Coolangatta

So I finished my essays (mostly) then hopped on a plane to the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast is not really actually like one place but more like a 30km(?) stretch of beaches south of Brisbane. It starts with Coolangatta and ends with Surfer's Paradise. I think, if someone tells you differently they might be right...but anyways.  

It was TOMs one day without shoes on April 10, the day I left so I went on the train and through the airports with no shoes. Got some funny looks, told some peeps about TOMs, and picked up heaps of dirt along the way (I was going to take an "after" pic, but it was just too much), but no lasting diseases....so I call it a success:)

I got in to Coolangatta semi-lateish and the hostel was like "sorry we don't do airport pick-ups this late", then the bus was no longer running, so I took my first taxi ride since I've been on this adventure. I felt like such a public transportation failure. But oh well, I got to my hostel in one piece and I guess that's the important part. The hostel was right across from the beach and filled with lots of super cool peeps. Much to my disappointment it was actually pretty chilly and very windy so my plans to spend alllll day on the beach didn't go so well. I tried a little in the morning before the rain came, but after being sand blasted for 15 minutes decided it wasn't worth it.

see the buildings in the distance? no not really?? well if you have super human vision that's Surfer's Paradise...the other end of the Gold Coast

Trust me the green rock looks a lot more like a frog in real life...

Again Surfer's in the distance...but this time with a nice little bush in the corner!!! woot.woot.

So I didn't know this but Coolangatta is actually just barely in Queensland. For those of you in the US who live under a rock (be honest, most Americans qualify here...), Australia is divided up into states. Sydney is in New South Wales and Brisbane is in Queensland. But Coolangatta is like on the border!!!

Ready for it....feet in Queensland.

Straddling the border!!!

Feet in New South Wales!!! Holla!!!

Point Danger/snapper rocks?? I'm not sure if there was a difference or where one started and the other began...but anyways this is where the for reals surfing was happenin'

You know it's legit when there are guys chilling on the beach with giant cameras...naturally they had heard I was going to be there that day. kidding!!! my one surfing lesson sooo did not qualify me to join these pros.

random. I still have no idea....

mmm....even if it was cold it still looks pretty!!

So this was SUPER zoomed in, but can anyone tell me what the heck makes these sand balls??

yep.YOU.I miss you.

And that my friends was Coolangattta....or at least all the places I remembered to take pictures of, what I didn't was. Hostel movie time whilst it was raining (yep, get excited just used 'whilst'), coffee after the mission with some Gold Coasters, late night chats with Swedish chicas.

P.S. HAPPY ANZAC DAY!!! Except can I even say that?? Anzac Day is a public holiday here to remember Aussie veterans....so I'm not sure you really like get excited and say "Happy Anzac Day", no worries I asked though and they definitely don't celebrate with fire works....I do get the day off school though. And my one class yesterday was canceled. So really my 2 week holiday has turned into 2 and 1/2...but tomorrow I am for sure headed back to reality.

I' m baaacckkk!! (in Sydney)

You probably didn't miss me, and maybe didn't even notice I was gone...but I was. And I just realized that this could have been construed as back in the U.S.....which is false. Just back in Sydney. Although only 2 more months for the epic "I'm back in the U.S." post....whaaa????
Off on an epic Easter holiday adventure. and let me tell you, it was FABULOUS. So of course I have lots of catching up to do. again. ugh. I'll probably share these New Zealand style, except hopefully a little more timely. maybe, although doubtful.
Because I have assignments up the wazuu due soonish, and my parentals are coming in 2 1/2 weeks!!!!!!!! woot.woot. So of course that means being a tourist guide, slacking school and most likely blogging too....
But I'll end this lame "I'm back in Sydney" post with a fun fact.
I may have been travelling a wee bit too much in the past 4 months. I counted and by the time I arrive back in the US I'll have been on 13 plane rides in 5 months....(unless of course I decide to hit up anywhere else before I get home again, in which case the number will only get higher;)

Anyways, more/better posts to come. promise.

Feet

oh.my.goodness.

I just had to share this. You know all those feet pictures you suffer through, because I love taking them everywhere I go??? SOMEONE ELSE DOES IT TOO!!!!!! Well actually maybe a lot of people do, but I stumbled upon this one photographer/traveler who does it and his are wayyyyyy cooler than mine.
So go to this blog and be amazed.
Sneak peek of what awaits you:

P.S. I'm a little scared the blogging police are going to get me for stealing this pic. So let me just point out that this is NOT my picture. It came from Tom Robinson Photography.

Also his pictures inspired me to find someone to go on crazy adventures and take feet pictures with:) 

So I am now accepting applications...please attach a feet picture. 

kidding...please don't.well, I mean DO come find me, but maybe don't start off with the feet thing...


P.S. don't schedule flights for epic Easter holiday vacations in the evening. You will just sit around all day staring at an essay wishing you were already on the beach. But I am finally headed to the airport. Gold Coast here I come.

Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter everyone! Hope you have/had a fabulous one, whatever it may entail. I thought it might be super hard to celebrate a holiday without my fambam, and while I miss them like crazy and would have loved to spend another Easter hiding eggs in insanely hard places so my brother can never find them or eating my mama's delicious cooking, I have people who take good care of me here and make it much easier than I thought it would be:)

The older couple where I go to meeting invited me to lunch and their children and grand-children were in town too. So, of course my inner 10 year-old was psyched to hang out with two of the cutest girls ever:) We went to the park and played board games. And munched on Cadbury eggs. Yep, be jealous.

Although I was apparently on a mission to hurt myself today, as I sliced open my finger cutting green-beans (last time I get asked to help in the kitchen ever) and slammed my knee into the monkey bars at the playground (note to self: you are NOT the right size for playgrounds anymore). Thankfully I got a ride home during the lightening storm that is currently raging or I might have gotten a little toasted, with the way my day is going. 

My Eater besties:)

Why yes that is a Cadbury bunny and a matching egg!!! 

Awkward picture of my leg. For comparison purposes. Now look at the next one....

And check out the bump that is NOT supposed to be there.

P.S. if the inside of one of your Cadbury eggs looks like this....cry because you just bit into a nasty turkish delight one.

And to end...a fun game. After reading all the fun things I did today....guess how much time I spent working on essays?!? Yep you're right! NONE. ugh. fail.

five.thousand.words.

You might think that 5,000 words is nothing. But when you are me, and 5,000 words is the number of words that it is going to take to complete your three essays, 5,000 words is the equivalent of Everest...and though I've never climbed Everest, I'm thinking 5,000 words might be harder for me.

If you have never had the privilege of being around while I'm writing an essay, thank your lucky stars. It's the worst. I get into essay writing mode. It helps if I am: fully dressed. hair is up. wearing shoes. listening to my writing playlist with headphones (a list of 4 Josh Groban songs that I can't sing along with because they are not in English and it has to be headphones...out loud is not the same). usually contorted like a pretzel around my laptop. have banned myself from facebook, pinterest, emails, phone. Ya, it's a lot of prep work......then I simply stare at my computer. I don't understand it but it's like an extreme form of ADD comes out when I have to write essays. I have been known to sit down for like an hour and produce two sentences. I can't even explain what I do or why words refuse to come out of me. Because I went through two years of A.P. English where writing essays was standard and happened quite regularly. I busted out this blog post in like two minutes flat. I can talk your ear off all the day long if you want me to. But I can't write 3 essays which total a measly 5,000 words.

Actually you are getting this blog post because it was my reward for getting 1/2 way through one essay...and another one is 1/2 way too, so technically only like 3,250 words to go:)

All right. It's time. I'm going back in.

I wrote that a while ago. then just got back here realized I never posted it and have yet to write anything. proof that I fail:(

Royal Easter Show

Royal Easter Show....doesn't that just bring to mind visions of awesome hats and drinking tea with the Queen?? No? ok, just me then. But in case it does, sadly that is not what the Royal Easter Show entails. Instead envision the Australian version of a state fair.

Still a pretty fun day to start my Easter holiday. John, Ruta, and I hit up this fab place today. Even though I think it is the closest thing Australia has to a state fair....so not the same. Australians are kinda weird....Yes this show included the standard live stock exhibits, cheesy rides, portable food (although not to the disgusting degree of "fried-anything-on-a-stick" like in the states, however they were rocking chips on  a stick which looked pretty bomb...picture potato spiral fried on a stick.), exhibitions of people trying to sell random things that no one ever needs. But they also had, wood chopping competitions, whipping events, and these things called "show bags". Basically themed bags filled with random things that all pertain to like a brand or character...like Dora Explorer bags or oreo bags. Let me tell you these things were HUGE. Everyone had like at least one, and we saw multiple people with like 50... I was not one of those people. But I was the girl running around taking pictures of everything. So enjoy:)

This little sucka was like $200!!!! Just hit up KFC people!

baby chicks are maybe the cutest things ever.

Showin' some goats.....

Ok...so it's a toss up if baby chicks are cuter OR baby pigs!!!

This is my inspiration to stop eating Tim-tams and cadbury bars..

Oh you know...just chillin' with some cows.

Ruta and I.

Look at that face...he definitely knew I ate a cheeseburger this week....

Horse fashion show.

So the whole shebang was hosted at Olympic Park, where the Olympics were held in 2004? 2000? And this is one of like the 5 stadiums the park.

AW!!! Look, Arizona came to the Easter show!!!

Not gonna lie this cheeseball themed AZ restaurant made me pretty happy...must be missing home a little more than I think.

Royal Easter Show = love

Do sheep like to cuddle?? Because I definitely wanted to!

SO MUCH FLUFF!

Poor de-fluffed/naked sheep.

they love wool.

I don't really like macaroons...but I DO love cakes shaped like giant macaroons!!!

Ya, that's a cake....I expect all of your Easter cakes to look like this too.

Um. Fruit held together by barely any cake..

Epic mosaic:) Bad flash glare:(

And a new phenomenon for this lil American girl. Wood chopping. It's apparently a big deal here.

Yep, these dudes definitely train for this. And come and represent all parts of Australia. We just watched them chop smaller pieces of logs in like 2 seconds. But see the big tall ones? Apparently they chop into the side, then insert a board to stand on and keep going up until they can chop the top off....all while trying not to fall and die?

Check out that stance....

I'm pretty sure I could have done better....NOT!
I"m pretty sure I would have passed out before I made a dent in one of those suckers.

I don't know if you can tell but this llama has sparkly gold fur. IT WAS AWESOME. 

Australian fairs are so much more classy than American ones...no crashing monster trucks here. Nope classy horse jumping instead.

Dang I just realized I forgot to get a picture of the whipping competition/event? Basically it was just boys with whips trying to make them crack really loud. I'm not exactly sure if like they were trying to do the most or the loudest or what. But it was random. Oh, Australia. But all around a pretty fab day. 

Happy Friday and Happy Easter everyone!!!!