Southern planning

So no, Star Trek didn't open in Iqaluit today. Instead, we have 17 Again, A Haunting in Connecticut, I Love You, Man and Knowing. Ah well. And yes, Jen, I know I shouldn't complain because at least we have a movie theatre. And most of the time I would agree. Except it's summer movie season and I want some summer movies, damn it.

With my luck Star Trek will open here just after we go to Australia.

Speaking of which, today was spent at home sick as the head cold just decided to kick the holy hell out of me. I didn't get much sleep again last night and woke up just feeling miserable. So home it was. After much drugs (all legal, I assure you), I slowly started putting together some more pieces for Australia. I've got a quote for the rail pass we're going to use, which actually came in much cheaper than I expected (God bless finally going to a country where we have a favourable exchange rate). Plus we've figured out how long we're going to stay in Cairns (we arrive late on the 16th and leave early on the 22nd) and where we're going to stay (the Holiday Inn, which is a touch bland, but it's affordable). We're just trying to figure out how long we're going to stay in the Whitsundays (I'm leaning towards six days, the other option is three, which just doesn't seem long enough) and whether Fraser Island is a place we want to go. On the pro side it sounds really cool, what with all the beaches. However, as a con, it's not recommended you go in the ocean because of the number of sharks and sea snakes around. And putting Cathy on miles and miles of pristine and lovely beaches and telling her she can't go in the ocean is pretty cruel.

We'd originally thought of doing this as a pretty laid back, unplanned trip. But that's not really an option. This isn't Europe, where if you miss a train, another one comes along in a few hours. There are five trains that run per week from Cairns to Brisbane. And some of them dump you off in the middle of the night. For example, one of the trains would bring us to the stop for Fraser Island at 5:20 am. Not something I'd like to experience if I can help it at all.

But it's been fascinating doing the research, and people have been good enough to send me interesting links. My friend Sara pointed out the Frugal Traveler blog and TripIt, which I've started using.

Oh, and this is sure to get a few people to roll their eyes....did you know Australia has a curling association? And hey, it's winter when we'll be visiting. I've already contacted the association's president to see if I can pick up a game anywhere when I'm there. Mock all you want, but come on, wouldn't it be cool to get a t-shirt or something?

A little more than two months away. Not that we're counting the days or anything...

Last Five
1. A comet appears - The Shins
2. The rhythm of the heat (live) - Peter Gabriel*
3. Shiftless when idle - The Replacements
4. Buletproof - Rilo Kiley
5. Withered heart - Mark Bragg