Having spent 2 sleepless nights on a boat and another on 13 hour bus journey we were all looking forward to a good nights sleep in our hostel....a free night as well but then when it came to booking our bus ticket to Mission Beach we realised this could only be a dream as the bus left Airlie Beach at 2am in the morning. We had a bit of a dilemma with the bus times as we all fell asleep...the alarm went of at 1am and was switched onto snooze mode. 2.04aam came around and Bins woke up and yelled ** it is 2.05 am and we all jumped out of bed and stumbled around in the dark trying o pack our things. We then sprinted (was more of a scuttle) to the Bus terminal (effort prize goes to Hannah for her determination and very special run). Luckily the bus was late but we learned from our mistake! The bus ride to Mission Beach was 13 hours and the bus was so hot! We arrived in the morning and walked down the road to our hostel which is so nice. It is more like a mini resort with a swimming pool, camp fire, volleyball net etc...the surrounding area is made up of rainforest and the occasional shop. We spent the day by the pool as we weren't allowed to swim in the sea due to it being stinger season also because the area is populated by alligators! There is a sign by the pool saying 'watch out for the alligators' which makes it very easy to relax! One thing i have noticed as i have made my way up the coast is that the further up you travel the bigger and more alien like the insects become....seriously i have moments in my day when i come across a grasshopper or an ear wig the size of my hand! The butterflies are so beautiful though, they are literally the size of my hand and so brightly coloured with turquoise and green and blue set against a velvety black wing! I stand in awe, Nanny would love them!In the evening we cooked a really nice meal of chicken kebabs and salad and new potatoes-so yummy!

Today we lazed by the pool again but had a much more active day! Bins, Hannah and I started our own aqua aerobics class which we actually took very seriously and in the afternoon Bins and i played a badminton match...i lost. It is sad to think that tomorrow i will probably have such bad muscle pain!oh well! We watched Notting Hill in the morning and have to add that we had bacon sandwiches with cheese, lettuce and tomatoes for lucnh!!!!Tomorrow we are travelling to Cairns and then on to Cape Tribulation!