16/01/09

Woke up at 9 and checked out early to get in the queue for the free van ride to the greyhound terminal. Sat on the floor for an hour waiting for the van driver to arrive, we needn't have got there so early because no one else showed up wanting to get on the bus. Got the greyhound to Surfers Paradise which we thought would only take 1 hour 15 but we drove across the Queensland border and the clocks went back an hour, so we all got to spend an extra unexpected hour on the bus. Got to Surfers Paradise and got picked up in some beaten up tacky stretched car and dropped at the Sleeping Inn hostel. Our room consists of a tiny bedroom which the girls share with 2 others, and an open plan kitchen / living room with 2 bunk beds that the lads and I are sharing with some random camp guy.

went for a wander around and got some lunch from woolworths because we were all starving after not eating anything and having gained an hour. When we got back we sat outside and ate sandwiches and then the guys and I sat around the pool while the girls went back into town for a wander. In the afternoon we sat at the picnic benches downstairs and played cards with a load of other guys from the hostel. We had an epic game of Pig/Spoons and P&A. The hostel put Meet the Fockers on the big screen over the pool in the evening and put on an all you can eat sausage BBQ. The girls didn't do too well at the buffet, only consuming 2 sausages each, I managed to get 7 down without feeling bloated at all.

At 10 we all met up at the front of the hostel and walked to a club called The Bedroom. I hate clubs! Still don't understand the attraction of them, they do my frigging head in. Had a s*** night struggling to hear what everyone was saying and just constantly necking drinks to get to the level of drunkeness where I was shouting every word so people could hear what I was saying and by then it was time to leave. Got back home and got to bed, it was so hot in the room that I was instantly sweating nearly as much as in Taman Negara, so every 2 hours I walked in to the shower and got back into bed without drying off to keep myself cool. Managed to get about 2 hours sleep at about 5 until 7.

17/01/09

Went outside to sleep at about 8 unsuccessfuly and ended up getting locked out. The camp guy left the hostel and let me back in at some point. Had a real lazy day, layed in bed until about 1330 and then helped the guys hang the washing out. Went for a wander in to town and got food for the evening. Got back home and layed in bed again until 7. Pat left to go for a meal with one of his dads friends and the girls cooked a sweet and sour for us, which was brilliant. Layed back in bed and watched loads of coupling and then a film called Sahara and went to sleep.

18/01/09

Woke up and went for a walk with the girls miles down the beach to find a market that was going on. We got there and it turned out to be an arts and crafts market. Spent a bit of time wandering around, about the only decent things there were a set of plates and a few pictures. Found a quality burger shop so sat down to eat burgers, I don't know how Coops managed to keep all her salad in the burger but mine and Helens ended up all over the floor. On the way back we stopped along the beach to watch the Aussie Iron Woman competition. The women had to swim out past some buoys and back, then hop in a kayak and go round some more buoys and back then get on a wierd surf board and do the same. The waves picked up when they were coming back in the kayaks and completely wiped out the leader, her kayak flew about 10 feet in the air and the wave took it right in to shore, so she had to swim back! We also got to see a couple of guys Kite-Surfing and Wake-Boarding, looks like loads of fun, and a much quicker and easier way to get out past where the waves crash.

Got back home and sat around the pool most of the day reading. Started a game like basket ball where we had to throw as many balls in to the rubber rings as possible, that soon turned in to the girls attempting to play volleyball across the width of the pool. They were highly unsuccessful, the first attempt they managed 1 return and on the second Helen nearly managed the second return but fell in the pool fully clothed. The girls cooked us a pasta pesto meal, which was awesome. Later we had pancakes and then sat around reading untill we passed out.