"Should I ride the turtle?"....."Definitely"

We did a bit of Cairns sightseeing today. Walked along the pier, sat in the grass, and played around the lagoon. We finally moved to a hostel, but this time, we have our own room. (No 5 am wakeups from old asian ladies!!!) Although we have a private room, it’s quite far from luxurious. It looks like a jail cell, less the barred window, actually, less any windows whatsoever. If it weren’t for the amazing location, I’d go crazy. In all seriousness though, this could be an old prison,

I mean the British did originally use Australia as a place to bring all the prisoners. I could be living in history. Gross, tiny, windowless history. History where I put newspaper down so I can unpack my clothes and they don't touch the floor. The good news is, we are only paying $18 anight and we get a free, be it miniature sized, dinner every night. I guess this is just one of those things that my parents used to tell me “adds character” to a person. I’m going to be full of character by the end of this trip…..

We read about all the things we can do around Cairns for free. (which is good since we are still unemployed and living in a glorified jail cell) One of these things was the night market. The night market is open from 4:30-9 and has all kinds of stores. We walked around and found an entire row of Asian massage booths. Yes, booths with curtains and tables. It’s $15 for a 40 minute massage. So we did the only plausible thing we could think of and got massages….in the night market….at 6 pm…..behind a curtain in the mall. It was probably top 5 sketchiest things I’ve done in my life…..up there with sleeping at an airport, living with 3 strangers on a farm, and, of course, Fanny. Great massage though. Felt a little bit like I was getting beaten to death….but 3 hours later, I feel fantastic.

Tomorrow we have BIG plans. We are renting a car and going sightseeing. Yes, I am aware that they drive on the wrong side of the road and the steering wheel is on the passenger side, which is precisely why I explained that Jill would be the only one driving. Let’s be honest, I’m usually in a state of disarray when I’m driving at home, do not make me drive on the wrong side of the car and the opposite side of the road.

I do NOT have a death wish. Except that I do want to cage dive with sharks while I’m here……..

Just kidding Dad………