what happens on magnetic island...

It's been just under a week since we left Cairns and I'm already losing track of days again (that didn't take long) It's amazing how quickly I have adapted back to a life that is constantly changing... it kinda feels like the whole four months in Cairns was just a dream (except of course the fact that I am with different people now)

oh oh, but you know whats funny?? (not funny “haha”... funny “oh shit”) I am already halfway through my money that I saved for these next few months (guess whose going back to work earlier than she wanted) On my defense, these first few stops are the most expensive visits on our list... so hopefully once I leave here I can live VERY frugally and HOPEFULLY make it to Byron Bay (there is no question now that I will be working as soon as I get there... I just hope I don't get stranded somewhere along the way...)

That brings me to the whole point of this (well, clearly the point is me getting to prattle on and on and you feeling obligated to read it since you love me) where exactly am I and where have I been that is so expensive???

Well, we are traveling at a similar pace as I usually do (which makes me oh so happy)... that means no super early mornings, and driving only 200-300km a day. Our first night was spent in Innisfail (hahha, which is about an hour out of Cairns) it wasn't a planned stop, but we realized it was gonna rain and we didn't feel like camping in tropical wet season (yes yes I know there is a serious lack of planning regarding the timing of this trip) so as we were grabbing groceries we decided to call up a friend who lives there and “camp” in his yard (by “camp” I mean sleep on their couch). We made them dinner as a thank you and left early(ish). (Yes, our first night “on the road” we just crashed at a friends house. But isn't that what travelings about anyway?? Phoning up old friends and extended family so you have a free place to stay is as much a backpacker tradition as staying in actual hostels) That morning we were INCREDIBLY excited to find our first beach that wasn't closed due to stingers... (thank you Mission Beach) our enthusiasm wasn't even waned by the fast approaching rain clouds (which was regrettable once we realized we had no head start and now had to drive in the rain... thank you Alex for being the man (yet again) and driving through it)

Kate and Alex cooking our first dinner on the road

Finally a beach we can swim at!! Rain won't stop us now...

Unfortunately the rain almost stopped the driving....

This is where it gets pricey... we headed for Magnetic Island (which is totally worth it). After hearing from a few people that Townsville (where you catch the ferry) is a bad place to leave your car (and ours is apparently once of the easiest cars to break into) we decided we didn't want to leave it unattended for too long (you know, loosing all your shit in the first week of a road trip is kind of a downer) so we opted to take the car over the ferry. After doing so, I would advise anyone to NOT do that. It cost us $175 return to bring the car (although you can have up to six people in it) and it's only $30 each return to walk on. If you are worried about your car go with FantaSea (there are two ferries) because they have a gated parking lot with cameras (the other ferry is passenger only and does not have a secure parking lot). There is a cheap bus on the island to take you all around, so getting around isn't a problem.

Magnetic Island is BEAUTIFUL. Just like the pictures... white sand beaches, palm trees, beautiful rocky coast lines, diving opportunities (yeah I did), and hikes to stunning look outs (nope, I didn't...way to lazy). We spent three nights in a Base ($29 a night for the 6 bed dorm... but, I was never there... I camped in the car... and by “camped” I mean I snuck into Alex's dorm and shared with her... which worked out really well since there were no other people in their dorm). Base is full of the really young backpackers, so we ended up just making friends with the staff for the most part. There is a YHA hostel on the other end of the island, we chose Base because it's supposed to be the “fun” one with the bar so we thought it would be easier to sneak in (yea yea yea i'm going to hell) and Base is right on the beach.

The dorms were pretty cool... almost felt like I was in summer camp

One of the many beautiful views from the hostel

At Picnic Bay

More Picnic Bay

I paid $100 to do two intro dives (they have a dive school in the hostel), one was in the day and one was called a night-tro... they let you do a night dive!! Apparently this is one of the only places that will do that, so if you wanna scare the shit out of yourself by going on a night dive when you have little to no experience under water, go there! (clearly I had to do it... I mean, if someone else says it's to dangerous to do and this place will let me do it... I HAVE to take that opportunity) I had a MUCH better experience than the time I went diving in Indonesia, here I had basically no “work” to do before hand, they just get you in the pool, show you how to clear your mask and use the regulator... then you jump in and see the reef!! AND the instructor controlled my BCD (buoyancy control device... the reason I had such a problem maintaining buoyancy last time was because they had me working it myself) so I got to just swim around and enjoy the view... TECHNICALLY it was “the” reef... you know, the great barrier reef... so TECHNICALLY I can cross that off my list of “things to do before I die” (or... “things I'm doing that will probably lead me to an untimely death”) but it's not anything like the rest of the reef... it was... well... dull and full of ugly plants. BUT during my two dives I got to feed bread to a bunch of colorful fish that tried to eat my hand (are they supposed to eat bread??) I saw two singers, a big turtle, and I pet a shark!! (just a little guy... but he was a shark!). Night diving is pretty cool too... just you and a flashlight... it's like driving at night, in a sense that all you can see is what your headlights show (which makes it super scary... you know, you drive slow in case a deer pops up... what do you do if a big scary shark pops up???) Honestly, that experience was really overwhelming for me... since I have no idea what I am doing when I'm underwater, and I'm still just trying to get used to the whole breathing aspect of it... I really just clung to my instructor and started wide eyed at the dark world around me.

Besides diving, lazing around in hammocks, and burning my butt in the sun, Magnetic Island is also a GREAT place to get drunk. The bar at our hostel has games and drink specials... Wednesday is ladies night (free punch for girls) and they use the term “lady” loosely... a guy in a dress counts too... Thursday is trivia... Friday is bar games... which turns into a whole lotta fun. Guess who won the game of collecting the most clothes and naked people into a line?? yeah I did. Seriously... first thing I won in my life. EVER. There may have been a lot of people streaking down the beach as well... Apparently they have great full moon parities too, and the bar stays open till 5am or something (it closes at midnight every other night)... I've heard they are worth it, and from what I saw on a regular Friday night, I'd say a full moon party would be a night you might want to forget.... (in a really fun way)

Needless to say, Magnetic Island was a lot of fun...somehow we managed to get the nickname “crazy Canadian pixies”... and two days after leaving the island I am still nursing my aching body: muscle pain EVERYWHERE... skinned knee... multiple bruises... perhaps I am getting to old for this?? NOPE.

Coming up next: more prattling!! hahha... just kidding, this is too long. I'll leave where I am currently for another day...