Well, I have been in Airlie Beach long enough now that I feel like I am a permanent resident at my hostel. It really hasn't been that long, but it's getting down to the last few of the original friends I made when I first got here. I came here and made friends right away (I swear someone should just pay me to be a social butterfly here...), and have gone out on a few adventures. The first morning, I had to make my way to Cannonvale (the next town over) to pick up my banking stuff from the post office. I was told that the easiest way was to just walk along the boardwalk. So that is exactly what I did, although, had I known it would take me well over an hour each way, I probably would have avoided going during the hottest part of the day...
So this is the boardwalk, that has now become a part of my daily morning run. Not a bad view :)
While in Cannonvale, I also went to the art store (the ONLY art store within about 3+hours driving distance from where I am - yes, I researched art supplies beforehand). Lets just say I about cried when I saw the exact same pack of paintbrushes that I usually buy for $5, sitting on the shelf for $34..... I won't even mention the heart attack inducing cost of the paint.... I miss you Michaels, and your 40% off coupons :(...
Airlie Beach is the jumping off point to the Whitsunday Islands, so it's a must to do some kind of sailing trip to get an up-close look. I opted for the 2 day 1 night trip. Good choice on my part, because sleeping on a sailboat was not the greatest sleep I have ever had in my life. We left bright and early in the morning and headed first for Whitehaven Beach. One of the top 3 beaches in the world. We anchored on the backside of the island, and from there, hiked up to the lookout point for the beach.... Get ready to be jealous ;)... I think walking down onto the beach might be the first time I have truly needed my sunglasses so far this trip, it was SO bright-white it was blinding. But it is GORGEOUS! The sand feels like flour... and it is perfectly clean. I don't think I even saw a single rock or shell in the sand. We walked out into the water, and just kept walking.... The stingrays would swim right up to you! Which was terrifying the first time when you didn't know what to expect, and you see a large dark blob in the water swimming towards you. Good thing I had some Brazilians and Europeans to sacrifice if I needed to get away ;)
The color of the water and the sand in outrageous!
Jealous yet? ;)
I met some pretty awesome people on the sailing trip. Chris (our go-pro camera man) and Gabriel, both from Brazil. Rebecca and Michael from Germany (there are ALOT of Germans here), and Manuela, my Swiss friend who looks to me to help her with some of her English, and who I also convinced to do the scuba-dive with me :). So after a not so comfortable sleep, I woke up bright and early the next morning and had my cup of tea up on the deck, watching the sunrise over the islands.... it's a terrible life isn't it?.... The first location we went to we met up with a scuba-diving boat and went on a morning dive. I don't know about anyone else, but I was quite entertained, watching our dive instructor giving us the talk about the basics.... knowing full well that besides Manuela and myself, the Chinese couple and the French couple didn't understand a WORD of English. It was quite funny to see our guide’s reaction in the end when he told me and Manuela NOT to nod in response to his next question, to see if the others would understand, without just copying us. Let’s just say, I’m actually quite impressed that he was confident enough to take them down on the dive.
This was taken in the beginning of the trip, but I actually DID sail the boat.... for quite a long time actually.... long enough that I was starting to wonder if I should be charging them by the hour... But in my chatty mood, I learned all kinds of stuff about sailing, and got the inside info about how to get their job ;) Being pro-active on my job hunt!
Add some more brightly colored alien-looking coral, fish and a few turtles to the list from our mid-day snorkeling at another beach, and it was time to head back. With a lack of wind half-way home, we stopped for a mid-afternoon swim. A few jumped in right away, but it wasn’t until the captain said he would buy a pitcher of beer for the person with the best belly-flop, that I jumped up and leaped off the boat with no hesitation. Bonus points for me! I don’t know how it looked, but judging by the reaction and how awesome it felt, it was nearly perfect! (and yes he did pay up at our boat after party. I tried to trade my beer for cider, but nobody approved, so I had to settle for a rum and coke).
First night out dancing - check!
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