Hamilton Island

February 28
Hamilton Island

Today was a gorgeous day at a tropical island, exactly the kind of day you go on a cruise for. I got off the ship with Terry and ended up running into a youth staff friend (Keely) and the three of us set out for the recommended activity, rent a golf cart and drive around the island. So for $60 Australian (about $40 US) we split the “buggy” as they called them, and set off for whatever we could find. And being the responsible driver that I am, I was the chosen chauffeur as I took my group in whatever direction caught my ever changing fancy. Let me mention these are usual carts with the usual driver’s seat on the left, yet the law dictated that we drove on the left side of the road…so that was all good fun for me (and totally disorientating).
So we drove up and down hills, anywhere the roads could take us on the island resort. And really, that’s all the island was, a large resort that also held private estates. And the lack of power and un responsive brakes aside, we had an nice time driving in the 95+ degree weather.
Me, driving as frivolously as possible, once decided to make a turn down a little used road that caught my eye, taking us to a dead end that seemed to have a trail down to the water. Following the resemblance of a path, I got down to the shore (comprised of a large, black rocky formation). It was gorgeous and inaccessible any other way, always the sign of a good find. So after proper appreciation of the site I turned to head back, where suddenly, a gigantic lizard crosses my path. Now I don’t mean one of those tree lizards you see in Florida, but I mean a 4-foot long Godzilla lizard like I’ve never seen in the wild before. He must have been sun bathing on the rocks and I spooked him enough to send him back to his den, which I followed him to. Anyways, point is that I saw Godzilla and it was really cool. My friends, afraid of making the climb down, missed the Lizard King, but fear not, I did take pictures.
The next highlight was just a stop at the beach. My group walked on the beach or a while, which was actually really nice because believe it or not, I don’t get that many chances to just go to a beach and relax, I’m usually exploring some sort of city. But it was great just being able to take my shoes off and walk in the perfect water. I eventually did dive in, not wearing a bathing suit and thus sacrificing my future comfort in wet cotton shorts, but it was totally worth it.
We eventually headed out, dropped off the “buggy” and headed back to the tender for our return to the ship. It was a great day though, for not only could I amuse myself in a golf cart, but I got to go swimming at a lovely island beach. As always, thanks for reading!!