Noosa

The past few days were probably the least exciting of my trip so far but you know what that means… Things can only go up from here! I arrived in the beach town of Noosa on a rainy afternoon and other than a walk into town to get groceries, I spent the night tucked away in the hostel. Luckily, I met two really nice Norwegian girls in my room who I hung out with while the rain continued to pour outside preventing me from doing any of the outdoor activities I had planned.

That night I tossed and turned in my bed feeling the need to itch myself every two seconds and was absolutely terrified that I would wake up covered in bed bug bites. Sure enough, a hostel worker came through the breakfast crowd the next morning searching for people staying in room 3. My room. Just my luck. I knew right away it would be bed bugs.

Thankfully, my bed seemed to be the least of her worries as she explained that one girl, the one who reported the problem, must have brought them from her last hostel as they take extra precautions to prevent them at this one. I believed her since it was a very clean hostel, but still. I couldn’t shake the gross itchy feeling.

I was moved to a different room and never saw my Norwegian friends again as they were off to catch a bus that morning, which was sad because we got along really well. But life goes on, and I tried to take my mind off the near-bed-bug experience by taking a long shower and walking into town for lunch. The rain was still coming down in buckets but I thought I would get some exercise and power through the 20 minute walk rather than take the shuttle bus.

My effort to make it into town was pleasantly rewarded when I had the best chai latte of my life. It tasted so homemade, as though each distinct spice had been sprinkled in thoughtfully rather than dumping some syrupy mixture in like they do at Starbucks. I savoured every drop of the warm cup of heaven that was the perfect pick-me-up for such a dreary rainy day.

Besides my little outing, I spent the day itching myself constantly, though I don’t know whether it was simply out of paranoia or a true physical irritation. I think a bit of both since I couldn’t shake the gross feeling of being unknowingly close to those pesky bed bugs, almost a victim of their evil travel-ruining plans. For some peace of mind, I did a little laundry, just in case. The lady working at the hostel told me not to be concerned but I still felt I should be extra safe and wash at least the clothes that were closest to my bed… as if that would make a difference. I did it anyway.

I’m not gonna lie, the whole bed bugs thing really put a damper on my time in Noosa, as if the rain hadn’t already done a good enough job at that. All I wanted was to check out the beach, go for a coastal walk, maybe take a surf lesson. Instead I got rain, rain, and more rain and a serious bed bug scare. It’s sad because I’ve seen such beautiful pictures of Noosa and thought it had potential to be a new favourite, if I only had better weather. Oh well, the sun can’t shine everyday (but I sure wish it could).

Quick side note: I started writing this before I woke up to sunny, warm, and most importantly, dry weather. Hallelujah! I met a girl from China in my room the night before and and we decided to do the coastal walk in the morning before I had to catch my bus. I knew I couldn’t let Noosa’s potential beauty slip right through my fingers just because my visit didn’t align with perfect weather, so I had to get out and see what I could on my last morning. And oh my goodness am I ever glad that I did!

The coastal walk was just incredible. I couldn’t even handle how beautiful it was. The bluest of waters, lush green all around, coves and beaches galore. It was heaven! And arriving in the resort area of Noosa on the other side was the cherry on top. It’s just the cutest tropical getaway town and reminded me a lot of pictures I’ve seen of Hawaii, though I’ve never been and have my parents to thank for ditching me to go there on more than one occasion. Not cool!

I was overjoyed to find an affordable acai bowl along the main strip and enjoyed the refreshing treat after a hot and sweaty walk. And with that it was time to hop on a bus to Rainbow Beach where I am spending 2 nights before leaving on a 2 night “camping” trip on Fraser Island.

My first night here, last night, I was “upgraded” to a beachfront apartment because they pushed my trip back a day so a group of friends could be together, which was more of a downgrade if you ask me. When I first got to the less than luxurious apartment, it was empty and quiet and made me feel lonelier than ever. I felt like I was deserted in this run down house and to top it off I didn’t even have wifi!!! This is 2017 people, wake up!!! I walked along the beach to try to beat the lonely sadness that hit me so unexpectedly. I had been doing really well on my own, like I said in my last post, but being stuck in a dingy place away from the common areas of other travellers really made me feel alone. This time in a bad way.

The only source of entertainment in the place was a tv so I distracted myself for a few hours with the food network, which I had forgotten how much I loved. Later on, the other people staying with me arrived and I chatted with them for a bit before heading up to the most uncomfortable bed I’ve ever slept in. Two of the guys were from Switzerland, one from Italy, and the other two girls went up to their room right away before I had the chance to talk to them.

This morning I was up early, mostly out of my eagerness to be out of that awful bed. I went for a beach walk, got some groceries, and even had a yummy acai bowl, which I was surprised to find in such a tiny town with only one grocery store, a fishing shop, and one or two cafes. It was a pleasant surprise and my taste buds rejoiced.

For my last night here before departing on the island trip, I was moved back to the main dorms so I can leave with the group tomorrow morning. Thank goodness. There is wifi here, hence this post going up, and lots of people around which is very comforting. I will now be out of civilization for 3 days on Fraser Island with a group of travellers, driving 4x4s along the sand island and camping out in tents. I’m really excited and have heard only good things about this expedition! And honestly, sleeping in a tent sounds like luxury after my sleeping arrangement last night… it was really bad. Let’s just hope there’s no spideys or other mysterious potentially deadly creatures in the tent.

Tal