We are now onto the end of day seven of non-stop rain! It's getting a little tedious now as I think we are all getting a bit restless as there is not much to do here when the weather is bad, unless you have a larger budget than ours! But, we are trying to keep our time filled!

Our first night in Surfers Paradise was spent in a hostel (Backpackers in Paradise). We were in a dorm of 14, but the top bunk I was on was noticeably higher than all the other beds in the room, so I had a good view for people watching! Also, it ended up being really hot so I think we all woke up quite early to check out.

We spent our morning window shopping in Surfers to avoid the torrential rain! We booked a bus to take us to Brisbane on Monday and then decided to head over to our next accommodation for the next two nights.

As I mentioned in my last blog, we have decided to try out couch surfing, which we had suggested to us whilst on the farm in Barraba. It is a site online where there is a network of people who offer up their couch or spare space for travellers. I think the idea is that those who couch surf will offer up their space if they have it. I think the usual people who host are those who want to meet new people and show then around town. So, Jade created us a profile an applied to one of the couch surfing ambassadors who lives in Surfers Paradise. As it is our first time using the website we thought it might be safer to choose an ambassador who has had over a hundred people staying with him and received all positive feedback and reviews. Our host was called Darren and we made our way over to his house. His housemate welcomed us in and told us to make ourselves at home. It does seem a little awkward as the house is not too big, but Darren and his three housemates were all very welcoming and chatty. Still unsure of the couch surfing 'rules' (I don't think there are any and obviously every host is going to be different), but as they went for a nap we decided to head out so to not be under their feet!
The accommodation is totally free, but we have been eating out whilst we've been here so we have spent a little more on that, but it is a nice treat!

That evening we went out into town with Danny, one of the housemates, and Nick, Darren's travelling friend. Before we went out lots of people seemed to be popping in and out of the house, it seems a pretty social place.
Our night out in the rain was good and it was nice to be out with some locals who knew the area and best places to go.

The following day we awoke on our couches and air mattresses to be greeted by more rain. Another of Darren's housemates has been a little ill and yesterday had used all the hot water to have a well deserved bath. Because of this, we felt a little guilty using the shower so we went to the bus terminal where we had been dropped off previously, as we knew they had some shower facilities. However, when we arrived all the shower heads had been took off so no showers! We went and asked at the information desk to no luck, so back to the house we went!

The rest of the day has been spent in a similar fashion to the last seven days, just walking around taking in the scenery. While the girls were eating lunch, I wasn't hungry, so decided to take a walk along the beach to make the most of a gap in the rain. After about a minute I was joined by an italian who spoilt my peaceful half hour! But it was nice, everyone here is so relaxed and wants to know your story. I'm still trying to decided if I find it nice, or a little strange as to everyone's interest! It's still a bit unusual to us!

Tomorrow we are moving on up the coast to Brisbane. With the way the weather is, I think we are all quite looking forward to being in a city where hopefully the rain won't stop us from doing anything! We plan to head to Steve Irwin's Australia zoo one day, and to meet up with Emma, another of Ruth's relatives who now lives in Australia, another day.

Byron and Surfers Paradise are essentially beach resorts and that is their main attraction, making them a little dull in the bad weather. Byron is smaller and quirkier with more little shops. Apparently, the council here have prevented developers from coming in and building high rise buildings, and therefore the town is nice and rustic. The beach is set into little bays, so the waves look really beautiful coming in in a nice rounded, orderly manner! Surfers on the other hand, is much more commercial with a long expanse of beach, and the beachside lined with high rise buildings and shopping centres. There is also more to do around surfers such as visiting the theme or water parks, or national park. But these carry hefty entrance fees and bus costs. I believe we didn't see either town at its best, but I have enjoyed them both and in the sun would be great! I liked how different they both were to each other.

With our couch surfing experience, it has been good to try and meet some new people who have generously given up their living space for us. I personally feel it might not be my preferred accommodation style as I felt a little awkward living in such close confined quarters and taking over all their space. Also as we like to go out, we weren't sure if this was rude. Like if we were meant to spend more time with the hosts, but nothing was said! I think the hosts are pretty laid back and suit whatever we want. Also, as they have had so many couch surfers previously, I know they are used to having people and all their stuff around (otherwise they wouldn't bother doing it!). I think personally, when travelling in a group, we are a little more high maintenance and like to have things out of our bags (usually all over our beds!) so they are more accessible, whereas here, I felt like I couldn't keep things out because it looked a little messy! I know this is just a personal thing though! I'm glad we have done it to try it and maybe if there were less of us travelling, it may be good as I wouldn't feel like we were taking up as much space. It is a good way to meet fellow like minded people an get some good advice on the area. Plus, every couch surfing host will be different so I guess it is luck of the draw. I can see it really suiting some travellers and it is a great way to keep costs down. Also, the website has a large community section where members can simply organise meet ups for a coffee or trip to somewhere to see if anyone else is in a similar position not wanting to travel alone, or share car hire. All around I think the concept is fantastic, just maybe not for me at the minute, even though I have enjoyed it! I think I am still a little confused as to my opinion on it! I prefer saving money buying food from supermarkets and cooking it at hostels. Obviously, there isn't much space in a hostel either, but here everyone sharing the room is in the same boat, so there is a more mutual respect for claiming some space for your stuff and space to get ready etc. It is difficult to explain as different things suit different people. Ideally I'd be in a five star hotel, but I guess you can have everything! Plus, I suppose we wouldn't meet as many people that way...

So, we are now nine weeks into our trip, with four and a half weeks left in Australia, time is really flying!

Amy. x