March the 4th
The flight sets off on time and a sarcastic cheer from the passengers can be heard like flying a plane was as easy as flying a kite (which I couldn’t even do). If I was the pilot id be half tempted to cut my nose off to spite my face and plunge straight into the Indian Ocean, however, he was clearly more mature than me.
Sandwiched in between two French nationals, I felt like the ham and cheese in their “croque monsieur”. The flight got under way and we got to know each other and have quite a laugh. After the standard list of interview questions, I shared a glass of wine with Lucas, the insane green eyes and Barbara, the slim hippy dippy. Ironically, cheese and ham toasties were the only thing unavailable on the menu, not to mention Lucas, why was everyone only 20 these days??
Cairns, I’m in Cairns! I arrived late at 9.00pm so its dark but the airport is very small so there were no queues at least. Still in doubt that I completed my visa correctly or might get stopped in customs and interrogated, I walked straight through like they were happy to have me. I had watched too much Australian Border Force, wasn’t it harder, did they not want to check my bags and give me a cavity search?
So I had one day in cairns, two nights and one day. I teamed up with green eyes and we found a shuttle bus who drop you to your door for 10 dollars – taxis were around 30 dollars, I didn’t really see the difference except the price. Before I vacated the shuttle, frenchy ripped his luggage tag off his bag and gave me a pen, I gave him my name for FB and my website, how romantic I thought. Shame he wasn’t older.
I arrived at the hostel and got let in by the Night Manager. Still partially deaf by the plane, I waited by the door as he walked off mishearing him say, “follow me.” He came back and I heard him say to me, “did you kill someone out there?” to which I reply, “did I kill someone? No, but if I did, it wouldn’t be any of your business!” – thinking my humour would charm him, he’s replies, “WHAT! I said, are you waiting for someone out there?!”
So looking like an absolute lunatic, he sat me down and took my details. The Night Manager was quirky to say the least, seemed very nice but jittery, a bit off his head. Wouldn’t be surprised if he had killed someone out there.
With no one killing anyone, I had a stroll into Cairns central, it was beautiful, clean and generally nice. I made my first visit to the bottle shop, the only place alcohol is sold. In England, you can find booze anywhere, a barber shop, a gallery, a homeless man named Keith. Going in a shop to just buy alcohol makes you feel a bit dirty, I’d at least want them see what food I’m pretending to eat with it.
So Taiwan, the girl in my dorm, she was actually very sweet, I think shed just found a job and a place to live. I couldn’t properly understand her, but I didn’t let her know that – not one to burst the bubble of someone else (unless I had a shit day or they’ve pissed me off) she, however, was safe.
Then enters a Korean woman, she was weird, slightly annoying and wasn’t afraid to wake you up to ask a pointless question. She asked me where she could visit locally, I’m like, “the lagoon, the promenade” to which she replied “why would I go there and hang out with young people, I don’t want to do that”! I thought, why did you ask me, a relatively young person their advice, just to criticise? Was thinking, what the fuck, just google it yourself then..
As I lay on my top bed bunk, I realised my streak of flying high in accommodations thus far would be a distant memory and experiencing different walks of life would stubble around me making me feel a little better about my own weirdness.
Slowly awoken by the day light streaming through the window and a high pitch noise screeching like a million cats, I tossed and turned wondering if my sleep deprivation was causing hallucinations. The noises didn’t fade out like my tiredness so I decided to get up and grab the day by the whiskers, after all, I was finally in Australia. I had the whole day in Cairns, it seemed a long time, enough time to explore central so I jumped in the shower and headed out.
Leaving the hostel, I walked toward the town and the screeching noises got louder, however, the cause would soon reveal itself. Hundreds of bats hanging in the trees screaming their heads off! I didn’t expect that!
Katie Babb 