My 19th day in the Lucky Country was another exciting one! I’ll tell you all about it. I woke up at 9:00 and Jon and I each had a cup of tea. I packed up the remainder of my stuff and we decided on going to the beach. So, we checked out and then walked to the bus stop. Jon’s student card is valid here, but mine is not. So, I had to pay full fare. The bus ride took the same as usual: about 20 minutes. We got off at Noosa Heads and I got a Red Bull and a few postcards and then got a map. I thought of Alexandria Bay because of its geography, it probably would have the biggest waves. Jon and I agreed to go there. The walked would be about 5 km. At the beginning of the track, I saw a koala warning sign telling people to drive carefully because they live here too. So, I felt like I had a chance to finally see a wild koala. We walked into Noosa National Park and then stopped at this lookout called the Boiling Pot. I don’t know why it’s called that, but the ocean is beautiful from there. Jon and I then kept walking until we passed Dolphin Point and Hell’s Gate, and then walked down a staircase to Alexandria Bay. The whole walk took 45 minutes! I’ve done a lot of walking here and I miss my bike. It’s OK, I’ll have that and heaps of pictures to show everyone in just a few days. I don’t ever want to go home because I’m having the time of my life here! Most people have never even heard of Noosa, let alone been here. Anyways, Jon and I walked down to the end of the beach. It seems to be a big nudist colony because nearly everyone was naked. However, it’s not a mandatory nude beach, so I only took off my shirt. I put my bag down and got out my snorkeling gear. I jumped on in, but then panicked thinking I got caught in a rip current. I started swimming frantically, and lost my snorkel because it came off my mask strap. I calmed down and stood on a rock but my snorkel was gone. I could only hope it washed ashore. I talked to this man from Brisbane here on holiday and he told me that there are no rip currents out here. So, I definitely just panicked. It’s OK; I’d rather lose my snorkel than my life. After that, I just stayed close to the shore. I swam and let the waves hit my back for over an hour, stopping for a break every few minutes. I saw some girls swimming nude, but they were all with another guy. Jon wanted to get some food, so we decided on walking back. We walked past all the nude people and took the same track back. I was told earlier about a koala sighting, so I kept my eyes open. Shortly after we passed Tea Tree Beach, a gentleman pointed out a koala high up in the tree. I was so amazed! I had seen crocodiles, kangaroos, dingoes, and just about every other type of wildlife. Now I’ve seen a koala! I took some photos to show everyone. A couple years ago at the Koala Park, I zoomed in on a koala high in a tree and told everyone that it was wild, but now I have a genuine wild koala photo. After that, I showered to get all the saltwater off of me. By then, I was sunburned, but not as bad as I was after Fitzroy Island. Jon wanted to go swimming again. So, he went to the Main Beach while I got a hot dog and a Diet Coke. It was my first time eating all day! Earlier I made the mistake of putting my Tim Tams in the bag with my Lakers jacket, and one fell out and melted all over my jacket. The ice cream truck driver gave me some soap and I washed my jacket and then hung it up to dry. As my jacket dried I just sat and relaxed while talking with this cute Aussie chick. I went to look for Jon on the beach. I couldn’t find him but I saw a bluebottle jellyfish. They sting really badly I reckon! The lifeguards were putting out warning signs about them. I looked all over for Jon, but I couldn’t find him anywhere. I just had to hope I’d see him later on. I walked up to the main street and got a ginger beer and walked over to the bus stop. I talked to this girl from Germany and then I saw Jon again. The bus would not come until 4:30. We had to take the bus to the Nambour train station. We passed through Cooroy along the way, and the bus ride was like an hour long. Again I saw a lot of sugar cane fields. I thought I got my share of them in north Queensland. We got off at Nambour at about 5:30. The train was already there, and we had a few minutes to burn. I got some chips and a Diet Coke. I did pull ups on the poles on the train as a way of playing around with these Aussie teenagers. The train started going south, and I noticed this really beautiful girl with very long, dark brown hair. I really wanted to talk to her, but she was too far away. The train then stopped all of a sudden because there had been an accident ahead with another train. All of us had to get off and get on a bus. I had the perfect chance to talk to that beautiful young lady. When we got on the bus I sat right next to her. I found out her name is Alexis and I told her how beautiful she is. I told her about my travels and that she’s the prettiest girl I’ve met here. I asked if I could take a picture with her when we got off the bus, and she agreed. She had the prettiest dress and she even told me she used to be a model. After talking for awhile, we had to get off the bus and get on another train. The train would not leave for a few minutes, so I got some pictures with Alexis. She is strikingly gorgeous! She’s very tall (about 6 feet) and would make a great “Miss Australia.” I sat with her on the train and shared romantic travel tales with her. I was really enjoying my time with her and it felt like hours. She had to get off a few stops before me. She gave me her email and a very nice hug before she left. I’m glad I got to meet her. Most girls in California are so hung up and are often like “don’t talk to me.” She was a true blue Aussie: talkative, sexy, and sweet! The train ride into Brisbane took about another 15 minutes and Jon and I got off at Brisbane central station. I got his email and I wished him the best on his travels. I remember Nora telling me a few years ago that people here in Australia meet up and travel together, and she’s totally right. It was fun traveling with Jon. I got dinner at McDonald’s and continued on after eating. I stopped for a couple of Bundaberg ginger beers; then I went to Cloud 9, but they were all booked out. However, “Stumpy” called City Backpackers next door and they had one bed left for $28. So, I booked that. I met “Stumpy” a few nights ago. He’s from Manitoba and lost his arm in a quad biking accident. Up at Green Island, “Stumpy” the crocodile was missing one of his front feet. I’ve met two “Stumpy’s” on my trip. The receptionist showed me to my room, and I realized the room here is way better than at Cloud 9. There the rooms are stuffy and dirty and ridden with bedbugs. Here there is air conditioning and nice bedding. There was free internet upstairs, so I ran up there straight away. Cans of soda were a lot cheaper in the vending machine as well. I had to wait a while for the free internet, but I just sipped my “beer” and studied the map of Australia on the wall until a computer opened up. I emailed everyone telling them Happy Australia Day (even though it was a day late), and I told my mates about seeing a wild koala and my adventures in Noosa. After that I just checked basketball scores and did my usual internet thing. The Lakers lost again! After the entertainment room closed at 11:00 PM, I went downstairs to the patio and talked with these girls from Brazil and another girl from New Zealand. Then, I called Mom from the payphone, and I found out that Bob got his postcard. I told her about seeing the koala and seeing the nudists at Alexandria Bay. Only two more days left! Now, I really know how to travel, and I’ll be traveling more frequently in the very near future. I went to the bar next door after I was done talking to Mom to see if Louise and Erica were there, but they weren’t. So I went back to my room. I’m sharing a room with these guys from Germany. I’ve met many Germans on this trip, but very few Americans. Tomorrow, I hope to go to the Australia Zoo. I’d better get to sleep. See you tomorrow night!
