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Katie's Travels
Arriving in Mission Beach, I was collected by my hostel's - The Beach Shak - nice driver Andy, an English guy who said he loved Mission Beach so much he'd been here for a month now! Working at the hostel, he got free digs and $200 - not bad really, considering there is absolutely nothing and I mean nothing, to spend your money on here! There are about 2 shops and a café and that's it. Needless to say, I decided to do my one free night here and then head to Cairns. And I'm glad I did. The hostel was unlike any I'd previously stayed in. It was more like a private house. There was no key deposit upon check in or linen or kitchenware hire. In fact, the place only had 1 big bedroom. Me and a german girl - Iris - who'd arrived at the same time, were in a separate little room off the main one, with just the one bunk bed in it. Right beside the bathroom which was massive with a big corner Jacuzzi bath! Downstairs, there was a small kitchen and outside a nice pool and patio area. The tv lounge was very informal and relaxed with a HUGE plasma tv and Austar, so I could finally watch some decent News Channels and catch up on what's been going on in the rest of the world.
After another early night, I got up early and asked Andy if there were any good walks I could do. He offered to drive me to the start of and hour and a half one he recommends to people. I started out walking through the rainforest following this dried mud path. I was hoping to see some Cassowary's as in the Rough Guide it says if you don't spot them in Mission Beach you're very unlucky. But Andy was saying that since the Cyclone in March, they've become very hard to spot. As I started out however, I could swear I heard what sounded very like one moving around in the bush. But there was so much leaves and greenery I couldn't see it. Didn't want to get too close either as unlike emu's, they can be quite aggressive if they think they're being threatened. So I walked on - felt like it was about 30 degrees and there was no breeze. I soon ran out of water and I seemed to be the only one out there! Was also consciously checking for snakes on the path or hanging from the trees! A couple of bridges that I came across had been cordoned off and the sign said they were closed due to them being deemed unsafe so please follow the alternate route. However, the alternate route involved wading across the river up to my knees which I thought was rather dangerous as I was in the thick of croc country! However, there was no other way, so I had to do it - very quickly!!! The damage to the area caused by Cyclone Larry, was still very evident and some of the other walks were still closed because the damage was so extensive! This place really caught the brunt of it.
Eventually I made it to the other end of the walk and was collected by one of the women from the hostel who dropped me back in town. I had some lunch and then took a stroll along the beach back to the hostel.
Soon it was time to head back in the minibus to the main bus terminal to wait for my final Greyhound bus. I had a 40 minute wait for my bus, but 15 minutes after I arrived, the Premier bus pulled up (Greyhound's rivals). The driver loaded his waiting passengers and then asked me where I was going. "Cairns with Greyhound" I said. "Just jump on love" he said. I thought this was weird but it would mean I would be in Cairns a good 45 minutes earlier than if I'd waited for my own bus. So I hopped on. Haha. Sat next to a nice Canadian girl, Michelle. Turns out she's just bought her own car and is heading to the Tablelands on Saturday and asked me if I'd like to go to. I said yes, so that is the plan for tomorrow!
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