Working backwards & inebriation

SO much has transpired since I posted last. Unbelievable amounts. It's been almost a week since a serious "what I've been doing in Australia" post. I fully realize I'm long overdue. It's currently Sunday night, and I was deliciously unaware of the date and what day it was for the last several days. Something about vacation and lots of absolutely crazy travel will do that to you.

I've commisserated with Ash, my ab fab (absolutely fabulous) travel bud about the best way to share what we've experienced and lived to the full in the last few days. We both decided that subject matter, versus a day-by-day account would be best.

So, there are two people in the world that I feel absolutely safe with when I am inebriated: Ashley M. Curl & Charlie R. Nesmith. Lucky for Charlie, at my present state, I am with the afore-mentioned Ashley M. Curl. We arrived in Airlie Beach (pronounced "early" beach) this morning, after another overnight bus ride. We soon realized, quite to our dismay, that our first Greyhouse Australia experience was not typical - we were able to choose our own seats, wherever we wanted. Since our busride from Brisbane to Hervey Bay, Greyhound had not only dictated where we stopped for eats and when we got to poo, but also dictated where we sat, and who we sat with. (Everyone knows that the sole cardinal rule of riding a bus is that one never, EVER poos on a bus toilet. Right? Everyone that I know at least knows now. DON'T DO IT!) Anyway, our bus ride from Hervey Bay to Airlie Beach was particularly stressful due to the fact that TONS of people were migrating north from HB to AB, and all of them had the presence of mind to travel at night. So, in true high school fashion, as if we had been seperated for being too talkative (Shelly, you know how this feels), Ash and I passed notes to each other about the passengers behind us (Very sketch guy talking to very, Very unaware Canadienne girls) and the rather dismal state our travel had turned to. No longer could we drool on each others shoulder, nor could she lay all over my lap while I shifted positions all night long....oh no. All we could do was stare mournfully into each others eyes as we woke up this morning with oddly stiff bodies.

Thusly, we decided that after the craziness of the last three days for us, that we deserved a freakin' break, man. Arriving in Airlie meant that we legit arrived in the tropics. Our overnight bus ride brought us over the Tropic of Capricorn, which I take to mean TROPICS BABY! And it's warm - Ash and I laid out in our bathings suits all stinkin' day. I finished a book and she starting writing a book...haha(o: In her journal. Anyway, we also had a few things that we absolutely HAD to take care of: check in for our amazing boat trip through the Whitsunday Islands ("74 Islands, out of the blue"), do some laundry (we smelled so bad...ugh. I didn't even want to sit next to myself in the bus last night), and sign onto the internet. And after our Fraser Island tour, we were in serious need of a bottle of wine. So, we checked into MAGNUM backpackers resort (seriously.....how sexual can than name be???) this morning, after waiting for 10 minutes to check our bags (they only access the storage area every half hour, on the half hour - LAME, and annoying) we ate a delicious breakfast, checked in, dropped our smelly bags, changed into bathing suits and promptly spent the rest of the day marinating in the warm sun. THIS, my friends, is what I came to Australia seeking: warm weather, tropical islands and lots and lots of down time. After marinating on a beautiful, even though man-made lagoon, Ash and I completed our list of errands quickly and decided that the best night we could think of was to drink a bottle of wine down at the beach, eating chocolate and talking about life. Inebriated, after an incredibly life-giving conversation in which we discussed a correspondence pal for Ash and how unbelievably fantastic of a man my husband is, full of life, we left the beach in search of french fries and internet. So here we are. Fried in more ways than one, safe enough for my mom and husband not to worry (don't - we are in a VERY safe internet cafe attached to our hostel) and so ready to chill the heck out on the beautiful water.

As many ads have said for the Whitsundays, the world is 70% water - race you for it!