From the couch I am sitting on I can see the ocean. In the second floor apartment that belongs to my friend Dane, I am taking a break from the strong Australian sun and watching a bit of the Brisbane International Tennis Championship.
Dane's two-storey apartment residence is my home for the next week and I love it! Aside from the frequent spider and the screeching possum living in the ceiling, the place is brilliant. Dane, who I met back at WLU and who Brennan lived with for four years, moved back to Australia two years ago and has settled very well into his renewed laid back life. In the beginning, the first person I thought of when I thought of Australia was Dane, so naturally my trip here would have to include a huge reunion with the big, awesome Aussie.
It's day two of my time here at Bronte Beach. On Monday at 5pm Dane and his girlfriend Trish came to pick me up at Bondi Junction subway stop and we went for pizza and beer on Bondi Beach... probably the best pizza I've ever had! We had a great catch up session by the water and turned in for the night. The first day here was better than ever. Trish, who is also from Toronto, is staying with Dane for a few weeks and the two of us hit it off right away. We decided to go for lunch at a cafe called Swell Bar right on the coast of Bronte Beach. We shared a bottle of white wine and chatted all about life. I've been really lucky to have met great people to hang out with wherever I've gone so far.
Trish and I then headed to the beach. Bronte is amazing - it's a tiny little alcove beach with the best waves and pristine sand to lie on. We set up a tanning station near the water and slathered on the sunscreen. Unfortunately I think I missed a few spots, something I can elaborate on after this. We both decided to dip in the water - our first time in the ocean yet. The water was refreshing, really clean, and very wavy. The first few waves knocked us over and the strong undertow swished us around - I've never been in such strong waves. They were 10 feet high in parts, just three feet from the sand - now that's a shorebreak! Needless to say we didn't spend much time in the water, but went to tan again more on the sand.... amateurs :P
Our plans were to go to the Beach Road Hotel in Bondi that evening, so Trish and I got ready back at Dane's and began to notice where we had missed putting on sunscreen. I completely missed my feet, which aren't too bad as they had had sand on them. Parts of my arm are red as well but I've had it worse. We had dinner at the hotel and then watched Dane's friend Ben play guitar and sing live. We played some pool and came home to hang out on the balcony. Trish's friend Kate, a New Zealander who joined us for dinner, has a place North of Sydney. Trish went home with Kate and is staying with her for a few nights.
It's really nice to have a place to stay where I don't have to lock up my backpack every time I leave. As I write this, Finding Nemo is playing in the background. I bought some food to make dinner for me and Dane and we're going to have a low key night here. It's been one week since I landed in Sydney and it's hard to believe all I've done. This week will probably be more low key than last, perfect chance to up my tan.
