Off to Cairns

I’m allowed to let myself go for a change, treat myself. There’s no better place for it. First night: the drunken banana plantation kids sit around loads of empty, expensive beer bottles. The dorm is a barracks, the kitchen so clean that even the cockroaches shine. At some point, England is bawling in the pool about the exposure of Swedish breasts. I go to bed and enjoy several bongo concerts during the night.

Day two. The local diving centre can’t be reached by phone. After walking five kilometres in 35 degrees I know why: it went bankrupt a year ago. The beach is beautiful, but dominated by the holy trinity: sharks, crocodiles, jellyfish. So that actually just means a dual system: the sharks have supposedly been decimated by the crocodiles.

I can’t stand it in Cardwell any more. The new V-belt will definitely not be fitted before Monday evening. After another uneventful night, I decide to hitchhike 190 kilometres to Cairns. The Great Barrier Reef is easier to reach from there. I stand in the blazing sun for an hour before giving up. In this case, that means €30 for the outrageously expensive Greyhound.

Cairns is a nice city, a pleasant size, lots of old buildings and carefully developed. I wander through the centre. 30 info points offer bookings for diving excursions with 29 different providers. Before deciding, I want something to eat. An Irish pub advertises a $5 steak if you buy a $6 beer. I go for it. It didn’t say anywhere that the offer was only valid in the evening. At the Mexican restaurant I go for a $10 fajita, which ends up costing $25.

I don’t have much money at the moment, but at least I spend it successfully. Many thanks at this point, firstly to my parents and secondly to all the lovely people who want to take advantage of my cheeky special offer.

My hostel in Cairns is gigantic: Gilligans. 550 beds. Pool area with waterfall. Huge disco, several bars, shops, live music and a poker tournament. As I’m doing some work in my room, the intercom goes off: tonight there’s a bikini contest by the pool. To make sure it really gets going, there’s a happy ouch beforehand. Cheers meal, it’s going to be fun.