Surfer's Paradise

March 5-7
Craig dropped me off at my hotel and my room had 2 German girls and an Israeli couple, yet only 4 bunks... you do the math. LOL. The couple was on the top bunk above me and the girl was especially irritating as she refused to use the ladder to get down, but would instead jump onto my bed as her stepping stone. Some people!

I had some trouble connecting with Beatrice (from NZ), which actually worked out okay because I ended up with a brutal migraine. Beatrice and I met the next day at noon and we walked around Surfer's which is a great place--reminded me of Miami--just a little less poshy and a little more surfer-ish. In the afternoon, we went back to Beatrice's place in Broadbeach, where we went for a run along the boardwalk. There were also these stations along the boardwalk to work out at, which I think would be fabulous in TO!

My highlights: Getting my 2 packages from home! I was SO EXCITED! Michelle sent me a bag full of goodies: oatmeal , WW bars, and some clothes. Eliane sent me a pair of my pants, which cost her an arm and a leg. :(

Beatrice's flatmates are all foreigners and so many are in Aussie to learn English. When I walked in, Katarina was getting ready to train for a waitress job. After we got back from our run, she had come back and was so pumped because they hired her. She had been cleaning windows prior to, so this job was much better and it would also allow her to practise her barely-there English.

Gabriel, this outspoken, loud Venezuelan talked to me about the difficulties of living in South America and how lucky I was to have a Canadian passport: to simply be able to pack my bags and go pretty much wherever I want in the world. He was absolutely right. Sometimes I forget how lucky I am to live in such an amazing place.

That night, Beatrice and I walked to Broadbeach--fantastic place full of great restaurants, bars, discos. We went to a place called Alto for a glass of wine and chatted with these 2 Australian guys, one who asked the silliest questions, and was quite boring, the other was really nice.