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Published: February 7th 2007
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The long surf story begins;
Day 1:
ok, so the first day was weird and allowed all 29 of us to get to know each other. Our first ice breaker was the immense team work it took to make meat/salad wraps on the bus on the drive up the coast. The first thing david and I thought was how weird it was to see one of the leaders chopping up salad and mixing it in the bowl with his hands at the front of the bus- in England that would sooo not be allowed with all that health and safety lark!
When we arrived at our first destination we were greeted by some of the other surf dudes and admired the amazing spot that we were to stay overnight. As all the camps were in national parks the beaches were gorgeous and so quiet- with most beaches being solely ours.
The first camp had a large grass area overlooking a large prestine beach. We all hurried to put up our standing tents before hitting the surf.
All eager to get in the water we grabbed our boards (large soft boards that were almost impossible for short girls to carry!!!) and
began paddling out to sea. Once past all the shore waves we had lessons on the tecnique of paddling then got to have a go at standing- with the help of 'Planko' our instuctor. After a couple of hours in the water and as it started to get dark we headed back to camp to sit around the open fire, where our dinner was being cooked. A few get-to-know-eachother chats, some tunes from the yank on his guitar and some drinks and it was definately time fr bed!
Day 2:
The following morning David and I eagerly went straight out to surf, not knowing that the others were having yoga lessons so we missed that- by hey we got to surf a little more than the others that day which was good as this made up for the disaster later on in the trip......
.....which came that evening! the surf that afternoon wasn't good for beginners so the leaders decided to pack up camp and head to the next stop. This turned out to be a big mistake and as people started to pack up their gear some started dropping like flies with sickness and diarrhoea. The pack-up took
about 3hrs as a result and the six sick people had to go in a seperate bus so they could reguarly stop. A couple of hours drive north and it was now 11pm. everyone was tired and hungry so we stopped to get pizza. This was the point where it turned into a nightmare for me as the bug hit my stomach!! I put it down to travel sickness but nope I had also got the bug and threw up in the bus a couple of times on the last leg of the journey. Whilst the non-sick people set up camp at midnight us sick were, well sick!
Day 3:
After a rough night I woke up to realise we were in the bush... not a great place to be ill and although I wasn't being sick I felt like I had a relly bad hangover. One girl ended up in hospital and 3 of them stayed in a hostel about an hour from camp as they were so ill. They did not return to the tour either- shame!!
Anyway that day I didn't surf much not only cause of feeling rough but although because I had managed to burn
my belly pretty badly and couldn't paddle out to get the waves. So I just chilled and watched David do really well.
Another cosy meal around the fire and off to bed with all the creepy crawlies!
There was plenty of nature around with regular visits from the numerous goanas (big lizards), noisy birds,roos and an assortment of bugs.
Day 4:
I woke up feeling much better and ready to go- although David now had a nasty cold!
We went to a different beach, and although it took us about 1/2 hr to drag out boards down the river to get there, it was well worth it. The beach was just so beautiful and sheltered from the wind. We played about in the water and played some beach cricket, which was a laugh.
For a treat due to so many of us getting ill (about half the group at the end) we stayed in a country pub overnight, which was much appreciated especially the showers as there was no running water the previous two days! We had a few to drink and time to rest our achey legs.
Day 5:
We headed to our final beach and had
the best time surfing. I managed to catch 3 waves of my own and David caught many- show off!!! the day was pretty much spent surfing, eating chips and playing beach games then we headed to Byron Bay to our hostel- the Arts Factory Lodge. We stayed in two big dorms- girls and boys. It felt like a school trip again hehe. The girls dorm was called the 'Wreck' and the boys the 'Tallows'
That night I went out with a few of the others to a bar with a live brass band playing funky tunes and then to a local beach party where there were fire dancers, a big fire with people playing bongos and guitars and singing along. Under the really bright full moon with the waves crashing this will def be one of the memories that stand out!
Day 6:
After a chilled day walking the town and the beach it was party time.
we all had a free meal courtesy of the tour and watched the film that had been made of the tour. We bought it so will show you guys when we get home.
It was a couple of the girls Birthdays so
they celebrated well! esp wth the drinking games!
I think I have mentioned most of the main points but I could go on forever, oh one other thing is we saw Alex Parks from fame academy- she works at the lodge!
Update again soon, still have loads to tell you about things we have done since the surf camp but i will leave it there for now.....
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julie
non-member comment
Hi guys, sounds like you are having the time of your lives! One things for sure, I know what Mark and I will be doing when Jade and Martin have left home!! Hope the fun carries on for you and take care x