Got up at 7am and got the free breakfast downstairs of toast, juice and coffee then grabbed my stuff and checked out. The shuttle bus came just after 8am and we picked up a few people on the way then were at the airport quite quickly. Check in was a pretty long queue and they have started doing like Gatwick where you check yourself in at the machines and then go to the bag drop. It’s meant to be quicker but it doesn’t really seem it. The best check in I’ve seen was in New Zealand at Wellington where you check yourself in and even print out the tags for the bags, stick them on and then just dumped your bag on the conveyor. Now THAT is what I call self-check in and would speed things up no end if they all did that. There was no queues no hassles dead easy, but then again I think the Kiwi’s are a bit more ahead of the game compared to the rest of us idiots.
Once through check in I spent a bit of money in the shops (as you do) and bought stuff I don’t really need just to pass the time, but you can never have too many T-shirts I guess. I can always ditch some of the tatty ones I’ve had since I set off. I logged onto one of the airport computers to update my facebook status so mum wouldn’t be worrying lol.
The flight was on time and it was that crappy film “Australia” again, I didn’t get nay headphones but I was right near a screen so found myself watching bits anyway and guessing what was happening, so might as well bloody watched it properly.
Landed in Cairns at 1.30pm and my bag was off quick so I just went straight to the info desk and booked a shuttle to the City Backpackers Hostel where I was staying $10 one way, which is about a fiver so not bad.
When I arrived at the hostel the reception was closed but there was an envelope in the mailbox with my name on it with keys and info etc (as advised in their email). Got to my dorm which was 6 berth one and there were 4 bodies around the place. It had 3 bunk beds in the room. There was one comatosed guy on one of the bottom bunks, and two guys lay on another top n bottom bunk who were awake and dressed. We did a quick introduction (with the exception of coma kid as he hadn’t stirred). Couldn’t tell you what they were called as I didn’t really take the info in it was a blur of Irish accent. I asked which bed was free as they all looked slept in and they said any as they had been staying wherever if they brought girls back(nice), so I went for one of the top bunks that looked less slept in. They said they were going home tmrw so hopefully they might all go and I will have it to myself (wishful thinking). The two dressed guys left and tried to wake coma kid but he didn’t even budge. The place was a right mess with rubbish everywhere in the room. Oh no my OCD will kick in and I will have to secretly tidy up when they go out lol.
I got changed and went for a look around the place. It had a small pool about the size of two baths, so I figure I could tell people I was doing 100 lengths a day lol. That would be easy as one stroke would get me from end to end. It was a bit quiet but the few people I saw said hi and seemed nice.
At 4.30pm reception opened and my instruction in the envelope said to pay for your room when you arrive so I got that out of the way straight away. My room had been paid for already it seemed which I’d forgot. I just needed to pay $20 deposit for the room kep (guess they are 9ct gold). While I was sorting out the deposit I noticed a leaflet offering a skydive this weekend only for $244 with free upgrade from 11,000 to 14,000 ft. Since Skydive is in my “book of things to do” I had to do it (as the whole concept is that when the opportunity next arises to do something from the book I have to do it). So I asked if I could get booked on for tmrw, quick phone call and a swipe of the card later and I’m booked to throw myself out a plane from a great height.
When back to room and Coma kid had moved from bottom bunk A to the one below me (odd boy) and was twitching his hand a bit now and then while he slept. Great I’ve got the guy from “my left foot” in my dorm lol.
Got changed and thought I would head out to get some food, as you get a free dinner voucher here at a place called the Woolshed. Made my way over and it was roasting hot so was wet threw by the time I got there. There was a massive queue as seemed to be some convention called Australearn. Waiting in the queue for a bit then sacked it off as it looked rammed.
Found a bar that I’d passed on the way that looked okay and got myself a seat at the bar. Ordered some chips and a cider and Id no sooner sat down when a woman at the side of me started chatting away. She was an Australian called Erin and was with her husband (who I later find out is nicknamed Damage). While sat at the bar I spots a Karaoke book so thought I better get a song in to do mi mother proud. Erin decides she’s singing with me and so we put in a duet, Loran her mate writes out a few to sing with her too. It doesn’t start till 9.30pm and it was only 8pm at this point and Damage already looked on his way. The bar does a round the world beer challenge where your given a laminated sheet with every beer they do from the different countries and they hole punch at the side of them when you drink each one. When you do them all you on the wall of fame and get a t-shirt and discount card etc, quite a good ploy I thought to get people coming back.
Damage was about 30 short on his list (there were 100 beers) and they only had 4 days left before they moved to some place I forget. Eventually during the night he put his list away and went on some funny run drink ( and bought everyone in shouting distance one too). Two young lads from Pennsylvania (Andrew and Matt) were included in the rum round and looked a bit bemused as he kept supplying more. 4 of these rum drinks later and I still haven’t been able to buy him one back, as he won’t hear of it. When it was eventually my turn to sing, Erin was 3 sheets to the wind and could easily of been replaced with a strangled cat (sorry Erin), but apparently I sounded okay, as a few people commented when I sat down. Matt sang and was pretty good too but we couldn’t talk Andrew into it.
Damage spilt a drink all over a young girls bag of new clothes (Charlotte) who wasn’t impressed, so I gave her rum drink number six and told her he was harmless. She ended up in our little group and we had a few photos and swapped names etc for facebook. Two women got up and were pretty good together when they sang. They came talking to me after I sang again and I was askin where to go nightclub-wise, so they took me to the Sapphire club which was a pretty good place and the music was good. Got talking to the DJ’s brother and his mates and we shared a taxi back to my hostel as he was going that way. Bed at about 3.30am.
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