Trip to the Coast

I feel a lot more relaxed at this hostel than the last purely down to the people. It is mostly young people , like the last - generally I'm old enough to be their mother in most cases! - but these guys are much more friendly and talk to me......there's a group of French guys and a girl, plus a German lad who I got chatting to. Lenny, Nickolas, Charlene and Moritz. They have been here a while, working in the many farms around Bunaberg. They grow so much produce around this area - fields and fields of macadamia nut and avocado trees. Stawberries, mangos, watermelon chilli etc. etc....

The dorms are mixed with four to a room - which I find a bit strange - Don't get me wrong, I don't mind sharing with all these young men - ha ha! - as I said - I'm like their Mother!! 

It feels like a little family.

Here, I'm in a room with Charlene, Moritz - the German boy and Fabrizio - crazy Italian (although is Mum is from Chile) - there was a mix up with the beds as when I arrived the bed I was allocated had no mattress so I put my stuff on Fabrizio's bed as it looked unoccupied. We had a laugh about it. He doesn't speak any English, but has a friend here, Alessio who speaks very good English, Spanish and German is his translator.......and me on occasion as I can understand most of what he's saying and can sometimes tell the French guys what he's saying......and of course google translate is useful but its funny cos sometimes it gets things so wrong!

There's also a couple of Australian residents including Rebel, who works here three days a week. Her mum was 16 when she had her, hence the name. She is 50, recently separated, with two kids, and we get on really well! - shes lovely and such a laugh. There's a couple of others who sit around smoking weed all day. They're OK too. I feel a bit sorry for them......they seem lost.....no purpose......'mental health problems'.......

Yesterday morning, I was chatting to an Anaesthetist from New Zealand who's staying here and working in the local clinic. He likes to work and travel. He said he could pay $400 for a room but you don't get much for that and here he has company - I do see his point. It was nice having my own room in Indonesia, but it can get a bit lonely.

So Sunday, I mostly sat around chatting to people and had a walk down to the river 

but the storm clouds were gathering .........is Shiva following me...??.......so I headed back and there was a short thunderstorm at around 7 pm, and another at 1 am which I slept through!!

It was bright and sunny, next morning so I caught the bus out to the coast. They have 50 cents bus rides here in Queensland - amazing! 

The streets and everything are all so much more spread out ....it was like I was dropped off the bus in the middle of nowhere.....

I had a lovely walk along the coast and to the Mon Repos turtle centre and nature reserve. They have a turtle protection programme going on there. The turtles lay their eggs on the beaches here - apparently 50% of the world's turtle population lay their eggs on the East coast of Australia. This is the Coral sea coastline - the waves were coming in fast as the wind was getting stronger.

I headed back early afternoon, not wanting to risk catching the last bus at 4pm and getting stranded....

and had a wander around the town, which had a few small.shops.

When I first got to Brisbane, and on the train, I couldn't quite take it in that I'm in Australia. It felt like I was in a film or something.........

............and now I think about it - I'm not sure if its because its so familiar, but also, so totally different - It feels like I have slipped into an alternate reality - like a different timeline in a universe where things have happened and evolved differently.......shops, streets, trains, money, wildlife and birds, bird calls, people, sounds, insects......It is all so absolutely different and yet it also feels slightly familiar and I feel, kind of, at home......its difficult to explain

For example: They have magpies here but they look slightly different (pictured above) and they attack people on a regular basis in springtime, swooping down on people's heads, pecking them, to protect their young. Some people put spikes on their cycle helmets and there are warning signs in the street about it...........that just doesn't happen in England, with our magpies......not that I've experienced.

and of course these:

Rebel kindly made me some on toast for breakfast this morning, thinly spread, how I like it:

The cash is similar too, they have plastic notes like us but with a 'see through' strip, some with the queen on, but the 50 cents is like our 50p but bigger and with 12 sides!

This ladies' story is interesting - Mary Reibey - what a character!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Reibey

Later in the day, a friend of Fabrizio's arrived to see if he wanted to go to Baldwin Swamp to see the fruit bats.......but he said they freak him out......she asked If I wanted to go & I said 'of course' - shes an Australian primary school teacher, Michelle, who is having a year travelling in her camper van.

The swamp - and the bats - were awesome - as we walked under the trees where they were hanging, they started to fly over our heads - it was wonderful!!

Today, I was supposed to be going on a trip to the southern barrier reef and Lady Musgrave Island but it got cancelled due to bad weather - so I had the choice to do a later date or refund, and as I have come all this way, I'm having to hang round a bit longer in Bundy!......