. . . let the good times roll! Turns out the overnight bus was 14 ½ hrs, not 12 ½ as I had thought. What’s two more hours? Val and I heard that the overnight bus is usually packed so we head to the bus stop early to hopefully get two seats together. I managed to maneuver myself to the front of the line and we were able to get seats right at the front. Sweet! Around 15 people get on after us and finally the bus driver. Bus driver says to girl across the aisle from us, "Why are you sitting there? I said anywhere but the front seats". Hearing this I say, "Where I’m sitting as well? I didn’t hear you say anything about not sitting in the front." To which he replies in a condescending tone, "Is that a front seat?". Val snickers a little. We’re not sure if this guy is joking or if he’s just being an asshole. BTW, girl across the aisle from us has since moved to another seat. Bus driver comes back up from the back of the bus and tells we’ll have to move. Blank stares from Val and I (Is he f-ing serious?). Bus driver then says, "Just kidding", to which I reply, "Oh, so you do have a sense of humour?" A risky move, but resulted in laughter from both driver and other passengers. However, this indeed is not the end of the story. Girl from across the aisle that has previously moved, now moves back to front seat while bus driver is out smoking. Very daring. Again, he asks why she’s sitting there. She mutters something about being sick and finally gives up and moves. We think the drama is over at this point. Though we're still wondering why no one can sit in the front seat and if it's so important, maybe the bus driver should make more of an effort at making people aware. Who are we to tell him how to do his job.

We drive for an hour or before we make a stop in a small town. Just our luck . . . a drunk couple, mid-60's, gets on the bus. Dude is blasting his music and wife is yelling at him to turn it off. They banter back and forth and swear at each other for a good hour. Who knows what the bus driver is doing. They refer to the bus driver by name, so clearly, this is the reason why the seats were to remain open. So we could let the drunk couple on. Unfortunately for Val and I, we had the pleasure of sitting right beside them and introducing ourselves to them, their idea, not ours. The woman introduces herself as Princess Charlotte of the Toll Strait in Northern Australia . . . uh huh. Why don’t you have another drink. She wants to know where we’re from so we tell her Canada. Well . . . apparently her husband is from Vancouver and he starts calling us his country people. What a comedy. Val and I can't help but break into fits of laughter. We’ve just had a crap time in Fraser and now we’re not going to get any sleep on the bus. Fortunately, a bunch of people get off at the next stop so Val and I hightail it to the back of the bus. What a nightmare. The guy actually hit her in the face at one point and she hit him back. How bizarre. The bus ride remained uneventful for the rest of the way to Airlie. Long bus ride with asshole bus driver and drunk bantering couple - check.

We arrived at Koala Backpackers and our room smells like pee. On the plus side, there’s a TV, aircon and a fridge. We’re so wiped from lack of sleep over the last 4 nights that all we want to do is sleep. Jen and Vickie had arrived and wanted to hook up for some dinner and we simply did not have the energy. Slept for 12 hours straight that night. Woke with a birthday card beside my bed, a cup of coffee and a muffin, courtesy of Val. A perfect way to start my 30th b-day/sailing trip.
We made it down to the marina and while Val went to grab a coffee, I strolled up to our departure point, sat down and was greeted by three very good looking guys . . . jackpot . . . turns out they were from Detroit, not their fault that they’re american so we don’t hold it against them. However, the problem presents itself when we start discussing the boats we’re going on. Sadly, they were going on ‘Freight Train’ while we were going on ‘Condor’. A little disappointing but Airlie Beach is a small place and we were bound to meet up with them again.

Our boat is the Condor, holds 27 people plus 3 crew. We had a pretty diverse group: Swedish, German (uh-oh), French, UK, American and Canadian. Not only were there 5 Canadians, but 3 of them were from Calgary. Weird! Pretty young, not much in common with them other than that. We set off from Abel Point Marina in Airlie Beach around 100pm and sailed straight to Whitehaven Beach where we anchored for the night so that we’d have plenty of time to enjoy the beach in the morning. The Whitsundays are actually a group of about 74 different islands. Whitehaven Beach is found on Whitsunday Island and is made up of pure white silica sand, stretching for an uninterrupted 6km. A truly remarkable beach. And the color of the water was like none I’d ever seen, the most vibrant turquoises and blues. Sailing on a boat has got to be one of the most relaxing and peaceful activities to do . . . except for those of us that are not water/sailing-friendly. It is truly the best birthday I have ever had and one that I will never forget. But poor Jen was nauseous a lot and spent most of her time wrapped around a pole or lying flat on the boat. Not the best vacation for her. Dinner was excellent and the entire group sang Happy Birthday to me. A great day! Val and I ended up with okay beds with a window right above us for fresh air. Unfortunately, the guy across from us snored so loudly that it sounded like a small helicopter was landing inside the boat, right beside our ears. Oh well, did we really think we were going to get any sleep?

On our second day, we spent some time soaking up the sun on Whitehaven Beach, then headed to Tongue Point where we did a walk up to Hilltop Inlet. It’s a lookout point where postcard pics are often taken from. Absolutely spectacular views. Also met up with the Detroit hotties and chatted with them for a bit. After getting back to the boat, we headed out to a couple snorkel sites and saw a lot of really cool fish. Totally over the whole sharks in the water thing. We had a BBQ on the last night, then got involved in some weird drinking games . . . cereal killer? Our final day was straight sailing, not great for Jen but I enjoyed all of it. Especially cool when the boat gets up to a 45 degree angle. Very cool. I’d love to get out sailing again, maybe on a smaller boat though. Arrived back to the wharf for 1100 and first things first, I had to listen to my family singing Happy Birthday on my voicemail. I had been anticipating the call, but my phone had died while I was on the boat. It made me more emotional than I had anticipated and made me miss home. Poor Val got choked up a bit too. Good feelings at the same time though. This birthday tops them all and I look forward to my 30's.

Val and I set off for our new hostel. Unfortunately, for Val and I, the drama never ends. We get to Waterfront Backpackers, recommended by my travel agent, to check in and are told that we have not been placed in the same room and there are currently no other rooms available. I ask if I can have a refund, I’m guessing that’s probably unheard of, but thought it was worth a try. After some juggling around, a room suddenly appears and it actually works in our favor because we end up with our own room and they’ve waived the charge for the upgrade. We got some much needed rest before heading out to Beaches bar, the spot where all the boat groups meet up with eachother after their sailing trip. There was free beer and dancing and all of our group members made it out for a bit. Not all of them lasted as long as we did though. Headed out to a place called Mama Africa’s where we danced the night away until 400 in the morning? Hottie Detroit guys showed up so got to chat with them for a bit. However, most of the conversation is a blank. Must have been those Jager bombs . . . or maybe the shots of Tequila?

Val and I spent the next day recovering so that we’d have a good time scuba diving the following day. Scuba diving was awesome! Val and I went out to the Great Barrier Reef with a company called Cruise Whitsundays to a spot called Knuckle Reef. I was really nervous prior to getting in the water, but once I was in, I completely forgot about my fears. It’s a whole new world underwater and offers such a different perspective from snorkeling. Took some underwater photos with my underwater camera. Who knows if anything will turn out. I’ll be happy if I get a picture with one fish in it. Wally the Wrasse, as he’s called, came out to say hello. HUGEST fish I’ve ever seen. Didn’t get a chance to touch him but did get my picture taken with him. The 30 minutes in the water went by so quickly but I had an amazing time. Scuba diving - check.

Our last day in Airlie was spent at Airlie Beach Lagoon. My hair, or rather the haystack on top of my head, was so saturated with saltwater that it was actually a nice change to swim in chlorinated water . . . cause you know how moisturizing the chlorine can be.

Now I’m back at work . . . what a drag. Val’s spending some time with me in my spacious luxury style dorm. Well actually, she’s just left for Melbourne for a few days so I’ve got the king size to myself. I’m back in Sydney for another 7 days and then Val and I are off to New Zealand. Really looking forward to it. My sister will be due any time so I look forward to being a new Auntie. I’ve also got my final trip plans in the works. Will likely head to SE Asia in June, then come back and spend a couple weeks with my sister and her new family . . . and then back home to Calgary. Seems strange to be thinking about coming home. Miss everyone.