chunder down under

One of the things that I like about Cairns is that, especially after living in London and Sydney, it is such a small place with an almost village-like atmosphere at times. For example, while walking to the bus the other day I cut through the main shopping mall and in the space of about 15 minutes met 5 different people I knew well enough to stop and talk to. You can almost guarantee that if you go out in the evening you are going to run into people you know.
It has its advantages. For example, it can mean that you can have a cheap night out. Earlier on in the week I had an evening off with nothing planned (a very unusual event at the moment). I started off the evening with a couple of friends at Gilligans (only $7 for a jug of beer) where we were allowed to sit by the pool (closed to everyone else) while waitresses and bartenders would wander over and sit down for a chat. Plus when we left we were given free shots (jager and sambuca, disgusting but - hey! - free) and cans of smirnoff black, which for those who don't know is about the strongest pre-mixed drink you can buy in Australia. It tastes like shit though. From there we went to Sporties, Cairns main club, where because we knew the girl on the door we could bypass the queue, ignore the entrance plus get tokens for 5 free drinks. After that, however, the night took a downward turn and finished up in Club International, a dodgy strip club.
When I first moved to the big city, in my case London, I really enjoyed the anonymity of it all. You could pretty much do what you liked and probably never see people again. Perhaps it is something to do with getting older, but now I find the familiarity of people and places I know more comforting. It can only be a matter of time before I join a golf club...