Just Chillin’ - Gold Coast Style

This little chapter, this little week is being recapped without notes. Because, who takes notes during chill time?! The Gold Coast is definitely a good place to learn to lean back, stop and smell the roses, just plain ol’ chill again. To us, it became the place we regenerated, relaxed and prepared for the next step of the way.

And what do you do after working your butt off, then sleeping in soggy tents and driving all day and then finally having a room and a bed? Stay in it! The first morning was gray and rainy and we were thankful for it. Because then at least there are is no guilt for wasting a beautiful day by sleeping in and hanging in bed for a few more hours.

The sun did eventually come out and so did we. From our hilltop home, we walked down to the “lake” which is actually salt/brackish water and connected to the ocean. There was even a sign warning about stingrays, jellyfish and sharks. 

A walk along the salty lake. 

It was the first time in a long time we just took a walk. A walk along a salty lake in suburbia. A unfamiliar mixture of pigeons, bush turkeys (some of the ugliest birds I have ever seen!), colorful parrots, cockatoos and seagulls accompanied us. 

Sure, I knew white parrots always hang out in pine trees.

There were baby puffer fish and other marine life playing along the egdes of the lake. All in all, a beautiful walk that ended in the little shopping center of Elanora. On the way back, I got a call from Tangalooma Resort, asking if they could conduct a short interview over the phone. I stuttered my way through it and that was that. Two days later we had a job.

In the late afternoon we headed down to the beach – just because we could. The sun was setting slowly and it left just enough time for Mo to jump in the water and play in the waves and for me to attempt my first little yoga session in over 3 months. Short and sweet, but it hurt so good.

Me. Tanned. Happy.

Us. Tanned (- all is relative). Happy.

Mo heading in for a dip.

Back to square one. It hurt so good.

The next day was gorgeous and we headed up to Mermaid Beach to visit Emily, a friend from Berlin who had moved here a year ago. Her cute little apartment had a cute little pool, which we made use of – all day long! Just seeing a familiar face, catching up and reminiscing was so refreshing somehow. And the water was just perfect to distract us from how sunburned we were getting.

Later in the afternoon our hunger drove us out of the pool and to the Fish and Chips shop. Three big portions in one big box, devoured while sitting on a windy beach watching kids boogie board and try not to be dragged this way and that by the waves and currents. We got stalked and squawked at by seagulls and in turn stalked and gawked at lifeguards ;)

There is nothing better than fish and chips on the beach. 

There is nothing worse than trying to light a cigarette on a very windy day.

And because the day had been so nice, we let the good times transition into darkness, sitting by the pool talking. We ended up spending the night and only headed home the next day for a short nap, a change of clothes and mental preparation for what was in store for us that evening.

More beach pictures.

A night out in Surfers Paradise! I always have to grin about the creativity of the names of places along the Gold Coast – Surfers Paradise, Mermaid Beach, Miami, Palm Beach… Anyways, after meeting Nadia and having a few drinks at the apartment, we hopped in a cab and drove straight into the Miami of Australia. Surfers Paradise is lines with highrise-hotels, plastic surgery clinics and institutions that suck the money out of your wallet (casinos, malls, arcades, clubs…). It was still raining, so the streets weren’t quite as full as usually, according to our party-proofed friends.

We started out night in Club Liv, where ladies could buy a large pink plastic cup for 10$ and refill said cup with longdrinks all night. Not bad, considering one will usually cost you at least 7,50AU$. So us ladies did that, while Mo ordered a glass of water, which, after I drank it, kept on magically refilling itself throughout the time we were there. The club itself reminded me of those clubs in Berlin which you have to shackle, gag and intoxicate me to be able to drag me into. Bouncy music (bad electronic remixes of every chart song imaginable), bouncy people (girls in anything extremely short with the highest of heels) and bouncy bouncers (no kidding, there was 1 security person for every 5 guests in there). But we were reminded again and again, we were only here for the drinks and the “real” club is much better.

We left after enough drinks had been consumed, played with a bouncy ball for a while and then moved on to Else Where. As the name says, this club is from somewhere other than Surfers Paradise. I could swear the owner is from Melbourne or had been to Europe by the vibe it was giving off. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many hipsters gathered in one place in Australia (which is about as many as you see in 10mins walking around Berlin). The music was good, the people were down to earth and, aside form the aggressively power-tripping orderlies, the rest of the night was stellar. We danced till we dropped. Literally, because after Emily and Nadia decided to drop to the floor and roll behind this curtain thing, we got kicked out. But it was around 4am, so we didn’t really mind.

The party continued back at Emily’s, but what happens at the after-party, stays at the after-party. Haha, I will only divulge that it involved penguins and an ear candle.

A night out in Surfers. This arm belonged to the zombie I woke up next to. 

Our first real hangover-day since we left Germany was spent rolling off Emily’s couch, into the car and into our bed (with a short pit-stop at KFC). It was once again (or still) rainy and gray and perfect.

The next day we decided, it was time to start preparing for our new job. This included having to shop for a uniform – black dress pants, white business shirt, black shoes and a watch. And where does one go when on a budget? Kmart! We spent over 3h getting together those outfits, only to have to get into the car and drive to another Kmart afterwards.

Drained and shopped out, we spent the evening with Julie and Alana and some friends of theirs on a hilltop in Burleigh overlooking the Gold Coast. What a view – waves crashing beneath you, stretches of white beaches and illuminated high rises along the horizon. And the food was amazing!

And although we had found almost everything, there’s always last minute stuff you think of. So the next day we went back to the shops to get that done. Then it was time to start packing and organizing. This was then interrupted by the sudden urge to head down to the beach. Again, we fought the current, lazed around in the shallows, watched lifeguards pull people in on their jet-skis and lay glowing in the light of the setting sun.

That sky.

Happy feet.

Shadow play.

My sunny boy. One of the last pictures before the haircut and shave.

Just chillin'.

Monday was Australia Day! Or Straya Day, as it is announced and pronounced. We spent it quite un-Australian - instead of getting drunk on a beach, we stayed in to do our RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol) online. We needed it to be able to serve alcohol at Tangalooma. Questions upon questions about rules and regulations, unduly intoxicated, disorderly, minors and indigenous.  And by the time we were done, it was gray and rainy.

Tuesday, was our last day of freedom and civilization. We had brunch with Emily and a little swim at the beach. While I’m more of a beach bum or like to float around or swim in the ocean, Mo needs action and the waves on that day were just right. They became inseparable – Mo and the waves – for quite some time there.

After that there were more last minute things to do… We had many last minutes. A haircut and shopping for munchies and tobacco later, we spent the evening packing and sorting through what to bring and what to leave in the car. What do you bring to a resort you’re going to work and live in? What do you bring to somewhere they call a “remote” location? Seeing as it is only a ferry ride away from Brisbane – the only thing that made it remote to us is the 24$ round trip we’d have to pay to get to there and back – we kept it minimal. Exciting exciting! You have no idea, how many times we asked ourselves… So what is it going to be like? It's always fun to be in that situation – a bit of nerves mixed with excitement, a bit of daydreaming mixed with a bit of hope and fear. How frequent does that feeling come up as you grow older and settle into routines? Well, I think that is and always will be up to you.