More of the same ol...

Nothing really new to report... Im STILL in Airlie beach (after more than a week I reckon!) because it has a nice chilled out vibe and Ive gotten to know a few of the fellow backpackers parked out here.. mostly English but occasionally Swiss, Canadian or German. There are LOADS of Irish here its quite unbelievable, but most of em are fairly rowdy or aloof (i.e. they dont want to mix with Irish but only foreigners... thats quite a common thing with the Irish Ive found.. hell Im like that ) so I havent bothered meeting up with any..

My "Kangaroo Feast" the other night was really quite not what I expected... it tasted surprisingly like chicken... nah REALLY it tasted more like lamb, although Ive been told it tastes like game. I havent tried game so wouldnt know. Nevertheless it was damn tasty, if not a little chewy and raw... apparently the meat is supposed to served rare. Still with buckets of Fosters (yeah I know.. the Americans at the table were choosing the drinks) for only 7 dollars I really didnt care about the blood and enjoyed the feast!

Yesterday I went off to visit nearby Bowen.. apparently THIS is the first real settlement in Queensland (Ive been hearing that about a LOT of towns recently ever since I visited 1770!) and is supposed to be steeped in history. The beaches here are really quite nice and I spent much of this day lazing in the sun staring out at the northern islands in the Whitsunday passage (Airlie Beach, on the other hand, is where you see the southern islands).

Today I took the plunge (literally) and have decided to go for the 3 day 3 night dive trip to the Great Barrier Reef for 450 dollars, which includes 10 dives and I get qualified as an Advanced PADI Diver.. time to get studying those dive books again...

This means Ill be lazing in Airlie Beach for another 2 days till Monday and once I get back (Thursday I think) Im rushing north to Cairns and crocodile country!