7/27
CAPE TRIB – CAIRNS – MISSION BEACH
The same musician-driver comes to take us back. This time, the minibus is full. He invites me to sit in front next to him.
Shitty time as yesterday.
We arrive in Cairns and go to the bus terminal to book seats and tickets for Mission Beach. we do not stop here any longer. Due to the high possibility of bad weather, we decide it’s better to see the reef more southwards, like the Whitsundays or Bundaberg.
I book at random the Backpackers Lodge in Mission Beach. We leave at 18.00 from Cairns and arrive at destination at 20.00, a driver out of his mind comes to pick us up. The hostel has been awarded as the most disgusting of the whole holiday. The kitchen is unwatchable, bad smell in public areas, the fabrics of the chairs are dirty and full of holes, our room, the size of a phone booth, has carpet that smells like mold and our Pocahontas sheets are all torn. The bathrooms are the best part, and they are not much better. I have to say it twice to the receptionist that we need blankets and towels (available in the double rooms).
Given the conditions of the structure, we decide not to cook, and head to a restaurant. The problem is that Mission Beach is not a real town, but rather a series of four small urban areas scattered on a 14 km beach. We are in Wongaling, a bit set back from the waterfront, on a unlit road, where I see only two restaurants, one Italian and another already closed (it is 21.00) We have no choice. It is empty and the owner is not Italian. Discouraged, I ask for a bruschetta, wondering what kind of stuff will arrive. Surprise, the bruschetta is made according to Italian tradition, the tomato is fresh and the bread is crispy. Good !!