Relaxing in Airlie Beach

We arrived at Airlie Beach in Queensland with no problems. The airport was the first we'd ever seen with a grassy outdoor waiting area! Our place was up a big hill but thankfully not as high up as some of the luxury resorts, since we were on foot. Airlie Beach is built around tourists with lots of little shops bursting with trinkets, sunglasses, hats, sunscreen, surfer brand clothing, and skimpy swimwear (or "swimmers", as they call them here). The place we stayed was a mixture of families, retirees and hip, young couples. It was comfortable but definately not modern- the decor was "grandma-esque" with wicker furniture, floral cushions, faded framed posters of beach scenes and parrots. But it had a big balcony looking out and down over the main street and toward the water where four dozen or so boats of different types floated all day and night. A few islands could be seen in the distance. Palm trees were everywhere and many loud birds, including a group of cockatoos that regularly visited our balcony (usually before dinner) to say hello. The town has a man-made, fairly large lagoon area just beyond the shops where tons of beachgoers lay out in the sun or swim (some topless). We also had a pool and hot tub at our complex so we used that more- less crowded. Mark got a cold so we lounged close-by a little more than originally planned. I found a large bead store and went several times during the week- bought several ocean-inspired beads for centerpieces for necklaces. We found ourselves wearing swimsuits, tank-tops, shorts and flip-flops all day. Very relaxing. It was tempting to check email, but we mostly managed to ignore it. I read Mark Twain's travel book "Following the Equator" which Mark had read before me. We both find his observations about Australia very accurate. His writing is so witty and humorous and delightful.

The days merged together and soon we lost track of time. One day I went to the grocery store and got sidetracked when I stumbled upon an arts market with local produce, art, jewelry and hippie-style clothing. Five or six camels with saddles rested on the beach, waiting to give rides to curious tourists. Our last night in Airlie Beach, we dressed up (which meant putting on something other than swimmers) and had a nice dinner at a seafood place called Shipwrecked. Then when we got home we watched a film on tv called "Candy" starring Heath Ledger as part of a heroin-addicted couple trying to make things work. It was a good film, although predictably depressing, but my major complaint was Heath and his lead actress Abbie Cornish looked like Calvin Klein models for most of it (despite what the user review says on IMDb). They appeared slightly sweaty and ragged while trying to get clean. Anyway, that night, the moon was a beautiful silver sliver in the sky and I tried to capture it with my camera.

The following day I did something I'd always wanted to do, and laid in my bikini by the poolside, slurping a fruity strawberry daquari and relaxing. (I recommend it). That night, in the bathroom, I discovered a big black bug that appeared like a cross between a beetle, grasshopper, cricket and cockroach. I found it as I flicked on the light...actually I heard it first, crawling on the wall, which freaked me out. It is an unmistakeable sound. I told a sleepy Mark about it and, aware that he was half-asleep, put a sticky note on the door warning "Beware of Bug!". It seems silly now, but at the time I was imagining The Metamorphosis by Frank Kafka- except the bug and I were clearly separate beings. And I'm glad it stayed that way.