Checker Tag

Today was a bridge day ... The only goal was to bridge the distance between Townsville and Arlie Beach, about 280 kilometers. After the exhausting day yesterday, I was quite glad today to be able to just sit in the car. On this route, it is only recommended to visit a few beaches. But to be honest, I didn't think it was worth it. But still, here's a picture under the heading: 'Just another beach ...'

I actually turned around just to take a photo of it. On TV, there are always little videos warning against driving under the influence of alcohol. So I found a drive-in lane for drivers through a liquor store almost funny ...

And I had to turn around once more to take another photo ... So in Queensland, there are not only big rubber boots, but also big mangoes ... Unfortunately, there is no exciting story to tell about this giant mango. There is only a sign saying that the mango was introduced from India around 1880, but there are three different stories about who cultivated the mango in Australia and who finally bred the well-known 'Kensington Pride' variety. I'm afraid we'll never know ...

I reached the destination for the day, Arlie Beach, in the early afternoon. I only chose this place as an overnight stay because Arlie Beach is 'the gateway' to the Whitsunday Islands and my two-day sailing trip there.

Therefore, my first task after checking in at the hotel was to check in at the office of the tour operator for the sailing boat tour.

Maybe I'm already too old for this world, but the following scene took place during check-in: The office of the tour operator looked like a regular travel agency. The store was completely empty, there was an employee behind the counter. I approached her and said that I would like to check in for the tour tomorrow. She looked at me, pointed to a tablet that was standing in the corner, and said that I should check in 'online' there ... I went to the corner and entered all the required information into the tablet. At the end, the tablet thanked me for checking in and asked me to go to the counter. I went to the counter, told the employee that I had finished checking in, she looked in her computer and confirmed that I had checked in. We were both very happy about it ... Then she told me that I would receive the boarding pass and a map of the location where I should be tomorrow morning and at what time. But then something analog happened after all, she gave me a bag and said that I could only take as much as fits in this bag. I should actually say little bag, because not much fits in it. But for two days and one night, you don't need that much either ...

After the exciting check-in, I took a quick look at Arlie Beach. Noticeably, many young people were already walking through the city somewhat drunk in the afternoon. This is probably because the place is a destination for many backpackers. Although the name of the place suggests it, Arlie Beach does not have a nice beach. Therefore, like Cairns, a bathing landscape, also called 'lagoon', has been built close to the water. Otherwise, the whole bay is full of sailboats, as Arlie Beach is truly the starting point for activities around the Whitsunday Islands.

I'm looking forward to my first sailing trip ever and will probably not be online again for two days, but hopefully I can report many wonderful experiences then.