Oh my Go-D…after getting to the dorm last night I discovered I had Mr earth quake snoring in the bunk above me. That and the fact I hadn’t really had anything to drink to knock me out meant it was virtually impossible to sleep. The guy in the opposite bunk had gone to bed early but then woke up just before Snory boy started his crescendo and asked if he could turn the fan on lower as it was noisy. I said “sure but I think that will be the least of your worries”…”what do you mean” he said. So I said “Well I can snore but the guy above me makes me seem like a purring pussy cat”. He laughed and rolled over to go to sleep just as snoozy let rip….”JESUS” he whispered, “I thought you were joking”…I kid you not I thought. Thankfully by this point I had already fumbled about in the dark and found my earplugs. I had another fumble and reached into my bag for my emergency earplugs and gave them to him. It’s amazing how a marshmallow in each ear can drown out sound lol.
We woke up early and packed up our stuff to head out to Brisbane. First we made our way up to Tin Can Bay for about 8am as there was a bay area where you could feed the wild dolphins. Apparently they had started coming in a few years ago around the same time each day between 8am and 10am. One of the volunteers explained to us that dolphins can eat about 35kg of food a day but they always ensure they only ever feed the up to 5kg of food so that they don’t start to depend on it. The food then only asks as a top up to what they have to go and catch themselves, just in case for some reason they weren’t able to make it out to feed them.
We got there at about just after 8am and the volunteer guy was on the mic explaining what would happen. He told us they were wild and therefore they had no control over when they came etc. There was a crowd of about 50 people around the bay all waiting hoping to see them. Luckily there was a café very conveniently located on the edge of the bay (they must do a bomb in the mornings). After about 20 minutes wait they were spotted swimming towards the bay. A couple of the volunteers made their way into the sea to entice them over and then anyone that wanted to feed them was asked to form a queue on the path above the beach. For a $2 donation (which I thought was very reasonable) you got a small bucket with a fish in it. Ten people at a time then made their way to the shallow water and fed their fish to the dolphin. They were SO gentle and just opened their mouth while you dropped it in. Two of them came in but apparently there's a pod of 7, but don’t always come together. One of them called Merlin that came in had lots of fin missing and scars. He had been attacked by a shark and was found in the bay as if he had come there for safety knowing he wouldn’t be harmed. They nursed him back to health over about 6 weeks and then released him back into the sea. He still comes back though and brings other members of his pod with him each time.
After a bit of time with the Dolphins we got back on the road to Brisbane, called at Mac-D’s on the way for some breakfast and then drove straight through to Brisbane. We got there in record time compared to other day as we normally right off a full day for driving but we arrived about 12pm.
We checked into the hostel which looked really nice. It had a kind of San-Francisco look about it (what ever that means, see pics). It was at the top (thank god) of a really steep hill which was not easy to manage in normal shoes, so add to that the complexity of mastering it in flip flops and you have a recipe for a stubbed toe or two. It had a small pool and downstairs outside area, a games room, TV room and kitchen and then dorms throughout the house. We were in a 4 bed dorm with 2 English lads, but we didn’t really see much of them. They had claimed the two top bunks so we were both on the bottom ones, which I preferred as you don’t have to climb up and down all the time.
We dumped our stuff and then headed into the centre to do a bit of retail therapy, where I bought a couple of T-shirts and stopped myself going overboard. I was thinking more of how long I had on my trip and would need to ditch some of the more worn things I had. Sam actually out-shopped me as she bought shoes, bras the lot. I put it down to the fact that I couldn’t move with enough speed to get round the shops quick enough cos I was wearing flip flops. I still haven’t mastered walking in them and I’m convinced I have a dodgy left foot as I can flop but I can’t flip. I seem to drag then flop, I dunno why, it’s odd. I try changing my walk and everything but it just doesn’t work. Its not the flip flops cos I’ve tried different ones and now have 3 useless pairs so I’m guessing its me?
On the way back to the hostel we stopped off at Coles and bought soup and a roll each for dinner and then at the bottle shop for a few ciders. We drank the ciders while we got ready, and both wore our new stuff. Sam looked really nice in this new floaty blouse she’d bought, teamed with Jeans and her new shoes.
We started off at the bars local to us but they were Soooo expensive and the last one we went in had an 18th party there. Yes I said 18th !! So the average age was between cradle and 18, so we felt a bit old and decided to go more into town. Got into town and went for one at the backpackers bar, but they all seemed really drunk as though they had been out all day. It’s always hard going straight out when everyone else is drunk.
While we wandered more into the centre looking for somewhere we stopped off for a quick chicken burger. While I was ordering Sam hatched a plan to speak to the woman at the new agent kiosk and ask where the gay nightlife was as we thought we’d have a better night there if its anything like at home. The woman told her where we needed to head towards and told us it ws in an area called the Valley and was about a 20 minute walk (thankfully not in flip fops). We got to a very busy area that looked more like Benidorm new town full of bars and people on the streets and all looked VERY young. The club she had told us about was called “the Beat” which we spotted but decided to have a few in the bars first as it was only 11pm. We went to the first bar and they asked us for ID!!!! But I’m almost 40 we explained, and she is 40?? But apparently everyone is ID’d to get in no matter how old you look. We decided to chance “the beat” before we planned to taxi back to the hostel for ID. Luckily after playing the “but were from Enlgand we don’t have photo ID” card and “Im 36 blah blah” he took pity on us and let us in.
We got in there and it was like a maze, different rooms different floors. Before we came in I asked if it was a gay venue and he said it was mixed but more so upstairs. It all looked very straight an very young, which made a mockery of the whole ID thing really. We tried a few rooms that were very housey filled with bits of kids with no rhythm, who had half a lager and had no school tmrw. We made our way upstairs after downstairs seemed very lame. It was weird to see the two spaces mixed together as back home the gay area is very separate even though loads of straight people go there. Upstairs was just as young but the music was better so we decided to stay there an make the most of it. The drinks were ridiculous prices about $6 for a small beer but hey ho when in Rome. We got chatting to an English straight guy n girl although he seemed to be takin a bit too much interest in the boys for my likin lol.
All the “boys” (and there were just that) had the same really camp “Tony n Guy” hair cut look and were draggin around the obligatory fag hag to complete their disguise in the mixed part downstairs. It was So weird as most of the guys looked very gay yet it was as if as long as they had a girl in toe they were accepted as being straight. I’ve never been in a venue where its as mixed as that, usually its either a gay venue or a straight one that’s gay friendly but this one didn’t seem to be either, the lines were really blured as guys held hands but straights appeared a bit shocked and it was all very weird.
We eventually found a room in between the top floor and ground floor that had more mainstream music as I was worried it was all a bit heavy for Sam. We got in to the dancing thing and moved to the dance floor. I went to the bar for drinks and when I came back Sam was being spun round on the dance floor like a whirling dervish lol. A guy had asked her to dance who looked pretty straight and had a crew cut and was quite well built.
She came off the dance floor for a drink and then he was back gesturing towards us to the dance floor. I waved Sam onto the dance floor and he came over and said to me “no such luck Mr, your mine” Hahahaha. I was thinking he wanted her to go dancing but he wanted me. So we both danced with him for a bit but he seemed very drunk and although I was flattered by the attention I could tell I could have been anyone that night, he just wanted someone, which doesn’t really do it for me.
He danced with me and flirted and I let him have a snog but when he tried the “I only live 200 metres from here” line, I said, “then you should be safe to walk home alone shouldn’t you”. He was a bit taken a back but I explained I was with my friend and we were leaving shortly as I wasn’t going to leave her on her own in the middle of town with no money. He offered to give her $50 for a cab (which it wouldn’t of cost anywhere near) but I explained we came out together so we go home together.
He was determined to keep us dancing and took Sam off to the dance floor then dragged a guy and girl up to dance with her so he could make the moves on me but I was having none of it. After Sam had become the Sam filling on a boy/girl sandwich on the dance floor and the music had gone naff we decided to head off home (you can’t take that girl anywhere lol) We made our way home at about 1am and called at Mac-D’s for a burger then walked the 20 mins to our hostel and crashed in bed.
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