AVATAR

Arrived in Airlie Beach and spent two nights before heading to our boat! Ship? Whatever. It was pretty big and had 3 hulls and Sarah and Katie (from Fraser) were on it as well so it was nice that Chris and I already knew some other people. There were 20 of us on the vessell and everyone had to share a bed. First the captain asked for the couples so they could go into the out hull and have more privacy. There was a couple who had been together for 8 years from Switzerland and a couple from Wales who were on the last 2 weeks of a 7 week honeymoon! And that was it but there were 3 rooms (and I use that term loosely) in the out hull so Chris and I decided to take it so that we could go to bed early/whenever and it would be quiet at night and in the mornings. To get to our "room" you went out of the main hull, outside, across a mesh floor underneath which was ocean, and then opened a clear hatch about 2ft by 2ft. Then you lowered yourself in directly on to the mattress (another term I use loosely). It was certainly wide enough for both of us to sleep comfortably. Lengthwise, however, was not quite as comfortable. With my backpack in the 'room' at my feet, all 5'4" of myself could not fully stretch out. Chris, being 6'0" could most certainly not stretch all the way out, even less so with his backpack and food in the 'room' with us. Add to that the rocking of the boat, the beer being drunk and that with the hatch closed it was SO HOT in there, neither of us slept very well. The first night I had a slight panic attack and needed to open the hatch a couple of times--just to make sure it still did-- which didn't help matters. 

The first day we went snorkeling and got the priviledge of wearing these little numbers.....

The food on the boat was amazing! Our host/chef provided snacks, tea, coffee, cake, roast, potatoes, veggies, fruit omg there was SO MUCH FOOD :D

The second day we went out to see White Haven Beach. Everyone was under the impression we would actually be on white haven beach but we were not. So Chris and I decided to swim across the channell to say that, yes, we had been on it. About 10 feet in to the water a black thing ahead of us started moving. And had a tail. Shit! Its a stingray-- the same thing that killed Steve Erwin. For about 3 seconds we kept moving closer to get a better look until we realized-- don't be stupid, get the eff out of the water. No that it would come attack us, but still. Better safe than sorry.

Then, of course, we had to brush our teeth with the sand :)

beautiful water--looking out to Whitehaven Beach

Back up to the lookout to see this:

With the tide out

and then some more snorkling, with the beloved stinger suits, and we boated (what's the term?) to a lagoon where there were wild Cockatoos and I fed one some bread!

Back on land the next day and night and then a night bus to where I am now- Cairns! Will be going scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef tomorrow :)

that white dot by my hand is the moon :)