28 September 2012

My Kinda Paradise

I fell in love with Surfers Paradise. Madly, deeply, in love. I seriously think Surfers Paradise is the long lost love of my life. So much so, that I had to force a temporary separation between myself and Surfers. I didn't want to, and it broke my heart, but in the name of love sometimes you have to do things you just don't want to do. 

I really only ever planned to spend four nights in Surfers Paradise. I figured I would spend a few days at the beach perfecting my Australian tan, have a few crazy nights out in the iconic nightlife Surfers is known for and then be on my way, hungover and tan. Obviously I hadn't been struck by the love bug when I made this plan.

The first best thing I did in Surfers Paradise was check in to the hostel Surf n Sun. After two amazing days as a guest at Surf n Sun I literally stumbled upon a job opportunity at the hostel. Stumbled upon meaning one of the managers offered me the job around 1:00am whilst we were in a nightclub. The next morning I shrugged the conversation off, thinking there was no way it could be legit, until I was woken up by that very same manager coming into my room and telling me to get dressed for work. And so work began.

In exchange for free accommodation, I was vacuuming the guest rooms each morning, six days a week. Living for free, becoming a part of the staff, enjoying heaps of discounts at the hostel and being able to extend my stay in Surfers? Not a bad deal at all! I started work at 9:30 each morning and by 11:30 the day was all mine. I spent my days worshipping the sun (first by the hostel pool and then down to the beach once the sun was blocked by the tall buildings surrounding Surf n Sun), exploring the town, going out for girly cocktail dates, bonding with my new Surf n Sun family and of course having some amazing nights out with the hostel. Surf n Sun became my home away from home and the people I worked with became my temporary Australian family. To say it in as little words as possible, I was having the time of my life.

But, as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end. My biggest concern about staying in Surfers Paradise too long was, unfortunately, money. While I was saving money by not paying rent, I was still spending money that was not being replenished. Surfers Paradise was only my second stop along the East Coast and I feared I would spend all my money in Surfers before making it any further. On that same note, when I decided to come back to Australia my biggest priority (and regret for not doing so last time) was to travel. As I have said before, I left Australia feeling unsatisfied with my trip and once I was home I could not shake the feeling of how badly I wanted to see the East Coast of Australia. So when I came back, my first and main goal was to travel. And while I was loving every single minute in Surfers Paradise, I was also getting itchy feet to travel again. Staying in Surfers any longer would mean settling down, finding a job that paid actual money and taking on some responsibility. And I just wasn't quite ready to do that. I still wanted to be a carefree backpacker.

So, against my own will, I booked myself a bus out of Surfers to continue on with my journey. I didn't want to leave Surfers Paradise,  and I already miss it terribly, but it is just what I had to do. My job at Surf n Sun will be waiting for me when I finish my East Coast trip, and at that point in time I can move into the hostel, find a proper job and embrace everything there is to love about Surfers Paradise. But for now my love affair is on a temporary hold while I discover more hidden gems in Australia.

But, oh Surfers, how I can't wait to come back to you and fall in love all over again! <3


No comments:

Post a Comment