Rainbow Beach

Alright so we figured that since we have changed locations that it might be time that we updated our blog. We are now officially in Rainbow Beach. The town is great and it is the closest that we have felt to being back home since we've been here. It is a small community where everyone knows everyone and the internet at the local library is free. We settled in here on Friday night with the intention of staying a few nights. The hostel is relatively clean and if you get up at ridiculously early hours like myself you get free PANCAKES which are surprisingly a luxury at this point. On Saturday one of our new friends Niki from England convinced us to go on a Camel walk on the beach with her. I will admit that my opinion of the creatures has changed a bit since the zoo experience. In the event that I didn't post that experience the camel at the zoo was giving me shifty eyes and foaming from the mouth... not exactly the kind of animal that you want to take home with you... but the camel ride itself was amazing we got to ride on Aulley (the biggest camel weighing in at 980kg - we assumed that we were given the strongest camel because I was riding it with Amanda - don't tell her but I've got her on a strict no carb diet... lol) After the camel nearly through me off the front we were off at a blistering pace. We have a bunch of pictures and it is definitely something you can't do everyday (which has been our motto thus far). The following day (Sunday) we went sea kayaking which is essentially kayaking out into the middle of the ocean and checking out the marine life... we saw a school of fish and just as the group had lost hope of seeing other life the dolphins appeared and gave us a bit of a show. We paddled back in record time (not that anyone else knew that we were racing them - it's a great workout Justing -- at least that's what I kept trying to convince myself of). For the rest of the day we just chilled out and read... that's right we have both picked up reading since being thrown into this unfortunate isolation. Having already finished a book each we are both engrossed in a second one. It's quite amazing the things you can find to entertain yourself when not surrounded by computers/tvs/cellphones and the lot. Today for those of you who have forgotten (*hint hint) is my birthday (in Australia time so you still have time to send wishes if you are in Canada -- j/j) so I got to choose the activity so we went over to Tin Can Bay and fed the Dolphins (so cool). Which means trying to top this birthday next year might be a bit difficult. A family of three dolphins turn up every morning to be fed... it all started many years ago when the community nursed an injured dolphin back to health and ever since then it's descendants have been turning up for fish. We got to feed two of the three (Patch the mom (who nibbled my hand when she took the fish) and Harmony (the baby), we didn't get to feed the male (Mystique)) which was so amazing to be up close and personal with wild dolphins. I think that is all for now as we are off to continue celebrate today. Hope to get in touch with some of you very soon as we have made some potential plans to stay around Rainbow beach for a while. We talked to the owner of the sea kayaking company and it appears that he hires backpackers to do a few hours of labour at his farm in exchange for accommodations. So we will be living virtually free for the next two weeks, after we return from our 3day/2night safari to Fraser Island (the largest sand island in the world). Until next time, Ryan and Amanda.