I Surfed... I Think

This is just a quick short post to satiate you while I create a few longer posts that I will write covering the time Mari has spent here. As the title suggests, this one is about me surfing (or at least trying to).

Mari and I spent last weekend in Byron Bay doing many touristy things including surfing. Being from California, Mari has spent some time on a surf board and has the basic idea of what to do when that wave comes along. So I saw this as an opportunity for her to show me up yet again. And I was right.

We signed up with a company called Black Dog Surf School that actually had a dog that surfed. His name is George and he hangs out in the companies office most of the day. He has not really mastered the concept of facing the right way, but he does get on the board and surf.

We started with a few stretches (thankfully sans camera) and a few drills about foot placement and how to stand up on the board when the wave takes us... then we were in the water. For some reason the instructors thought that Mari and I should be the first two to embarrass ourselves... I was the only one to do that successfully.

It was slow going for the first few tries. I was able to stand up, but it just felt like I was standing on a board in the ocean... not really surfing. But then the instructors pushed me into some bigger waves and I finally felt like I was actually surfing. For some reason I was never able to wipe this dumb look off my face. Every picture of me, I look like I am looking at a horribly disturbing scene... but from a long ways away. So it is a bit of "squinting disgust".

On my last "surf" the fins on the board ran aground on the beach and I decided I would just step off the board instead of fall off like I had been doing all day. That turned out to be a mistake. My impossibly weak knee gave out from under me, I heard it pop, and there was quite a bit of pain that caused me to swear loudly at a crowded family beach. Thankfully it seems that I just sprained my knee, but it still put a damper on the day, since we had to change our plans.

If any of you super intelligent people want to make robotic knees, know that I am a willing guinea pig just as long as I get to keep a working pair.

That is all for this short and quick update. I will do another post soon to let you know all of the fun we got into while Mari visited from Japan. In the mean time, here is another picture of us surfing... notice my complete lack of form resulting in me falling to the back of the wave (like I said, "I think I surfed"). While Mari is making me look like a fool that is confused by the large body of water that just happened to be under me (Why am I wet? And what is that smell?).

Chat soon. Enjoy

So I moved to the other side of the world...

"Welcome to Australia!" Was the first sign I saw as I deboarded the massive 747 after haphazardly stumbling down the jet way wearing clothes that reeked of 36 hours of travel in coach. I had finally made it to the land down under... again.

I know that I promised everyone regular updates to my blog just as I have done with my previous travels. But I have let you down once more. So, here is a two month one week and five day late blog post.

I settled in quickly to the house I have been staying in. A quaint little cottage in the very eclectic suburb of West End. I spent the first two weeks sleeping on a "swag"in a furnitureless house, eating my meals while standing at the kitchen counter. Thankfully, I was dispatched with a U-haul-esk truck to pick up a mattress and furniture only a few weeks into my stay. So I am now in a house that is furnished... just in time for me to move out.

The job hunt got off to a slow start. I began by abusing every possible contact I had down here begging for an opportunity to show them how important social media was. Interview after interview, office tour after office tour, nothing seemed to be the right fit. If you are looking for a quick way to feel down about your prospects, try getting turned down for four jobs in a month and a half time. All bad things do come to an end though, one turn down turned into a reference, which turned into a week of work experience, which turned into a three month PAID internship, which could turn into a full time job.

The potential full time job in question is with the major news paper in Queensland, The Courier-Mail. I am working with their social media team, designing posts for multiple platforms and trying to increase their reach and engagement numbers. And it is quite the learning experience.

You guys came this far, here is a picture of a penguin in a Christmas tree costume

I had a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner. I had originally intended to just grab a turkey sandwich and call it a day, but at the persistent nagging of one of my newly found friends, I planned a whole dinner. I was quite a bit nervous, seeing as I had never cooked Thanksgiving dinner before. I have always been the designated bartender/wine pourer at the family gathering. But I did not have to impress anyone who had a Thanksgiving dinner before, because they were all foreigners (one German, one Mexican, and one Australian). So with the help of his culinary holiness Alton Brown, I was able to make a delicious meal. 

I have also been lucky enough to spend some time on the coast in Byron Bay with my ever so gracious housemate. The house we stayed at was beautiful and the company was even better. There was a local surf festival while we were there as well, but we really didn't make it down that far.

For the moment, I believe that is all. I do have to get ready to leave for work now. But I will do my very best to continue with regular blog updates. Feel free to comment or leave questions, I know I have left so much out, but I am happy to answer any questions you may have. Sorry for the length, I hope the pictures made it a little easier to manage. Here is one final picture. I may have left Ohio, but Ohio has not left me.

A Beach Paradise During Monsoon Season

This past weekend I took a trip to Goa with Daniela. Originally a Portugese colony, Goa is now the smallest state in India, and is known for its beaches. Daniela wanted to visit Goa while here, and I had many people tell me that Goa is a must see while in India. So, I packed up my overnight bag and boarded a plane headed for Goa.

We stayed at this wonderful little hotel called Sonesta Inns. There was NO ONE there. With the exception of an Indian family and what looked like a couple on their honeymoon, the hotel was empty. Upon arrival at our hotel around 7 pm we checked in and tried to figure out where we were going to eat. I was given a huge list of great restaurants in Goa by a friend of mine, so we figured we would scour over that. As it turns out, monsoon season is their off season (imagine that) and every place we called was closed.

Upon dropping us off at the hotel after dinner, the cabbie suggested we go to a spice plantation the following day, seeing as we had not found any touristy stuff to do, we happily agreed and made our way to our rooms. The next morning we had breakfast and hopped in the cab headed out for a little sight seeing. First on the list was a very old church, if I remember correctly it is the Church of St. Francis.

If you were wondering, the thing above the two cherubs heads is the body of St. Francis... he died in 1552. I can only imagine how bad that thing would stink if it was opened. Sorry... I digress

And I also must say this was the most burtal crucifix I have ever seen. 

After the church we made our way to a hindu temple that was beautiful, but overall not that exciting. 

Once we walked though the temple we jumped back in the cab and made our way to the spice plantation. Initially I had no idea what we were in for, I figured it was just going to be a big spice market with a couple of trees here and there... I was quite wrong. This plantation was 150 acres and had spices growing in every corner of all sorts of different plants. The tour was surprisingly impressive, we walked around two acres of the property and the guide explained the purpose and importance a whole bunch of different spices have to the Indian people. When the tour ended, they had some ritual of pouring water down your back signifying that you were "cleansed" or something like that. It was quite uncomfortable and I do not care to do it again.

After that we had a lunch buffet provided by the spice plantation. It was really really really good. They also gave us an opportunity to try fenny (it reminded me of the Slovakian plum brandy I got sick on many times). 

Daniela and I decided to play it safe with the food that night, so we found a nice Italian place and had a nice meal before calling it a night. The day we were meant to leave, we decided to go for a walk around the area, only to find liters of petrol being sold out of old water bottles and makeshift pharmacies were lining the street. We retreated back to the hotel and made a break for the beach.

As you can see, it was quite dreary. Alas, we were in a vacation destination and walking on the beach, so we kept our complaints to ourselves. Overall, Goa was a great trip, with the exception of the copious number of mosquito bites I now have, I am glad that Daniela asked me to join here.

Next up: Mari arrives on Saturday evening and we make our way to Agra and Jaipur. Be prepared for a couple posts on her visit.