So we’re on our way to Scary-Bug Land but first we need to make it through check in... With our bags. Thankfully they have a weight checker before you go up to the check in counter and it was a good thing we used it. Fortunately nothing was crazy overweight and if our luck holds out that they don’t check the weight of our carry ons, we’re good to go. But this wouldn’t be a story if that happened. We get into the security area and there are people there checking the weight of everyone’s carry on bags... Seriously?!? I don’t know how, but we both pass and before they check the scale and find out it’s completely wrong, Holly and I quickly head to the next area.
We made it to our terminal and just relaxed for about the 5 minutes we had left in New Zealand and then boarded the plane. I checked my seat, no poisonous bugs waiting to jump out at me, I’m taking that as a good sign, and then we take off back in time to the two hours earlier Australia brings. Get off the plane and no bugs yet. Yes, I’m paranoid. If you had seen the bugs we had seen being in New Zealand and then heard all the stories about how much worse they are in Australia, you’d be paranoid too. Anyway, we go through customs/security and I don’t know how terrorist do it because I’m nervous getting through these things and we don’t have anything to hide! Turns out one of my bags (in my luggage, not my actual luggage bag) had bugs in it. Of course it had to be mine, it only seems appropriate. So sadly it got left behind. We make it through and then realize we’re not sure how we’re getting to the hotel. There isn’t anyone at any information desks so we had no one to ask. We then see a sign for the subway, find a map and decide to give it a try. Two transfers later and weirdly no trouble at all, we find ourselves coming up from the subway only to look to our right and see our hotel. That was easy, and I didn’t even see any bugs.
We seem to have a knack for finding places within the red light district and this place was no different. Like usual, we were completely overdressed for a Saturday night on the town and even more so in the red light district. So we find an internet area to send some messages to home and decide to call it a night. We had another roommate for the evening and she was already asleep so we didn’t want to bother her anymore then we already had plus we had to be downstairs for 7am. Apparently even vacations have an early start.
We get through the night, no bugs and a pretty sound sleep and we’re all up nice and early. We’re getting ready when all of a sudden an alarm starts going off. We all look at each other and wonder what’s going on. We then go about our business until the alarm in our room starts going off. Is that a fire alarm? Yeah, I think that’s a fire alarm. I smell smoke. Seriously?!?! Is this really the way we’re going to start Australia? The guy gets on over a loud speaker and announces they’re looking into the alarm meanwhile we hear the fire engines pulling up outside the building. We take that as a sign to hurry up. We’re still smelling smoke when there is a knock on our door. We’re asked by a fireman if there’s a fire in our room, we say no but we can smell it and he moves on. We get ourselves together and leave our hotel room only to find out the fire was in the room next to us. Apparently they found it in time as it never moved to our room, the smoke just smelled bad.
We check in with Contiki, our tour group, and find out we’re taking a 7ish hour drive to our destination at a surf camp. Yay, we just didn’t spend enough time on a plane, now we’re taking a minimum 7 hour bus ride. We get on the bus though and can’t believe how flash it is. Turns out it’s brand new and we’re the first tour to ever ride on it. Which means our bus driver is going to be a crazy person hounding us to keep it clean, it is his home after all. Really, turns out it actually is his home, he doesn’t have a permanent address. We get some pictures in Sydney to prove we were there and head out for our open road ride. Open road turns out to be traffic jam as there is an accident on the highway. It wasn’t so bad, we all got to know each other hanging out on the side of the road. Once we start going again we hit torrential rain. Holly and I are beginning to think we take the rain with us where ever we go. We get to the surf camp super late, in the dark and in the rain. We had an idea of the accommodation we were getting ourselves into but nothing prepared us for the cargo bins we were sleeping in or the puddles we had to carry our suitcases through. We hung out for a bit getting to know each other a little more but Holly, our roommate and I decided to get to bed earlyish in order to be prepared for our surfing lesson at 7am. That and we couldn’t wait to wake up and leave the cargo bins.
We’re all settled in and completely freaked out when Holly finds a remote for an air conditioner and asks if the air conditioner really exists. I’m on the top of our bunk beds and point it out to her only to nearly fall out of the bed in fright. Hello giant gross disgusting possibly deadly red spider. Guess who’s not sleeping tonight? All of us stand on the opposite side of the cargo bin and wonder what to do. We can’t kill it. We don’t know how quick this thing is and what if it jumps? What if it bites? Oh geez. Holly goes to get Sam, one of the workers at the camp in hopes that he can help us. It takes him a bit but he eventually catches the lightening speed spider and throws him outside. Apparently it’s not dangerous but we still have our doubts. We think he might have just been telling us that to make us feel better. It didn’t work, the only consolation was that it wasn’t a white bum... It’s going to be a long night.
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