highlights

Greetings. I'm back and better than ever, sorry for the delay. My internet access has been extremely limited and my computer has been the last thing on my mind, but here I am in a wireless internet cafe in Bondi Beach, NSW, my new home for the next four and a half months. I don't have wi-fi yet in my apartment, but hopefully I'll be getting it soon so that my skype will be up and running. I just got done with a three day orientation with my study abroad program where I met a bunch of students and got to know the basics about studying here. The main reason I'm updating though is to recap my week-long surf road trip trip, which extended from Sydney to Byron Bay, around 2000km total on the Pacific Highway. What a journey it was. It ended up being difficult at times (seeing as we were driving on the left side of the road in a stick shift campervan on the other side of the world with no idea where we were going). However, it couldn’t have been more rewarding. I don’t even know where to begin. Without further adieu, here are the highlights and a few snapshots to go along:

1. Our morning surf session at Crescent Head on February 10th. The conditions were ideal. The waves were breaking straight down the point, all right-handers (meaning they break to the right). They were 3-4 feet with barely any wind. Here’s a picture I took from the parking lot right after rolling out of bed at first light.


2. Cutting open a fresh pineapple in the parking lot of Mullawarra Beach after a surf session in the afternoon on February 10th. While hanging in the lot, we encountered a local grommet (young surfer) that had ridden his skateboard down to the beach to check the surf. At just 13 years old, he was as stoked as can be about surfing and the local area. Topics discussed included his all-time greatest barrel, local board shapers, various parts of the coast, nearby resident and legend Mark Occhilupo (Australia’s modern surfing version of Michael Jordan), a secret spot down the road that he claimed looked like Maui on a “classic” day (surfers here love that word), and a bunch of other stuff I can't remember. It was the best surfing conversation I've ever had, hands down. The young surfers here are truly a sight to be seen, they can fly and punt airs like it’s no big deal. Bottom line, they can rip and they know it.

3. Seeing several kangaroos on our drive north just after that session. Here’s a snapshot of one I took in the late afternoon. Little did we know that they’re quite a hazard on the roads, particularly around dusk. We learned the hard way, as one shockingly ran out in front of our van from the tall grass and slammed against the bumper. Lesson learned: always buy rental insurance (we thankfully had).


4. On our drive north, we stopped at a local meat pie restaurant called Fredo Pies located in Kempsey that we'd read about in our travel guide. Meat pies are apparently the rave over here, so we figured we had to give them a try. This specific place is well-known for its unique pies, which included ostrich, emu, kangaroo, and of course, as the sign says, crocodile. I stuck with chicken though, but if I make it back I'll have to be more adventurous the next time. The food was very good, and has been at most places thus far in Australia.


5. Surfing in great conditions at Broken Head on the 11th and 12th. While surfing there the first morning, I spotted a pack of dolphins out in the water. They are amazing to watch and can ride the waves faster that anyone or anything I've ever seen. I wasn't able to get any pictures of the dolphins, but here's a couple shots I took from the cliff that overlooks the point.



6. Having two people recognize Martha's Vineyard while we were in Byron Bay. One of them was a waiter who saw my Al's Package t-shirt and immediately began talking about the movie Jaws and how he'd read about the island in a book. The other was a surfer we met at Tallows, who immediately asked if we were from Martha's Vineyard (without even seeing my t-shirt) when we mentioned we were surfers from New England. He had somehow heard that there was a surfing contingent on the island and he said it was the only place he'd ever heard of from the area. It turns out the surfing world is a lot smaller than we thought.

7. Seeing a wild guana at a campsite at Broken Head. Apparently they are fairly common for that region. Here's a picture of Jordan sizing up the reptile. Don't see too many of these back home, that's for sure.


8. Surfing at Soldiers Beach on the morning of February 15th before heading to Sydney to meet up with our study abroad group. The waves were as good as I've seen all trip as we were getting out of the water to pack up and head out. That's just how it goes sometimes. Here's a picture I took while standing on the point. This wave was easily overhead at takeoff.


Those were just a few of the many great moments from the trip. Now that I'm settled into my apartment at Bondi Beach, I have over a week until classes get started on March 1st. I plan on exploring the city and doing a fair bit of surfing at the local break, which is literally a half-mile from my front door. I've already been out twice, and amidst the massive crowds, there has been solid surf that will be much more available once the temperature drops and the crowds decrease. That's all for now. Not sure when I'll be back on here next, but I'm sure I'll have something worthwhile to check out.