Day 174 - Noosa

So, all-round-nice-guy Roger (from Brisbane) said we could totally hang out with him mum if we wanted when we got to Noosa, so we booked a ticket there after Fraser Island and he arranged for her to meet us at the bus station.

So, this is a little weird right. She's his mum, so she's probably kinda old. And we've never met her. Its a little weird. BUT, its free rent for a night. So as we get off the bus, I spot her hanging around and before we know it we're all hugging, telling her what a dude her son is, thanking her for meeting us, and suddenly we're in her car getting a guided tour of Noosa.

Shes wicked. Young, lively, smiley. Shes great. The tour takes us past the beach, which looks great, past the national park (where koalas apparently hang out although we didn't see any), past a swanky golf club where we hop out for a glass of water in the swanky bar, and then finally past the multi-millionaire mansions that line Noosa's canals.



You see, this place has cash. loads of it. Its like Sandbanks near Bournemouth - massive mansions, nice beaches, sun always shines, that kinda stuff. And the town centre has all the boutiques and posh restaurants that backpackers fear the most. But its got an accessible feel to it too - I don't feel too scrubby to walk the streets, so it must be pretty accepting.

So anyway, Mrs Bishop drops us back at her posh pad overlooking the city, feeds us up with some vietnamese spring rolls (anyone who knows me knows that this would be a challenge for me. But, I ate the lot, especially since she commented 'we don't ask if you like something, you just eat it here') and sam and i don our swimmers and head the 5 minute walk down to the beach, where we swim in the shark-safe sea and tan under a burning hot sun.



And after a dip in the pool back at Mrs. Bishop's house, sam and I settle down for a quiet evening in to try and catch up on some sleep, while the Bishop is out running around town with the local running club. In the morning, we're whisked back into town, via the national park for a brisk walk with the Bish, to be dropped at the bus station. To both our surprise, she bursts into a teary goodbye, hugs me, hugs sam, and is walking away drying her eyes. I'm making old ladies cry within 24 hours of meeting them - now that's a gift.



Mrs Bishop - you're an angel. expect a postcard soon, and if you wanna come partying with us in sydney, i'll give you our address when we have one.