Beware: Wild Animals May Attempt to Enter Your Tent.

For the second leg of Tom's Aussie travel, we hopped on a Greyhound bus from Noosa to Rainbow Beach. We checked into our 8-person hostel room, which is not really blog news, except for the fact that Tom (known to friends as "First Class Walshy") considers "roughing it" to be when the hotel room doesn't have a kettle. I had to take a pic of him in the dorm room (as well as eating off a tarp, see below), or I don't think anyone in England would believe it!! Little did he know that the dorm room would be luxury compared to what lay ahead... we met the other 9 people in our group, and prepared for a self drive, 3 day adventure on the world's largest sand island: Fraser Island. Our group consisted of 3 hilarious Nordic guys (Sweden/Norway), 2 exceptionally useless girls (1 Spanish, one Dutch) that apparently thought the rest of the group was hired to cook and clean for them, 1 American girl who was eerily similar to Pheebs (more on that later), 1 Irish guy, and a Canadian couple who met on a Christian dating website (MUCH more on that later). After our group meeting and briefing (aka "here is your team, don't walk alone or you'll be eaten by a Dingo.") Tom and I went to the Carlo Sandblow with some beers to check out the amazing sand dune and the even more spectacular sunset. Then it was off to bed and up early to get the 4WD packed and on the road.

Background on Fraser Island: You basically drive a 4WD on the sand all around the island, while trying to see everything and setting up camp before the tides come in and you are stranded. Wild dingos are everywhere on the island and look like really cute dogs. (Tom found one wandering around at Indian Head). Also, the day before we went to the island, a group of backpackers got in a really bad accident in one 4WD due to driving too fast and possibly booze. The island is known for beautiful scenery in the day, and lots of backpacker drinking and partying at night.

We had a great time on the island over the 3 days. Here are the highlights/mishaps/Irish Encounters:

1) After we packed the truck, we realized the starter was shoddy and had to push the truck out of the hostel, off the ferry, etc! Not a great start!

2) Tom was somehow designated the driver for the vast majority of the trip. I was, obviously, designated the guidebook of the group. On my guidance, we were one of the only groups to see every major landmark on the island. I even made everyone stop to wander up Eli Creek, a beautiful fresh water walk that was really really fun! (See our Irish friend posing in the creek!)

3) Tom's driving was excellent. So good, in fact, that we each had to pay $25 upon return for a broken suspension! hehe.

4) Tom's driving was excellent. The female half of the Canadian couple was insane and did NOT agree. She was convinced we were going to crash and die like the car from the day before. Her antics included multiple panic attacks, demands to get out and walk, tears almost the entire drive, and a power-walk runaway into dingo territory while crying that could put Olympic sprinters to shame. We should have told her to get out after the first 5 minutes. Instead we just tried to ignore her!

5) Me: "Hey American Pheebs look alike, dinner is almost ready and we need to wash some dishes. Can you please grab a few?" American Pheebs (the Asian girl in the car photo who wore perfect makeup EVERY day of the trip!): Looks at me, pulls a super-bitch face, says nothing, and walks away. Later in the night: "Oh Kim! I didn't realize it was you because you were wearing a hat! I thought it was a random girl asking me to help her and I was like 'forget it, bitch'". HAHA! Too funny!

6) We saw beautiful Lake MacKenzie, Lake Wabby (where you can run down the dunes and jump in!), and the wreck of the Moheno. So cool!

7) On the second day, we realized that we had some car troubles (the aforementioned suspension issue!) and had to take the truck to the shadiest mechanic on the island... literally in the woods!

8) On the second night (we didn't make it to either of our scheduled campsites! yeah, improvising!) the Irish guy got trashed (again, shocking). Fast forward to 3am. Tom and I are sleeping in our tent and suddenly he falls RIGHT on top of it! He then gets up and wanders around mumbling "is this my tent? is this one my tent?". 30 mins of this has passed and I am still listening to him try to find the tent. Tom is fast asleep. I hear rustling, heavy breathing, and our tent fabric moving. Finally, I turn on the flashlight to see the Irish guy wedged in between the rain cover of our tent, staring at us through the mesh window!!!!!!! That face up close in the dark will haunt Tom and I for life! I finally give Irish Bobby a flashlight to find his tent, then he spent another 15 mins wandering around looking for it. When someone in a tent would say "This isn't your tent" he would respond by yelling "BLOW IT OUT YOUR ARSE!!!" haha. Needless to say, he was a little rough 2 hours later when we had to get up and on the road!

Good times!!!!!!!