There are certain things that happen when one gets out of their comfort bubble. I have discovered that I am rather easily annoyed by many human characteristics one is more likely to encounter when travelling, and even moreso when travelling on the cheap. Campgrounds and backpacker/shared accommodations leave one to being exposed to such elements as I have carefully designed my life around not to have to put up with these things. One night I payed an exhorbitant amount of money to tent camp on dirt in a nature reserve. It was far from the town of Byron Bay and no lights on the beach, and a clear night. Once the sun went down I walked to the beach to gaze at the upside-down universe. I wasn't there long enough for my eyes to even adjust when four children and two adults, all with flashlights more powerful than the high beam of a car, started scanning the beach, hitting my eyes every few seconds, only made more annoying with piercing screams and shouts of the younger units. They ran with these lights flashing every which way out to the sea and I was secretly hoping a rogue wave would take them out. Instead they picked up what I can only guess was crabs and started chasing each other with them in hand, poor critters, with their flashlight glaring in the other one, screaming at the tops of their lungs, now granted this is over 200 yards away and I could hear them like they were right behind me. It seemed like an eternity before they headed back to the campground, never once turning off the beams and looking at the stars. I could only think, embiciles leading oblivions, these are the people who will one day own sea-doos.

After a few mintues of peaceful stargazing I went back to the tent and tried to sleep but the lady next to me got a phone call on her cell. 20 minutes later she hung up but then someone put on some am-radio sounding music. I screamed as loud as I could TURN YOUR MUSIC OFF PLEASE! Crikey sakes, what does someone have to do to get a little sleep? At a place with shared accommodations the window to the bedroom went right out to where this danish couple smoked and talked and drank about 24/7, and then watched tv loudly when they didn't.

So what does it take to get away from these annoyances? I'm at a luxury four star resort paying heaps of money from now til the end of my trip (moving to another one after a tour of Faser Island) and all I can hear at night is the low din of the airconditioning and the ceiling fan. There are no character building elements here. I have my own kitchen and even a jaccuzi-bath tub, across the street from the sand (not much surf thought), walking to all the stores and such. But for my own sanity and the escape of second hand smoke, late night noise and other irritations, I'm finding the money well spent.

I also watched the movie version of Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy. Complete rubbish. WEll it was okay til they changed the ending completely. Ghastly.