More Spontaneity

Plans change, but as always it's best to go with the flow...

I got down to Mooloolaba with plenty of time to spare (and once again much earlier than planned), and had a great couchsurfing host there as well. The triathlon went really well, for the organizers in general and me in particular. I got rostered on for an extra day of work early in the week, and having spent the last few days just chilling out beforehand I was well rested and ready to go. A good thing too because it was standard event hours, with my work days ranging from 9.5 to 14.5 hours long. I missed out on seeing most of the World Cup races, but had a pretty good time working in the age group transition area where I did commentary, helping a couple thousand mostly confused athletes figure out what they were supposed to be doing, and answering the same four questions about a millions times each. A little repetitive but more fun than the before and after parts - the set-up and take-down of all the racks for said athletes. On a side note, it's amazing how many people will still try to park in a parking lot that is half full of bike racks, has a "CLOSED" sign posted, and barricades across the entrances.

It wasn't all relaxing at the beach beforehand though. I went for a "hike" in the Glasshouse mountains with Jimmy, my couchsurfing host (who participated in the triathlon- way to go Jimmy!) and one of his friends. It was only about an hour up, so he said, and I guess it was, but it sort of slipped his mind how near the top it goes very suddenly from hiking to climbing. While we were a bit surprised by the sudden change in steepness and difficulty level, we weren't about to turn back so we kept on going. We eventually got to the top where we were treated to a lovely view of clouds, and the start of a typical Queensland downpour. None of us wanted to end up on the six o'clock news as the hikers who had to get airlifted from the mountain, and since it didn't look like it was about to clear up anytime, we decided to head straight back down, going very slowly. On the plus side it wasn't hot, but it is a little worrying when there are small waterfalls running down the rock face between your knees, and you can't always see where your next step is. Despite the less than ideal conditions we made it back safe and sound, and celebrated being alive by stopping on the way back for some steaming hot classic Aussie meat pies.

So hiking adventures and triathlon out of the way my next step was to join Klaus and the crew of Zero Gravity as soon as I could. I was hoping to get another ride share up the coast to Mackay, but that fell through and I ended up taking a not so lovely, long, overnight bus trip. I have since decided that distances that long are best not covered by bus, which takes even longer than a car due to the many stops, and is rather difficult to sleep on even for me, and I generally sleep easily while traveling and was already exhausted from work and post work partying. Needless to say I was grateful for my bunk on Zero Gravity which is docked at the Mackay marina, and blissfully floated off to sleep that first night to the gentle rocking of the boat. Unfortunately, while I was finally where I wanted to be - on board a sail boat destined for the Whitsunday Islands and further destinations - things don't always work out, and plans have to be adjusted...

Our speedy departure has been delayed due to mechanical issues, and we will now not be able to get out of Mackay until after Easter. This was at first disappointing to me since I have limited travel time left in Australia and am keen to be on my way, but since hearing the news I have formed new plans. More spontaneity = more opportunities. It seems like everyone I've been talking to lately has been parroting the same thing to me, something along the lines of: "you only live once and you never know when or if you will ever come back to the places you travel to, so you may as well take advantage of where you are". Which is why I decided to dip into emergency funds and set myself up for a very non-traditional Easter weekend.

As it turns out, one of the guys on board Zero Gravity was planning to head up to Airlie Beach by car ahead of the boat anyway, so on Good Friday I'll get a lift up to what is without a doubt a backpackers' Mecca. Normally I might go for couchsurfing or at least a quiet hostel away from the tourist strip, but I figure my days are numbered for still enjoying being in the middle of youthful insanity, so I booked the cheapest hostel I could find in the center of activity. While this in itself should offer plenty of opportunity for festivities, it's not the sort of festivities I would normally expect at Easter. I normally celebrate the holiday with my family, but since they aren't around I've decided to do mark the holiday by doing something special on my own. This would be enjoying a spectacular aerial view of Airlie Beach and the Whitsundays from several thousand feet - from outside the plane. I've heard lots of skydiving stories recently, and since it's something I know I want to do one day, I figure there is no point in waiting.

Happy Easter, enjoy the long weekend, and I'll be back with a post free-fall blog next week.