October 9th: Settling In!

So Bungalow Bay is SUPPOSED to do trivia and games every night, but they have yet to do it once since I have been here. Apparently the bartenders are not too keen to run them and think that nobody cares (or notices) if they just don’t do it. But I definitely care! It makes me sad. I like games. That is what they SHOULD have hired me for... to run their games and be the fun starter. Maybe it’s the lack of entertainment or just the laid back atmosphere, but it makes it more difficult to meet and interact with people here. Nevertheless, I have jumped in with some of the other staff and made some friends. Unfortunately for me, some of the newest employees JUST went in on a 4 bedroom house together... so I may have some difficulty finding a permanent place to live. It’s not like I have a ton of roommate or housing options here... At least that’s what I thought for a few days!

This morning, not wanting to waste what precious Wifi time I had left (internet is not free here haha in case you have been wondering why I am so behind on my blog), I decided to walk down the street and see if I could find a place to live to by just asking around. I really liked Marci, the tea cafe owner, so I decided to start there. Lucky for me, she said her daughter was actually thinking about renting a room in her house. She called up her daughter to come down right then and meet me. How easy was that?! I will be moving in with Emma, her 7 year old son Toby, and apparently a rather annoying little dog on Saturday! But Emma and Marci are both really nice people, and she asked for less rent then I was prepared to pay, so that was a bonus! Emma even offered me her bike (which I was planning on buying a second hand one when I got the ferry back over to Townsville tomorrow) so I can avoid taking the bus around the island which is $3 one-way. Another fun fact?! While sitting there talking to the both of them over a cup of coffee, I also discovered that the “top of the mornin” old man that I love, is actually Marci’s father!! I think I may have just found my adoptive Australian family :)

After setting out on a day-long mission to find somewhere to live, and accomplishing it all within an hour, I had the rest of the day to explore! I decided to do the walk to the 4 beaches. It’s a hiking trail that takes you to 4 different bays along the way. It is supposedly about a 4hour round trip. Again, setting out around the hottest part of the day, it took me close to an hour to get to the first one, and after sweating about half my body weight (wishful thinking) climbing up and down the rocks, I decided it was a much better idea to just spend the day at the one, and hit the other 3 beaches another day. 

 Part of my hike!

 Almost there!!

 Beeaaaaaachhh!

 Yes! :)

Welcome to Balding Bay!!

A gorgeous, secluded bay that I seemed to have completely to myself! I pulled out my towel and setup my spot next to a big rock, enjoying the sun for about a half hour before I learned that Balding Bay is apparently a nude beach! haha. One where people are not shy about approaching you and starting a conversation. Nevertheless, the pattern continues, the residents of Magnetic Island are very friendly and welcoming.