Surfer's Paradise, Australia
Trip Start
Aug 11, 2009
1
21
Trip End
Ongoing
Surfer's Paradise, Queensland, Australia
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
First impressions of Australia:
1. Expensive
2. Great beaches
3. Very attractive people.
I settled into my friends condominium in Surfer's Paradise. It is in a brand new building and has an ocean view. Very nice. When I first got in town I did the standard routine of walking around the little town and figuring out where things are, looked at the beach, etc . . .. My friend arrived a day after I got in town and we headed out to a car race that was being held here in town. It is a very big event and people take the race pretty seriously. The best way to describe it is a formula one race track with Nascar cars doing the racing. We went to a friend of my friends house to watch the race, and more importantly begin the drinking festivities for the day. It was a long day of "socializing" and we ended up at a variety of bars around the area before calling it a day/night. It was a lot of fun.
The next day was spent recovering and recalling everything that went down the day before. There are some good stories involved that won't be forgotten. Today, my friend is off to work, so I am spending the day by the beach, relaxing.
Coming to Australia almost put me in reverse culture shock. There are Caucasian people everywhere, the prices are similar to New York, and I have been able to watch American football and television shows on Tivo. This is sharp contrast to sleeping in hallways in dorm rooms with no air conditioning, and sometimes not a single tourist in sight.
The plan is to stay here in Surfer's Paradise for another week, then head to Melbourne for what is apprently one of the best weeks of the year in Australia; Melbourne Cup. I'm guessing it is similar to the Kentucky Derby back home.
So, that is what I have been up to since arriving in Australia, and what the plan is for the next week or so.
Did I mention the weather here is perfect? Sunny, breezy, and comfortably warm...
