If you are familiar with Whitsundays you'll be versed in its beauty (White sandy islands surrounded by the bluest of sea). Hence why awakening to rain was such a disappointment.
I decided to head into the Airlie Beach CBD (Central Business District) for some breakfast. I found a great place called The Sidewalk Cafe. After about an hour I looked up from my book as the sun began to shine through the windows. I quickly left the cafe and started making my way down the seaside walkway to the marina.
Mother nature is such a tease. She's like that peeler my friend Curtis (Not his real name) spent all night talking to at a strip club, thinking there was something magical happening between them, only to be surprised when she asked him for $300. Since 10 songs, or lap dances, was the duration of their conversation. True story.
Oh yeah, back to mother nature Three quarters of the way to the ferry dock it started raining again.
By the time I reached the Cruise Witsundays check in terminal, just a little damp, I found out the next ferry didn't leave for an hour and a half.
So I grabbed a long black (that's a coffee perverts) and sat on a covered patio watching the drenched 20 somethings arrive back after their overnight cruises.
I'm not sure which tour boat it was but I would recommend not going on the one that has bed bugs. The girl next to me was giving advice to two other future sailors about to get on the same boat. "Oh, it was a lot of fun, but I recommend putting all your belongings in plastic bags and wrapping yourself in plastic at night to sleep, there's bed bugs". I hope the drinking and potential for STD's were worth it.
Well I finally caught my ferry and made it out to Daydream Island. If it was a sunny day this place would have been stunning. Instead it was just really, really nice.
When I got off the ferry, mistaking me for a hotel guest, island staff draped a shell necklace around my neck. Score! Free shell necklace!
I headed down to the day-guest side of the island. Most of the shops and bars were closed. It is the low season, and raining, what did I expect.
I did get to see two Cockatoos land near a guy eating a Popsicle and beg for a bite. He unfortunately gave them some. Some future Popsicle eater is going to get a surprise when a Cockatoo swoops down and bites his finger off -- I remember two rules from my childhood: Don't run with scissors. And, don't feed wild animals.
I headed over to the resort hotel side and came across a shallow pool of water containing coral, stingrays, tropical fish and sharks. That's right frickin' SHARKS with laser beams. (Sorry for the Austin Powers reference.)
I then made my way down to Lovers Beach and cursed all of you in healthy, happy, relationships. (No, I'm still not over my wife and I separating - see sad photo at the end of this blog).
Before I left I enjoyed a Fat Yak beer and talked to the local girls at the bar about stingrays, lemon sharks and the fact you can't swim in North Queensland for 4 months because of the stupid jellyfish.
Back to the ferry for the 25 minute trip to the mainland.
It's 7:45pm and I'm now watching a baby gecko make its way up the wall in my hotel, watching the movie Igor on TV and thinking "Bed or Tavern time?". Tavern it is.
Tomorrow, I'm off on a 6 hour drive to Rockhampton to visit my friend, and former Citytv colleague, Bridget.
Jimmy
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