Surfer's Paradise

Well the city is exactly like what everyone has told you. There is a huge beautiful beach with great waves and skyscrapers lined up as far as you can see. It's amazing how many resorts and apartment buildings there are! I have no idea how they all stay in business but I guess this is a really popular tourist destination. There are three great pictures of it at this website.

Our first day was predicted to be the sunniest so we headed for the beach. The clouds finally parted but the wind was too cold, so we headed back to the spa at our hostel. The place the we are staying is unique because there is backpacker accommodation but it is joined to a hotel. So we get to use all the hotel amenities (like the spa and the sauna), and there is a TV in our room. But anyway, that night we stayed in to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympics. Unfortunately they didn't start until 10PM so we started falling asleep by the time the guys started doing the speeches. Good thing the highlights were on the next day.

We decided to try some snorkeling, again, and signed up for a kayaking trip for our second day. The sun was out for the most part, but it was still kind of chilly. We went out in a bay near the city and headed for a small man-made island. They built the island to protect the marina from cyclones. At that stop, we snorkeled around a jetty where a lot of fish gather. The visibility was great but there wasn't a huge variety of fish. Our next stop was a on a larger natural island where we went on a bush walk. Bush walk is what the call hikes in Australia; it basically means to walk around in the wilderness. The walk was nice and we got to see a few wallabies. The best part though was seeing the surf on the ocean side of the island. The waves were huge and there were tons of surfers and boogie boarders out in the water. Our guide told us that it is one of the best surf beaches in the world and that a lot of professionals go there.

The only other activity we have done here is walk around and window shop. Because the city is such a tourist spot, there are lots of cool shops and interesting restaurants and pubs. There is also a strong Asian influence here because there is an Asian airline that comes to the Surfer's airport. All the signs are written in multiple languages and there is a lot of Asian cuisine. We've also been watching some Australian Idol, which is pretty fun. There are in the audition stage and there is a judge like Simon, so it has kept us entertained at night.

This afternoon we head off to our last stop on the coast, Byron Bay. I might not post about that until I get back to Sydney on Friday. I think our hostel might have free internet! I have also been making a list of foods to talk about so that will be coming soon too.