Bright Sunshiny Days!
Well,
I've finally made it to Oz! The last few weeks have been crazy, but so
much fun! There were many a time where I'd just stop and think "Am I
really here?". "Is this really happening?" Okay, so here's the
breakdown:
My birthday was great. I spent the day surfing with
my friends Mike and Corin. I got up on my third attempted, mmm hmm,
thank you very much. Although I can't tell you how many times I did
double backward flips in the air (not on purpose), bouncing off the
board (usually with my face), on the way down. I have head to toe
bruises to prove it. Fun! Seriously impressive things to see on this
beach. There was a guy that kept surfing in on his head......or maybe I
was still upside down in the water. Either way, it was cool. The only
slight hitch to the day was that someone stole my brand new, very
expensive bikini. WHO DOES THAT???? Anyway, to make myself feel better,
I bought 2 new ones. Not really being able to afford 2 bathing suits, I
decided to take on a cleaning job for a woman next door to the hostel
to make a bit of extra cash. Her place was top to bottom, infested with
cockroaches. Just spilling out of the cupboards! Ugh! I kept thinking
"good preparation for Thailand". Oh, the things I'll do for money!
My
crazy friend Darri, whose a local I met when my dad and I first got
there, and her husband took me out snorkelling and body surfing on
Hukalakaliki shore. Just kidding, I have no idea what the shore was
called. It's Hawaiian. Anyway, the waves were powerful and needless to
say, I almost lost ANOTHER bathingsuit. Apart from the gallons of water
I inhaled, snorkelling was awsome. Great big angel and clown fish. I
had this overwhelmingly odd sensation that I'd shrunk and was swimming
through someones aquarium.
Monday, up to the north shore,
FINALLY! I had butterflies the whole way up there. I can't be sure
whether it was the excitement or the old, drunk German man driving the
bus, flying around corners at ridiculous speeds. He was a
self-proclaimed tour guide and actually told our bus load to "Shut the
f*** up", so he could tell us about the Dole pinapple plantation. Corin
and I arrived at the hostel which consists of little huts by the beach.
The first thing I noticed were the thousands of chickens and kittens
just wandering around...EVERYWHERE, which was unfortunate for them. You
know the expression about being as scared as a cat in a room full of
rocking chairs? Well, replace "rocking chairs" with drunk hostel
people.
Corin and I went out to attempt the water. All of
you with warnings about the north shore waves were sooooo right. The
waves were so huge that when I'd float over one my stomach would
actually drop coming down the other side. It was the best rollercoaster
ever! It was on the shore line that was the most dangerous though.
Every time Corin would try to get out of the water the undertow would
knock her off her feet. So she'd be walking, dissapear completely, then
when the water receded she'd be rolling head over heels back into the
water, only to have it happen about 5 or 6 times over. I was laughing
so hard I was almost screaming. I almost drowned because I couldn't
stop and I kept getting mouthfuls of water. At least I would have died
laughing.
So a crazy thing happened. That night I was
sitting in the BBQ area of the hostel talking to someone, when suddenly
the girl beside me looks at me and says "Cindy?". It was a girl
Christie I went to highschool with, that I haven't seen in 8 years!
She's been living on the north shore for 6 months. What are the
chances???? Both of us were blown away! So for the next 2 days we hung
out and had some of the best days I've had here.
I've read
over all the comments on my last log and I was shocked at how many
people have actually been here. I really appreciated all the advice
about not even trying to attempt surfing up here, so when Christie
(whose been surfing for years) asked me to go with her I flat out
said.......yes. OH MY GOSH. I should have listened. I paddled out and
was watching these walls of water coming toward me and I kept thinking
"Embrace the wave. Become friends with it." I didn't so much embrace
the wave as it actually embraced me, picked me up, tied me in a knot
and pounded me against 14 other waves that seemed to be coming in all
directions.....but I've lived (barely) to tell the tale.
My
last day on the north shore was by far the most eventful. I decided to
go to Lani Kai Beach to see the sea turtles. The water is thick with
them and it's one of 2 places in the world where they actually crawl up
on the shore. So I start walking down the beach (in the wrong
direction...of course) and I walk for about 2 hours until there was
nothing and no one around. I had no clue where I was. Suddenly I see
something on the beach. It's air plane debris. i'm thinking "Oh my
gosh, a plane has crashed here." Suddenly this guy runs over to me and
says "Hey, we're in the middle of a shoot and as cool as it would be to
have you in it, you don't really blend". I had walked onto the set of
the T.V. show LOST.....and I was actually lost. Oh the irony! Instead
of telling me to turn around he directed me to walk through a different
part of the set! I'm walking through the forest and there's cast
members sitting everywhere, and plane parts and little huts.....the
ACTUAL set. It was so surreal. It took every bit of stength in me not
to pull out my camera. Ha! Could you imagine? Like I wasn't already
pushing my luck. Everyone was so nice too. They would just smile and
say hi like I actaully belonged there. The set runs about 1/4 km long
and I walked from one end to the other. Some crew were driving by in a
jeep and as a joke I put out my thumb as they passed. They actually
stopped and asked if I needed a ride. I walked past the Craft Services
food table and the guys behind it asked me if they could get me
anything to eat! I grabbed a water bottle. I know there are some of you
who don't believe this. I don't blame you. I barely believe it myself.
So I'm walking out of the forest thinking "I have a looooooong way to
get back. I'm hot, I'm tired..." In mid thought, this car pulls up and
this woman says "Do you need a ride?" YES!!!! Well, she took me into
town, she took me to see the sea turtles, then drove me back to the
hostel. Just a nice local lady who never picks up hitch hikers but got
a vibe from me that made her stop, when she saw me walking down the
street. The guys in my hostel told me I should buy a lotto ticket. I
should have. Well the day was not over. Christie and I rode our bikes
down to the beach and sat outside Jack Johnson's house. That's right,
THE Jack Johnson. He's a local. Christie has surfed with him before.
She is officially the coolest person I know now. We weren't being
groupies, he just happens to live on Pipeline, one of the most popular
beaches. So, who is out surfing? That's right, Jack. We just sat and
watched Jack Johnson surf, while the sun set. THE craziest day of my
life.
SO the north shore was full of beautiful sunsets,
bonfires on the beach, hitchhiking in pick-up trucks and soooo many
other memories I will never forget. I flew into Sydney the day before
yesterday and it was a bit of a shock. Surprisingly, going from waking
up to the beach outside my window, to waking up to a never-ending row
of prostitutes yelling out cat calls (my hostel is in a really nice
area) has had a slightly negative affect on my emotions. Surprisingly.
My Aussie friend Peter has come to my rescue though! Thank goodness for
friends! We're now up at his cottage in the country (which is twice the
size of my house) where he's trying to fatten me up (he's a chef) and
teach me how to speak Australian. "Crikey!" Seriously, could I have it
any better? Yesterday we went and saw some whales off the shore. It was
awesome until Peter casually mentions that the bushes surrounding us
are infested with some of the most deadly snakes in the world..... What
do you say to that? I'm not sure what my plans are for the next few
days, but i'm sure they will be eventful.
Sorry this was
such a long one. You know how I can talk! I'll try to write soon....or
the next time I have free internet access. Thanks Pete!
Miss you all!
Love Cindy xo
