It Doesn’t Get Much Better Than This

And I truly mean that. The past weekend was filled with beautiful landscapes, the spray of the sea and beaming sunshine. Stradbroke Island (or Straddie as the locals say) is a true gem of a place and I was lucky enough to experience all that it has to offer.

It took a bus and ferry ride toget to the second largest sand island of Australia. After we arrived we were split up into activity groups and given our room allocations. I stayed with three incredibly sweet girls; one from Norway, one from England and the other from Denmark. Our activity on Friday was just lounge time so we spent the afternoon walking around and lying out on the beautiful beach, which was literally an arms length from our resort. After dinner that night we all went down to the beach for a party. They had built fires on the beach and with music playing we all sat around the fires and got to know each other. The only problem was that it was dark so making out faces was a little difficult.

The next morning, Saturday, we had to get up early to make it to breakfast. It was a little harder for some than others depending on how many beverages you had enjoyed the previous night. Breakfast was delicious-- fried eggs with sausage and beans and roasted tomatoes. It was perfect for the long day ahead. First on our agenda was a guided hike around the island. The views were spectacular and I wish I could describe them better. The water was so clear and the way it reflected the sun it could have been glass. The colors were a deep blue that faded as it got closer into the shore and ended with the white sea foam. The rocky cliffs were a perfect contrast of harsh and soft and the few trees that were around added shade and more colors. We went out to a few different lookout points where we spotted a few dolphins and heard whales. The dolphins were playful and kept jumping in and out of the water. The whales were too far out to be able to see them but we did see their waterspouts when they came up for air and we could hear them also. As I learned from my mother the hump back whales migrate from Antarctica up to calving grounds near the Great Barrier Reef.

After lunch it was my groups turn to go sea kayaking. For those of you that have kayaked on a river or lake before, it is pretty much the same; just add waves and salt water. They were two man kayaks and we managed never to capsize like some other people. We were pros. It was a lovely afternoon and we were all feeling a little sore after an hour. Dinner that night was followed by an Australian trivia game (my team didn’t do so hot) and then a night out at the local pub. Being a small island with not a huge population there is only one major pub that was a short walk away but we didn’t mind.

Sunday brought another early morning and another delicious breakfast before heading to surfing lessons-- in my opinion, the best part of the trip. It was a calm morning with not too much wind, which made for excellent first time surfing waves. We geared up in our wetsuits and headed out to the beach for our dry surfing lesson. We learned how to paddle out and get up on our board and it was not too long before we were headed out into the surf. Trust me, it was much easier to stand on the board on land than in the water. With a little help from the guides and a lot of trial and error I started to get the hang of things. I started by just body surfing (lying down flat on the surfboard) and then managed to ride a few big waves on my knees. You do get thrown around a lot and knocked by the big waves but the swirling sand acts as a great natural exfoliate for your skin. By the end of the day I was able to stand up on the board even if it was only for a few seconds. But I was standing and that was my goal. My eyes stung and my throat was sore from all the salt water but it didn’t matter. I am a surfer girl now. Whenever I go to the beach now, I am renting a surfboard.

The bus ride back made for a bunch of sleepy people—very understandable after an eventful weekend. It was a wonderful trip full of fun and beauty.

Now I have to re-enter the school world. Lectures start tomorrow at a bright and early 8AM. The vacation ends here… but will resume on the weekends naturally.