Trip up North

So the dive trip was awesome! For a first time diving it is going to be hard to beat. I have talked to some divers back home and they are very jealous of me. There was so much that I have seen and don't know what a "crappy" dive site is. Lucky me. :)
So the rest of the dive trip was a great time. We got back on Tuesday afternoon and settled up at the dive shop on our bills. I bought a t-shirt that looks pretty cool. Maybe I can take a picture with it. I went back and checked into the hostel again. This time I was just ready for sleep. However, I didn't get any. I went back out because the group was planning on meeting at a restaurant and hang out, exchange info, and have some booze. Pretty much everyone showed up except for the dive instructors. Weak. Dave (dive master) and Max (chef) showed but that was it. So the rest of us hit up the bars.
The night was full of drinking, dancing, and having a great time. I don't know where the hours went but the next thing I know I was walking back to the hostel and it was late. I was politely asked to wake up at 10:30 AM by the hostel manager because checkout was at 10:00. Oops.
So I packed my things up and headed to Avis. Ol' trusty Avis. They had some decent cars so I snagged a Ford Falcon XR6. The key is to book a cheap car that they don't have and then get a free upgrade. It worked for me!!
I headed north and it was a bit difficult to drive.
#1) I had a bit of a fuzzy head
#2) Everything about the trip was completely backwards. I was driving on the wrong side of the car, the blinkers were on the right-hand side, the shifter was on the left, everybody drove on the wrong side of the roads, and I was driving North and the weather was getting warmer. It is like a crazy bizarro world!
Lucky for me I had a Pepsi and I caught on quick with the car. I stopped at about 5 beaches throughout the day. It was amazing! Most of them I was the only person there. The views were amazing and such a beautiful day!
I made my way up to Port Douglas. This city is a pretty cool city. It seems to me that it is where the rich vacationers go. I stayed in a hostel. It was the nicest hostel I have ever stayed in. I had my own room and everything was very nice. I think it has only been open for 2 or 3 years. Very pleased for 30 Australian!
After a good night's sleep I hopped back in the car and drove through the rainforest up to Cape Tribulation. I stopped at a river area in the rainforest and took a swim. The water was pretty cold! It was good fun though. Who would've thought, rainforests in Australia?!? Not I.
After stopping and relaxing at a few beaches and stopping for ice cream I made my way back to Cairns for a final night. I decided to book the Holiday Inn because I had a free night to use. Those things come in handy. It was a nice change from a small bed on a boat and hostel beds. I even got upgraded on my free room because of my rewards status with them. I feel special.
On Friday I headed to the airport and back to Sydney. It was pretty uneventful and I had no flight troubles. What a great week!!!