magnetic island

yesterday i left cairns and arrived many hours later in magnetic island (or "Maggie" as the locals call it). i was not at all sad to leave cairns as the 6 days i was there it rained 5 of them. luckily the weather at maggie is perfect! i also went on my first 'Oz Experience' bus journey to get here! it is definitely nothing like the other bus services here (greyhound, premier, etc) and is excellent for backpackers travelling alone because the only people who ride with them are other backpackers and Oz Experience creates a very social atmosphere on the buses. the bus driver is also a pseudo tour guide and on the bus we play games and get to know each other. also we make random stops along the way to see cool things. this does mean it takes almost twice as long as greyhound to get anywhere, but it is the journey that matters anyhow, right? well, maybe not when the destination is places as exciting as sailing in the whitsunday islands... but still a great experience to have and a wonderful way to meet more people than i otherwise would.

maggie island is a very sleepy island without so much as a streetlight - great break for a couple of relaxing days before heading off to the whitsundays!

in a moment of missing family and friends back home.... congrats to jonah my pbj for 'more juice' and a great big hug to everyone there back in the USA. also hoping myla has a speedy recovery and thanks to peter for reading her and jerry my blog posts! lastly welcome back to nat and matt from your trip to isreal - so exciting to hear about it, glad you had such a great experience!