Man, I’m a lazy mf. Haven’t written in a while (6 months to be exact). Everyday life kinda makes blogging take a backseat.

But Cairns. I went to Cairns…2 months ago…and I shall write about it from memory or I will embellish my memories for shits and giggles 💁.

Day 1:

Checked into a backpackers that I thought was right on the beach. It was not. Google Maps was not kind to me. I had been working for three. whole. months. by this point and I was kinda looking forward to a vacation where I would just be able to stroll like 5 minutes to the beach and bathe in the sun and just be a lazy mf (re: see above) all day.

Backpacker was in the city. It was by the water. Just not swimmable water.

In hindsight I would’ve probably booked a hostel by Palm Cove, but I guess that’s what I get for not actually looking into it.

T. decided to join me for a few days (yay!) up in the sun, so we just spent the first day roaming the city, looking into stuff to do cos we didn’t plan anything (re: see above) and eating $5 froyo. We found this place on the main strip that had self-serve froyo with unlimited fixings for 5 buckaroos as long as it fit into a cone. Because it was a cone, topping space is limited. T. is a froyo genius and figured out that if we did layers of froyo, toppings, sauce, froyo, etc. WE’D BE ABLE TO MAXIMIZE the topping to froyo ratio. #genius

We booked a day trip to Fitzroy Island and I booked one night on a liveaboard boat. Because when in Cairns, dive the Great Barrier Reef.

Day 2:

T. and I woke up early to grab one of the many boats going out to Fitzroy Island, a gorgeous island approx. 45 minutes from Cairns. We skipped the main beach and trekked through some beautiful forest to Nudey Beach (an optional nude beach to which, no one that day partook).

I’m a big dummy and did not account for (a) my skin having not seen sunshine in so long it forgot how to act and (b) Australia’s ozone hole. This immense idiocy resulted in my body being covered in patchy sunburns from a day of “Oh, I don’t burn” attitude of napping on the beach (a sentiment which is false btw, as I had a monstrous lobster burn when I was in the Maldives). I had just apparently forgot. #derp

Day 3:

Went on my first dive liveaboard boat. I really enjoyed the experience, though the dives weren’t nearly as amazing or exciting as the other ones I’ve been on. The colours are def not very vibrant anymore.

It was really odd to me to have a guide cost extra. I think one of the girls were saying that it was for insurance purposes…like the Aussies didn’t want to be liable for people they take diving or something…? I paid for 2 of my 6 dives and didn’t really feel that they added much value, so I just ended up buddying up with one of the other solo travellers.

I did 6 dives in total…I think. 2 @Norman, 2 @Hastings, and 2 @Saxon. I also did my first night dive!

Meet some really awesome people on this boat though, so definitely added to the experience.

I did my liveaboard with Deep Sea Diver’s Den and stayed on their OceanQuest boat. Apparently it’s one of the nicer boats, not sure if I was being upsold or not, but it was pretty nifty. I extremely enjoyed sleeping on a boat, dat gently rocking by the waves. Plus I saw a turtle on the water surface, so points.

Day 4:

Could only do one night on the liveaboard because my flight wouldn’t have allowed me to dive for one more day. Would be keen to do more diving at the reef – apparently where it starts/ends on the east coast is much more beautiful.

Great Barrier Reef =✅ .

Went to Tha Fish for dinner when I got back from the dive trip. Seeing live seafood makes me want to eat them? Is that a bit morbid? I had the salt and pepper soft shell crab with squid ink fettucine (I’m a sucker for squid ink).

It’s apparently some award winning restaurant but the service was horrendous and the food was pretty meh. Would not recommend for the price. 🙅

Decided to treat myself to a massage but, again, no planning means all the legit places were closed for the evening already. Soooo…I went for a cheapo $15 massage in the night market. Pretty sure the guy straddled the back of my head and then massaged my butt with his fists. Like a cat kneading a pillow. Also, every time he pushed down on my spine the underwire of my bra would cause mega discomfort to my boobs’ sunburn. TMI? Nah. No such thing. Would I do it again? Probably. I’m also a sucker for massages.

Day 5:

Went to Annee’s Caphe for a viet coffee – my first viet coffee (I think). I’m never at a vietnamese restaurant early enough to consume coffee.

 

Roamed Rusty’s Market and bought and obscene amount of fruit. And, decided to treat myself to a LEGIT massage at Oiled before my flight. Had a shiatsu massage, and the pressure was on point. #punintended

Stay: Caravella Backpackers – AC, plus. Mystery bug bites, minus.

Cairns, Queensland, Australia Summary: Gorgeous Island. Great Barrier Reef. Burnt af.

Duration: Sep 28 – Oct 02

 

#sunsoutbunsout