Surfers Paradise Day 1

---

Okay so we arrived here yesterday..I freaked out in the traffic..so busy, soooo busy!! I guess I found the city a little intimidating because of all the massive sky scrapers and buildings. I drove all the way past where we had booked in and paid a deposit and I had to pull over and call them to ask for help. They were lovely and gave me easy enough directions but WOW, when I got there I almost died.
We are used to staying in country places where the accommodation is very private and secure and quite personal and warm. This place was different, we got there and no one was on reception. I had to pick up a phone out the front that was breaking up and so the line kept cutting off. I finally got a lady on the other end who gave me a security code to put into a safe to access our keys in an envelope. There were about ten or so other envelopes with other sets of keys that were just waiting to be stolen. It freaked me out. Inside the envelope were not only the keys, but an instruction sheet of paper. It had a code to open the gate and so my nine year old had to key in the code into the box and then chase after our car while I drove into the car park..that was kinda funny but not really. LOL.
We parked, and when we got up to our room and opened the door I almost died inside. The room was nothing like the internet pictures. It was filthy dirty but more than anything, the energy of the place was just sooooo wrong. I was terribly concerned for our safety, as the door was glass and had NO CURTAIN so everyone could see in. There was another room next to ours with an unlockable wooden door between us, just so they pop in to say Hi or steal our stuff, whichever they felt like at the time.
There were no light globes in the bathroom or the loungeroom. There was a single bed in the kitchen. And wait for it..yes, ladies and gentlemen..you are hearing me right when I tell you there was a CONDOM WRAPPER in the drawer next to our bed and yes, my nine year old found it. She laughed and then said she felt like fainting.

I tried so hard to stay postive about this place, but was freaking out inside. I pretended I was okay and acted like I was excited and getting on with things, but out the corner of my eye, I could see my daughter pacing the room and looking sick. She was petrified and understandably.
I looked out the window at the surrounding motels, looked the one across the road up on the net, called him and he said we could have an apartment for $105 a night. The net said $720 for the week, but after explaining our situation, he gave it to us for $420. How wonderful is that??!! SO yeah, I wasted some money on a deposit over the road at shitsville, but who cares..we feel safe here.
We were hesitant in coming here, I thought it might be a tiny step up from over the road, but Oh my GOD its beautiful. We have a gorgeous luxury two bedroom apartment..stay tuned for photos. How lucky are we?? LUCKY. BLESSED.

So now I am concerned about what they will say over at Shitsville. I have paid a deposit but am not willing to pay a cancellation fee or the full amount. I looked at the terms and conditions and according top section 11 (pfft sounds important enough), if the room is nothing like the internet describes then we get out of it. Let's hope so. I feel awfully guilty about it all, I don't want to be disrespectful and I do have a knot in my stomach over it. Let's see how we go. I will let you know.

We are more than happy here. We had driven for two days, stopping in Tamworth NSW the night before and I was ratty as hell. I was almost homicidal..needed food, shower and bed.

Woke up this morning thinking to myself that I must have had a good sleep in, which isnt like me..Im an extremely early riser..it was soooo light outside..and so busy! I looked at my clock and it said 5.30am. I was annoyed at my inability to sleep in on my holidays..then what was worse was that I realised QLD is an hour behind my normal time in VIC where I live. So it was actually 4.30am. Is it possible for it to be so light at that time??????? How the hell do people around here sleeeeeeeeeeep?? I wake up right on day break at home s this is bad news for me. I will be waking at 4 every day. Darn that!

So the plan for the day is..

1. Hand the key back at Shitsville and discuss the low quality of the room.
2. Go get some groceries for the week
3. Go to the beach! YAY!!!!!!

Ciao now brown cow!

Kristy

---