After getting checked in yesterday, we moved to a slip very close to all the amenities. The showers are HOT and powerful. The best yet on the trip. Lunch was free as the marina does a BBQ every Friday. It was pretty basic, but we got to know some of the other yachties. Gerard did laundry and Susan napped. We had dinner here at the marina’s restaurant which was nice. My dinner was interrupted when a flying cricket hit me in the face and then landed in my food. They’re very beefy crickets and looked a bit like a gecko to me. The waitress scooped him up and took him back outside. After dinner I did a load of laundry and went to bed. It was great to sleep in a motionless boat. Susan and Gerard experienced “sea legs”, but I’ve been very lucky on this trip to have very little or none.

We took the shuttle bus into Bundaberg today and immediately took a taxi back out to the car rental place. The bus from the marina only runs a couple of times a day and only one way. Then you have to take a city bus back, which runs hardly ever. It’ll be good to have a car. Although it’s been an adventure for me driving on the left. I’ve only gone the wrong way once. The round-a-bouts are the worst. That’s where I got confused and turned down the wrong side of the street. A street with a median. Oops. Luckily, there was parking in the median and I pulled in and through to the correct side. The rental car has a big sign on both front doors advertising the rental agency, so everyone knows to look out.

Bundy is very cute. Like elsewhere, it closes down pretty early. Most of the shops were only open until noon today. We saw some signs for places open 7 days a week, but most close Saturday at noon until Monday. We had meat pies for brunch, walked the town We also purchased some essentials at the grocery: diet Coke, beer, potato chips and crumpets. Bananas are horribly expensive. The hurricane they had this year wiped out the crop. The local strawberries are expensive too, but very tasty.

We hung everything up today to dry out. Susan did several loads of wash too. We looked like riff raff with all that stuff hanging from everywhere.

Tonight we’re very excited. We’re going to the movies to see Pirates of the Caribbean II. It was playing in Noumea too, but in French. For dinner we will try the Indian place in town.

I fly out on Monday from Hervey Bay (pronounced here Harvey) It’s an airport about and hour from here, but 1/3 the price to fly. Susan and Gerard have volunteered to take a road trip down there to drop me off. In Sydney I’m having dinner with Marci & Steve. They leave for Melbourne on Tuesday and they arrive here in Bundy on Friday.