Day 1 "We Can Have Lots of Fun"

For those of you who read the title of this blog and thought to yourself "that sounds like lyrics from a New Kids On the Block song" you should A) be ashamed of yourself B) realize you're old, and there a people in their 20's right now saying " who the f'k is NKOTB. Believe me, I am really ashamed of myself. But, I'm currently at a restaurant drinking a jug of Sangria getting unexpectantly drunk. So at least I have an excuse.

(note: I am having issues publishing my blog on the road with my iPhone and iPad. I lost my original 'final' copy, this is a draft I had saved - excuse the spelling and grammatical errors. And if you find it boring I blame that on the booze - check out my Flikr account for more photos)

Today was my first day of a ten day journey from Cairns, Australia to Surfers Paradise (its actually Palm Beach, but I don't want to confuse North Americans. And frankly 'Surfers Paradise' just sounds cooler).I packed up my stuff, just barely fit it into this impressive Holden Cruze (it's a beauty, but has no guts on the highway), plugged in my iPhone to the car's handy USB input, cranked the tunes, and started my journey south. Well that last bit is not entirely accurate. I had a surprise visit from my ex who wanted to say goodbye. I'd like to say it offered closure... But it was nice all the same. It was supposed to be a tear free departure though. How dare she ruin it.



I digress. I got the hang of driving on the opposite side pretty fast. The biggest problem being I'd accidently hit the windshield wipers instead of the turning signal.

My first stop, if you can call it that, was Innisfail. Long enough to take a photo of the town's sign and then take the 5 minute tour until I reached the highway. What can I say about Innisfail. It's quaint, in a realtors description kind of way.
I had a huge payoff in Mission Beach though.

Gorgeous.

Even the 20 minute detour from the highway was splendid. Make sure you watch out for the giant prehistoric looking birds that will crush your car.
The beaches were fantastic.

If I ever return to Far North Queensland, and want to settle down in a sleepy community, Mission Beach will be my destination of choice.

The weather was a mix of intense sun and a humid 34, and tropical showers that came and went so fast I barely had a chance to turn on the windshield wipers.I finally figured out which side they were on by the way.
I kept seeing flood warning signs along the way, saying 'Expect delays past Ingham' Roads Flooded'. That's been one of my biggest fears on this drive. Not necessarily getting caught in a flood area, but being unable to get to my next destination.



I finally arrived in Townsville around 6:30pm. Remember my disappointment in the hotel I chose (actually Hotwire.com chose it)? Well the Holiday Inn is surprisingly well appointed.



After checking in I decided to head 2 blocks down to Palmer Street. With streets adorned with classical New Orleans style architecture (if you guessed that my lack of architectural education left me grasping for descriptors, you're correct).
Wearing flip flops (the Aussies still call them thongs) I decided to take a seat at a Tex-Mex restaurant called Cactus Jacks.

After eating a chimichanga, drinking a strawberry margarita and then a coke, I decided to treat myself to dessert. A jug of Sangria. That's right, JUG. I'm finishing this blog with one glass left to drink. My belly is bloated and I'm fidgeting in my seat. Bad idea. The server came over and said I "looked uncomfortable". To hell with it, the jobs not done until the jugs empty.

Until tomorrow everyone ,

Jimmy