Paradise Found

The last part of my Easter journey concluded on a sailing boat, Habibi. It's more of a backpacker's/budget boat so it was the cheapest option out there. Despite the fact there were no showers on board and the beds gave me literally 9 inches of breathing room, it was the best 3 days of my life.

The days' events are starting to blur already but for the first time in my life (for a long time anyways) I had absolutely nothing on my mind but..well, nothing. Any stress or troubles I had going on in my life were literally left on land as I took myself out of my always-high stress world and started to truly enjoy Australia for what it has to offer. Our first day consisted of the typical mingling and getting to know you small talk with everyone on board. There was about...25? or so of us. Sandy and I lugged some choice bevvies on board and realized it would be a fun couple of days by the amount others also brought. There were plenty of English folk, an Australian (dating a Canadian), Canadian sisters/cousins, a pair of American doctors, a Spanish/Italian couple who communicate in English..sorta cool actually, and a German.

The Whitsundays are basically a collection of islands off the coast from Airlie Beach and our sailboat went around/past many of these. I forgot to mention the heat was stifling. It was easily in the high 20s-low 30s with incredible humidity. Not showering + lathering on sunscreen was a..grimy experience to say the least. I think it took me a good 15 minutes to actually get the gunk off of me when I finally took a shower.

Anyways, we sailed, we talked, we ate, and of course, we drank. Conversations flowed, drinking games ensued and problems forgotten. For some odd reason, I had a relatively early night as I passed out in my bed before midnight (I think).. but we had the option of sleeping out on deck underneath the stars. The morning was definitely rough as we were awoken by the crack of dawn each day for breakfast. However, there was plenty of dead time to just sit back and sleep. We visited the famous Whitehaven Beach.. Even though there was a lot of debris left behind by the cyclone, it was easy to see why it's ranked as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. The sand was remarkably white and the waters crystal clear. By 7am, we were out on the beach exploring and doing typical group photos (pyramid, the steps, making sand genitalia).
Other random memories I suppose from the trip included 3 snorkelling sessions out on the reef again. Since it didn't rain here like it did in Cairns, the sand wasn't as swirled up so everything was bluer and clearer. The fish fauna was definitely different here as there were even these monstrous fish that would let us touch it. I forgot what kind they were called..The last day we had one more snorkelling session and then headed back to Airlie. The after party was great fun even though some had to leave early due to other travel plans, but it was still a night of great memories, many of which I've forgotten or will not divulge publically.

Annnd that was that. Easter. I wish I could take myself back there where I just sat there in complete awe and relaxation.. because life right now is anything but that.
----
The goodbyes have begun and quite frankly, I'm not ready.