Day 69

Sunday 9^th January 2011

We had to check out of the apartment at 10.30am. This wasn’t pleasant and was made worse by the fact that it was absolutely shuttering down with rain outside. We went up to the Sky Lounge on the 36^th floor to read for a bit in the hope it would clear. You get a pretty good view from up there and can see the rain coming form about a mile away. It was pretty much IN the clouds when we arrived but it did get a little brighter and so we took the opportunity to head out.

Franky wanted some new flip flops / thongs/ jandals (choose the name depending on where you come from) so we made our way into town. He opted for these crocs – very understated don’t you think!

We had a coffee and after that we were pretty much hanging around and waiting to leave Brisbane. The rains were coming again so got a taxi to the airport a bit earlier than necessary. We thought if we left it any longer we might need an ark!!!

The check in wasn’t yet open, despite it being only two and a half hours to departure and the narky staff at Brisbane airport took great offence to us trying to queue within the barriers at the check in desk in an orderly fashion. Apparently our desire to queue was interfering with their break! We were made to sit with our bags beyond the barriers – this seemed to be in the way of everyone else trying to move around the airport and create something of a hazard but we thought it better not to argue.

At exactly two hours to our departure time we were allowed to make a queue and check in. We were offered emergency exit row seats at now extra cost though – yay!

The domestic terminal didn’t have a great deal to offer. We grabbed some food (still courtesy of the insurance company) and then headed to the gate. The flight was delayed …… Grrrrr! Amazingly this was the first flight we have had that has been delayed which is surprising given that this was flight number 13….. definitely the unlucky one!

The flight, when it did take off, was uneventful and touched down in Proserpine just an hour or so behind schedule. Proserpine is the smallest, most backward airport we have encountered thus far. They don’t even have a luggage carousel! It would also appear that they have one baggage handler who had one speed – somewhere between snail and reverse! Upon landing we walked straight through the corrugated iron shed that they ambitiously call a ‘terminal building’ straight onto the road beyond. Did we miss baggage claim along the way? Nope – we joined the sea of passengers waiting at the side of the ‘terminal building’. From here we could see the passengers now boarding our newly arrived plane, and the plane taking off! Still no sign of our luggage! We were getting a little exasperated – especially given the number of mosquitoes dive bombing us. They must love this arrangement - 9.00pm every evening a hole throng of unprotected tourists forced to loiter for luggage = LUNCH!!!! Eventually the luggage was brought – still on the flat bed trucks that it was offloaded from the plane onto. The trucks were parked up and then it was a free for all to try and find your bags!

It was fairly uncomplicated to arrange a shared minibus transfer to Airlie Beach – and half an hour later we were checked in to our new home – Beaches Backpackers. Again we had booked a ‘private double room’. This one was HUGE! It obviously used to be an 8 man dorm and they had cleared out the bunks and left just a double bed and a single. It also hadn’t had any maintenance since the early 1960s when it was built! But it was only for one night.

We threw the bags down and headed down to the hostel bar in search of liquid refreshment. After a couple of $10 jugs (it was happy hour) we thought we’d get ourselves settled somewhere to watch Utd v Liverpool which would be on at 10.45pm our time.

Next door at Paddy Shennigans (can you guess the origins of this bar?!) they had a number of screens showing sport, live music and $7 jugs all night – woo hoo! We spent the evening here with a group of Irish guys and gals and watched the footie. There were a couple of Liverpool fans in too so it was all very friendly as I’m sure you can imagine. It finished 1-0 with Giggs scoring the only goal, unlucky Mr Dagleish.

Franky was enjoying the banter and the beer (maybe a little too much as you will see)! It was late when we left the bar. We hadn’t had any tea so the pie shop across the road being open was a bonus! Franky garbled rubbish at me as we made our way back to the hostel in search of our bed. I fell into bed at 2.45am and promptly fell asleep.

I awoke some hours later a little confused about why the bed was wet……. and wondering about the whereabouts of my husband! Those of you who know him well (John) and in fact anyone who heard John’s speech at the wedding will know what had occurred. I, on the other hand was drunk, disorientated and asleep so it took me a little longer to put 2 and 2 together. Then it dawned on me – it had finally happened, Franky had performed his party piece and I had officially been christened!!! What is even more galling is that on realising his accident my beloved husband went to the bathroom, took off his wet boxer shorts…. and then got into the single (DRY) bed across the room. And me? Well he left me asleep to figure it out in my own time!!!!