Hello, hello, hellooooooo,
As I had written before I have spent 2 weeks at a workers hostel in Innisfail, a really quiet little Banana farming town on the east coast nr Cairns. Hostel was a bit grim but the atmosphere and the people was probably the best of any hostel I have visited.
Work was ok at first as I mainly drove the tractor, also did a bit of Banana picking (called humping), which I found quite difficult - Banana bunches are heavy, anything from 30kg - 85kg. The weight was not the main problem but the balance of carrying it on your shoulder. To pick a bunch of bananas it is quite unusual, the tree is cut 3 or 4 times about half way up using a machete (to allow to tree to bend), then you pull down on the stalk of the bananas to your shoulder then the the bunch is cut down using a machete about 30cm from your head!? You then have to stagger through cobwebs to the tractor. Anyway, did not like that too much so quit and worked on another farm stacking boxes of bananas on pallets, this was ok but a little repetitive.
Anyway, moved to mission beach for a few days and relaxed mainly round the pool. Across the pool was a log which somehow produced lots of entertainment with gladiators type battles. Now in a Beautiful place called Magnetic Island until Saturday. Caught up with Sarah and Kayla who I know from Sydney and Cairns which was nice. Managed to get a lift with them when they hired a car to a few places on the island, it was good fun but I don't think Jamie and I looked cool sitting in the back of the 'pink Barbie car' (they requested it apparently!?), saw lots of wildlife on the trip including Walkabies and Possoms, it was great got closer than I did in the Zoo.
On Saturday we leave for Airlee Beach and the Whitsunday Islands, can not wait! I have seen a picture of the Yacht I will be sailing on, looks amazing!
As usual the entry has been typed without checking, please feel free to laugh at my spelling a silly mistakes.
