We went to the office where we had to check in for our boat. We weren't allowed to bring backpacks on board, so we had to purchase environmental cloth bags to put our stuff in. For $2.50, those things could pack a lot!!! hahaha!
We paid to leave our bags at the office until the trip was over. We didn't have to be at the dock until 1 p.m. so we decided to walk on the beach and swim in the lagoon. The Airlie Beach Lagoon is a man-made swimming pool right beside the ocean. It's so gorgeous, I could spend massive amounts of time there.
Around lunchtime, we walked along the strip to find somewhere to eat. I decided to eat at Fish Divine. A fish and chips place that had been raved about to me. Francis is a vegetarian and Kara doesn't like fish, so they went somewhere else. But, let me tell you, they missed out!!! The food was so good. I would recommend it to anyone.
After lunch, we walked along the boardwalk all the way to the dock. We saw a group of people waiting and decided to sit down and wait with them. Our boat's name was Habibi. Shortly after sitting down, a girl from Habibi (Mel) came and explained what we were in for the next 3 days. She had a huge bin where we would all put our drinks. We all chipped in to buy ice and we were told no one can bring bananas on board as that's a huge superstition among boat captains.
We then met Phil, who was the 1st mate or something. He also gave us the rundown. We were all pumped.
Before we got on the boat, they collected our shoes/sandals. We wouldn't be wearing them for the next few days as the boat has a grip surface. Weird, but whatever!!!
We got on the boat and met the captain, Rick. Then, in groups of 2 or more we were called down to be shown our rooms and the bathrooms. There were no showers. Ugh. Francis, Kara and I got our own room with 3 beds. Score! I couldn't believe this tiny boat could hold 30 people. It was really cool.
Once assigned our rooms, it was sort of do-you-own-thing. Everyone started talking/introducing themselves. There were 26 of us on the boat, and we were divided among 14 countries!!! Seriously!!! People from England, South Africa, Brasil, Germany, Sweden, Israel, Australia, Canada, Scotland, etc etc. It was so cool.
Francis and I decided to dive into the drinking games to get everybody together. We brought out our Tiki Cups from the night before and started the Goon. We played Kings with everyone until dinner was served. I met this girl named Pam who is from Sao Paulo, Brasil. We talked and laughed about Brasil. She made me miss it so much! Then for dinner we had an "Aussie BBQ" with sausages, salads, etc. So delish. We sailed up and around Whitsunday Islands and anchored right in front of Whitehaven Beach, where we would be going to the next morning. I can't tell you how gorgeous that night was. I have never seen so any stars in my life.
After dinner, some continued to drink and play games, but we girls went to bed shortly after because our wake up call was at 6:30 a.m. Good first night on Habibi!!! xo
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