Whitsundays Day 3 and back in Airlie Beach

The last morning was another early morning. People moving around the boat, coming in from sleeping outside, breakfast getting together in the kitchenette, the anchor being lifted and the motor warming up, and of course, the bright sun beaming in. On top of that, they told us that it was time for a dive or a snorkel. No way I thought. Not this early. I had my fair share of snorkeling and was quite proud with myself and my bravery. Don't laugh. Luckily, I wasn't the only one who felt that way and a couple of us stayed on the boat. Looking at where they went diving, I was glad that I didn't because the water looked really choppy, they looked like they were in Very Deep Water, and with the wind, the current was apparently quite strong.

tell me this looks snorkel-appetising....

We did see a couple incredibly large sea turtles from the boat though. We were told not to get our cameras out, not for the privacy of the turtles, but because by the time we did the turtle would be gone. Quite true. For being so enormous, they are mighty agile.

turtle!

When the snorkelers came back, they said that they had seen the turtles and that it was the best site of the trip. Can't miss what you don't know!

looks like a fun place to get stranded. 

The rest of the day was spent on the boat going back to shore. We sat in the front of the boat basking in the sun, concluding and reflecting on the enjoyment of the trip, and exchanging Facebook/email details.

When we got back on Saturday, we had an after party at the Down Under bar which included a $10 meal and a drink. A few of us had planned to meet up at Magnums beforehand and then head over. It's quite funny how you can get to know people so well after spending just 2 nights, 3 days with them, all day all night. Inken and Lovina, from  the Fraser Island trip, were also at the same bar for their after party and we had our own mini reunion with Kyle too who I had run into on the street and invited him along before he had to leave for his overnight bus. Team Hero, reunited, almost. Again, it was goodbye, this time for real. At least for Australia...Canada, Germany - until next time. It was a fun night, to say in the very least.

reserved for Powerplay!

Manuella and Kevin - thanks for the room! x

Me and Sweden. 

 Lovina and Inken <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

Team Hero reunited, sorta.

me and Sophie! 

I stayed in Airlie Beach for a couple more days. I liked it there and I had absolutely no plans whatsoever. Chris and Sophie were staying for another 2 days and Manuella and her boyfriend had booked to stay until Wednesday but their flight changed and had to leave on Monday morning so they gave me their room for 2 nights - a double room to myself for 2 nights for free!!!! I was definitely staying for that!

The next day I met Sophie at the lagoon - there is no beach in Airlie Beach. Apparently it's composed of sharp sea shells so they created a refreshing lagoon to swim in and bathe beside. I didn't have any accomodation for the night and had planned on couch surfing. He was a local and stopped by the hostel to say hi while I was waiting for my laundry - he and his friend seemed ok! Later, Sophie and I met up with Chris and his friend at the hostel bar for a voucher of free drinks. We were tired and undecisive about the night, but we sat down at a table next to a bunch of guys who invited us over to sit with them. They were Aussie and Kiwi's and worked on the boats. To be nice, working on boats makes you a bit crazy. One of the guys said he knew my couch surfer and didn't particularly like him so I ended up staying with Sophie anyways. There was a free BBQ at the hostel - and by free BBQ of course I mean a sausage, some grilled onions, and a slice of white bread. We ended up having a really funny night that involved, me the one-move dancer, learning Sophie's one dance move.

 new dance move.

 this is too funny.

 I'm surprised I didn't steal this.

 New friends!

 Powerplay.

When you go to a place called Mama Africa, there will be a tiger.

The next day was spent at the lagoon until we couldn't handle any more sun and I moved into my own double room! Now, it wasn't exactly a luxurious room, very basic, but it was my own! and free! It had a double bed, AC AND a fan, a fridge, a mirror (!), a kettle, and a cupboard with plates and cutlery. That was luxurious to me. I think I slept till 12:30 the next day. However, the following night, as I poorly ate my $1 noodles, there was a GIANT and I mean GINORMOUS cockroach in my room. My tolerance for bugs has grown exponentially since I worked at the vineyard, but this thing, poking its colossal antennas out from behind the cupboard, near the bed's headboard where I was meant to lay my head to sleep, was the reason I couldn't sleep until 4am and had to sleep at the other end of the bed. Even though I didn't want to kill it, I tried to squish it with my shoe. But it was too beefy to be crushed by a shoe. No joke.
Sophie had sadly left so I had spent the day productively trying to figure out where to go and what to do. I can't say it was exactly spontaneous, but everyone recommended it saying it was worth the money, so I think somewhere in the back of my head I knew it's what I wanted to do. But, I had to stay for another night. 

Whitsundays Day 2, Night 2.

The sound of the anchor being pulled up and the bright morning sun woke everyone up early. Early like 6am. Breakfast of toast and cereal with fruit salad and yogurt with hot coffee and tea were served. We set sail, this time for White Haven Beach.

do you see the monkey on the rock? no? that's b/c it's a rock.

White Haven Beach is the most famous of the Whitsundays, particularly for having the whitest sand. We walked as a group up through the forest to a look out point, before meandering down to the beach.

 Group Shot.

 
This one's for you John & Sheelagh! 

The colours really are like that - no editing.

 The sand was incredibly soft, supposedly the softest in the world?! It was so fine that we had to keep our cameras and iPhones in plastic bags otherwise the tiny particles would get into every crack and crevice of any device. Suncream was repeatedly applied apprehensively from the glare of the sun reflecting of the white sand and penetrating our skin.

 We took the "necessary" shots, feeling a bit like paparazzi were following us models on the beach.

I don't know how the guys did it...

This didn't really work...

 Star.

This was really cheesey. 

For those who brought their wet suits, they could go in the water; those who didn't would definitely be stung by a sting ray or a jelly fish - you could see them from the shore through the clear water. 

The wet sand was a bit like sludge, really sticky and really deep. It smelt a bit. 

Looking back at the beach...

 Chris above, me below.

 It was even prettier than the pictures can show, very serene and we were lucky to get there early before many of the other boat groups arrived.

so white. so clear. so tan!

We reluctantly went back to the boat after soaking up as much sun as we could, not that we really needed anymore, and were headed to another dive sight. There was however, too much algae in the water so the visibility would be too cloudy so we spent more time on the boat as drove again to another sight where we would spend the night. I went for a quick snorkel. I couldn't breathe terrifically well and my fins kept hitting the coral.

 dive sight.

Marlin: Now, what's the one thing we have to remember about the ocean? 
Nemo: It's not safe. 
Marlin: That's my boy. 

The fish were fantastic though and I felt a bit like Nemo when you reach the edge of the coral and it drops off into deep and dark water, Marlin: The dropoff? They're going to the dropoff? What - what are you insane? Why not just fry them up now and serve them with chips? 
I have more pictures on my underwater camera that I bought - who knows what they will turn out like! The coral was so intricate, it was quite fascinating that there are so many types on top of each other, all so very different and unique, and that they are all living things. The schools of fish didn't seem to mind us swimming around them at all. By the way, is it school like skool or schoal with a soft c? I don't think my aquatic experience or vocabulary is good enough to be able to describe what I saw. 

We were back on the boat for another tasty dinner and to finish our drinks while watching the sun set. It was one of those sunsets that you keep taking pictures, trying to get the best picture after the sun dips each inch. We had gotten to know each other better and had become more comfortable with each other - in a "I've seen you in a wet suit" kinda way. 




It really was a beautiful night. I didn't dare to attempt sleeping downstairs again and I heard that sleeping outside was a bit chilly, so I found my spot again on the table-turned bed.

Squirt: Sweeeeet. 

Crush: Totally. 

Whitsundays Day 1, Night 1.

You can kinda get used to 12 hour bus rides when they are overnight. So far I haven't had anyone sit next to me which is HUGE - not in space, unfortunately. Antihistamines help, but you're not going to get a good night's sleep. Tossing and turning, aching and stretching, trying to do whatever you can to get comfortable without looking too awkward - scratch that, you're so tired and uncomfortable you don't actually care what you look like. And sunshine streams through the windows so early that even if you are tired still, you are awake. The bus drivers are obliged to stop every couple of hours for half an hour. When people get off at the petrol station to get fried snacks and pies and crisps and 2 in the morning, half asleep, I don't understand why they are hungry; they just feel the need to eat because they can, I think.  A little bit of scenery is all part of the trip along the coast, so you might as well enjoy it in the daylight. 

We arrived in Airlie at 9:30 and as the bus meandered through the winding roads, my eyes instantly woke up when I saw the colour of the sea out the window. It was sparkling aquamarine, exactly what you would see in a postcard and I knew immediately that I would like it here. After we found our way to the hostel, which we couldn't yet check into, I went off to confirm my boat trip and then went for a walk around the town and around the Bicentennial Walk. I didn't exactly plan it very well to go from one 4 night package, an overnight bus, directly to another 4 night package but that night I met one girl who would be on my boat with me as the two Dublin girls I never thought I'd see again were in the same hostel as me and this girl was in their room. She was chatty and friendly and we planned on meeting the next day to do our pre-departure errands like breakfast and goon. It was leftover crackers and early to bed. I couldn't have had high expectations for my boat after Fraser Island, but I knew whatever boat I had booked was the one I was meant to be on, and again, it was only for 2 nights. I had said to the travel agent I wanted to have fun, but I didn't want a party boat with a bunch of 20 year olds, so she recommended this one, called Power Play. 


The boat was much smaller than I expected and I couldn't fathom how 18 of us were going to fit on there, let alone sleep there for 2 nights. We had paperwork to fill out including a medical questionaire and I was told I wasn't allowed to dive because of my asthma. I think I was too scared to do it anyways, so that was a good enough reason for me! We were given wraps and crisps for lunch and allocated rooms/beds. There were three rooms on each side of the boat, one double bed to the left of the stairs, and then one double bed and another one perpendicular to it, which you had to crawl over the other bed to get to. The bathrooms consisted of a toilet, sink, and shower all in one. Don't ask. It was quite cleverly designed for such a small space; I was impressed. In the inside of the upstairs, there was a kitchenette, two tables that turned into beds, and a cushioned bench behind the table bench that also accommodated beds. 

We set sail and sailed for two hours. There were two nets at the front of the boat, in front of the jacuzzi :) and it was really comfortable to lounge there in the sun with the ocean breeze keeping us cool.

Me hanging out the front of the boat.

That first day we sailed around the islands and those who weren't diving went snorkelling. I have to say, I was quite impressed with my willingness to go. As I've said before, I don't like deep dark water and this was right out in the deep big ocean! Who knows what was out there!

Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.

 We were all given wet suits, not stinger suits, because there are dangerous stinging jelly fish, and off we went. It was actually absolutely amazing. There were so many different types of coral of all shapes sizes textures and colours and the fish were everywhere, swimming right up to you. Bright yellow ones, rainbow ones, big black ones, flat ones, long ones. It was a whole 'nother world down there that you really don't realise until you see it for yourself. I was still a bit freaked out, to be honest, constantly hooked on the wonders of the underwater life, but vigilantly on guard to what could be lurking in the deep, creeping around me. 

our safety lesson. hand on the head means we're ok.

 Clipper is a party boat. Powerplay is a diving boat. Even though I didn't dive, I loved my boat. There were 3 crew  overly-enthusiastic members, 

4 solo travelers including myself, 5 pairs/couples, and a group of 4 friends. Some had diving certificates. Some wanted to learn. Some, like me, were happy enough to try a go at snorkelling. Even though we had a curfew and a no drink policy for before we got into the water, everyone was really chill and got along exceptionally. In such proximity, you really have no choice! 

and me!

The first night, I was sharing a bed with Sophie that was just next to Kevin and Manuella's. We went to bed pretty exhausted with the AC on, but in the middle of the night, I felt as though I was suffocating. The AC was turned off, the fans wouldn't work, and the propped open window with a shampoo bottle didn't do the air any justice. I moved up to one of the benches, glancing sleepily at the vast open star-lit sky, but was then too cold without covers and spotted an unused spot on the table-turned bed, not exactly sure who was next to me, and fell asleep happily there, hoping no one was coming back. 

Seagulls: Mine.Mine.Mine.Mine.Mine.Mine.