Racing down the East Coast finally got time to breath

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Hey guys,

So its been a while since I last blogged and iv done a hell of a lot since Mission beach. so im gonna fill you in on my adventures since we last spoke.

18.3.08
Celebrated St Patricks Day in Mission Beach, we went to Mint Cafe for Irish Stew and a dance off, met loads of cool people and and didnt get to bed until 3.30am (a bit different from my nannying days when id be in bed by 9.30pm hehe). No hangover thank goodness, managed to avoid it by eating lots of peanut butter on toast before we went to bed, I think it must be a miracle cure.

Went Blokarting with Lauren and Kathleen this afternoon on Mission beach, it was great fun and you get totally covered in sand. Australia is also the home of big things (yes things that are stupidly large) the first big thing that we have seen was a giant cassowary outside the supermarket in Mission Beach so of course the compulsory pictures were taken standing in front of it (neglected to mention these big things arnt living things just giant statues).

20.3.08
Headed to Townsville and went to the Reef Aquarium and saw a bunch of freakly looking fish, a very cool turtle DUDE! and some sea cucumbers that breath thrugh there bottoms and sometimes fish live in there but apparently thats a good thing (I dont think anyones asked the sea cucmumber how he feels about this)

Back on the oz bus which was exchanged for a giant coach ahh finally some room to stretch. next stop Airlie Beach!

21.3.08

Arrived in Airlie Beach early evening,... how to describe Airlie - well first of all using the wiords of our driver Mr Puddles(?) it is Airlie No Beach as it doesnt have one to speak of just a lagoon like in Cairns. The main high street is like any number of strips youd find in Ibiza or Ayia Napa lots of night life drunken young people and hostels. When in Rome as they say, so me and the girls hit the town going to an Irish bar with live band and then on to Mama Africa to dance our socks off whilst trying to escape a persistant Aussie that was staying in our room.

22.3.08
Ok so any thoughts i was habouring (no pun intended) about joining the Navy have gone sailing (sorry again) out the window, sleeping on a hot humidd double bed with someone in a room with 6 other people that is roughly the size of a shoe box while listening to water from the toilet swilling onto the floorand trying to focus on trying to guess which way the boat is going to sway next classes for a very interesting nights sleep.
Woken at 6 for breakfast and then taken by dhingy to shore where we walked to the otherside of Whitsunday Island to Hill Inlet and very sorry but this place has no words to describe how beautiful it is so im not going to bother.
Next we headed to Manta Ray Bay to do snorkelling. Saw amazing fish and even more amazing coral reef was stunning! Parrot fish are still my favourites although i didnt see any clown fish. Our Skipper who if you want to piture him looks and acts exactly like crocodile dundee was feeding the fish and they all swarmed around us...and then there was Elvis a giant wrasse the size of about 3 dinner plates!!!

ok still loads to tell but just gotta go put my stuff in my room so will continue later

back again time to tell a little bit more...

So we're still on the boat and on the way to our next stop we gained some attention from two sea eagles so 'captain croc' through some leftover chicken up to them which tey swooped down and devoured with no problem it was amazing how close we were and if that wasnt enough we also spotted 2 dolphins and watched them playing for a while too.
The rest of the afternoon consisted of chilling out on the boat reading books listening to reggae (bit of Bob) and taking pics of each other doing cartwheels and making funny shapes with our shadows on the sand (simple minds eh). After anchoring in a bay with a few other boats we saw the most amazing sunset and enjoyed dinner and drinking on the deck before sitting round listening to captain croc and his deck hand play guitar and sing.

23.3.08

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAD!!!!!!!!!!

Got up around 6am. Lauren jumped in for a quick swim before we headed back to Airlie Beach. Got back and looked round the shops and some jewellery stands, did some much needed washing. went for a drink at the bar as our boat had a table reserved for us. Early to bed though as had to be up and on the bus by 6.45am (anyone who says im on holiday is seriously mistaken).

BBBRRRIIINNNGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rudely awokewn by the fire alarm going off. we all had to go outside on the street in our very glamourous pyjamas (not so much) started to see the funny side after a while although may have just been giddy with exhaustion, either way it felt like i was back in halls at uni. We even had to promo guys dressed up as Hugh Heffner telling us to get ourselves down to Evolution where there were loads of bunnies! Thanks, think ill pass, now give me my bed!!!

24.3.08

Got on the bus this morning, just in time it seems as a coach load of Americans disembarked next to us (no offence but I really cant stand the accent anymore - on the plus siode i can now distinguish between Americans and Canadians now and have to say i prefer the latter).

Stopped at a truck stop for breakfast (well coffee and cake anyway). Very long coach journey to Kroombit cattle station but at lunch met 3 guys from our bus Fletch, Andy and Jack all from Devon and they were very nice so had some more people to ask the usual travelling questions (where you from? where have you been? where you goin'? how long have you been away?..strangely enough the names of people never features very high on this list, which can be embarrassing when youve spent several days with someone, would trust them with your wallet, passport etc. and are quite willing to share a dorm with them not being to fussed if they see you in your underwear and yet fail to be able to introduce them to anyone because you dont know there name).

Reached Kroombit feeling travel weary and smelling of Oz bus. We were greated by a gecko in our room which was basic to say the least (more of a shed really) and I had suspicions that the gecko had paid for his bed!? Kath and I went for a dip in the pool and a shower before dinner.

Drank beers with the guys from the coack while I got attacked by a cricket that wanted to run his fingers through my hair apparently and so was dive bombing my head. After this ordeal I had a go at whip cracking, which you will see from my pics when i finally get them up, can be quite a pianful experience if you dont know what your doing.
The next challenge was the mechanical bull and I have to say i havent laughed that hard since i dont know when especially not at myself.

We played other games after this one of which resulted in Andy having to kiss my bottom (dont ask!) and another which ended with me suffering with stiffness in my upper thighs (i had to do the splits).

25.3.08

Another early start, by 7am we were off to muster the goats up in the top field on horseback (us not the goats). This was the best thing Iv done so far. We had to heard them into a pen by shouting Ay Up Up Up! or your own variation of this of which mine was Lazy Goats! Lazy Goats! Move Your Arses! (very polite i thought)
Got back to the ranch and it was straight back out to do clay pidgeon shooting OH NO! all the goats were back in the field, we hadnt closed the gate properly and the goats had managed to escape!

Anyway goats were quickly rounded up by a guy on a dirt bike and we got on to the important task of shooting. I got 1 out of 5 which wasnt to bad for a first attempt i dont think and the one i did get i totally obliterated so not bad on the whole.

Next up goat rodeo...
The Goat Girls were on the case and all goats should be scared very scared! Lauren managed to yank the goat by the horns into our circle i then grabbed it and flipped it over which didnt sound to scary until i was actually holding a goat by two legs and dangling it upside down (neither the goat nor me were to thrilled to find ourselves in this position) i managed to wedge my knee onto the goat while Kath grabbed the cold brand and branded its rump to signal the end of our glorious triumph over this poor unsuspecting creature.

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