Goodbye Singapore

On Monday night, a group of us from the hostel went on Singapore Zoo’s Night Safari. We took a tram ride around the park and observed everything from elephants to leopards to lions. They were interesting to see up close but the tram seemed to whiz by most of the animals so fast that once I finally made out where the animal was, it was already past me. We also went to a “Creatures of the Night” show that included all little critters such as otters, raccoons, and snakes. The funniest thing to watch was an otter recycling. The host dumped all plastic, tin, and paper bottles and cups on the floor and the otter picked them up and put them in the correct recycling bin, or was supposed to anyway. He kept putting every piece of litter into the bin marked “Tin.” It was really cute.

After the show we all got free Ben & Jerry’s because a passing woman offered us her coupons. She probably felt sorry because the 7 of us were sharing one waffle cone (no ice cream, just a waffle cone.) It must have been a pathetic sight. She gave us four coupons, but we managed to get eight free ice cream cones out of the them – ah, the things you do for free stuff when you’re backpacking.

Thankfully, I haven’t gotten any more bites…that I’m aware of. I already have so many that I probably wouldn’t notice a few more anyhow. I’m hoping that will be my only bout with bedbugs though it’s a highly unlikely wish. They are starting to heal and aren’t as noticeable, but I now perpetually smell of menthol and insect repellant – not particularly pleasing to the olfactory organs – but you gotta do what you gotta do.

I went on a guided walk around Little India yesterday and our first stop was an elaborate Hindu temple. I had to put on a robe to even enter and of course, no footwear was allowed either. The temple was intricately designed and had two beautiful hanging chandeliers. I always find temples quite peaceful and apparently so do the patrons because half of them were asleep on the floor. On our walk toward two more temples in the center of town, we passed a huge laughing Buddha. You’re supposed to rub his belly, shoulders, back, and head for good luck and then stick your hands in your pockets to transfer the luck to yourself. I made sure to rub all good luck parts except for his head because I couldn’t reach it.

The first temple we came to in the city center was a Hindu temple where we watched part of a ceremony taking place. The second temple was the Temple of the Goddess of Mercy, which is known for its fortune telling capabilities. You’re supposed to shake a canister full of sticks until just one stick falls out. Then you throw these two things that look like red lips on the floor until you get a ying and yang (until they are facing the opposite way). After you bring your stick to the desk, they give you your fortune. I realized as the man handed me the slip of paper that I hadn’t even asked a question about my future. I had gotten so caught up in shaking the canister that I’d completely forgotten to focus on a question. Nevertheless, my fortune turned out to be good and bad. It predicted that things would change at a later date that would prove more lucky and promising. However, I was also told that travelers will face difficulties and it won’t be easy to find the missing. Maybe I’m an extremist but I interpret that as I’m going to die and no one will find my body. It could also mean that I’ll lose a sock and I’ll forever only have one half of the pair. I don’t know how much I believe in fortunes anyway. I love the idea of them but I don’t know how much I buy into it. My skepticism doesn’t stop me though from hitting up fortune tellers, tarot card readers, and palm readers at every opportunity. By the way, Michelle, you’re going to have a girl – my fortune said so; unless it meant that I’m going to have a girl. Either way, a girl will be born.

I sampled some local ice cream after learning of my bad luck. Our guide suggested we try Durian, a local flavor, so I took her up on that suggestion. It was obviously a cruel joke because Durian is one of the foulest tastes I’ve ever come in contact with. The smell alone is enough of a deterrent to keep you away forever, nevermind the taste. I ended up throwing it out. I should have just gone with my old standby, mint chocolate chip. It never disappoints.

I took a bus from Singapore to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this morning. It was the only bus I’ve ever been on that left exactly on time. 9:00am on the dot, we pulled out of the bus station. Actually, it was 8:59am. Singaporeans are so efficient. They even gave me a bottle of water upon check-in. Now that is service.

The seats on the bus couldn’t have been any nicer. They were roomy, had plenty of leg room, reclined, and had footrests. It was like sitting in first class on an airplane. The bus’s only downfall was that it lacked a toilet and undoubtedly once I noticed this omission I had to pee immediately. We stopped not longer after to have our passports stamped and I was able to relieve myself. I was careful not to drink too much after because I didn’t know how many more stops we’d make during the 7-hour bus ride.

The bus stopped for customs and immigration on our way out of Singapore and on our way in to Malaysia. The customs officer in Singapore asked me if I was coming back to Singapore. I said “no” but as I walked away I wondered if she meant “ever” as in “Are you ever coming back to Singapore?” or in other words “Did you like Singapore enough to visit us again?” I had said “no” rather firmly and I wonder if my admission that I would not be returning was an insult.

I arrived in Malaysia today around 4:30 and found my hostel quickly. It was right across from the bus station. The Let’s Go guide had highly recommended the hostel I booked myself into, Pudu Hostel, but I cannot for the life of me see why. The place is an absolute dump and I decided to stay only two nights in KL instead of the three I was planning on. My four-person dorm is the size of a shoebox, and I don’t even want to go near the mattress, nevermind sleep on it. I suppose I’ll cram all of my sightseeing in tomorrow and then hightail it to Thailand.

Singapore Sightseeing

On Saturday, Claire, a girl I met at the hostel, and me took a sightseeing walk around the city. We first went to Sim Lim Square, an electronics mecca. It was five floors of gadget heaven. Unfortunately, I have all the electronics I need and can carry, not to mention I’m far from a gadget geek, so the place didn’t really do much for me. We then headed toward Bugis Street Markets where they sell all sorts of cheap goods. I refrained from buying anything as my backpack is already bursting and I’m saving what little space I have left for Thai goods. After, we made our way to world-renowned Raffles Hotel in the heart of the colonial district. The hotel dates back to the 19th century and was declared a national monument in the 20th century. The Long Bar within the hotel is famous for its cocktail, the Singapore Sling, but being on a backpacker’s budget I decided to save the upwards of S$20 that it would cost for one drink and just look at the bar instead.

That night, Claire, Clionagh, and I headed to Chinatown for the Chinese New Year kick-off celebration. The streets were littered with people and tons of lights. At one point, they set off firecrackers unexpectedly and at first I thought someone had opened fire on the crowd until I realized what it was. The firecrackers were followed by fireworks and dancing dragons. It was fantastic to watch. The Chinese New Year is celebrated for the entire month of February so I’m excited to experience New Year’s festivities in the different Asian countries I’ll be visiting.

Yesterday, I went for another walk around the city down in Chinatown and checked out a Hindu temple and a Buddhist temple. I wasn’t overly impressed with either, especially the Hindu temple because they made you pay to take pictures. I also felt somewhat strange entering temples that weren’t of my faith. It was as if I was intruding on the ceremonies of others.

Last night, I decided to join a few of my fellow hostellers for a bbq at a bar nearby. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet for S$6, which is a great price, but I didn’t particularly like the food so it was more of an all-you-can-tolerate buffet. The menu included chicken wings, two kinds of fish, a horrendous excuse for a hotdog, and vegetable curry with rice. The curry actually was decent but it was missing something – meat. Afterwards, we all went back to the hostel and watched a terrible bootleg version of “Pirates of the Caribbean.” You know it’s not going to be good when you have Disc A and Disc B for an hour and a half movie.

I woke up this morning extremely itchy, even worse so than I’ve been for the past few days, and went straight to a mirror. I counted 19, yes 19, bites on my neck, face, and forehead and ran down to reception. She confirmed my suspicion that it was bedbugs. I also have a few mosquito bites on my arms and legs, so I wasn’t sure if they were just mosquito bites or bedbugs but the pattern suggested bedbugs. The hostel moved me to another bed and sprayed down the room with disinfectant. Usually people carry bedbugs in their bags and transport them from place to place, which is why the hostel insists that no bags be kept near the beds, but obviously they got here somehow. I think I’m having an allergic reaction to the bites because they don’t just look like normal bites, they look like welts on my skin – itchy, disgusting welts.

Bedbugs can’t sustain heat so I took my pack outside wrapped in a garbage bag and am letting it sit in the sun for a few hours. The hostel is also washing and drying my clothes because my laundry bag was near the bed. There’s really nothing you can do for the bites except use Tiger Balm (the best cure-all) to assuage the itch. Getting bitten isn’t the most fun thing in the world, but it is a fact of hostels – they have bedbugs, even the cleanest ones. Hey, at least I get my laundry done for free.

Touchdown in Singapore

The last few days I spent in Darwin coping as best I could with the heat. It actually wasn’t as unbearable as I thought it would be, but it was a little hotter than my comfort zone tolerates. I spent the days hanging out in the hostel pool and relaxing. I couldn’t muster the energy for sightseeing nor did I really want to. I was content to lay low after my extremely busy days in Cairns. I figured I needed a rest before heading to Singapore anyhow.

Luckily I called Garuda International Airlines the day before my departure to Singapore to reconfirm because my flight had been changed from an early, but doable, 9:00am to a seriously early 7:30am. I was up at 4:30am to get myself together for my 5:30am taxi. Waking up at the God-awful hour of 4:30 to the sounds of revelers from the night before still partying on the streets isn’t pleasant, especially when I only got 2 hours of sleep. Nevertheless, the first leg of my trip from Darwin to Bali was enjoyable enough because I had an entire row to myself to stretch across. I wasn’t able to sleep though because I couldn’t listen to music and find a comfortable position to lie in. I want to invent an earphone pillow. It’ll be a pillow with a dent or hole in the middle where you rest your ear comfortably without the earphone jamming into it. I’d take that pillow everywhere.

I thought my layover in Bali wasn’t going to be too long until I realized that upon landing I had to set my watch back an hour and half making my layover almost 6 hours. I spent most of my time seat-hopping and wandering around checking out the numerous shops. I tried to stretch across a few seats to rest but I kept picturing the more-than-there-should-have-been-amount of roaches I’d seen crawling all over the airport, and I kept thinking they were on me. I sat up at one point to adjust the bag I was using as a headrest in time to see a roach crawl from beneath it. I tried to squash it with my shoe but the dirty little bug hid in a crevice where I couldn’t reach it. It must have known death was near. No matter, I was up and on to the next seat anyway. I started to think that maybe I wouldn’t like Asia so much. I do prefer a high level of cleanliness that I don’t think Asia’s standards are quite up to, but I’ll see how it goes.

I found an unoccupied bench and decided I’d try to rest again banishing any thoughts of roaches from my mind. I was lying quite peacefully enjoying my music when a girl sat on the empty seat next to my feet and her boyfriend plopped down next to her basically on my feet. There were empty seats all over the airport but apparently they felt the need to annoy the one quietly resting person – me – by sitting right on top of me and fidgeting constantly causing the whole bench to jerk back and forth. I was seriously vexed and after 20 minutes of being jarred back and forth unnecessarily I was going to say something but alas their flight was thankfully announced and they left me to my bench again.

On my flight from Bali to Singapore I was lucky to have the row to myself – the seat gods must have been with me. This time I decided to forgo listening to music in favor of sleep. I was out as soon as I finished lunch and only woke up when the landing announcement came over the speaker. After a long airport shuttle ride, I finally made it to my hostel. The hostel seems nice enough and the staff friendly, but like Singapore itself, they boast some strict rules like ‘no shoes allowed upstairs’ and ‘luggage cannot be kept near the bed but rather in the luggage rack.’ However, it does have free breakfast and internet so I don’t mind it’s unusual quirks. I almost motivated myself to venture outside my hostel last night for dinner but I fell asleep instead at 8:00pm and didn’t wake until 9:30 this morning. I was just too tired and comfortable to move.

Rainforests and Reefs

I arrived in Cairns a few days ago after taking my last overnight bus across the Australian coast. As Cairns is farther north than anywhere I’ve been, it’s also far hotter than anything I’ve experienced so far. I’ve been trying to stay in the air-conditioning as much as possible because as soon as I step outside, I’m sweating. Even if I’m not moving a muscle, I’m sweating. It’ll be even worse I’m told when I land in Darwin today.

Two days after I arrived I decided to take the Kuranda sky rail up to the village of Kuranda and the scenic railway back down. Anthony, my travel buddy in Cairns, and I saw some beautiful scenery both ways. While the scenery was something to look at, I could have done without the visit to Kuranda. We had taken the 9:45 sky rail up and were supposed to take the 3:30 train back down, but we opted to leave early and caught the 2:00 train instead. Kuranda was a cute little town with tons of shops and markets, but there really wasn’t a whole lot to do to keep us occupied for hours and hours.

The day after we visited Kuranda, we headed out early in the morning for our Cape Tribulation trip. The trip wandered along the coast from Cairns to Cape Tribulation stopping first at Mossman Gorge. Then we headed toward the World Heritage Daintree rainforest for a guided walk through the area. We stopped briefly for a swim in the world’s second most pristine river. The water was cool and refreshing but the current was strong so we had to stick to certain areas. Anthony and I swam as far as we could into the current and then let it carry us back down to where we started. I was actually really tired from the exertion. I felt like I was swimming in one of those simulated current exercise pools, where you swim and swim but don’t move an inch. We also took a Daintree River Cruise and spotted crocodiles, flying foxes, snakes, and native birds in their natural environment. It was really exciting to see a crocodile just floating in the water undisturbed by our presence. The day also included lunch and a stop at the remote Daintree Ice Cream Company that sold unheard of flavors such as black sapote and wattleseed. After, we were dropped at our accommodation in Cape Tribulation.

The next day we went on the boat, Rumrunner, for our Great Barrier Reef tour. Though I’ve already scuba dived and wasn’t keen to do it again, Anthony is a certified diver, so I just snorkeled on the reef. The Rumrunner tour operating out of Cape Tribulation is one of the best tours of the Great Barrier Reef because they are one of only two tour boats that are licensed for the area. Therefore, where we set out is a less traveled and trampled area of the reef. Though I didn’t see as much marine life as when I was in the Whitsundays, the coral off the coast of Cape Tribulation was absolutely amazing. The colors were so vivid and varied; it looked like someone colored the coral with crayons. The first time I went out snorkeling I chose not to wear a wetsuit but I soon regretted it after entering the water. It’s stinger season in the waters, but I was assured that the chances of being stung were 1 in 135,000 so I decided to wear a bathing suit only. I like the freedom of not wearing a wetsuit. However, soon after entering the water I started to feel little pricks and stings all over my body. I freaked and headed back to the boat convinced I was dying of a jellyfish sting. One of the crewmembers told me that I would KNOW if it was a jellyfish, as the pain would be unbearable, and it was probably just sea lice or some other parasites taking a nip or two. When I snorkeled for the second time, I made sure to wear a full body wetsuit and it made for a far more enjoyable experience.

That night we were dropped in Port Douglas and caught a bus to our accommodation. On the way to our hostel, as we were rounding a roundabout, a minivan slammed right into the bus we were on. I had been staring out of the window and watched the whole thing happen. Luckily no one was hurt, but Anthony and I had to wait for another bus to come and pick us up. The woman driving the minivan claimed that she didn’t even see our bus. How you don’t see a big, white bus (not just a car, but a bus) right in front of you is beyond me. We didn’t stick around to see what happened because we were picked up soon after. Unfortunately we only got to stay in Port Douglas for one night and didn’t get to see much of it because it rained the whole time.

Tours, Tours, Tours

Last week I departed Hervey Bay for a 3-day, 2-night self-drive tour of Fraser Island, the world’s largest sand island off the east coast of Australia. After our groups were assembled, we set out to food shop and pick up our 4X4’s, the only vehicles drivable on the island. For the next 3 days, we drove all over the east coast of Fraser visiting beautiful lakes and other sights. We swam in two lakes on our first day, Lake Birrabeen with water so clear it reflected the blue of the sky surrounded by pure white sand, and Lake Wabby, a remote lake flanked by mustard-colored sand dunes. When we landed on the island, we headed toward Lake Wabby, our first destination, but after driving in the wrong direction, we decided Lake Birrabeen would be an acceptable stop even thought it wasn’t on our given itinerary. It became apparent that my group of 10, Team B, wasn’t the itinerary type anyhow and we were all too happy to stray from the plan. We were always the last ones to get going in the morning and also the last ones to return at night. Our first day, we were supposed to report to our base camp at 4:30pm, but we didn’t roll up until 6pm. That was the beauty of the self-drive tour, the freedom to decide where and when we wanted to go. My group saw more of the island than any other because we were willing to drive off course and explore.

Our second day we made it out to Indian Head Point for some marine life watching and spotted dolphins, tiger sharks, stingrays, and turtles. After, we headed to Eli Creek, a freshwater creek that you can float down after a trek to the beginning. Anthony, my group member, had brought a soccer ball and I used it as a flotation device to carry me downstream - twice. I felt like a little kid reveling in simplistic fun. Six of us then headed to Lake Garawangera afterwards, leaving the rest to sunbathe at the creek. When we arrived at the lake we were delighted to find that we had the luxury of having the spot to ourselves – only because we had arrived after everyone else had already left. As usual, we stayed longer than we were supposed to and turned up at base camp around dusk.

Before leaving to catch the barge back to Hervey Bay on our last day, we spent a few hours enjoying the refreshing water of Lake McKenzie. All in all it was one of the best experiences I’ve had so far while I’ve been away. As much as Fraser Island was a gem to explore, it really came down to the people. I was lucky to be part of such a fantastic group and it really made the trip amazingly memorable.

Two days after Fraser Island, I set out on a sailing trip around the Whitsundays, mostly uninhabited islands of such picturesque beauty that sailing them has become a must for any tourist. I spent two days and two nights on a catamaran enjoying the scenery and relaxing in the sun. It was really nice to spend my time somewhere other than a hostel for a few days. That’s partly why the trip sounded so appealing in the first place. Just the thought of spending time on a boat was a really exciting prospect.

During the trip I completed my first ever scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef. It was an exhilarating experience to be so close to the underwater life, but to be honest it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world. I felt that I was concentrating so much more on the bubbles exiting my regulator and mask that I couldn’t focus very well on my surroundings. I thought it’d be so peaceful and calm underwater but it was actually loud (because of my gear) and slightly unpleasant. I preferred snorkeling where I had the comfort of popping my head above the surface whenever I felt like. I spent the last day in the water snorkeling and I could see the coral and fish just as well as when I was diving. I’m happy that I scuba dived though, if only to check off that box on my list of To Do’s.

On our second day we stopped at Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island, often touted as the world’s most beautiful beach. Unfortunately for us it rained while we were there. It was still beautiful though so I’m sure it’s an incredible sight on a sunny day. My favorite part of the trip was sunbathing on the boat while we cruised through the water. I can finally say that I am certifiably tan, and not just tan for me. Of course I also loved the food. It was a nice reprieve from Subway and peanut butter sandwiches. The crew served food practically every hour of the day, and I don’t think I ever reached the stage of actual hunger. Breakfast turned into a snack into lunch into an afternoon snack and tea and finally into dinner. I’m surprised the boat didn’t sink with the amount of weight we all put on.

The night that we returned from sailing, our boat met at Beaches Bar for a post-sailing reunion. I spoke to Captain Dave about working on a boat, admitting that I had no experience in any area of sailing or cooking for that matter. He assured me that employees are taught everything they need to know, adding that they were looking for crewmembers at the moment. Regrettably I don’t have a working visa and my flights are booked for the next few months with no chance to postpone, otherwise I would have jumped at the chance to spend a few months in Airlie Beach sailing the Whitsundays on a boat. Granted the crew works hard while at sea cooking and cleaning and attending to the needs of the group, but how bad can the job be when you’re on the water all day long sailing around the world’s most scenic islands. I promised him that I’d be back next year with working visa in hand.

Writing Break

I'll be gone for over a week or so on tours so I won't be blogging. Sit tight and I'll catch up with you all then.

Crikey!!!

Since I arrived in Noosa too late to make a reservation, I took a chance and showed up at the bus terminal on Wednesday morning to pick up the free courtesy bus to Steve Irwin’s Australia Zoo. Luckily, the driver was able to squeeze one more person, and I was on my way.

Though the weather was overcast and rainy, I had a great time at the zoo. The land and animals are so well maintained and set up. It’s very interactive, which I thought was unique. There aren’t many zoos where you can walk among kangaroos and koalas in their environment. I got up close and personal with one of the kangaroos. I was actually able to feed it and pet it. It was amazing to be able to touch these creatures. I also watched an otter feeding, an elephant feeding, and a wildlife show featuring snakes, birds, and crocodiles. I’d have to say that my favorite animal was the koala and most of my pictures are dedicated to them. They are just so adorable, and all they do is sleep and eat – that’s my kind of animal.

At the end of the day, while I waited for the courtesy bus pick-up, I watched a musician perform near the exit. He played four different instruments including guitar, keyboard, bongo drum, and didgeridoo (an aboriginal instrument) – all at the same time. Now that takes talent.

After searching for an internet outpost in Noosa Heads and coming up empty, I hopped on a bus to Noosa Junction. I decided to grab dinner there as well, at a great Malaysian Noodle Bar. The food was excellent and exactly what I was in the mood for. Realizing that I missed the last bus and would have to walk back to my hostel, I asked a nearby lady to point me in the general direction of Noosaville. After I thanked her and started to walk away, she asked, “You’re not going to walk are you?” “I am,” I responded. “Oh no,” she said. “It’s raining and my husband is on the way. We’ll give you a ride.” And they did…all the way to my hostel. You gotta love Aussie hospitality.

On Thursday, I was surprised to wake up to a beautifully sunny sky. Figuring I’d take advantage of the nice day, which have been few and far between, I caught the hostel’s bus into town and headed to the beach to work on my lobster look. Of course when I finally reached the sand, clouds had taken over once again. I have to admit though that I almost prefer a cloudy Australian beach to a cloudless one. Even when it’s overcast, it’s still hot and you still get color, but you’re not sweating bullets. I can’t really take full-on Australia sun for long anyhow, so the day worked to my advantage. The few times the sun did fully come out I felt like someone had thrown me in a deep fryer, and I hoped the clouds would save me from the impossible heat. I spent the entire day on the beach with a short intermission for lunch. It was exactly what I wanted. I had planned on meandering around Noosa National Park also, but I couldn’t tear myself away from my towel and scratched that idea. Some might see a day at the beach as unproductive, but I see it as just indulging in a big part of Aussie culture – sun, surf, and fun.
Yesterday I took the bus from Noosa to Rainbow Beach. Once I deposited my bags at the hostel, I made a beeline for the beach hoping to catch some more sun. Unfortunately, the volatile weather made for some pretty heavy winds, and wind and sand just don’t mix. I stayed a total of an hour, and after being pelted continuously by sand, half of which was attached to my body, I decided I had had enough and went back to the hostel to laze by the pool.

Things I Notice

New Year’s barely registered as a holiday for me this year, though I’ve never been one for New Year’s Eve anyhow. I think it’s an over-priced, over-hyped night. After having an extremely filling Indian dinner with Rose and Chris at a great restaurant in town, I laid down to digest and only peeled myself off the bed at 11:15 to watch the Sydney fireworks on T.V. They were beautiful, but I’m always disappointed that second after the fireworks have ended. Your eyes strain and wait for that intense glow again. Except where once the sky was alight with bright colors, it is now replaced with darkness, darkness so pervasive when juxtaposed with the exploding light show. Since Chris and Rose retired early, I brought in the New Year alone in front of the T.V. and strained to hear the sounds of pots banging – a tradition my father and sisters were surely upholding halfway around the world when New York’s midnight finally approached. I went to bed soon after.

As I waited for my bus from Brisbane to Noosa yesterday, I noticed the girl sitting across from me had a tattoo on the inside of her ankle. I always liked that spot especially when it’s not too high on the leg like hers. I looked from her ankle to mine and tried to figure out where on my ankle the tattoo would fall. I examined the area above my anklebone but decided that was too high and the area below the bone was too low. I couldn’t figure out why hers fell in a perfect spot until I realized she didn’t have an anklebone – at least not a protruding one. In fact she had cankles, a word that I find hilarious but fitting, and that’s why her tattoo looked neither too high nor low. I sighed and realized a tattoo wouldn’t work for me in that area because my anklebone would be in the way. Intrigued by this notion, I started looking around at other people’s ankles and noticed a lot of people don’t have prominent anklebones. I’ve had bony feet all my life, skeletal even, but I never really gave it much thought before now. I’d thought that girl had strange ankles, but maybe I’m the one who’s abnormal. Maybe like doctors do with other prominent bone structures, I should have my anklebones shaved down. Is that even an actual procedure?

I arrived in Noosa yesterday and I have to admit I am none too impressed. I didn’t even enjoy the bus ride to Noosa because the bus had assigned seats. Assigned seats on a bus is practically unheard of. At first, I thought I was lucky enough that my designated seat had an empty next to it, but a latecomer entered the bus, heading straight for me, and dashed that dream.

I’m currently staying in Noosaville, the western cousin of the main area, Noosa Heads. My hostel is very out of the way and the first word that came to mind when I saw my room was penitentiary. It was quite a difference from the roomy double bed and cheerful yellow walls I’d gotten used to in Brisbane. The rest of the hostel seems decent enough so I’ve been trying to stay out of my room as much as possible. However, I did notice that the hostel requires a deposit for any dishes and utensils you use – that’s even worse than prison. I liked my accommodation even less after I got lost on the way back from my trek to Woolworth’s. Granted it was my fault that I didn’t look at the street name as I left, but the hostel should at least have a sign pointing you in the right direction. All of the streets look the same; surely I can’t be the only one who passes it by without a second glance. I was originally going to stay in Noosa for 5 days because friends had raved about it, but I decided to only stay 3 and move on from there. If I hadn’t prepaid and received a discounted rate for a 3-night stay, I might have even considered staying only 2 and hightailing it to Rainbow Beach, my next destination.

There’s something that I noticed from my time in Australia, and in New Zealand as well, that I didn’t really think about until my fish and chip dinner last night. After placing and receiving my order sans any kind of dip, I went to the counter to ask for ketchup and tartar sauce and saw a sign that read “All Sauces $1.00.” I had seen it before in other fish and chip shops but this time it really annoyed me. Is there a dearth of ketchup or tartar sauce in these countries that they feel the need to deter its use by actually charging people for it? Is it fair for people to suffer through dry fish and chips because these establishments are too cheap to give out sauces that obviously enhance the meals? It amazes me that they have the audacity to charge you for something that shouldn’t even have to be asked for. It’s standard practice in the U.S. to provide patrons with whatever dipping sauces suite their tastes. It probably won’t happen before I leave the country, but I sincerely hope that Australia catches wind of the trend: Don’t deprive your customers of basic accoutrements.