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Hello everybody
Well, I have been in Port Douglas for a couple of days now and it is VERY VERY humid here. If the term "sweating like a pig" was ladylike, I would use it, but dad always told me "horses sweat, men perspire and ladies feel the heat" !!!! So there we go. I'm feeling the heat like a pig.
On Sunday afternoon I cuddled koalas and wallabies and kangaroos and had my lunch eaten by a white parrot-like bird with a big beak (I can't for the life of me remember the name of the bird right now).
Yesterday I went out to the Great Barrier Reef and went snorkelling over three different parts of the reef. The trip out was fine. The Reef was utterly amazing. The trip back was a NIGHTMARE. A massive storm was rolling in and the sea became VERY rough and all the boats that were out at the Reef charged for port. The crew were running round like mad trying to make sure everyone was OK, but there were a lot of people, me included, who were dragged outside to "rebalance" themselves by looking at the horizon. It doesn't work. (I think they also didn't want loads of people chucking up in the cabin area !!) Anyway, it was a brilliant experience seeing the Reef and at least the storm came at the end of the day, not the beginning. I felt rather rough for the rest of the evening but had already been to the supermarket the previous day and bought some provisions. My current room has a little kitchenette with fridge, microwave, etc, so I was able to make myself a lovely salad and have a lovely bottle of Coopers Pale Ale (unrolled, as I was taught in the Outback !! Apparently there is sediment at the bottom as it is bottle-fermented and some "roll" the bottle to mix it and others don't. I have been taught NOT to mix it by an "expert" !!)
Tomorrow I am moving down to Cairns as the next "fast" train doesn't leave until Friday. I get on at 9.15am. I get off near Hervey Bay at 5.25am the following day. Very nice. However, it CANNOT be worse than the trains in China and I am in business class so the seats will be more comfortable. I have booked a lovely looking hostel in Hervey Bay for a couple of nights (they're coming to pick me up from the station as Saturday is the only day the 6.08am bus doesn't run). From there, there appears to be a wonderful looking 3-day/2-night camping trip out to Fraser Island. If it looks good and doesn't cost an arm and a leg, I may well do this. Otherwise, I might just go over for a day and have a look around. We shall see.
So that's my news for the moment. I have spent HOURS on the internet today finding hostels, etc, but that is all part of this type of travelling and it just has to be done. You have to know roughly where you are moving on to and how to get there !!
I still haven't managed to get any of my photos or video on, but I never seem to have the right bits with me when I find an internet cafe which has good quality PC stuff. I should start carrying the leads round with me, I suppose. If I don't get anything on here before I get to Sydney, I'm sure Ian will be able to help me, or direct me to a place that can.
I hope everyone is well - I certainly am. It's absolutely beautiful here and there's still lots more to go.
Lots and lots of love to everyone.
Issy
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