January 2, 2009: Australia!

We awoke to our only full day in Surfers Paradise well rested and excited to spend some time out on the beach, since it would likely be our last chance to enjoy the sand and surf while in Australia. We threw on our swim suits, sprayed on some much needed sun block, grabbed some towels and headed out.

Our hotel was right on the beach, so it was only a very short walk before we were back to my personal heaven…the beach! We played in the water and used our bodies to surf a few waves in. Sarah and I would compete to see who could get the most distance out of riding a wave with only our bodies. I felt like I won, but it was probably more like a tie!

Fighting the waves and the sun can really take it out of you quickly! So we decided to lie out in the soft sand and take a little nap. After a little sleep and sun kissed skin, we went back to the hotel, changed, and snagged some lunch at another Subway sandwich shop. We found ourselves just as satisfied with it then as we had earlier in our trip in Sydney.

Next, we walked around and did a little more shopping. Sarah found me some great shirts at a great deal. I think she is tired of me wearing the same old clothes I’ve had since high school! In one of the shops, we overheard some people saying that Paris Hilton was in the neighborhood doing some shopping and that she would soon be at the Louis Vuiton store directly across the street. As cheesy as it is, our curiosity led us to ask the shop keeper if the rumors were true. She replied by quickly pulling a large sign out from the counter below her which read, “Paris. You’re Hot!” That answered our question.

We didn’t stick around long enough to see Paris (although we later heard that she did indeed visit the store). Instead, we made our way to a little amusement park area which boasted a few “extreme” rides such as: a crane for bungee jumping, a giant slingshot that literally shoots people hundreds of feet into the air, and the “Vomitron”. We opted for the Vomitron. The ride was basically a long shaft with a seat on both ends which was suspended in the air in the middle by a hinge. The shaft pivoted on the giant hinge and spun round and round in complete circles. The chairs were also on pivots and spun erratically also! Once the ride began and we were spinning with the force of some kind of NASA training contraption, we were both laughing hysterically. It was either that…or cry! As we spun, we would see city then beach and ocean, city then beach and ocean… Then we spun the opposite way. The ride only lasted a few minutes…but it was a blast!

After some more walking and perusing inside a couple more shops, we went back to the hotel to shower and change. Sarah was getting very excited for the plans we had for the night! Our first order of business was dinner. Much to Sarah’s delight, the day before, we had spotted a “Lone Star” steakhouse just up the road from our hotel. This appealed to us for two big reasons: 1. it was the restaurant chain where Sarah had worked in Illinois; and 2. it was a Texas steakhouse!

Walking into the restaurant was like stepping through a gateway into Texas. The music, the décor and most importantly the food were all great familiarities from home. The menu even alluded to good ol’ Amarillo with their cheese fries. The mix of Australian Victoria Bitter beer and Texas style steak and barbecue ribs put us in paradise! The portions were definitely Texas sized, so we made the wise choice of sharing dinner.

Happy and content, we moved onward to the final ticket on our evening’s agenda. Sarah was especially excited for this event which she had hoped to fulfill since day one in Australia. So you wonder, “What could it be?” If I told you it was at the movie theater could you guess? Well, if you guessed watching the movie “Australia” in Australia, you would be right.

All along our journey, I had been much more concerned with beaches, attractions, sun and surf, hiking and wilderness, and other such things than going to a movie. But tonight, I was very happy to be there. For one, after days full of walking and of soaking up as much sun as any body can take; a relaxing evening in a dark, cool theater with an ice-cold Coke and a bucket of popcorn was sounding pretty good! And what’s better, I was happy to see one of Sarah’s little dreams for our trip to Australia come true! She was so delighted with it, she could hardly contain herself. And that is what makes me the happiest.

The movie was quite good. The insane cost of $15.50 per person had been tough to swallow! But the movie, the unwinding, and the fulfillment of Sarah’s dream all together made it worthwhile.

After leaving the theater, we were both ridiculously exhausted. After all, we had another very full day of sun, surf, wearing out our feet from walking, shopping, rides, and stomachs full of good Texas style food! The relaxing effect of a movie in a dark theater certainly didn’t diminish the feeling. However, we were determined to try a night-time swim in the ocean at some point during our trip. And tonight would likely be our last chance to do so. So, we parked the car at the hotel, grabbed our suits and towels, and went back down to the beach. We walked quite a ways along the beach trying to find a good spot. We began to wonder if there was any place secluded enough to feel like the ideal romantic moonlit beach scene, and yet safe enough to not fear for leaving our cameras and things on the beach. In the end, we decided the cold water might not be as enticing as we had envisioned to begin with. And so we enjoyed the walk instead and eventually returned to our hotel. Without hesitation, we were both in bed and asleep. Full days such as we had become accustomed to, lead to deep, restful nights of sleep!