OZ - Cairns (East Coast Antics)

Arriving into Cairns we headed straight to, a rather uneasily named hostel, The Aslyum. On checking in we were given two tickets and a Aslyum t-shirt to join the bar crawl which had already started. Catching up with the other 80 people we noticed everyone had already grafitied profanities and pictures on their t-shirts, so in a sober fresh way, tried to add touches to our own.

It wasn't a massive night as drinking to catch up never really materialised, so after the 5th bar decided to head home. Not before Rich decided to devour 3 kebabs. Staines are still on his shirt to this day!

Needing to sell the car we set out making up posters and flyered them around the hostels. Asking for a barganous 600pnds we instantly got some attention. However it wasnt until one german girl, Anne who expressed some vague interest that we managed to sell the car. Although a quick day and night trip with Anne up north to Cape Tribulation visiting dense rainforests, where we got to walk through the forest discovery all the sorts of nature you expect to find, and tree top look out posts, followed byan afternoon of scuba diving on the great barrier reef before she decided she actually wanted it.

Although we dived from where it was recommended to be best (Port Douglas, playground to the rich and famous) we were a little disappointed. The reef looked used and the fish were not as plentiful. Though, I still managed to get a few underwater pictures in. TRIGGER FISH

Having sold the car and actually managing to gain a tidy profit we checked out of The Aslyum as the place stank. With only a few days left in OZ, we almost stayed longer as we had a brief opportunity to work cash in hand. Rich was keen to stay an extra week or so as he wanted to add more to his already impressive 27 sky jumps. I was keen just to stick around as it is never easy leaving a country and feel aprehensive about the next leg of the journey.

Nonetheless we did. And after carefully packing the guitar set off to the airport, thinking back about the OZ coast and how little of the country we had actually conquered in the 6-7 weeks.