9 posts tagged “surfing”

no one looks good in one. no one. but especially not me. they are, however, very useful in protecting against sunburn. pity I didn't wear a full-length one.

I took a plane. And once I was in Morocco (Casablanca), I ran and then I took another plane (to Agadir). Sadly, my luggage is not able to run by itself, so it had to wait and wait and wait until someone would take it to the next plane which meant that it did not actually join me in Agadir. As my flight was already late in arriving and then I was later still coming out because I had to wait in line to report the non-arrival of my suitcase (travel light?), my anxiety levels were through the roof not to mention being really, really tired. I got snippy with my mom on the phone, I didn't have the patience to work out the cash machine and all I wanted was bed. But then I met the other woman in the van (to take us to Taghazout) who was just lovely and upon hearing that I didn't have any useful luggage except for the flip-flops in my carry-on, immediately cracked open her own suitcase and whipped out a bikini and a towel for me to use because as she said, "you can't not go surfing your first day!"  Thus, my holiday was actually off to an excellent start!

I really just don't have much to say, not that that has ever stopped me from typing drivel before.  I was off Twitter for a while, too.  Then I checked and the number of people following me had jumped by fifty percent.  Not because I was tweeting (because I wasn't) nor based on the quality of my tweets before I stopped (because most of them have to do with being tired or procrastination).  No, it was just a whole bunch of people I know joined twitter.  So, now I'm following them, too.  But not if they tweet too often.  If you crowd out everyone else I'm following with too many tweets, you will not make it through to the next round of Twitter Survivor (played exactly like Facebook Survivor and MySpace Survivor). 

I am getting ready for Morocco.  Eight nights at the SurfMaroc villa and lessons.  I hope it goes well.  This whole doing stuff by myself thing really blows, but it's still better than staying home with the cat.  Not that I mind being at home with the cat, but there's just this huge, amazing world out there and I want to see it.  The cat doesn't.  So, she stays home, and I pack my bags.  I need to e-mail the villa and find out exactly what I need to bring.  Towels?  Deffo sunscreen and good conditioner.  I know it's still two weeks away, but the only way I (and everyone else at my school) will make it through the next week, is if I keep moving forward to coming back from Tagazhout in one piece.  (yeah, at this point, I'm anxious enough about the experience that I'm looking forward to my return from there when it all be a happy(?) memory, preferably sans sunburn).  So, roll on mid-April!

It's been a while.  I had a great time at home and aside from a six hour weather delay at Charles de Gaulle which really threw me off, I can't complain about the trip back.  The Air France staff on my flight from CDG to Geneva were absolutely lovely and even all the passengers (except for some of the children) were in relatively good humor. 

I hit Ikea with G yesterday.  That and the Super Coop were a bit of a letdown.  I found almost everything I was looking for, but not before Ikea nearly got a black curtain rod shoved somewhere.  Apparently, they have discontinued their single curtain rods, so you can now only buy them as a set complete with finials. I don't want finials.  I only wanted just one more curtain rod because I am switching out the single rod brackets in my room for double.  I have been doing my best to get over the "buy it when you see it" idea, but it turns out at Ikea, that if you don't buy it right when you see it, it will probably be discontinued. 

On the other hand, I did pick up a "buy one get one free" selection of a really pretty bedside table lamp. I ended up keeping the small reading lamps I'd put on the frame of the bed, but the new lamps look really, really lovely.  I also finally got a real overhead light for the spare room and I am currently sitting on a nice new Poang to match the one I got earlier this Fall.  My feet are resting on the matching Poang hassock and I am very comfy, though not particularly productive. 

Maria Tatar will be the bane of my existence.  I have just ordered another copy of "The Classic Fairytales" because I can't find the one that I ordered in November.  And that particular experience was my second attempt at acquiring the book.  People at amazon.uk are living large, thanks to my idiocy. 

On the upside, I have just booked my trip to Morocco.  I have my flight and will be staying at the villa at Surf Maroc.  I can't wait! Now I just have to start working on my pop-ups again so that I don't spend the week in sore muscle hell.  I feel like I've gotten quite a bit done, but aside from changing light bulbs I can't come up with anything. Oh, I am using my new wireless keyboard and mouse and that is wow, very comfortable.  So glad that I made the switch.  It cleans up the mantel a bit (I'm trying to ignore the tea mug and books and other stuff) and in general makes life easier.  I'm still working on how to make the characters on the screen bigger so that I can actually see what I'm typing from my chair. 

I should probably get dressed for the day. I am buying new pillows.  I hope.  Fourth times the charm?       

Um, lots to say, not so much time to say it in.  We left Canberra after spending way toooooo long at the War Memorial.  So long, in fact, that we missed out on B's one wish, the Australia Institute of Sport.  The War Memorial has a great museum, but spending close to two hours reading profiles and stories of Australian war dead totally wore me out.  I wallowed in a dark place for a good couple of days.  But, that night we drove to Sydney and stayed with B's auntie and uncle who are just the loveliest!  They really made us feel welcome and at home and I loved the time we spent with them. 
In Sydney, we took a cruise around the harbors.  The next day, after discovering that they actually have peanut butter and chocolate ice cream at BnR here, we boarded a catamaran for a four hour whale watching cruise.  Yes, we saw whales and dolphins but not from a distance so that you'd recognize them from my photos.  Well, maybe you would, but I haven't actually looked at my photos to see.  Instead, we discovered that though this was B's idea, it wasn't one of her best.  She went home to recover from rough seas and I met up with Izzy who I had met at the hostel in Noosa.  We went for hot chocolate which was DIVINE at Max something or other, Brenner, maybe; he's very proud of his baldness is really what I took away from that experience.  Anyways, the hot chocolate was so good that I had hot chocolate in the Blue Mountains the next day to repeat the experience.  SO, Izzy and I wandered the Rocks, walked back to the Opera House, and I actually went inside.  And then I went home, and she went home and the evening was over. 
Blue Mountains, the Three Sisters rock formation, absolutely gorgeous, though I have to say that if this is the low season for tourists, I am never coming back in the high season.  It wasn't jam-packed, but I'm not averse to using the word crowded.   Lunch was at a cute little place with great hot chocolate called the Parakeet?  Probably not, but I wanted to give it a name and I know there was a brightly colored bird on the sign.  
Thursday, we did the marathon drive from Sydney to Byron Bay.  Byron Bay is awesome, but they're a little flexible with their opening/closing times.  Subway's signage indicated a 9pm closure, while the staff inside said, no no, 8:30.  No cookie for me.  Instead we went and had sushi. 
Friday, we had our surfing lesson and it was awesome.  I have to remember to get that disc from B before I go, because the owner's sister came out with a camera and took photos of our class.  Good times!
Friday night, B decided I needed a backpacker bar experience.  We went to Chunky Monkey (so not the correct name, but I'm not doing them that favor).  The food was good and cheap, but the games...  Well, I wasn't near drunk enough for that.  After Happy Hour, the beer prices massively jump, so I'm not sure how all these "backpackers" can afford it, but whatev, by the time I got my third wind, B was ready to go home.  thankfully, I'm a pretty agreeable person and we left in a good mood.  We dropped our new friend home.  The German girl from our surfing lesson who I'm pretty sure was a ringer because she totally rocked the surfboard.  Anyways, she got home safe and then B and I went for pizza. 
I won't say that I'm too old for this shit, though, honestly I am.  Between surfing, beer, and the top bunk, again, I was not in my best shape Saturday morning, but oh my gosh after the divine brunch at the Balcony, I perked right up. I think it really comes down to there isn't much a poached egg on toast (served either Benedict or with feta and grilled tomato) and a great latte can't cure. 
We drove back to Brisbane and stopped off at the Gabba.  The Gabba, named for the suburb in which it stands, is the BCG or Brisbane Cricket Ground.  Thankfully, we weren't there to see cricket, but rather Australian Football League.  I had hardly recovered from Friday night when beer appeared in way copious amounts.  And I discovered many interesting things about this AFL thing.  The Brisbane Lions are, apparently, fourth quarter specialists, meaning they will get their asses handed to them on a platter until the 4th quarter in which they will pull it  out and win by a decent margin.  There are EIGHTEEN men on each side on the pitch (field of play) and the pitch is ROUND.  There's something called a Mark and "catching it on the full" (maybe, it all gets a little hazy) and behinds, and I don't remember what a goal is called, but it involves the ref waving either one white flag (if it's a behind) or two white flags.  The quarters are 25 minutes each, so umm, well, you so get your money's worth. 
Somehow, we ended up in Fortitude Valley, experiencing the night life of Brisbane.  I took the bus home and died, I woke up in time to shower and get to B's parents for another splendid bbq where I got to meet more of her awesome family and some of her friends from high school. 
Monday, I went to Toowoomba to take a photo for my dad, but my experiences with public transport here and in Toowoomba are a totally diffferent post.  Today, I am in downtown sunny Brisbane.  And I leave tomorrow.  No, I haven't thought about packing. 

So, my week of surfing ended Friday after my lesson.  I got my certifcate.  I'm really glad I did it.  I love being out in the water and once my arms stopped hurting (this morning), I could really appreciate how hard I worked.  The chafing from the board hasn't quite cleared up yet (I wasn't clever enough to wear a rash guard under my wetsuit until Friday), but at least it doesn't sting anymore.  My knees are still a little banged up, but they're healing.  So, it may sound like I did myself some damage during my week on the waves, but it's all superficial stuff that will heal.  Unlike skiing which is how I wrecked my knee.  I didn't tear anything, get a concussion or lose a limb.  Yeah, I had sore muscles and scrapes, but it's all a good healthy sort of pain.  And I can't wait to get back out there and do it again. 

At my surf school, they teach you to stand by getting up your toes, stepping forward with your dominant foot, and then bringing your other foot forward with your weight on it.  The instructor Wednesday said it was like the yoga pose Rising Cobra into Downward Facing Dog.  They use a 1,2,3 count to remind you, but that wasn't quite enough for me, so I made up my own mantra.  "Ass in the air, right, left, weight forward."  It's amazing how well it worked!

I had such a wonderful time in Noosa. I went for another massage on Thursday afternoon.  I had fun hanging out with the girls that I met.  I slept lots and ate well.  I highly recommend a week in Noosa to get a person on track for good living. 

cooking rice.  Way too much water today.  Surfing, on the other hand, was much, much better today.  I stood and rode the board almost all the way to the beach.  Definitely improving.  Okay, so getting off the board is pretty graceless, but whatever, I'm getting there. 

My mood/outlook in general is vastly improved today.  Don't know if it was the alleve (I'm almost out, what's the Aussie equivalent?!?!), the sleep, the morning spent OUT of a wetsuit or what, but my muscles feel better and I feel better.  We surfed in a different area, closer to the riptide, so the waves were a lot better than where I had been the past two sessions where the waves would roll you if you looked at them funny. 

I went to the markets in Eumundi this morning.  It's huge and they're only open on Wed and Sat, so I was glad to go.  I found a gorgeous bedcover that the cat will not be allowed within two meters of and some pillow covers.  All finely crafted in India, but hey, a) it's not China and b) say what you will about the cost of labor, but there's no getting around the beauty of the textiles. 

I am going to start the embroidery tonight.  Think of me!

So, I've had two days of surfing lessons.  I am so sore, I didn't know I had this many muscles, but I'm still here.  Aside from a rash on the inside of my left elbow and bumps and bruises all over my knees and legs, I'm okay.  I went for a massage today which was divine!  Marie Bean, if you're in Noosa, look her up!  Probably the best fifty bucks that I have spent so far. 

I don't have all that much to say about the surfing right now.  It's fun, I wear a wetsuit and it turns out that those are wet when you put them on.  I didn't realize they were named so literally.  The wetsuit is short-sleeved and short legged.  We spend time practicing on the beach first and then take our boards to the water.  It's a lot harder in the water.  Balancing is difficult on a piece of fiberglass that is moving on top of water that is also moving.  I tend to fall off to the right.  And I try to bring my knees into the equation which doesn't work.  My batwings are totally going to be gone by the end of the week.  My triceps are getting an incredible workout.  And my ears and sinuses have been getting multiple saline washes.  I'm not sure internal exfoliation is a good idea, but there's probably been sand in there, too.  My sinuses are clearer than they've been in ages.  I'm also a little perplexed by my lessons, generally.  I booked in for a five day surf & stay.  It's supposedly a five day certificate course.  But both days, I've had my lessons with the people who just show up for a 2 hour, one day class.  Whatever.  It's my own personal Groundhog Day. 

I met some nice girls through my surfing classes, so we are meeting up in a bit to go to the Irish bar because they're having live music.  The youth hostel/lodge is lovely.  The showers are fantabulous (if you have ever had the misfortune of using my shower in my apartment, you will understand why this is so important to me!) and probably the best part of my day is coming home from surfing and washing the beach out of my hair.  Thankfully, today it's a bit warmer. Yesterday was so cold (and there was an afternoon thunderstorm) that I seriously contemplated staying in the shower for the whole afternoon.  But, they do have a drought situation, so I'm doing my best to get in and get out.  (stop laughing, parental units!)

I think I am mostly past my jetlag, though I have been dead to the world by nine pm both nights.  I've been getting up at seven so I can have a leisurely morning before the surf pick-up.  I'm so cloudy headed in the morning that I really do need the two hours to get organized.  I don't have any photos of surfing or anything, so maybe later in the week or later in the trip when Broghan and I hit the waves.  All right, the girl at the internet cafe would like to close up.  Hope everyone is well at home.  Oh, I bought the most hideously tacky embroidery.  What elevates it from just tacky (underwater scene with dolphins and angelfish) to hideously so, you don't embroider the whole thing, just the whited out parts.  It's going to be a glory, I tell you! 

All right, going to head back to the hostel to figure out dinner. 

I'm not considered particularly graceful or even well-balanced by most people who know and love me.  It's true, when I was child I broke both my arms within a year.  I've damaged both of my knees in separate and sometime repeated incidents and I often discover funny bruises with no inkling of how on earth *that* happened.  But I have decided that I would like to learn how to surf.  It's not something I've always wanted to do, but since Holland where a colleague had gone to a surf school in Costa Rica, I've had an increasing interest in learning how.  With an upcoming trip to Australia, I investigated surf schools.  I found one about a couple of hours from where I'm flying in/out of and they seem particularly geared towards beginners and more specifically women. 
I wanted to know if there was any sort of sport I should do to prepare for surfing lessons, so I sent them an e-mail.  You know what they came back with?!  PUSH-UPS!!!  I wondered if this wasn't an example of Aussie humor, so I asked a couple of friends.  They laughed and said that actually push-ups were probably a great way to get in form for surfing because in order to stand, you have to be able to push yourself up.  Oh.  I haven't started, yet, but I told a colleague that I was going to start coming to her room at lunch time and we were going to do push-ups and sit-ups together.