I had a great sleep at the Holiday Inn Townsville last night. Considering I drank a jug of Sangria I felt no worse for wear upon awakening (foreshadowing). After I ate the worst $19 hotel buffet buffet breakfast ever, I checked out the astro turf carpeted roof top pool, and then checked out of the hotel.
People who are in the know about Townsville told me to stop by The Strand. (Equivalent to Cairns Esplanade and Whiterock Canada's beach front restaurant district)
It didn't disappoint. Picturesque views and cute kids motoring along the waterfront trail. As it has in many of the locations I've visited. It started out cloudy but turned into paradise. That being said, when it's cloudy and raining it's still above 30 degrees. Off to Airlie Beach.
During my drive there were numerous stops for road work. At one of these I had parked behind a semi truck which was nice enough to keep me going at a steady 110 km/h prior to this. I just happened to glance down at the middle of the road, 3 feet away, where someone chucked out KFC chicken (one of the most disappointing aspects of Northern Queensland is their penchant for littering and the lack of governmental pushed recycling). Suddenly, WHOOSH, a hawk snatched up a piece of chicken. I franticly started fumbling for my camera, WHOOSH another piece in the air. I was in awe. This powerful, majestic bird was half a meter from the car. When I finally grabbed my camera case my truck driver friend decided to proceed forward. Hope that bird got all her herbs and spices. I guess sometimes littering is good for the environment.
It rained pretty much all the way to Airlie Beach. After circling the community five times (stupid phone's GPS) I finally found the Best Western Mango Resort House. It was a little further from the hub of action than I thought, but still walking distance. The crusty lady at the front desk was nice in a 'life should be no fun, and backpackers are evil' sort of way. After her rant on the local community I tossed my luggage in my quaint (there's that word again - see last post) room and excitedly headed where the evil backpacking kids hang out.
First I decided to book a sailboat cruise of the white sandy Whitsunday beaches. I stopped at the Magnum tour booking office for advice. She gave me a choice between a Eco friendly tour of the islands with a couple hours of snorkeling, or a drunkfest on a boat that has you packed in like sardines. No, I didn't take the drunkfest love boat. I decided on the Eco-tour so I could capture the scenery on camera. Yes I'm lame and a geek. Perhaps now I know why my wife left me (before you start writing in giving me sympathy, I'm okay with my geekdom). I'm 38 and I honestly can't keep up with these 20 somethings. Now I sound lame.
The problem with my Eco-choice was they cancelled their sailing tomorrow. Acting like she was holding back a couple secret gems, the tour booker grabbed a couple other brochures off the shelf stating that "these would be more to my liking anyways". Suspicion was setting in. Before I chose one she called the tour operators to confirm availability. Neither were going out due to a 25 knot predicted wind. Just as she was reaching for another brochure I stopped her and asked about the ferries that went to the islands. Little miss upsell failed to mention to me that the ferries pretty much went to all he locations the tour companies went for half the price. 8:15 ferry trip, starting at Long Island, it is.
I walked out of the tour office with a pocketful of extra cash and a 'hungry like the wolf' appetite. Look no further than right next door which was the Magnum backpacker outdoor tavern. I grabbed a couple 2 for 1 Mamma's Boys pizzas, a schooner of Toohey's beer, and sat down to listen to the 90's cover band. I felt kind of old in the tavern until a guy around my age sat down on a picnic bench and started doing the jig from the seated position. Things were starting to look up for one of us old guys.
Young attractive girls where seated all around me. I thought to myself "I wonder if I've still got game" (for those of you who know me, please don't ruin my story by stating that I've never had game). What better way to display game than by drinking more. So, I carried on the tradition from the night before and order a jug of beer. Three beers in, as my confidence was rising, my friend Elliot texted and ruined to fun. He told me "Airlie has the highest rate of STD's per capita in Australia...". So I drank my jug and stumbled back toward my hotel, alone and disease free.
Funny thing when it comes to drinking and directions. Sometimes they don't go hand in hand. It seemed to be taking an awfully long time to reach the Mango. Finally, as the rain started coming down again, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and checked my GPS location. Somehow I ended up turning down some side street and I was a good 5 blocks off my intended path. Stupid beer. Stupid STD's. But smart GPS. I take back what I said about you earlier.
If it doesn't rain tomorrow expect some beautiful photos on my blog and/or my http://www.flickr.com/photos/jimmydownunder/ account.
Jimmy
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