At the end of my initial “rent” period and with Kerry no longer in the same room, I decided to swap into a cheaper dorm. I am now in The Aquarium which overlooks the pool, saving $4 a night. As a result, I don’t have a fridge in the room and the lavatory/shower is a 2 minute walk downstairs. Small price to pay, to be honest as I’ve realised how much I’ve spent this month and it’s a scarily huge dent in my finances. I just wish I could work over here to recoup some of it but I have committed the cardinal sin of being over 30 which means I can’t without applying for citizenship. What a pain.

Plans for the next day or so are to buy some more beans and bread and drink a lot less when I’m out! I need to keep an eye on the purse strings. I think I’ll go to the Reef Teach class tonight or tomorrow. It’s only $13 including snacks and is highly recommended by every single person I’ve asked about it. It’s essentially a 2-hour multimedia presentation on the life found along the reef. What’s safe to touch, what the risks are, how to see as much as possible and not harm anything and so on. A small price to pay for a more enjoyable dive at the weekend.

Annie and Travis also left this morning, Brisbane-bound to meet Annie’s brother. Annie flies home on Thursday and Travis on Friday – again, safe journeys to the two of you and stay in touch!

Now just to sit and wait around for Thorsten and Julia to come back from their trip to see if they want to get on a boat at the weekend for some fun dives!