On the Road Again

I’m beginning to feel better about returning to Australia. I know what reasons this change in mood stems from, a few simple pleasures I need in life to keep my spirits high: Surf, Science, and a hint of exploration. I feel deprived without these, and immediately start that downward spiral of self doubt and depression. It was easy to get away without these in Monterey, being surrounded by a supportive community of peers, friends, and family that kept me going. But when you’re travelling, it can be difficult to confide in a stranger. The tide as they say is beginning to turn now, bringing with it perfect waves. The icing on the cake, what would really make my trip here worthwhile, is finding a good woman (something I have been completely deprived of for some time now). Even though I’m only 24, I feel I should at least try and find someone to share my experiences with. I seem to have skipped out on that part of being young over the last couple of years, and I’m learning to loosen up once again and start talking to girls rather than running away in fear.

Girls or not, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast have been a great place to hang out and relax. My time in the Gold Coast (south of Brisbane) was brief but rich in classic drunken experiences. I flew into Brisbane after my last shift in Mackay at the coal terminal, and caught the train down to Coolangatta (known for being home to the famous Kirra Beach). I met up with Zeus, his buddy from back home who now lives in Sydney, and his current roommate from Canada. The waves at Kirra have historically been some of the best in the world, but reality was a different story for my visit. One of Australia’s biggest rain storms in over a decade struck the southern portion of the continent over the weekend of my visit, bringing strong winds and rain to the Gold Coast. This made the waves inconsistent and blown out, and there was no decent surf to be had within walking distance of our hostel.

So instead of surf, we drank (it’s what you’re expected to do when you’re in your 20’s right?). I was dragged into a club of all places (those of you who know me can imagine how I felt about this). It was a 10 dollar cover charge, which Kevin (an awkwardly tall hairy fellow) was verbally not happy aboot. I actually had to wear shoes…not what I was planning for my vacation on the beach. I was already 6 beers in when we walked through the bouncer and into the excessively loud music (for those of you who know me can imagine my status at that point). We immediately took a shot of what I believe was rum, and started scoping out the potential. Well…I was mostly just staring blankly into space rather than doing much scoping (the strobe lights were very distracting).

Eventually I just couldn’t take anymore of the sensory deprivation and wondered out of the happening club in the direction of the sea. I didn’t make it though, and woke up in a strange bush (not what you think) in a park to a phone call from Zeus (an hour after I started my journey). I stumbled to my feet, brushed the bark and wood chips from my shirt and cheeks, and instead oriented myself in what I thought was the direction of the hostel. After about 30 minutes of walking, I realized that I had no idea where the hostel was, and Zeus had already stopped answering his phone. So again, I turned east and walked out onto the beach, where I found myself a nice dip in the sand, and took a nap. This didn’t last long, and this time I was awoken to lights rather than sound. The spotlight was obviously from a police car (I didn’t know it then but apparently they had received a call that a young man with curly hair wearing jeans had attempted to break into a house near where I had made my bed in the sand). I figured the police would have to help me find my way back to the hostel, or at least call a cab for me (something I didn’t think about before hand).

Instead of giving me a ride in the cab however, they decided to hold me in the plastic hold in the back, similar to the plastic that playground slides are made from. I sat there for at least 20 minutes with bright LED lights illuminating my face, while the offices looked at my ID…looked at me…then back to the ID. They were actually really nice about the whole thing, and I didn’t put up much of a fight. After I was cleared from the crime, they dropped my back at the YHA where I was staying, and wished my luck with the whale watching hippy job. Of course I didn’t have a key to get in, and had to break into a building after all (ironic isn’t it).

That was the Gold Coast in a nutshell; at least I got a few stories out of it. Yesterday I parted ways with Zeus and Ed, while Kevin and I decided to check out the surf seen here at Noosa Heads, another famous longboard wave on the Sunshine Coast (north of Brisbane). Today we had our first surf, it was waist high and glassy, just what I’ve been looking forward to for the past month. The rain is now well south of us, and the water is a comfortable 65-70 degrees. Tomorrow I hope to buy a decent board and surf my brains out over the next week before the study starts on Monday. Dave (my boss) is meeting me here on Monday for a morning surf session, followed by a big grocery shop in preparation for the 60 volunteers and staff of HARC. Science, Surf….I forgot about boats…and I’m sure some good company.

I put a photo of me in my PPE just because it’s funny…and the platypus (the best picture I have of it) since they are cool.

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