Hello!
First I've got to tell you about my first surfing experience in Margaret River. Lise and I borrowed Longboards and went with Filip and Angela to Gracetown. It was a grey and rainy day, perfect for a good surf. I was pretty excited. We paddled out and I realized that the waves weren't as small as I thought...They were small for a good surfer but really big for me!!! I think the other people in the water were mostly locals. Every 10 to 15 min came a series of higher waves (about 1.80m), the others were alright. In the first hour I just tried to find a place where the waves didn't break...I got to that place after a couple of times in the "washing machine" and Lise and I started relaxing until the others started waving at us...we were almost in the rip! Ok, we paddled back and I was pretty proud when I survived the next series of high waves. Then a local beside me started shouting: "Oh, there's a really big one coming! Go for it, that's your wave!!!" Hihi...I think he had no idea that I never surfed before...probably cause no beginner would go in that water...and then I saw that wave and he was right..it was huge!!! And there was no chance to dive in it to overcome it...not with a longboard. I just thought:" Ok, that's it. I am dying now". I was so scared I didn't even scream. I clung to my board and waited. Now I know that just waiting was not the best solution...Of course the wave broke exactly on me. I was crushed and whirled around. It was awful but I didn't panic and covered my head, so it was ok. Lise had the same problems with that wave. But her legrope broke. When she tried to get to the surface by going up on her legrope she had the lose end in her hands...really bad. After that she got caught by every wave cause she had no board to cling on. I went out after about 2 hours and felt really good. I want to try it again in small waves and without rock underneath. I think it was kind of crazy to go out there but it was amazing to see the locals catching waves.
On the 19th of Feb Lise and I caught the bus to Perth. Of course we didn't book any accommodation. We started ringing hostels in the bus. Everything was full. Some aussie guys were sitting behind us and had the same problem. They called about 30 hostels in the bus. They even called campsites and the Sheraton!!! Everything full. But we were lucky again. Luke was sitting in front of us and offered us to stay in his house in Freo (Fremantel). We stayed not one but five nights in his house. It was a good time with a lot of beer, surf videos and the highlight...a night boat tour with his friends. We were first in Jog Club and had a huge seafood platter. His friend Greg asked us if we want to go on his boat and once there we went on a cruise. We went up the Swan River and docked in the city. The Sky line at night was amazing. We started playing drinking games and in the end we were just so drunk we couldn't go back. But the boat had cabins and everything, so we slept on the boat. And now I know why Australiens love Cricket. It is the perfect hang-over sport =) you can relax on the couch and if you fall asleep you don't really miss anything. No, honnestly I like it!
On the 25th Lise and I moved to Bedford, next to Northbridge (best place to party) and rented a house. First there was a brazilian couple living here with us and now there is an english-irish couple. I like it to share a house with other people. I don't like to share it with cockroaches though. But they like me... Anyway, Life in Perth is nice but still I prefere Melbourne. There are really nice beaches here and the party in Northbridge is awesome. Tonight is a free BBQ in the Aberdeen Hotel and then the brasilian night. I was there last week and danced Salsa for the first time in my life. It was funny cause my dancing partner didn't know how to dance either =) Later I danced with somebody from Peru and that was really good. I had some good and some bad times here (more good, I think) and now it's time to move on. And I am really looking forward to be on the road again. I rented a Campervan with Lise and Michael and we'll start on the 25th of March, yes!!! We'll travel up the Sunset Coast to Darwin and it must be beautiful!
I don't think I'll write much in the next time. But anyway, I've got only 4 months left and time is runnig. So I'm almost back! Take care and have fun!
xxx Carla