Cairns Carnage
Piled up to Cairns (pronounced as a cross between "Cerns" and "Kens") to be picked up by a bus driver from JJ's hostel, who gave me a very informative tour of the city, in Hebrew. Up here there are lots of deals on accomodation, including free breakfast and evening meals. I didn't make it to any of the free brekkies, but the evening meals were doled out at the Woolshed, the most popular backpacker's pub in the town. The free stuff's just about palatable, but for only $4 extra, I had a rump steak. A surprisingly good rump steak as well! That night I saw Andy, Anna from UEA's brother, in the Woolshed, who'd had a bit of a nightmare. The two guys he was travelling with had scarpered, as they'd got drunk one night in Airlie Beach, and ended up chucking bricks at a supermarket window. Unsurprisingly, they were nicked, and Andy woke up in the morning to find a note on his backpack saying "Sorry mate, been arrested, driving back down to Sydney [in their colective car, leaving Andy stranded] and flying home!". Puts a sister jetting off to Fiji in comparison!!
While ducking into a nearby pub the next night, I ran into Wally from Perth, again, and it just so happened to be his 21st birthday! Had a good night. That same night I bumped into Klaus, Peter and Jasper, whom I did the dive trip with in Airlie Beach, and went to watch the Danish game with them and many other Danish people at Captain Cook's (one of the hostels). Ended up bedecked in lipstick on my cheeks, resembling the Danish flag, and was my red-and-white t-shirt turned out to be a good omen as Denmark won 1-0 over the Saudis.
The next night I went around to Wally's house, which he was sharing with another guy I knew from Byron Bay, and 3 English girls plus another guy from Perth. Ended up kipping the night in their combi as it was far, far too long a way to get back to my hostel. I also ended up sleeping there last night, on the 14th, but I felt I was imposing so I checked into a hostel down the road - Up Top Down Under - which is excellent. I haven't had a fridge in the room before!
And tonight is the first England game - I'm meeting Klaus and Tim from Seattle, and we are going to cheer heartlily, nay loudly than all others, and watch England stuff the Tunisians. Then again I thought that about the last rugby union test against the Aussies in Brisbane, a mere 9 days ago, and we were humiliated there. And I won't be drinking as I'm off on a dive trip to the Outer Great Barrier Reef tomorrow, with Deep Sea Divers Den. Three days, two nights on a boat - 11 dives in total and an advanced course thrown in to boot. Thise holiday is such a bore!
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