I've been in Surfers Paradise for 5 days now and I can't believe I've been here that long. The time just seems to be flying by as I spend days lounging by the ocean and the pool. The past week has been a mixture of both relaxation and partying; a combination which is just fine by me. Surfers Paradise is a city erected from the beach as towering hotels and high priced condos cast shadows over the beach. The crowded beach offers nice sand, but despite the name, Surfers Paradise, you see hardly any surfing. The city, however, is being over run by indie fever. Roads are shut down in anticipation of the big race that will be whipping through the downtown core in just a few days time.
I am staying at Surf n' Sun Backpackers Hostel, which is actually run by backpackers. The owner comes along ever few days to make sure the place lay not in ashes, however the rest of the time it is run by my peers. Once again I find myself meeting more and more Canadians simply by raising a flag when I walk down to the pool. The flag being my Edmonton Oilers towel of course, instant conversation... The hostel is clean and relaxed, evenings entail either drinking by the pool or relaxing to watch movies on the big screen. It's an easygoing environment in a face paced city.
Waves crash along the beach in hypnotizing rhythm and I often find myself zoned out staring out into the ocean. The undertow is unbelievably strong creating a whisper that says "I want your arms pinned behind your head, to dominate you. Fore when I get my hands on you you will not be let go again." I almost found myself, a few seperate occasions, taking an unexpected and unplanned trip to New Zealand. Thank goodness I whip through the water with shark like precision.
Two nights ago I skipped an overpriced pubcrawl only to be taken in by the biweekly "Backpackers Night Out" Since I skipped the previous pubcrawl I decided it was a good idea to hit the town and get myself into some trouble. The pub crawl started with free punch at Surf n' Sun, the hostel I'm staying at. The punch wasn't so much punch as goon mixed with sprite and fruit juice, hardly appealing. This was followed by being hearded onto a bus and carted off to 5 different bars around Surfers Paradise. Unexpectedly, I found my partners in crime from Noosa, the 4 crazy Canadian girls and Sam my british room mate. The night was long and I found myself on the beach singing "Just Like Heaven" by the Cure at the top of my lungs. A lovely serenade for the people that live near the beach, I should have charged admission.
Today was another morning of hanging out on the beach and taking in the sights. I took a few quick pictures of my surroundings and stared out into the water as I always do. Today was different too as I saw dolphins just meters off the shore jumping into the air over and over putting on a free show for beachgoers.
It's once again time to move on, and tomorrow I'll be trucking down the road to Byron Bay. One stop closer to being back in Melbourne where the journey began. I see my list of stops shortening, as my flight home, for Christmas, approaches.
Love love...
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