Port Macquarie

Well, this will definitely be a birthday I will never forget.  I arrived into Port Macquarie around 12:45am this morning and then took off to find my hostel.  I wandered around and found it difficult to navigate my way around in the dark, especially with the lack of street signs and the fact that it began to rain.  The hostel ended up being located in an alley-like street with hardly any light.  I walked up and it seemed deserted.  I peered inside and no one was manning the reception desk nor were there people walking around inside.  Panic began to rise up inside and I began freaking out.

I called both of my parents and neither of them answered the phone, but luckily I didn't end up alone; I was able to disturb Alex's slumber.  It was nice to have someone on the other end of the line as I made my way back through the dark to the bus depot.  That was my destination because I really didn't know what else to do.  Once I got there, we went through my options; first we tried to re-book my bus ticket to Coffs Harbour, but unfortunately that didn't work.  Eventually he gave me the numbers to their call center as well as to the Port Macquarie police station.  The bus station booking center was closed and the police were not helpful at all.  The guy on the other end of the line just told me there wasn't much I could do except wait it out at the station.  Again deflated I tried calling mom and dad and luckily my dad answered this time.  He told me to find any hotel that would take me and then call a cab to take me there.  The Mid-Pacific Motel came through with a room, though I had to pay $100 for it.  By the time I got there, checked in, showered and got into bed it was 3:00am.  Luckily check-out wasn't until 11:00am so I was able to get about seven hours of sleep.

I woke up at 10:15am to a string of birthday messages, which was awesome.  I took the time to call the hostel where I was supposed to stay to request a refund.  They were apprehensive at first and were trying to pin the blame on me, but then they gave in.  I joke that I want them to compensate me for the mental trauma I suffered, but there is some truth behind that.  Afterwards I checked out of the room and called mom as I walked through town.  The weather wasn't great which was another damper but being that it's winter it was bound to happen.

I went back to the bus depot because I wanted to leave my luggage somewhere but the locker hire machine was broken so I was forced to keep my bags with me.  I snapped some photos at the historical cemetary before heading back into town.  I went to a bakehouse for lunch and just took my time eating there, killing time before my bus was supposed to leave.  Luckily it was confirmed that someone was going to meet me at the bus station upon arrival so I wouldn't have to wander on my own.  Time ended up going by quickly because I got on the phone with my classmates, which was really great.

The bus ride went smoothly until we were pulled over because a power line had fallen and no large vehicles were being let through.  We had to wait on the side of the road for about 30 minutes while they attempted to fix things.  Once back on our way we were fine and made up most of the time, only arriving 10 minutes late.  I was driven to the hostel and had dinner there.  There is a restaurant on the premises and it was actually really good, though I didn't get a birthday dessert like I had hoped, but the beauty of having two birthdays (an Australian and an American one) is that I can try again tomorrow.