I’m not sure if you know this, but Australia is hot. Like really hot. Like I’m pouring sweat by 10am.

In all fairness, Texas is quite similar in temperature and humidity. However, Texas is far more advanced in the air conditioning department. I don’t understand Australia’s hesitation to it. It’s like they enjoy having millions of ways to die – including heat exhaustion.

Because it’s the weekend, my hostel roommate and I wanted to check out Airlie Beach’s open air market. We wanted to beat the noon heat, so we thought 10am would be early enough.

Wrong. Oh so wrong.

Because Australia has a thin ozone covering, the sun zaps you. For someone who’s been beach hopping for months and has a solid tan, I put on sunscreen regularly here. And hats. And sarongs. All the coverings. Ain’t nobody got time for sunburns.

We walked down to the beach front where the market stalls were. To be honest, there weren’t that many stalls. And on top of that, backpackers are never in the market to buy things. We just can’t fit things into our backpacks! A lot of fun things to look at though.

After 30 minutes of sweating profusely and walking the entire market, we decided to head back to the hostel and escape the sun. And I kid you not, we spent the rest of the day hanging out on our dorm patio. We talked and read our books in the shade that got a slight breeze. Eventually we would wander to the kitchen to make lunch or dinner.

To be honest, I don’t hate it. I’ve been in so many cities where I feel guilty if I don’t get out and see a city. But in Airlie Beach, everything requires a tour. I can’t even swim at the beaches because of the jellyfish.

So I’ll just sit here and read my book. It’s a beautiful mental break.

Don’t worry, I booked a tour. So that’ll be something exciting in a few days.