Our bus got us into Surfer's around 11am (factoring in the time change), and we caught a courtesy shuttle to our hostel which was located 4km outside the city center. Upon arrival, the manager tells us he can't find our reservation, which we definitely made online. He was a bit scatter-brained, and after some rummaging, manages to find it. Unfortunately, the original room we had booked was full, and the only place he can put us is, "the swamp" - the staff quarters which is 14 beds, all bunks. We walk into this room and it's a disaster. Porn on the walls, broken mirrors, bottles everywhere, half-drunken staff stumbling about and a guy telling me to not sleep on the bed I've been given because of what the previous person "did" in it. Lovely. Andrea, Derek and I exchange looks and pack our daybags to leave.....then, a miracle happens. One of the staff members comes in, and asks the manager why we are here. She says she booked people to sleep in here for the next couple nights, so upon deliberation, the three of us are moved to our OWN, personal, 3 bed room upstairs. Goodbye swamp, hello luxury! Well, almost. Our room's roof was moldy, and the fan didn't work, so we had to sleep with the windows open which meant multiple bug bites due to a lack of screens. At least we were out of the hell hole though, so I wasn't complaining.
For the afternoon, we put on the bikinis and headed down to the beach to catch some rays of sun, before walking through downtown, doing some shopping and then heading back to the hostel to make our own pasta dinner in the hostel kitchen. Like Byron, this first night was a quiet one, we ended up playing a couple rounds of cards in our room before heading to bed early. The sun sure does wipe you out!
The next morning was probably one of the most fun mornings I've had thus far. We booked a surf lesson with Get Wet Surfers and they came to pick us up at 10am. For 2 hours, we were taught how to surf the waves and by my second run, I was standing up on the board and surfing into shore. It was an absolute blast - especially the instructor, who took a liking to my red hair and nicknamed me both ranga and red. Each run I would do, he'd say something along the lines of, "quicker next time, eh ranga?" or "come on red, catch this one!" He was great and he also captured some intense surf photos of the three of us which I've included. I should also mention that these waves we were riding were HUGE - about 5 feet high! They weren't the real big one way out in the ocean, but much more massive than you would expect beginners to tackle!! When the family comes out to visit me in July, you can bet that I will be taking them to Surfer's and making them all take surf lessons with the Get Wet company!!
After surf lessons, we basically went back to the hostel, got some lunch and then headed back to the beach to soak up some more rays. You may all be wondering at this point how my skin is doing? Well, I had to pirchase some more sunscreen since I ran out, but no further burns to report! In fact, I actually am getting a slightly darker shade of albino, if that's even possible!
The evening brought a dinner out at the Hard Rock Cafe, since we couldn't get into a pub as Andrea left her ID back home. After wandering the "night markets" for a bit, we were adventurous (stupid??) and decided to walk the 5km back to the hostel instead of catching a taxi. It was a much longer walk than expected, so the bed at the other end looked pretty decent upon arrival! We finished the night by watching Dodgeball, then packed our bags for the trip home to Brisbane the following morning!!!
All in all, it was a fantastic 10 day trip with my cousins. Not only did I get to see some great parts of the country, but I was also able to spend some quality time with quality company. Sure, we each had our "moments," but in the end I wouldn't have changed any part of the trip!
Up next - some cool Brisbane activities that Andrea, Derek and I did as well as an update on the beginning of orientation week at the uni!
Much love,
xoxo Danielle
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