we boarded the plane and sat with our backs to our tandem's stomachs. I was hitched to Glenn's harness and he filmed the plane taking off (and my ever-increasing smile) and rising through the cloudy sky.
It took about five or ten minutes for the plane to reach 14,000ft and we were all shuffling our feet, wiping sweaty palms, and practicing breathing slowly. Then it was time.
The first diver sat on the edge and plummeted down, then the second, third, and fourth. I was last and not quite prepared for the butt shuffle up to the edge, feet tucked under, head back, arms crossed, no time to think, falling. With a gigantic scream that soon turned into a whoop of sheer delight, we were falling through the air. Glenn pulled the balancing shute and we went spread eagle through the clouds. The islands were dots below us, the land a patchwork of fields. My mouth was dry from screaming and laughing and my cheeks were flapping wildly. A long minute later, Glenn pulled the bigger shute and we floated gently over the beach. He let me steer and we went swooping left and right over the ocean. A few minutes later, the other jumpers had landed and it was our turn to approach the beach at rapid speed. I pulled my legs up and landed on my bum on the soft yellow sand.
Absolutely filled with adrenaline (and air), I couldn't stop laughing. Glenn high-fived me, finished filming, and unclipped me from my harness. All too soon, it was over. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot explain how exhilarating it was, I can only hope you get to try it one day.
The rest of my day consists of waiting around for the 6:00 greyhound! It's $5/hour for the internet here so I'm going to sign off and wish everyone a happy 18th of October! Hope you're enjoying life and that midterms don't get you down (for all my student friends).
I love you and miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
I got on the bus at 9:15 last night and promptly fell asleep. Fifty shifts to find a comfortable position later, I arrived in Mission Beach at 4:35am. It was dark and my contacts were out, nothing was open, and I was in dire need of some sleep. So, I reached for my inner vagabond, got out my pillow and sleeping bag, lay down on a bench, and tentatively fell asleep.
It was a fitful sleep and I awoke at 6:30 with too much traffic going by for me to be able to be comfortable closing my eyes with my bags left out in the open. So, I picked up my life and went to the nearest hostel to seek a safe place to leave my things for the day (and a clean washroom). With that settled, I walked down the muggy 7am road in search of the skydiving shop.
When I arrived, I signed my life and legal rights away, payed $35 for the membership fees, and sat - hands shaking - with the five other parachuters. At 9:00, we watched an explanatory video, got harnessed up, met our tandem divers, and were herded onto a shuttle bus heading for the airstrip. The small plane was just being fueled when we got there so we walked around as our excitement and anxiety built! A couple minutes - an eternity - later, we boarded the plane and sat with our backs to our tandem's stomachs. I was hitched to Glenn's harness and he filmed the plane taking off (and my ever-increasing smile) and rising through the cloudy sky.
It took about five or ten minutes for the plane to reach 14,000ft and we were all shuffling our feet, wiping sweaty palms, and practicing breathing slowly. Then it was time.
The first diver sat on the edge and plummeted down, then the second, third, and fourth. I was last and not quite prepared for the butt shuffle up to the edge, feet tucked under, head back, arms crossed, no time to think, falling. With a gigantic scream that soon turned into a whoop of sheer delight, we were falling through the air. Glenn pulled the balancing shute and we went spread eagle through the clouds. The islands were dots below us, the land a patchwork of fields. My mouth was dry from screaming and laughing and my cheeks were flapping wildly. A long minute later, Glenn pulled the bigger shute and we floated gently over the beach. He let me steer and we went swooping left and right over the ocean. A few minutes later, the other jumpers had landed and it was our turn to approach the beach at rapid speed. I pulled my legs up and landed on my bum on the soft yellow sand.
Absolutely filled with adrenaline (and air), I couldn't stop laughing. Glenn high-fived me, finished filming, and unclipped me from my harness. All too soon, it was over. One of the most amazing experiences of my life. I cannot explain how exhilarating it was, I can only hope you get to try it one day.
The rest of my day consists of waiting around for the 6:00 greyhound! It's $5/hour for the internet here so I'm going to sign off and wish everyone a happy 18th of October! Hope you're enjoying life and that midterms don't get you down (for all my student friends).
I love you and miss you!
xoxo - Katrina
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Airlie Beach and The Mighty Boomerang
Hey everyone! I just got back from my two day/two night sail on the Whitsundays and I'm absolutely high on the salt water, fresh air, hot sun, and good times. Just had a shower, drank some water, and am feeling human (an incredibly exhausted human) after two days of salt water and air.
The 14th was spent in Airlie Beach, walking the length of this one street town about 20 times. The reason for my exercise was my bank card and job situation. I couldn't take money out through my access card and didn't know why. No ATM would work and I was getting quite worried as cash was needed at my hostel and for my Whitsundays trip. Luckily my parents helped me out on the home front and, after several hours, I finally got my access card to work.
For the rest of the day, I printed out resumes and asked around for jobs. I had three places tell me they were interested in hiring and would like to talk when I return from Cairns. So, that's three potential jobs in paradisical Airlie Beach!
I don't want to spend too long on the 14th because it was uneventful; just a day in a town, waiting to leave on my next adventure.
SO! The 15th. I hung out with friends in the morning, messed around on the internet, and met my boat on the dock at 1:45pm. There were 27 people and four crew aboard the sailing vessel Boomerang. We loaded up the boat, removed our shoes, donned bathing suits, and set sail for the Whitsunday Islands. The weather forecast predicted a sunny day that day with rain coming the next. With that in mind, we soaked up as much sun as we could on the 1.5hour crossing to Hook Island. We put down anchor in a wide bay and immediately jumped overboard. The water was a gorgeous turquoise, though it was too deep to see the bottom. We flipped, dived, and twisted off the side of the boat until it was time for dinner. We ate green curried chicken over rice, then brought out some drinks and sat around on deck laughing over our perfect day. At 10:00, the rain started coming down and we packed it in for the night.
On the morning of the 16th, we woke up at 6:15, had peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, and raised anchor to go to our next bay. It was just a short sail over there and the sky showed none of the day's predicted rain. It was sunny, hot, windy, and cloud-free. We put down anchor at Tongue Bay and did a short bushwalk over to Whitehaven Bay. Picture paradise. White sand and clear blue water as far as the eye can see; palm trees and jungle birds, coconuts and colourful flowers, stingrays and wild turtles. This was Whitehaven Beach. We spent the next 2.5hours here, frolicking in the purest sand in the world, taking crazy pictures, trying to play frisbee in the strong wind, and swimming in the warm ocean. We had an amazing time. True to my clumsy self, I sliced my toe open on an oyster and left bloody footprints in the sand for the rest of the day.
We walked back to Tongue Bay at 11:00am and moved over to Luncheon Bay (Hook Island) for a snorkel just after lunch. We all looked ridiculous in much-loved stinger suits and mix-and-match snorkel/masks but the water was warm, clear, tropical, and fishy. It was a great snorkel and I'm glad I bought an underwater camera to record the lovely coral reef fish. We even saw Nemo! One shocking fact about the movie is that, under the circumstances of Nemo's mom and siblings being wiped out in one go, Nemo's dad would have become the alpha male and Nemo would have changed into his female partner! How disturbing is that? Just a piece of daily trivia for you ; )
After snorkeling in Luncheon Bay, we cooked our bodies on deck some more as Captain Kane moved us over to Black Island to snorkel with wild turtles and watch the sunset while eating cheese and crackers on the beach. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. We had nothing but amazing weather and all of us were quite a bit darker (or more red) as a result. During one of the crossings, Jordan (snorkel master and crewhand extraordinaire) took out pink, green, and white zinc sticks and my friend Laura and I went crazy drawing on everyone : D I have a tan tattoo of an anchor and flower on my back!
Our sleep on the 16th was at Stone Haven, just a short motor away from Black Island.
The 17th took us to Caves Cove (a wonderful sail away) for one last snorkel before we set sail for Airlie Beach. The wind was gusting 30kts and we had an incredible sail home. The main and mizzen were up, the boat heeled over right to the railings, and us 27 had our feet dangling over the high side as we clung onto the railing and shrieked each time a wave broke over the bow. It was amazing!
Tonight we have a pub crawl, but I'm catching an 8:30 Greyhound up to Mission Beach so I can skydive 14,000ft. tomorrow morning! Wish me luck! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow : )
Can't wait to post pictures!
xoxo - Katrina
The 14th was spent in Airlie Beach, walking the length of this one street town about 20 times. The reason for my exercise was my bank card and job situation. I couldn't take money out through my access card and didn't know why. No ATM would work and I was getting quite worried as cash was needed at my hostel and for my Whitsundays trip. Luckily my parents helped me out on the home front and, after several hours, I finally got my access card to work.
For the rest of the day, I printed out resumes and asked around for jobs. I had three places tell me they were interested in hiring and would like to talk when I return from Cairns. So, that's three potential jobs in paradisical Airlie Beach!
I don't want to spend too long on the 14th because it was uneventful; just a day in a town, waiting to leave on my next adventure.
SO! The 15th. I hung out with friends in the morning, messed around on the internet, and met my boat on the dock at 1:45pm. There were 27 people and four crew aboard the sailing vessel Boomerang. We loaded up the boat, removed our shoes, donned bathing suits, and set sail for the Whitsunday Islands. The weather forecast predicted a sunny day that day with rain coming the next. With that in mind, we soaked up as much sun as we could on the 1.5hour crossing to Hook Island. We put down anchor in a wide bay and immediately jumped overboard. The water was a gorgeous turquoise, though it was too deep to see the bottom. We flipped, dived, and twisted off the side of the boat until it was time for dinner. We ate green curried chicken over rice, then brought out some drinks and sat around on deck laughing over our perfect day. At 10:00, the rain started coming down and we packed it in for the night.
On the morning of the 16th, we woke up at 6:15, had peanut butter sandwiches for breakfast, and raised anchor to go to our next bay. It was just a short sail over there and the sky showed none of the day's predicted rain. It was sunny, hot, windy, and cloud-free. We put down anchor at Tongue Bay and did a short bushwalk over to Whitehaven Bay. Picture paradise. White sand and clear blue water as far as the eye can see; palm trees and jungle birds, coconuts and colourful flowers, stingrays and wild turtles. This was Whitehaven Beach. We spent the next 2.5hours here, frolicking in the purest sand in the world, taking crazy pictures, trying to play frisbee in the strong wind, and swimming in the warm ocean. We had an amazing time. True to my clumsy self, I sliced my toe open on an oyster and left bloody footprints in the sand for the rest of the day.
We walked back to Tongue Bay at 11:00am and moved over to Luncheon Bay (Hook Island) for a snorkel just after lunch. We all looked ridiculous in much-loved stinger suits and mix-and-match snorkel/masks but the water was warm, clear, tropical, and fishy. It was a great snorkel and I'm glad I bought an underwater camera to record the lovely coral reef fish. We even saw Nemo! One shocking fact about the movie is that, under the circumstances of Nemo's mom and siblings being wiped out in one go, Nemo's dad would have become the alpha male and Nemo would have changed into his female partner! How disturbing is that? Just a piece of daily trivia for you ; )
After snorkeling in Luncheon Bay, we cooked our bodies on deck some more as Captain Kane moved us over to Black Island to snorkel with wild turtles and watch the sunset while eating cheese and crackers on the beach. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. We had nothing but amazing weather and all of us were quite a bit darker (or more red) as a result. During one of the crossings, Jordan (snorkel master and crewhand extraordinaire) took out pink, green, and white zinc sticks and my friend Laura and I went crazy drawing on everyone : D I have a tan tattoo of an anchor and flower on my back!
Our sleep on the 16th was at Stone Haven, just a short motor away from Black Island.
The 17th took us to Caves Cove (a wonderful sail away) for one last snorkel before we set sail for Airlie Beach. The wind was gusting 30kts and we had an incredible sail home. The main and mizzen were up, the boat heeled over right to the railings, and us 27 had our feet dangling over the high side as we clung onto the railing and shrieked each time a wave broke over the bow. It was amazing!
Tonight we have a pub crawl, but I'm catching an 8:30 Greyhound up to Mission Beach so I can skydive 14,000ft. tomorrow morning! Wish me luck! I'll tell you all about it tomorrow : )
Can't wait to post pictures!
xoxo - Katrina
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Schizophrenic Paradise - 13th
I woke up at 6:30, just as the greyhound was pulling into Airlie Beach. The skies were still watering and all I could think of was finding a bathroom. With my big backpack, small one, and crate of groceries, I thumped into the first hostel I found and checked into a 17-bed dorm for $20/night. As it was before check-out time, I could not claim my room until noon. They had free luggage storage, so I left everything but my necessities there, and went in search of free wi-fi and breakfast.
McDonalds was just down the street and they offer free wi-fi across Australia. I bought a coffee and made myself a peanut butter/banana sandwich, then sat down to drain my computer's battery. The day consisted of me alternatively plugging my computer in at the hostel and returning to McDonalds to drain it again. I also visited Peterpans to book my Mission Beach skydive for the 18th. So excited!!!
The skies were truly schizophrenic all day. It would be raining one minute, gusting the next, then sunny for a long period. Not exactly conducive to exploring, but I did walk around a bit. I felt like shopping so I went into an opal shop and found an incredible floating opal necklace for $120. The man who worked there was one of a family of opal workers. His father worked the mine, his six brothers all did something to do with opals. I enjoyed talking with him, though I did not buy the necklace. I cannot justify spending that much money when I do not have a job yet. I know that is the cheapest I'll find an opal of that size and quality (straight from the manufacturers), but I will have to wait on it.
To satisfy my shopping craving, I went to clothing shops instead and bought a pair of parachute pants (everyone wears them and they are so darn comfortable!) and a cute shirt. Then I bought ingredients for Indonesian fried rice and went back to the hostel to make dinner.
As I was cooking, I met a girl from BC (Shantel) and another girl from Florida (Laura). We ate dinner together, talked about our travels (Laura has spent the last 2 1/2 years in Asia), and made plans to go out that night. I had a cup of goon at dinner and that was my only drink of the night. We went out to a popular backpackers bar called Magnum. It was full, but we found a table and met three English guys who were hilarious. Magnum wasn't really doing anything for us, so we packed up and went a couple doors down to Shenanigans where the music was awesome. Singing Bryan Adams and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, we stormed up the dance floor and generally just had a really fun time. At 1:30, we packed it in and said goodnight.
I never go to bed unhappy after a night of dancing. The English guys were a laugh, Laura and Shantel were great, and I had a lot of fun on nothing but water. I tip-toed up to my dorm and slept soundly. When I woke up, I realized someone had pulled a second blanket over me. Whoever it was, thank you, the air con works a little too well.
Looking forward to sharing my Whitsundays experience in a couple days! I'm going to buy an underwater camera today.
xoxo - Katrina
McDonalds was just down the street and they offer free wi-fi across Australia. I bought a coffee and made myself a peanut butter/banana sandwich, then sat down to drain my computer's battery. The day consisted of me alternatively plugging my computer in at the hostel and returning to McDonalds to drain it again. I also visited Peterpans to book my Mission Beach skydive for the 18th. So excited!!!
The skies were truly schizophrenic all day. It would be raining one minute, gusting the next, then sunny for a long period. Not exactly conducive to exploring, but I did walk around a bit. I felt like shopping so I went into an opal shop and found an incredible floating opal necklace for $120. The man who worked there was one of a family of opal workers. His father worked the mine, his six brothers all did something to do with opals. I enjoyed talking with him, though I did not buy the necklace. I cannot justify spending that much money when I do not have a job yet. I know that is the cheapest I'll find an opal of that size and quality (straight from the manufacturers), but I will have to wait on it.
To satisfy my shopping craving, I went to clothing shops instead and bought a pair of parachute pants (everyone wears them and they are so darn comfortable!) and a cute shirt. Then I bought ingredients for Indonesian fried rice and went back to the hostel to make dinner.
As I was cooking, I met a girl from BC (Shantel) and another girl from Florida (Laura). We ate dinner together, talked about our travels (Laura has spent the last 2 1/2 years in Asia), and made plans to go out that night. I had a cup of goon at dinner and that was my only drink of the night. We went out to a popular backpackers bar called Magnum. It was full, but we found a table and met three English guys who were hilarious. Magnum wasn't really doing anything for us, so we packed up and went a couple doors down to Shenanigans where the music was awesome. Singing Bryan Adams and Red Hot Chilli Peppers, we stormed up the dance floor and generally just had a really fun time. At 1:30, we packed it in and said goodnight.
I never go to bed unhappy after a night of dancing. The English guys were a laugh, Laura and Shantel were great, and I had a lot of fun on nothing but water. I tip-toed up to my dorm and slept soundly. When I woke up, I realized someone had pulled a second blanket over me. Whoever it was, thank you, the air con works a little too well.
Looking forward to sharing my Whitsundays experience in a couple days! I'm going to buy an underwater camera today.
xoxo - Katrina
On The Move
I stayed another night at the Beachside Hostel (also known as Freckles, which I found out when I got lost and tried asking for directions back to the hostel, only to find that no one had heard of it - frightening experience). Woke up still feeling down, but the day was destined to get better. I went into town to compute at Tribal Travel, cancelled my Castaway trip at the same time (it was raining, with no chance of letting up), and booked my bus to Airlie Beach for 9pm that night.
When I left Tribal, I ran into Rich (aka Haggis), a Scottish guy from Fraser Island. He was in Agnes Waters with Martyn (aka Pudding - from Yorkshire), also from Fraser, so we found him and played a game of monopoly at the hostel. The wind blew our cards around and the rain splattered the board. We were using a new electronic set so there wasn't any paper money, just credit cards that we inserted into a "credit machine" to make transactions. I lost miserably, Haggis won. It's not about skill, just luck of the dice. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When we finished our game, we walked to the grocery store and bought a package of six meat pies for $6. Armed with our frozen lunch, we went back to their hostel and microwaved them. When we finished eating, Haggis played another game of monopoly with some other hostel-goers. Pudding and I walked back to Tribal and computed until we were kicked out at closing time.
With another four hours to burn before my bus left, we decided to walk to my hostel and watch a movie. They got beers, I got water, and we tramped downstairs to join the couch of movie-watchers just finishing Liar Liar. When that was finished, everyone trickled out and left us to watch Aliens. I feel like I've seen it before, but Pudding may have been right in saying that it's one of those movies everyone has seen parts of. Like Top Gun, this movie started cliches. Needless to say, the scare tactics still worked and I was thoroughly horrified at 8:30 when I had to get the shuttle to the bus station.
I climbed on the bus, settled myself across four seats, and promptly fell asleep. At midnight, I awoke at Rockhampton and crawled into the lower luggage compartment to get my inflatable pillow. Newly equipped, I re-claimed my four seats (legs stretching across the aisle) and slept once again.
This was a longer blog than I expected so I will put the 13th in a new one.
My love goes out to Victoria and everyone in it. I'm feeling homesick and wish I could just fly everyone I love out here to travel with me.
Until next time.
xoxo - Katrina
When I left Tribal, I ran into Rich (aka Haggis), a Scottish guy from Fraser Island. He was in Agnes Waters with Martyn (aka Pudding - from Yorkshire), also from Fraser, so we found him and played a game of monopoly at the hostel. The wind blew our cards around and the rain splattered the board. We were using a new electronic set so there wasn't any paper money, just credit cards that we inserted into a "credit machine" to make transactions. I lost miserably, Haggis won. It's not about skill, just luck of the dice. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
When we finished our game, we walked to the grocery store and bought a package of six meat pies for $6. Armed with our frozen lunch, we went back to their hostel and microwaved them. When we finished eating, Haggis played another game of monopoly with some other hostel-goers. Pudding and I walked back to Tribal and computed until we were kicked out at closing time.
With another four hours to burn before my bus left, we decided to walk to my hostel and watch a movie. They got beers, I got water, and we tramped downstairs to join the couch of movie-watchers just finishing Liar Liar. When that was finished, everyone trickled out and left us to watch Aliens. I feel like I've seen it before, but Pudding may have been right in saying that it's one of those movies everyone has seen parts of. Like Top Gun, this movie started cliches. Needless to say, the scare tactics still worked and I was thoroughly horrified at 8:30 when I had to get the shuttle to the bus station.
I climbed on the bus, settled myself across four seats, and promptly fell asleep. At midnight, I awoke at Rockhampton and crawled into the lower luggage compartment to get my inflatable pillow. Newly equipped, I re-claimed my four seats (legs stretching across the aisle) and slept once again.
This was a longer blog than I expected so I will put the 13th in a new one.
My love goes out to Victoria and everyone in it. I'm feeling homesick and wish I could just fly everyone I love out here to travel with me.
Until next time.
xoxo - Katrina
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wishing For A Day Without Rain - 9th-11th
Since nothing of much importance has happened in the last couple days, I have decided to just bunch them up together.
On the morning of the 9th, I woke up early and took a boat half an hour over to Tin Can Bay to feed wild dolphins! Now, naive as I am, I expected a tropical beach like that of Fraser Island. I was hoping we'd put on snorkel gear and actually swim with the dolphins while we hand-fed them. I pictured crystal clear water, scattered coral, sparkling sunshine, and playful dolphins. As we clamboured aboard the bay ferry, floating in briney water, I knew I was mistaken.
The captain was a character, dressing us in pirate gear as he shared his wide knowledge of the bay and its surrounding islands. The half hour passed quickly and we were soon piling out onto a petrol dock, looking at a group standing on the yellow sandy shore, pants rolled up, smelling of fish, snapping photos of two dolphins looking a little worse for wear.
The male and female Indo-Pacific Freshwater Humpback dolphins were 19 and 23 years old, both showing the scars and missing flesh of several fights with both sharks and other dolphins. They were floating placidly in the shallow water, waiting for each tourist to approach them and thrust a fish towards them under water. Two seconds later, the fish would disappear and the next tourist would approach. Photos were taken desperately fast as no one wanted to miss their big chance with the dolphins.
Our boat group stood in line, payed $5 for a bucket of two fish, and waited again for our turn to step into the water. The handlers (volunteers who kept this endeavor going) informed us that we were not to try to pet the dolphins as it would frighten them into attack mode. They did suggest that a dolphin would approach you if they wanted to be pet. None had been so forward, so I guess they'd had all the scratching they wanted for the day.
Soon, the handlers called me forwards and I handed my camera to a friend so I could wade into the knee-deep water with my bucket of fish. The long-nosed mammal in front of me lunged forward as I put the fish underwater. A yoink and a photo later, it was gone. I did this twice and, to be honest, it was a little anti-climactic. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed being so close to wild dolphins, but I think my morning's tropical visions had led me to a downfall. Smelling of fish and covered in salty sand, I waded out and spent the next 40 minutes wandering listlessly around as the other tourists had their turns then ordered breakfast at the cafe on the water. At 9:00, we boarded the ferry once more and motored back to the Rainbow Beach dock.
I spent the rest of the day packing and doing nothing. As my laundry was not yet dry, I chose to stay another night at Dingo's. That day was spent reading, reading, sleeping, and reading. I found my book, Atonement, at the community centre, and got 3/4 through it by the end of the day. That night, we enjoyed live entertainment from a local who played didgeridoo, guitar, drums, and vocals at mostly the same time (obviously not the two winds simultaneously). It was an awesome beat and great fun. I would have bought his CD, but I have exhausted my cash supply and am now fully reliant on Visa. Not a smart way to travel, but I was going to get huge Visa surcharges from Peterpans when booking my adventures so I was forced to pay with cash and travellers cheques to get the best deal.
10th - Honestly, worst day ever. People who were involved will know why. For all intensive purposes, I woke up, computed, nearly packed up and flew home, and caught a bus at 12:30 to Agnes Waters instead. Six hours on the bus, totally dehydrated and feeling sick (not hungover, just not eating and drinking properly), watched Pirates of the Caribbean, arrived at Agnes Waters, checked into the hostel, computed once again, exhausted my international credit on my phone, and went to bed completely miserable.
11th - Raining. Again. I wanted to explore Agnes Waters, known for its surfing and wonderful sunsets, but the weather would not permit it so I computed, then took a boogie board down to the ocean and just sat there for two hours, praying and watching the waves crash in. A couple rogue waves managed to snake up the beach to where I was sitting so my bottom half was sandy and soaked by the time I stood up to go back to the hostel. I watched Accepted with a few other hostel inmates (truly, it is rather like a prison in the rain) then went upstairs for a 2:00pm phonecall from home. It was wonderful to hear my parents' voices after nearly a month. I felt totally homesick and regretted missing Thanksgiving, was thankful to talk through my problems with my parents, and got off the phone feeling peaceful and on-the-mend. I went grocery shopping and got bread, tuna, peanut butter, and bananas to last me the next few days, then went back to the hostel to watch another couple movies before bed. Sound boring? It was.
That, my friends, sums up my last few days. Homesickness has kicked in, partying has caught up with me, I need to start eating better, and this rain has got me down.
Hoping for the sun to come out again!
Love to everyone back home, and everyone reading this blog. If you are religious, please keep me in your prayers; if you are spiritual, keep me in your well-wishes; if you are friends, keep me in your thoughts : ) It's been a rough couple of days and I am thankful that everything is starting to look up again.
The next blog will be happier, I promise!
xoxo - Katrina
p.s. There are plans to put a marina up in Tin Can Bay where the wild dolphins have been coming since 1950. This is their home, their habitat, ingrained in their migration habits. If the marina goes up, they will no longer have a place to come and be fed. The feeders are careful to only give them a small percentage of their daily intake in order to keep them wild, so this is truly an amazing place for the dolphins. If you want to help petition to keep the marina out of Tin Can Bay, go to http://www.marina.tincanbaydolphins.com.au/ and fill it in. Every name helps!
On the morning of the 9th, I woke up early and took a boat half an hour over to Tin Can Bay to feed wild dolphins! Now, naive as I am, I expected a tropical beach like that of Fraser Island. I was hoping we'd put on snorkel gear and actually swim with the dolphins while we hand-fed them. I pictured crystal clear water, scattered coral, sparkling sunshine, and playful dolphins. As we clamboured aboard the bay ferry, floating in briney water, I knew I was mistaken.
The captain was a character, dressing us in pirate gear as he shared his wide knowledge of the bay and its surrounding islands. The half hour passed quickly and we were soon piling out onto a petrol dock, looking at a group standing on the yellow sandy shore, pants rolled up, smelling of fish, snapping photos of two dolphins looking a little worse for wear.
The male and female Indo-Pacific Freshwater Humpback dolphins were 19 and 23 years old, both showing the scars and missing flesh of several fights with both sharks and other dolphins. They were floating placidly in the shallow water, waiting for each tourist to approach them and thrust a fish towards them under water. Two seconds later, the fish would disappear and the next tourist would approach. Photos were taken desperately fast as no one wanted to miss their big chance with the dolphins.
Our boat group stood in line, payed $5 for a bucket of two fish, and waited again for our turn to step into the water. The handlers (volunteers who kept this endeavor going) informed us that we were not to try to pet the dolphins as it would frighten them into attack mode. They did suggest that a dolphin would approach you if they wanted to be pet. None had been so forward, so I guess they'd had all the scratching they wanted for the day.
Soon, the handlers called me forwards and I handed my camera to a friend so I could wade into the knee-deep water with my bucket of fish. The long-nosed mammal in front of me lunged forward as I put the fish underwater. A yoink and a photo later, it was gone. I did this twice and, to be honest, it was a little anti-climactic. Don't get me wrong, I truly enjoyed being so close to wild dolphins, but I think my morning's tropical visions had led me to a downfall. Smelling of fish and covered in salty sand, I waded out and spent the next 40 minutes wandering listlessly around as the other tourists had their turns then ordered breakfast at the cafe on the water. At 9:00, we boarded the ferry once more and motored back to the Rainbow Beach dock.
I spent the rest of the day packing and doing nothing. As my laundry was not yet dry, I chose to stay another night at Dingo's. That day was spent reading, reading, sleeping, and reading. I found my book, Atonement, at the community centre, and got 3/4 through it by the end of the day. That night, we enjoyed live entertainment from a local who played didgeridoo, guitar, drums, and vocals at mostly the same time (obviously not the two winds simultaneously). It was an awesome beat and great fun. I would have bought his CD, but I have exhausted my cash supply and am now fully reliant on Visa. Not a smart way to travel, but I was going to get huge Visa surcharges from Peterpans when booking my adventures so I was forced to pay with cash and travellers cheques to get the best deal.
10th - Honestly, worst day ever. People who were involved will know why. For all intensive purposes, I woke up, computed, nearly packed up and flew home, and caught a bus at 12:30 to Agnes Waters instead. Six hours on the bus, totally dehydrated and feeling sick (not hungover, just not eating and drinking properly), watched Pirates of the Caribbean, arrived at Agnes Waters, checked into the hostel, computed once again, exhausted my international credit on my phone, and went to bed completely miserable.
11th - Raining. Again. I wanted to explore Agnes Waters, known for its surfing and wonderful sunsets, but the weather would not permit it so I computed, then took a boogie board down to the ocean and just sat there for two hours, praying and watching the waves crash in. A couple rogue waves managed to snake up the beach to where I was sitting so my bottom half was sandy and soaked by the time I stood up to go back to the hostel. I watched Accepted with a few other hostel inmates (truly, it is rather like a prison in the rain) then went upstairs for a 2:00pm phonecall from home. It was wonderful to hear my parents' voices after nearly a month. I felt totally homesick and regretted missing Thanksgiving, was thankful to talk through my problems with my parents, and got off the phone feeling peaceful and on-the-mend. I went grocery shopping and got bread, tuna, peanut butter, and bananas to last me the next few days, then went back to the hostel to watch another couple movies before bed. Sound boring? It was.
That, my friends, sums up my last few days. Homesickness has kicked in, partying has caught up with me, I need to start eating better, and this rain has got me down.
Hoping for the sun to come out again!
Love to everyone back home, and everyone reading this blog. If you are religious, please keep me in your prayers; if you are spiritual, keep me in your well-wishes; if you are friends, keep me in your thoughts : ) It's been a rough couple of days and I am thankful that everything is starting to look up again.
The next blog will be happier, I promise!
xoxo - Katrina
p.s. There are plans to put a marina up in Tin Can Bay where the wild dolphins have been coming since 1950. This is their home, their habitat, ingrained in their migration habits. If the marina goes up, they will no longer have a place to come and be fed. The feeders are careful to only give them a small percentage of their daily intake in order to keep them wild, so this is truly an amazing place for the dolphins. If you want to help petition to keep the marina out of Tin Can Bay, go to http://www.marina.tincanbaydolphins.com.au/ and fill it in. Every name helps!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Shower Off the Sand - Day #3
Last day in Fraser Island. Muz had us up again at 7am and this morning was slightly more painful than the previous one. I made cheese toasties (aka grilled cheese sandwiches) and we chugged coffee before packing everything up (including the tents) and heading to our final destination on Fraser Island: Lake Wabby.
It was a 45-minute walk from the 75-mile-beach to Lake Wabby so I was happy that my toe was beginning to feel better. We stopped at the most disgustingly smelly bathroom I have ever been in to change into our bikinis, then we started shuffling up the sand path. Halfway along the walk, I did an incredibly stupid thing. I stubbed my toe. Again. Same toe, similar stump. Faced with a split-second decision to laugh or cry, I chose the first and blinked back tears as my friends and I laughed over my incredible lack of gracefullness.
Continuing on with more of a limp than before, we climbed sand stairs, jumped at rustling bushes (remember that the eight most poisonous snakes in the world reside here), and finally topped the sand peak. Sweating and out of breath, we were absolutely longing to see the sparkling expanse of lake in front of us. As we climbed over the peak of the hill and saw what looked like a lake bed (but with no lake) in front of us, we were both devastated and confused.
To our right was the ocean, in front of us was sand dunes and jungle, to the left appeared to be more sand dunes. However, a small group of people were gathered to the left so we decided to walk that way. Muz wasn't with us to guide as he had returned to the campsite to pack up the rest of the gear, which explains our confusion. Luckily, we chose the correct direction. Five minutes later, we were standing at the top of a 50 ft. sand dune, looking down on the emerald green expanse of Lake Wabby. Black catfish swam in the shallows and jungle trees hung over the opposite bank. Although we were tempted to run down the dune and dive into the water, we had been warned not to due to unexpected shallows and invisible stumps. Still not satisfied with merely walking down the dune, Mirtja and I got on our tummys and rolled down the hill. I thought I was covered in sand before! Not even intense scrubbing in the lake could rid my hair and body of the fine white sand.
We spent an hour and a half in the lake, swimming, playing games, and trying to catch the minnows and catfish. Luckily, we were unsuccessful in catching the catfish. I say luckily because Muz informed us of the poisonous spikes on the catfish fins after we returned from the lake.
The walk back was slow and exhausted as our group of 31 backpackers realized this was our last stop on Fraser Island. We stopped at a cafe for lunch and drove to the barges at 1:00 to go back to the mainland.
Sandy, tired, and full of new memories, we cleaned out the cars and parted ways at Rainbow Beach, heading to our own hostels.
Had burritos for dinner, did my laundry, had the best shower of my life, got a book, and fell asleep very early.
I will not forget you: Potato, Spud, Predy, Pudding, Marzipan, Speculaas, Haggis, Fish 'n Chips, Carlos, and Tom. Rest assured that I will introduce myself as Maple from now on : ) I will also pass along goggles and fuzzy duck whenever a group of people are sitting down for a beer. Oh, and you owe me 10 for the game of life ; ) We'll see how many people we can get with Jimmi Whoops and Green Glass Doors!
See you in Sydney for Christmas! Thanks for the laughs and awesome memories.
Love to everyone back home, sorry for the inside jokes, hope you are having even a fraction of as much fun as I am!
xoxo - Katrina
It was a 45-minute walk from the 75-mile-beach to Lake Wabby so I was happy that my toe was beginning to feel better. We stopped at the most disgustingly smelly bathroom I have ever been in to change into our bikinis, then we started shuffling up the sand path. Halfway along the walk, I did an incredibly stupid thing. I stubbed my toe. Again. Same toe, similar stump. Faced with a split-second decision to laugh or cry, I chose the first and blinked back tears as my friends and I laughed over my incredible lack of gracefullness.
Continuing on with more of a limp than before, we climbed sand stairs, jumped at rustling bushes (remember that the eight most poisonous snakes in the world reside here), and finally topped the sand peak. Sweating and out of breath, we were absolutely longing to see the sparkling expanse of lake in front of us. As we climbed over the peak of the hill and saw what looked like a lake bed (but with no lake) in front of us, we were both devastated and confused.
To our right was the ocean, in front of us was sand dunes and jungle, to the left appeared to be more sand dunes. However, a small group of people were gathered to the left so we decided to walk that way. Muz wasn't with us to guide as he had returned to the campsite to pack up the rest of the gear, which explains our confusion. Luckily, we chose the correct direction. Five minutes later, we were standing at the top of a 50 ft. sand dune, looking down on the emerald green expanse of Lake Wabby. Black catfish swam in the shallows and jungle trees hung over the opposite bank. Although we were tempted to run down the dune and dive into the water, we had been warned not to due to unexpected shallows and invisible stumps. Still not satisfied with merely walking down the dune, Mirtja and I got on our tummys and rolled down the hill. I thought I was covered in sand before! Not even intense scrubbing in the lake could rid my hair and body of the fine white sand.
We spent an hour and a half in the lake, swimming, playing games, and trying to catch the minnows and catfish. Luckily, we were unsuccessful in catching the catfish. I say luckily because Muz informed us of the poisonous spikes on the catfish fins after we returned from the lake.
The walk back was slow and exhausted as our group of 31 backpackers realized this was our last stop on Fraser Island. We stopped at a cafe for lunch and drove to the barges at 1:00 to go back to the mainland.
Sandy, tired, and full of new memories, we cleaned out the cars and parted ways at Rainbow Beach, heading to our own hostels.
Had burritos for dinner, did my laundry, had the best shower of my life, got a book, and fell asleep very early.
I will not forget you: Potato, Spud, Predy, Pudding, Marzipan, Speculaas, Haggis, Fish 'n Chips, Carlos, and Tom. Rest assured that I will introduce myself as Maple from now on : ) I will also pass along goggles and fuzzy duck whenever a group of people are sitting down for a beer. Oh, and you owe me 10 for the game of life ; ) We'll see how many people we can get with Jimmi Whoops and Green Glass Doors!
See you in Sydney for Christmas! Thanks for the laughs and awesome memories.
Love to everyone back home, sorry for the inside jokes, hope you are having even a fraction of as much fun as I am!
xoxo - Katrina
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Rafting, Whales, and Broken Bones - Day #2
Day two on Fraser Island began at 7am when Muz drove into camp and honked us awake. Bleary eyed and dehydrated, we got up and began by brushing off as much sand as we could. Recognizing a hopeless endeavor, we turned to making breakfast. After eating and packing up again (leaving the tents set up), we took off for the day's adventures.
Our first stop was a freshwater creek where we walked along a boardwalk to the creek head, then just floated down to the ocean in the foot-to-metre-deep water. It was glorious. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, white sand flanked by multi-coloured sand cliffs and towering jungles as far as the eye could see on both sides. We played frisbee, sunbathed, splashed around, and had the time of our lives. Once again, we were there for longer than expected as Muz had to drive one of our group members to the hospital to deal with a deep cut on his thumb. No one minded this hold-up as Eli creek offered no end of entertainment and enjoyment. Slightly darker of skin, we drove off at noon to have lunch in one of the many small towns on the island.
Lunch consisted of delicious corned beef sandwiches and more goon. We rinsed our feet off under the freshwater taps (had the option of a hot shower if you had $1 coins and shampoo - I didn't), re-filled our water jugs, and experienced our third injury of the trip. Rich from Scotland had broken or severely sprained his foot during a game of frisbee at Eli, now it was my turn to join the list of casualties. Walking through the parking lot, I did not see a small stump peeking its wooden head through the sand. A stub and a crack later, I was on the ground with a broken toe. It swiftly swelled up and turned a lovely shade of purple, leaving me throbbing in pain and unable to walk properly. To understate matters, it was a bummer.
After lunch and injuries, we went to see the famous Maheno - a massive ship that wrecked in the 1940s and still lies rusting on the beach, a skeletal shell of the majestic luxury steamer it had been in its heyday. We snapped tons of photos, splashed in the tropical waves, and dug up clams before driving on again.
Our next stop was the Champagne Pools. Nestled on the tip of the island, the Champagne Pools are a group of large tidal pools that are wonderful to swim in. Fed by the constant crashing of waves over the rocks, the pools hold small fish, several shellfish, and the ever-present white sand. We didn't stay for long, but we had a lot of fun. Michaele and I sat on the edge of the pool and let the approaching waves sweep us back into it. This provided endless entertainment for the half hour we were there. It was also a great way to have fun without walking around.
The last stop of our day was Indian Head. Crumbling cliffs and the promise of shark and whale sightings makes Indian Head a must-see for all visitors to Fraser Island. On a good day, you can see Humpbacks breaching, tiger sharks prowling, sea turtles floating, dolphins frolicking, and mantas gliding through the ocean 20 metres below. We saw sharks and whales and were happy with that. After snapping more photos, enjoying the breeze, and marvelling over a spectacular whale jump, we made our way back down the cliff (Rich and I hobbling quite a bit) and into the cars.
Back at the campsite, we cooked our dinner of Asian stirfry over rice (served in wraps to save dishes) and poured out more goon. Sam taught us some fantastic drinking games and we stayed up until 3am laughing and crying over the increasingly hilarious games. I will never forget the great friends and fantastic memories made that night. We went to bed absolutely satisfied with our last night on the island.
With no regrets and a fantastic new tan, I'll leave you until tomorrow!
xoxo - Katrina
Our first stop was a freshwater creek where we walked along a boardwalk to the creek head, then just floated down to the ocean in the foot-to-metre-deep water. It was glorious. The sun was shining, not a cloud in the sky, white sand flanked by multi-coloured sand cliffs and towering jungles as far as the eye could see on both sides. We played frisbee, sunbathed, splashed around, and had the time of our lives. Once again, we were there for longer than expected as Muz had to drive one of our group members to the hospital to deal with a deep cut on his thumb. No one minded this hold-up as Eli creek offered no end of entertainment and enjoyment. Slightly darker of skin, we drove off at noon to have lunch in one of the many small towns on the island.
Lunch consisted of delicious corned beef sandwiches and more goon. We rinsed our feet off under the freshwater taps (had the option of a hot shower if you had $1 coins and shampoo - I didn't), re-filled our water jugs, and experienced our third injury of the trip. Rich from Scotland had broken or severely sprained his foot during a game of frisbee at Eli, now it was my turn to join the list of casualties. Walking through the parking lot, I did not see a small stump peeking its wooden head through the sand. A stub and a crack later, I was on the ground with a broken toe. It swiftly swelled up and turned a lovely shade of purple, leaving me throbbing in pain and unable to walk properly. To understate matters, it was a bummer.
After lunch and injuries, we went to see the famous Maheno - a massive ship that wrecked in the 1940s and still lies rusting on the beach, a skeletal shell of the majestic luxury steamer it had been in its heyday. We snapped tons of photos, splashed in the tropical waves, and dug up clams before driving on again.
Our next stop was the Champagne Pools. Nestled on the tip of the island, the Champagne Pools are a group of large tidal pools that are wonderful to swim in. Fed by the constant crashing of waves over the rocks, the pools hold small fish, several shellfish, and the ever-present white sand. We didn't stay for long, but we had a lot of fun. Michaele and I sat on the edge of the pool and let the approaching waves sweep us back into it. This provided endless entertainment for the half hour we were there. It was also a great way to have fun without walking around.
The last stop of our day was Indian Head. Crumbling cliffs and the promise of shark and whale sightings makes Indian Head a must-see for all visitors to Fraser Island. On a good day, you can see Humpbacks breaching, tiger sharks prowling, sea turtles floating, dolphins frolicking, and mantas gliding through the ocean 20 metres below. We saw sharks and whales and were happy with that. After snapping more photos, enjoying the breeze, and marvelling over a spectacular whale jump, we made our way back down the cliff (Rich and I hobbling quite a bit) and into the cars.
Back at the campsite, we cooked our dinner of Asian stirfry over rice (served in wraps to save dishes) and poured out more goon. Sam taught us some fantastic drinking games and we stayed up until 3am laughing and crying over the increasingly hilarious games. I will never forget the great friends and fantastic memories made that night. We went to bed absolutely satisfied with our last night on the island.
With no regrets and a fantastic new tan, I'll leave you until tomorrow!
xoxo - Katrina
The Land of Sand - Day #1
Three days and two nights on the world's second largest sand island later and I can honestly tell you that I have sand in every orifice of my body. It's in my ears, nose, eyelashes, toes, finger nails; it's become so much a part of my scalp that I foresee sand on my pillowcase for the next week. It's also in other places, but this is a public blog.
We piled up the 4wdrives with eskies, pots/pans, tents, sleeping bags, and our personals on Wednesday morning and were off by 9:30am. We were in the lead car, which meant that Muz (our leader) drove the entire time. The following three vehicles were driven by the passengers (if they were over 21 and familiar with manual 4wds). With heavy metal music pumping, Muz drove us onto the barge ferry where we enjoyed a dolphin show for the 10 minutes it took to cross the channel to Fraser Island. Back in the cars, we took off down the beach, marvelling at the endless expanse of white sand, crashing waves, and jungle trees.
Fraser Island truly is an all-sand island. The trees have created a sort of soil over the years from decomposed leaves, but underneath is pure sand. There eight of the world's deadliest snakes on the island, three venemous spiders, wild dingos everywhere, and a croc sighting on the west side of the island. Luckily, we were not bothered by any, though we did see several dingos.
We drove to Lake Mackenzie first, a crystal clear lake that defines paradise. On our way through the inland sand roads, car #3 stopped for no apparent reason and did not start again so Muz had to drop us off a the lake (1/2hour away), go back for them, then return once again to take care of the car. It turns out the starter engine was broken so the car was still functioning, it just had to have a running start. In the meantime, we spent 3 1/2 hours at the lake, frolicking in the water, sunbathing, getting to know our group members, and starving. Breakfast at the hostel had been at 7am. It was 4:00 by the time Muz came back. Our circle of swimmers was so hungry that we drew a sand bbq and placed sand steaks, corn on the cob, and a dead fish (found floating in the lake) on it. We also reminiced about the food we had eaten over the last 12 years of our lives. Salivating, clutching our stomachs, and moaning about starvation, we gave a cheer when Muz finally showed up to take us to the campsite.
After setting up tarps, tents, and bbq area, we got down to cooking dinner. It was dark by this time so we cooked by torchlight and the headlights of one of the cars. I volunteered to be the chef for the weekend (though we had a professional chef in our group, he was on holiday so it would not have been fair to designate him - though he did help me quite a bit) so I ruled the kitchen, ordering chopping and potato boiling while I took care of the steaks. We had mashed potatoes and rump steaks with a white wine (goon, to be exact - the cheap wine named after the aboriginal word for pillow since it comes in bags that the abos use as pillows once they've drunk the contents) onion saute sauce. It was a feast for kings and we enjoyed every bite.
After dinner, we mingled with the other groups, drank more goon, played games, and generally just had a marvelous time. Our bathroom was the sand (with a shovel to bury it so the dingos didn't get too close), our roof was the stars (far away from city lights, I truly enjoyed more stars than I have seen in the last five years), and our passions all centered around travel, giving us great conversations and fantastic stories to share.
The night ended with ghost stories and some rowdy song-singing at around 2am. Tired but happy, we crashed in our respective tents and slept on sand.
From sunny, beautiful Australia,
xoxo - Katrina
We piled up the 4wdrives with eskies, pots/pans, tents, sleeping bags, and our personals on Wednesday morning and were off by 9:30am. We were in the lead car, which meant that Muz (our leader) drove the entire time. The following three vehicles were driven by the passengers (if they were over 21 and familiar with manual 4wds). With heavy metal music pumping, Muz drove us onto the barge ferry where we enjoyed a dolphin show for the 10 minutes it took to cross the channel to Fraser Island. Back in the cars, we took off down the beach, marvelling at the endless expanse of white sand, crashing waves, and jungle trees.
Fraser Island truly is an all-sand island. The trees have created a sort of soil over the years from decomposed leaves, but underneath is pure sand. There eight of the world's deadliest snakes on the island, three venemous spiders, wild dingos everywhere, and a croc sighting on the west side of the island. Luckily, we were not bothered by any, though we did see several dingos.
We drove to Lake Mackenzie first, a crystal clear lake that defines paradise. On our way through the inland sand roads, car #3 stopped for no apparent reason and did not start again so Muz had to drop us off a the lake (1/2hour away), go back for them, then return once again to take care of the car. It turns out the starter engine was broken so the car was still functioning, it just had to have a running start. In the meantime, we spent 3 1/2 hours at the lake, frolicking in the water, sunbathing, getting to know our group members, and starving. Breakfast at the hostel had been at 7am. It was 4:00 by the time Muz came back. Our circle of swimmers was so hungry that we drew a sand bbq and placed sand steaks, corn on the cob, and a dead fish (found floating in the lake) on it. We also reminiced about the food we had eaten over the last 12 years of our lives. Salivating, clutching our stomachs, and moaning about starvation, we gave a cheer when Muz finally showed up to take us to the campsite.
After setting up tarps, tents, and bbq area, we got down to cooking dinner. It was dark by this time so we cooked by torchlight and the headlights of one of the cars. I volunteered to be the chef for the weekend (though we had a professional chef in our group, he was on holiday so it would not have been fair to designate him - though he did help me quite a bit) so I ruled the kitchen, ordering chopping and potato boiling while I took care of the steaks. We had mashed potatoes and rump steaks with a white wine (goon, to be exact - the cheap wine named after the aboriginal word for pillow since it comes in bags that the abos use as pillows once they've drunk the contents) onion saute sauce. It was a feast for kings and we enjoyed every bite.
After dinner, we mingled with the other groups, drank more goon, played games, and generally just had a marvelous time. Our bathroom was the sand (with a shovel to bury it so the dingos didn't get too close), our roof was the stars (far away from city lights, I truly enjoyed more stars than I have seen in the last five years), and our passions all centered around travel, giving us great conversations and fantastic stories to share.
The night ended with ghost stories and some rowdy song-singing at around 2am. Tired but happy, we crashed in our respective tents and slept on sand.
From sunny, beautiful Australia,
xoxo - Katrina
On the Bus
Woke up at 5:20am on Tuesday morning and caught the 7:00am Greyhound from Brisbane to Rainbow Beach. Without going into too much detail, I'll let you know that a stifling, bumpy bus is not a fun place to be the disgustingly early morning after a fantasticly great goodbye party. Five hours and a long nap later, I arrived in Rainbow Beach at the Peterpans.
I checked in to Dingo's hostel (part of my Fraser Island package) and immediately did some computing. The debriefing for our Fraser trip was at 2:30. Basically all this included was a dingo warning, garbage and waste disposal rules, driving tips, and a whole lot of talking (all of which was repeated the next day). I met the six other people in my car and sat with them for a chat afterwards. Becky and Sam from England had just spent six months working on a dive boat in Cairns as chef and waitress; Michaele, Fiona, and Trisha (I'm butchering the spelling here) from Ireland were driving a rented camper van around Australia; Carlos from Spain had wanted to come with his wife but complications ended with him travelling on his own. We all got along right away and anticipated a fantastic trip. In my room were five other Irish travellers heading on the same Fraser trip.
The rest of the day consisted of me sleeping, eating dinner at the hostel, and going to bed at 8:00 with my alarm set for 6:20am.
Writing about the trip now!!
xoxo - Katrina
I checked in to Dingo's hostel (part of my Fraser Island package) and immediately did some computing. The debriefing for our Fraser trip was at 2:30. Basically all this included was a dingo warning, garbage and waste disposal rules, driving tips, and a whole lot of talking (all of which was repeated the next day). I met the six other people in my car and sat with them for a chat afterwards. Becky and Sam from England had just spent six months working on a dive boat in Cairns as chef and waitress; Michaele, Fiona, and Trisha (I'm butchering the spelling here) from Ireland were driving a rented camper van around Australia; Carlos from Spain had wanted to come with his wife but complications ended with him travelling on his own. We all got along right away and anticipated a fantastic trip. In my room were five other Irish travellers heading on the same Fraser trip.
The rest of the day consisted of me sleeping, eating dinner at the hostel, and going to bed at 8:00 with my alarm set for 6:20am.
Writing about the trip now!!
xoxo - Katrina
Monday, October 4, 2010
Sunday/Monday Fun Day!!!
Couldn't get to the internet on Monday to write about Sunday, so here's the two days all wrapped up in one.
Sunday was pretty mellow, not much to write. It rained (big surprise) so I stayed at the hostel and hung out with Alex (17:female:Aus), Jeremy (20:male:NZ), Andre (22:male:Sweden), Pernella (23:female:Sweden), and Emma (23:female:Sweden). We played cards, cooked food, and enjoyed happy hour when it came along. I also took a nap during the afternoon to make up for the previous night's lateness and that morning's early rise to get to the library. That was everything that happened on Sunday! Not a whole lot, but I had fun with new friends : )
Now Monday. Was. Excellent. Woke up with intentions to compute, pack, hang out with friends, and generally just wrap things up at the hostel to prepare for leaving on Tuesday morning. When I got outside, however, I found the clouds gone and the sun shining full-strength. I put on my bikini and enticed Alex to jump into the frigid hostel pool with me. We swam with the Aussie AFL team and said goodbye to them, then went to dry off. As I passed Jeremy and Andre, I got an invite to go to the Gold Coast with them for the day. Surfer's Paradise to be exact! Obviously I said yes! So, at 10:00am, the three of us were on a bus to the transit centre, then a train, then another bus, then on the beautiful white, hot, sandy, amazing beach of Surfer's Paradise!!
We bought $10 towels, some sunscreen, sushi lunch, and spent the next three hours sunbathing, body surfing, people-watching, and generally just having an amazing time! At 3:00, the skyscrapers next to the beach started casting lengthy shadows so we packed up and made our way back to the train station. Highlight of the trip back: I saw a wild kangaroo!! My first one! I made a fool of myself by pointing, exclaiming loudly, and delighting about it afterwards. No worries, I thought it was exciting!
Monday was my last night at the hostel and everyone was determined to send me off with a bang! Happy hour came twice that night (since we missed the first one by being in transit), we played speed pool, got cards out, went to the music cafe, swapped phone numbers, and generally just had a great time!
My stay at the Brisbane Backpackers Resort was incredible. I have nothing to complain and only praises to sing. If you're heading that way, I would recommend their establishment!
Ta Ta for now! I will not be on for another two days as I'm heading to Fraser Island tomorrow so I'll fill you in when I get back!
Love you!!
xoxo - Katrina
Sunday was pretty mellow, not much to write. It rained (big surprise) so I stayed at the hostel and hung out with Alex (17:female:Aus), Jeremy (20:male:NZ), Andre (22:male:Sweden), Pernella (23:female:Sweden), and Emma (23:female:Sweden). We played cards, cooked food, and enjoyed happy hour when it came along. I also took a nap during the afternoon to make up for the previous night's lateness and that morning's early rise to get to the library. That was everything that happened on Sunday! Not a whole lot, but I had fun with new friends : )
Now Monday. Was. Excellent. Woke up with intentions to compute, pack, hang out with friends, and generally just wrap things up at the hostel to prepare for leaving on Tuesday morning. When I got outside, however, I found the clouds gone and the sun shining full-strength. I put on my bikini and enticed Alex to jump into the frigid hostel pool with me. We swam with the Aussie AFL team and said goodbye to them, then went to dry off. As I passed Jeremy and Andre, I got an invite to go to the Gold Coast with them for the day. Surfer's Paradise to be exact! Obviously I said yes! So, at 10:00am, the three of us were on a bus to the transit centre, then a train, then another bus, then on the beautiful white, hot, sandy, amazing beach of Surfer's Paradise!!
We bought $10 towels, some sunscreen, sushi lunch, and spent the next three hours sunbathing, body surfing, people-watching, and generally just having an amazing time! At 3:00, the skyscrapers next to the beach started casting lengthy shadows so we packed up and made our way back to the train station. Highlight of the trip back: I saw a wild kangaroo!! My first one! I made a fool of myself by pointing, exclaiming loudly, and delighting about it afterwards. No worries, I thought it was exciting!
Monday was my last night at the hostel and everyone was determined to send me off with a bang! Happy hour came twice that night (since we missed the first one by being in transit), we played speed pool, got cards out, went to the music cafe, swapped phone numbers, and generally just had a great time!
My stay at the Brisbane Backpackers Resort was incredible. I have nothing to complain and only praises to sing. If you're heading that way, I would recommend their establishment!
Ta Ta for now! I will not be on for another two days as I'm heading to Fraser Island tomorrow so I'll fill you in when I get back!
Love you!!
xoxo - Katrina
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Bumped My Head And Went To Bed
I woke up at 9am with just seven hours of sleep under my belt. Stomach grumbling, I walked to a fruit and vegetable shop I had seen on my walk the previous day and spent $6.50 on six grapefruit, a bag of onions, carrots, pears, tomatoes, bananas, and spinach. Then I went to the bakery next door and bought a huge loaf of bread for $2. With everything in a cardboard box, I walked back to the hostel just as it started to rain. My breakfast was two bananas (they're miniature ones), a grapefruit, and a chunk of bread.
After eating, I caught the 11am shuttle to the library and spent the next two hours computing (a large portion of that was spent trying to get an Australian tax number - TFN - and failing because the page refused to load properly).
When I left the library, the clouds above gave a menacing rumble and proceeded to shed their contents on me. It absolutely poured. I was wearing a rain jacket, but my legs were bare and my feet were encased in flip-flops that were not at all stable in the downpour. I took them off and walked barefoot to Coles (the grocery store) and bought the rest of the groceries I needed to last me the weekend. When I got out of the grocery store, it had stopped raining.
I got back to the hostel at 2:00 and put my groceries in the communal kitchen. There were some people (Irish and English) sitting around the table having a beer so I joined them while I waited for the cleaners to finish in the kitchen so I could make lunch. An hour later, I made a pot of soup and went back out to eat it. I also mixed a package of minced beef with a packet of chili spices, some hot sauce, and fresh onion and left it to marinade in the fridge.
The tables started filling up as it got closer to happy hour (5:00) and we had a regular hostel party going on by the time 6:00 rolled around. I cooked up a mean chili (carrots, onions, beans, fresh tomatoes and spinach, the beef, and noodles) and ended up with a gigantic pot - more than enough to share. My efforts earned me about three marriage proposals from around the table : P
After dinner, I played a few rounds of slaps with the Aussie footballers, won five beers for my victories, learned a new card game, and made several new friends.
With a full stomach and a light head, I went to bed at 10:00 so that I could get up early to skype. Hostel life certainly does not lack variety and fun.
Enjoy that sunny weather I hear you're having in Victoria, I'm going to steal it soon : )
xoxo - Katrina
Friday, October 1, 2010
At Last, Resort
Woke up to Spencer the cat jumping on my back. I did some computing in the morning, then walked with Malcolm to the grocery store to pick up breakfast ingredients. We made capsicum, bacon, tomato, shallot scrambled eggs on toast. I got teased for putting butter on my toast. Did you know that butter here is bright yellow? It looks unnatural, even though butter is technically supposed to be that colour!
After breckie, I packed my gear up and was driven to the Brisbane Backpackers Resort in West End. Chantelle had been there for three months and I was excited to see her and stay at the same hostel! I got a room (211), met my German, French, and French-Canadian roommates (two guys, five girls), ditched my bags, and walked to the library. After skyping for a little while, I packed up and walked to Tribal travel.
Remember when I mentioned the 14000ft skydive, 2days/2nights Fraser Is., 2days/2nights Whitsundays, + bus for $670 at Peterpans? Well, before purchasing that, I just wanted to make sure it was a good deal. So I went to Tribal travel and talked with the woman there. Not only did she not have a similar package, she said there was no way she could match it; it was a deal of a lifetime. So, I rushed to Peterpans to book my tickets!
I had inquired into this deal last Sunday and was told it was a special that did not expire. The girl was wrong. Apparently this amazing package had expired the day after and the travel agent was not able to get it back. The best deal she could now give me was $1060 (now including photos and a dvd of the skydive ($150 value)). Not at all impressed with this turn of events, I went back to Tribal and asked what she could do for me. She still said she wasn't able to give me the same deal, but what she could do was make a false statement so that Peterpans would be forced to lower their fees. Still trying to sound believable, my wonderful agent quoted $990 for the skydive, dvd+photos, Fraser Is, Whitsundays, bus, and a free 2day/1night trip to 1770s. Knowing that Peterpans didn't have that free 1770s trip, the agent thought it might be a good bargaining point to lower the rates. So, back to Peterpans I went, armed with my statement. The girl took one look at it, gave a frustrated sigh, and went to work making phone calls. She said that accommodation on Rainbow Beach would have to be included (and extra $40), which brought that to $1030. She could bring it down to $1005 and add a free three-hour wild dolphin tour. I asked her to cut out the cost of the bus ($250) so I could buy it through Tribal to secure the free 1770s trip. So, for $700 (plus an extra $60 in park fees to be payed at the Whitsundays), I got my package (bus not included, free dolphin tour included). At Tribal, I booked the greyhound bus and got the 1770s trip! Feeling quite successful, very grumpy (I didn't mention that the Peterpans agent was hungover and incredibly grumpy), and famished, I walked back to the hostel. On the way, I stopped at a Lebanese street restaurant and bought a Falafel for $3.50.
When I got back, it was 4:15 and I had an hour and a half to get showered and downstairs for my "new arrival" free drink. I stopped by Chantelle's room and heard her incredible stories about 5 months in SE Asia (btw, I'm totally going!), made plans to go dancing, and agreed to meet back in the common area for drinks at 5:45. I showered, changed, and was back down in time for drinks. I sat with Chantelle, Katie from Seattle, Emma and Pernella (P-Dawg) from Sweden, and a bunch of guys who were in and out of the conversation. We had a great time drinking beer, playing cards, and learning about each other. At this hostel, people are friends by default. Everyone was rowdy, friendly, open, and fun. We played the nightly games at 8:00, hung out for a while longer, then caught the 11:00 bus into the Valley for clubbing.
This is where my night wasn't exactly incredible. The cover was $15, the club was half-empty, the music wasn't great, and Chantelle and I were so busy going in and out to meet friends (Malcolm, Kate from Victoria, and some Brazillian guys) that we didn't exactly get to party. Oh, and there was no coat-check so I had to carry my jacket until Chantelle offered to stuff it in her purse. We did have a good time dancing for about an hour, but then Chantelle and I got quite tired (around 1:30) and decided to peace out. We walked most of the way home, got lost, caught a taxi back to familiar territory, then walked from there (taxis are expensive, we are broke... especially me after paying for my trip to Cairns!).
Got in at 2:00am, scrambled around in my dark room, then collapsed in bed after a thoroughly long, emotionally schizophrenic, truly awesome day. I'm going to like hostel life!
Missing my girls back home! Clubbing wasn't the same without you!
xoxo - Katrina
After breckie, I packed my gear up and was driven to the Brisbane Backpackers Resort in West End. Chantelle had been there for three months and I was excited to see her and stay at the same hostel! I got a room (211), met my German, French, and French-Canadian roommates (two guys, five girls), ditched my bags, and walked to the library. After skyping for a little while, I packed up and walked to Tribal travel.
Remember when I mentioned the 14000ft skydive, 2days/2nights Fraser Is., 2days/2nights Whitsundays, + bus for $670 at Peterpans? Well, before purchasing that, I just wanted to make sure it was a good deal. So I went to Tribal travel and talked with the woman there. Not only did she not have a similar package, she said there was no way she could match it; it was a deal of a lifetime. So, I rushed to Peterpans to book my tickets!
I had inquired into this deal last Sunday and was told it was a special that did not expire. The girl was wrong. Apparently this amazing package had expired the day after and the travel agent was not able to get it back. The best deal she could now give me was $1060 (now including photos and a dvd of the skydive ($150 value)). Not at all impressed with this turn of events, I went back to Tribal and asked what she could do for me. She still said she wasn't able to give me the same deal, but what she could do was make a false statement so that Peterpans would be forced to lower their fees. Still trying to sound believable, my wonderful agent quoted $990 for the skydive, dvd+photos, Fraser Is, Whitsundays, bus, and a free 2day/1night trip to 1770s. Knowing that Peterpans didn't have that free 1770s trip, the agent thought it might be a good bargaining point to lower the rates. So, back to Peterpans I went, armed with my statement. The girl took one look at it, gave a frustrated sigh, and went to work making phone calls. She said that accommodation on Rainbow Beach would have to be included (and extra $40), which brought that to $1030. She could bring it down to $1005 and add a free three-hour wild dolphin tour. I asked her to cut out the cost of the bus ($250) so I could buy it through Tribal to secure the free 1770s trip. So, for $700 (plus an extra $60 in park fees to be payed at the Whitsundays), I got my package (bus not included, free dolphin tour included). At Tribal, I booked the greyhound bus and got the 1770s trip! Feeling quite successful, very grumpy (I didn't mention that the Peterpans agent was hungover and incredibly grumpy), and famished, I walked back to the hostel. On the way, I stopped at a Lebanese street restaurant and bought a Falafel for $3.50.
When I got back, it was 4:15 and I had an hour and a half to get showered and downstairs for my "new arrival" free drink. I stopped by Chantelle's room and heard her incredible stories about 5 months in SE Asia (btw, I'm totally going!), made plans to go dancing, and agreed to meet back in the common area for drinks at 5:45. I showered, changed, and was back down in time for drinks. I sat with Chantelle, Katie from Seattle, Emma and Pernella (P-Dawg) from Sweden, and a bunch of guys who were in and out of the conversation. We had a great time drinking beer, playing cards, and learning about each other. At this hostel, people are friends by default. Everyone was rowdy, friendly, open, and fun. We played the nightly games at 8:00, hung out for a while longer, then caught the 11:00 bus into the Valley for clubbing.
This is where my night wasn't exactly incredible. The cover was $15, the club was half-empty, the music wasn't great, and Chantelle and I were so busy going in and out to meet friends (Malcolm, Kate from Victoria, and some Brazillian guys) that we didn't exactly get to party. Oh, and there was no coat-check so I had to carry my jacket until Chantelle offered to stuff it in her purse. We did have a good time dancing for about an hour, but then Chantelle and I got quite tired (around 1:30) and decided to peace out. We walked most of the way home, got lost, caught a taxi back to familiar territory, then walked from there (taxis are expensive, we are broke... especially me after paying for my trip to Cairns!).
Got in at 2:00am, scrambled around in my dark room, then collapsed in bed after a thoroughly long, emotionally schizophrenic, truly awesome day. I'm going to like hostel life!
Missing my girls back home! Clubbing wasn't the same without you!
xoxo - Katrina
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