March 8 - Australia: Airlie Beach, Queensland
We super-slept-in this morning. I'm not kidding. Jon didn't even emerge until 10:00. This must mean that his body is still getting over the flu. We lounged around the ant-infested apartment for a while, and then decided to wait until after lunch before going to explore Airlie Beach.
There really is no beach at Airlie Beach. ("Why the name?" you ask. Can't help you out there.) Neither is there really anything to see. But we hopped in the car and went exploring anyway. We wound up driving around the peninsula and finding some cool houses and some very pretty views of Shute Harbour.
Shute Harbour on Airlie Beach
Shute Harbour
Shute Harbour
We also spent some time in town, shopping around. Jon is on a mission for the perfect Hawaiian shirt, which I think I've mentioned before. The funny thing is that while Jon prompted our little shopping trip, I'm the one who emerged with two new skirts and three new tops. But since our wardrobe is disposable, I'll be throwing out some of the other items that have seen much better days. For example, that gray tank top I bought in Cairo. It used to have white piping, but that was before it was washed with Jon's red communist star t-shirt. So much for the white piping!
Evening Run
We went back to the ant farm to let the sun set so we could go for our runs. I left at around 6:45 and Jon left about 7:00. Running in the evening in Cairns was nice because the streets were well-lit. Not so here in Airlie Beach. But before the sun was fully set, I ran down by the marina where I saw two HUGE turtles poking their heads out of the water. That was a nice treat. By 7:00, the sun was fully set and I was hoping I wouldn't trip in any holes. The fruit bats were out too. Jon had told me about them, but I hadn't witnessed them until now. They really are big things.
Late, Late, Late Dinner
I started dinner (Red Curry Chicken) before Jon got home at 8:15. But for whatever reason, the potatoes in the curry took forever to cook. We didn't actually eat until 10:00 which is entirely too late for us to eat. These evening runs are going to have to stop - we'll actually need to set the alarm from now on!