I know we are in the Christmas\New Year Holiday period but I was watching Nightmare Before Christmas #traditions and it reminded me of this years Halloween.

The title might be a slight exaggeration, nothing terrifying or life threatening happened, it’s just my fragile sensibilities and sense of smell that were destroyed. 

The story starts off with a heated argument in a over heating car…but first! A little context.

The Irishman and I had just come back from a three week luxurious holiday in Bali. As far as I’m concerned we should have bloody stayed there! At first I was so pleased to see my little purple wagon in the airport carpark. It took me three hours to get sick of it. We flew back into Darwin & Darwin is hot! Damn hot!

The next morning we started the two day drive to Cairns to visit a friend. The only good thing about this drive was the Dinosaur Trail.

When we got to Sean’s friend Will’s house in Cairns… his place! Omgosh wow! Absolutely beautiful! I didnt want to leave but after a few nights out drinking, lounging in his pool when he was at work and getting addicted to Rick & Morty and Brooklyn 99… it was time to leave. 
Especially after we had the privledge of visiting Daintree National Park and Cape Tribulation.

Back to driving around, sat restless in the passenger seat, spending too much money on food and showering less than necessary.
We did have an interesting time travelling South, a snokelling trip on the reef, art in Townsville, koalas on Magnetic Island, reunions in Airlie Beach with a boat trip to the Whitsundays, a helicopter over the Great Barrier Reef, another reunion in Noosa, countless beach walks. We did so much I’ll have to write another post about it all! It was fantastic… and exhausting. Exhausting for us AND our wallets. 

The original plan was to bypass Brisbane and much of Gold Coast, as we had been before. I unfortunatley lost my bank card and needed to go to Coolangatta in the South of Gold Coast to get it. This is where the story turns sour.

We were on our way there and had been driving for over 3 hours, tired, hungry, sweaty and I lost it. I have no idea now what the arguement was about but it erupted into horrible words and things we both didn’t mean. It was one of those awful arguements where neither one of you is willing to back down or show weakness. So at the next service station I sat in the public toilets crying my eyes out. I know, cringe. Angry, upset and unable to call anyone in the UK due to the time difference, I posted an SOS on the Facebook Group Girls Love Travel (GLT).

The response I received was unbelievable! Girls from all over the world sent me supportive messages. A lot of their advice echoed what I was thinking myself. “We need to spend some time apart.” When you spend 24/7 with one person, living in a car, there is no mystery left in the relationship and you’re bound to get on eachothers nerves.
I got the nerve to get back in the car and I asked to be taken to Brisbane. It was getting late. We broke down on the way down, on the motorway too. Dangerous and noisy. FML.

I did not say a word but I knew I had had enough of traveling now. I was lucky enough that a lovely young lady offered to let me stay at hers for the night. After I got dropped off in Brisbane I waited and waited. I think it was about 20 minutes of searching in the dark but eventually I got picked up! Waiting for a mate in the dark at the train station with almost no battery. Pretty scary. We got pizza, tim tams and ice cream, and I laughed and cried with this  wonderful stranger and her room mate, who both had the patience and generousity of saints! Thanks Annie!

The next day I booked myself into a hostel. The Chill Hostel. Ugh. I was still a little delicate, upset and tired. The guy at the front desk was waaaaay too much for me. Loud and scatter brained. I asked for a female dorm. It was completely empty! Nobody shared my room. 

Billy no mates. But a guy (who I think worked at the hostel) did come into my room a few times and when he saw me just ran back out. Maybe he wanted to come in for a snooze. He freaked me out so I went out. When I got back the reception was shut. I spent the night in a creepy, empty, cold, very cold room with no blankets or sheets. Chill hostel = crazy guy, empty room, bloke kept trying to come in my room, no bed sheets, freezing cold. I didn’t sleep a wink. 

The next morning there was a woman/dragon behind the desk and she asked me for my sheets. I told her I didn’t get any and she tried to argue with me. I walked away. Not enough energy for that nonsense. I did a little more research this time and chose Bunk hostel in Fortitude Valley. Strangely enough when I told the lady behind the desk at Bunk my story about the other hostel she asked “Was this at Chill?”  …. “You can read minds?” She laughed and gave me a free early check in.

It was coming up to Halloween night fast and I had no plans, but thanks to GLT another friendly stranger planned to meet up with me. I was starting to feel bad about our argument though and starting to miss him. Arguing on the road is tough, especially so far from home. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers and Hailee!

The night before Halloween me and Hailee went to the club attached to my hostel as it was free entry and would be cheper than actual Halloween night. It was funny and I had a great time! That girls got some moves and she really makes me laugh! She’s up for anything! I unfortunately must have looked like easy prey. Towards the end of the night when Hailee left I got railroaded into a conversation on my way out. I managed to side step out of his sights and run as far away as I possibly could. I can be so naive and dumb. What a nightmare! Plus the price of alcohol is pretty frightening.

Again I asked for a female dorm and I got a four bed female room. These other three girls gave me stink eye as soon as I walked in! Their stuff was all over everything and it smelt like someone had been sick in every corner of the room! I tried to make conversation with a couple of them. The first one scoffed at me as if we were in a Hollywood teenage drama flick. The other girl had a complete break down when I asked her about plug sockets.  She explained where they were and how to use them! …Er… thanks? 

Apparently I made a hostel faux pás when I moved a few of their things off the floor so I wouldn’t tread on them. And my photo would be slightly better looking.

Anyway Halloween was spent hungover wondering around on my own, getting stalked down dark alley ways in the daytime to get a Halloween cupcake, then watching scary movies on my own in a room full of pyscho girls who looked like they wouldn’t care if they got away with my murder or not.
Did I call Sean back to pick me up the next day? Yes. Yes I did.

P.s if this wasn’t scary enough… check out the color of this cup of tea I paid $4.50 for.