Bowen (14-15 December 2018

From the 14th to the 15th of December, we were in Bowen. When we arrived around 9:30 am, we leisurely made our way towards the Airbnb accommodation. We had to walk for about an hour, but we were able to use this time for sightseeing. Near the end of our walk, someone approached us and offered to give us a ride in their car. We gratefully accepted and were driven to our accommodation. At our accommodation, we rested, washed our laundry, and planned our day. We were alone at the accommodation as the owners were still at work. In the afternoon, we took a walk to a lookout. We noticed that the past few days and the tiredness were starting to take a toll on us. Nevertheless, we bravely completed the walk to the lookout and enjoyed a view of the coast of Bowen. The return journey, however, was tiring. But every journey eventually comes to an end. When we returned to the accommodation, we were still alone, which we found very strange. It had already become dark, and when we looked out the window, we could see that the neighborhood had lovingly decorated their houses with Christmas decorations. It was amazing how many string lights can adorn a house. The neighbors' garage was decorated with an LED show featuring reindeer, a Merry Christmas sign, and many stars. Everything was blinking and shining. During the afternoon walk, I had already noticed that the Christmas decorations here mainly work with small solar panels, really practical. I also noticed on the road signs that there seems to be an annual 'Woolworths Christmas Award' (Woolworths is the supermarket here). The road signs indicate where your house is located and in which year you won.
After dinner, we went straight to bed and rested. Still, no one came. However, Ben had messaged the owners and they were away for the weekend, but someone would still come. Someone did come, but we missed them because we had fallen asleep. In the morning, there was still no one in sight. However, we had to get up early because the Greyhound bus would be taking us to Airlie Beach from the city center of Bowen at 9:30 am. So we got up, got dressed, packed our things again, had breakfast, and unfortunately set off in the rain towards the station. Just as we were leaving, someone approached us again and offered us a ride. We gladly accepted in the rain and arrived at the station very early. There, we passed the time by reading, and soon the bus arrived. On the bus ride to Airlie Beach, we passed by one of Bowen's attractions. A large mango sculpture called the 'big mango'.