Squires had the TV on when I woke up this morning, and a Tsunami warning was all over the news. Apparently there had been a massive 8.8 magnitude Earthquake off the coast of Chile, which crashed some buildings, cut power supplies and had killed a few people. When I first heard the news they were closing all the beaches on the East Coast of Australia, and telling everyone to stay inside and be ready to evacuate. I panicked and sent some text messages out to friends in case this really was the end of it for me! But soon they’d had feedback that Hawaii had only experienced high sea levels and amplified waves. By mid morning the panic had died down and we were able to go outside. It had finally stopped raining so Ellie and ... read more

Squires’ boss had kindly agreed to let us borrow his 4x4 jeep for a few days while he was away on holiday for the weekend. Steph drove us to Surfers Paradise (about 45minutes away from Coolangatta) but the motorway signs were useless so it probably took us a lot longer. It felt like we were in the car for yonks and by the time we finally arrived we were all a bit drained. When we had left Pommie Palace it had been cloudy and raining, so we’d not bothered to pack our bikini’s, but just our luck, it was bright sunshine in Surfers. Surfers Paradise reminds me of somewhere like Miami, with pricey skyscraper hotels, plush shops and plenty of Silicone and Steroids. Grabbed a toasted sandwich for lunch at Charlies bar then hit the shops. ... read more

Checked out by 10am. The girls were really hungover so slept on the sofa’s in the Arts Factory common room while I pottered around reading and on the internet. It was a miserable day in Byron Bay - absolutely hammering it down with rain so I didn’t fancy walking in to town. A girl came round to clean the common room. She had a Hoover strapped to her back like a rucksack - what a great idea! I need one of these. I was just getting in to Chapter Two of a new book when Steph sat up and said “Oh My God. There’s our Camera Man”. I looked over just in time to see the back of Abnormal Norman disappear behind the Café counter. He was wearing the same bright blue t-shirt as the other ... read more

Ellie and I took advantage of our non-hungover morning and got up at 4.30am to do the Sunrise Tour offered at Arts Factory. We’d expected a Tour Guide to take us up to the lighthouse but instead they simply dropped us off and pointed in the direction we needed to go. It was pitch black and we didn’t have a torch, but some boys behind us lit the way. Unfortunately it was a cloudy morning, so we didn’t actually see the sun rise itself, but we did watch the sky transform in to pretty pinks and oranges as the sun came up. The lighthouse was worth a look too as I’d never seen one in the flesh. Spent the rest of the morning doing errands then met the girls on the beach. It was a super ... read more

Woke up sideways on our bed, with Dempsey between Steph and I. We attacked him with shaving foam, a paint roller and a sweeping brush for being such a sneak! The girls got straight back on the wine to cure their hangovers, but I couldn’t stomach it. Steph’s toe was now severely bruised and bumpy. We feared it might be broken. In Thailand, Ellie and I decided to be collectively known as Zeli, and have been accumulating other Zeli members along our travels. We decided to name it the Zeli World Domination Organisation, and created a set of terms and conditions for each joining member. Sam signed this ludicrous contract, which included rules that declared he must cuddle us when we demand; and adore us throughout this lifetime commitment. Sam and Dempsey took us for lunch ... read more