...no, not with a man!!! Sorry to disappoint all you gossips reading this!!
Before I start writing this, just so you know... I've been a muppet and left one of my picture CD's in Magnetic island.. the one in question is the one with all the pic's on for this entry and the next entry so for now, it's all just writing I'm afraid but as soon as it's safely back in my hands I'll add the pics on here - I know that's all you lot really look at on here! ;0)
Just skipping back a little from the last entry, if you haven't already figured it out, I'm talking about the Whitsundays! From the minute I dumped my bags at the hostel and ventured outside to take in the breathtaking view, I knew I loved this place! Backpackers by the Bay - in my opinion one of the nicest hostels in Airlie Beach - is set on a hill overlooking the sea, the garden slopes down towards the sea and as I stood there with the sun warming my skin and the colour of the clear blue sky reflected on the water, I had one of those defining moments... oh my god, I'm actually here, in Australia, travelling! I made it!
Anyway, enough of that.. I just relaxed at the hostel that evening. I sat and chatted with a girl in my dorm who's also off to South America in a few months... is nice to meet someone that is, esp another female, as the usual response i get from people when i tell them I'm off there is 'are you mad!' Anyway, I digress, as Huggs and Walsh weren't arriving til the following afternoon so I decided I'd go exploring in the morning and exhausted from my stupidly long bus journey, found myself falling asleep come 10pm.
 The next day I wandered into town to familiarize myself with the place... Airlie Beach is really just a little seaside resort but the vibe is really chilled and relaxed and I immediately felt completely at home there. Following the previous few weeks of fantastic but tiring adventures in Cairns and the Red Centre, to be relaxing in Airlie was a very welcome feeling! After lunch I headed back to the hostel to make sure i was ready and waiting for the boys arrival - aside from the amusement of their arrival, i have to just say, it was fab to see them and have them with me... I've been looking forward to seeing them for ages so for them to be here was wicked!
 We didn't waste any time in planning our trips and after catching up - and gladly recieving all the lovely pressie's they'd bought out with them from my family (from Christmas - thanks guys) we went and booked our trips, a one day boat trip and a seaplane trip! We then headed to the lagoon for a swim and sunbathe - the lagoon in Airlie is lush, a big freshwater well, lagoon, obviously, overlooking the bay, free to use as you can't swim in the sea thanks to box jellyfish and sharks! After soaking up some sun we headed off for food and a few drinks before heading back to bed fairly early so we were bright eyed for our trip the next day.
The following morning we made our way down to the meeting point for the trip and got ourselves kitted out with our 'sexy' stinger suits!!! hmmm.. lovely! We'd chosen a tour called 'Ocean Rafting' - can't remember the official name for this type of boat but it was one of the speed boat kind of things that skim over the water. There was about 12 of us on the trip and we spend the day scotting round the islands and stopping to snorkel - the snorkeling was simply amazing, the water was so clear and the colours of the fish and the coral just unbelievable.
 The highlight of the day for me was getting to Hill Inlet and Whitehaven beach - now, this may sound a little silly and soppy but am going to tell you anyway, while i was saving for this trip I had a photo on my computer screen as my desktop image of Whitehaven beach taken from the lookout at Hill Inlet and sent to me by Walshy when he'd visited a few years back - it was an image that I'd look at every day and when i was finding it tough to remember why i was working all the hours possible and saving as much as i could, I'd look at it and think, 'it'll be worth it, I'll get there!'  So... to be there and be able to take my own photo of it (obviously the one shown here) was most definitely one of the moments on this trip that I'll never forget, it was breathtaking and I'll admit I was a tad overwhelmed. Having Huggs and Walsh with me was awesome too, to share it with such good friends from home who know how important this trip is to me and how much its taken me to make it there just made it even better.  Being there also reminded me that it's not just the money I saved that has enabled me to get here... I couldn't have done it without the support of my friends and family and all of you that have been part of this with me, both before I left and those I met over the last 5 months... you're all fab! Thank you! Oh, before i forget too... the other highlight of the day.. Dolhpins.. they swam alongside the boat for a while, it was amazing!
 Following our day at sea, we headed into town again for some food and a few drinks...thanks to all that sea air, we were all pretty lame and ended up heading home to bed fairly early.. plus we had another early start the next day, this time for the seaplane trip! (or as Luke likes to call it, 'a flying boat'!!!!) bless!
 We made our way to the airport and got ourselves checked in for our little flight - I've never been on a light aircraft before so was pretty excited. There was 5 of us on the trip and the other 2 passengers we were stopping to pick up from Hayman Island - the most exclusive of the Whitsundays where both Brad and Jen and David and Victoria have holidayed in the past and also where you'll pay about $14 just for a beer!!! We were obviously hoping for some form of celebrity to join us on our trip.. as if!! Clearly they'd charter their own private aircraft! Turned out to be a mother and daughter (the boys were very happy, the daughter was young and attractive!!)  and we spent the next few hours cruising over the islands then landing on Whitehaven beach where we were given a lovely lunch and bottle of champagne to share whilst soaking up the sun, swimming (in our sexy suits again) and exfoliating with the silicone sands. Talking of which, i just have to tell you, the sands on whitehaven are so pure that you can exfoliate your skin, clean all your silver jewelry and it never gets hot from the sun. It's wicked, my skin felt so soft afterwards.. esp having done the same on the boat trip the previous day!
 Once we'd polished off the champers, baked in the sun and generally whiled away a few hours we hoped back on the plane to set off home. I got to sit up the front next to the pilot this time which was amazing... we'd be lucky and had perfect weather the whole time so you can imagine the colours of the sea, the reef and the islands from up there.
 The afternoon was spent down in town, doing some emailing and chilling out by the lagoon. The boys were leaving the following day so that evening we went for some drinks at Beaches to round off the trip. Walshy was  a lightweight and piked out early but Huggs and I soldiered on without him and stumbled our way home giggling about I don't even remember what now! Have a feeling we stopped for a cheeky McDonalds on the way home too... bad I know but actually my first lapse into fast food since i started my trip, not bad eh!
I had one more day in Airlie before flying down to Melbourne, where the boys were spending the last week of there holiday. I spent my last day doing much the same as the previous afternoon, lazing at the lagoon, meandering around the surf shops and generally taking it easy - tough life eh! I have to admit, I wasn't keen to leave the Whitsundays, the place has made its mark on me... I love it there and have been raving about it to everyone since! Would recommend to all!! xxx
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