and so begins day three...
Surfing yesterday was quite successful, with me standing up on more than one wave and riding it all the way to the shore without falling off! I did get quite tired by the end of the lesson and had to get out and sit on shore for the last 5-10 minutes that the others were in the water. We were a bit further down the beach than the day before and also the water was calmer. As the tide came in, though, the current pulling you towards the rips was a bit stronger, and honestly, my legs (and ankles, in particular) got tired from trying to fit my way out to where I could properly catch a wave.
Diana and I are getting along quite well, and I'm very glad to have the company and a travelling companion. Yesterday we went for a relatively early supper (a bit before 6pm, but felt a lot later because it gets darker a lot earlier here, it being winter) and got a great $6 supper special (with drink purchase). I had fish and chips, and the fish was barramundi. It was good, but basically tasted a lot like cod (being fried and breaded, it's a little hard to tell one fish apart from another). The drink I got was very much worth the $5.40- a blended fruit smoothie. In retrospect, I should have gotten the banana based one. Apparently there was a cyclone recently (I think I remember hearing about it) and it wiped out most of the banana crop in the country. As a consequence, the bananas in the grocery store are $14.99/kg! So I ordered banana pancakes this morning (I've given up on our "included breakfast" as white toast is not a reasonable breakfast to go surfing on!). Still trying to get used to the coffee... it's good, but it's really not the same.
My surfing lesson is at 11:30 this morning, and I believe that I get some kind of certificate when I finish today. The ocean looks fairly calm again today, so I should be able to have some good standing rides and maybe even start to learn turning a bit, depending on how well things go. I'm starting to feel the muscle fatigue of the surfing today (felt fine yesterday), so I may end up quitting a bit early again today too.
After surfing, Diana and I are planning on taking a bus into the city, although we aren't sure exactly what we want to do yet. Buses run all the time and very late, so we should have tons of time if we arrive in the city around 3.
Tomorrow is when I take the train into the Blue Mountains to meet Tracy and Carl for some hiking and exploring. I'll be on an early train, but as I was awake at 6am this morning, I don't think it'll be a problem for me! I had managed to stay awake til about 10:30 last night, which was an improvement on the night before. I think I should be reasonably adjusted to the time difference here in another day or two. So I may not be able to update tomorrow, but I may if the motel in Katoomba has internet access (Tracy has her laptop).
Diana and I are getting along quite well, and I'm very glad to have the company and a travelling companion. Yesterday we went for a relatively early supper (a bit before 6pm, but felt a lot later because it gets darker a lot earlier here, it being winter) and got a great $6 supper special (with drink purchase). I had fish and chips, and the fish was barramundi. It was good, but basically tasted a lot like cod (being fried and breaded, it's a little hard to tell one fish apart from another). The drink I got was very much worth the $5.40- a blended fruit smoothie. In retrospect, I should have gotten the banana based one. Apparently there was a cyclone recently (I think I remember hearing about it) and it wiped out most of the banana crop in the country. As a consequence, the bananas in the grocery store are $14.99/kg! So I ordered banana pancakes this morning (I've given up on our "included breakfast" as white toast is not a reasonable breakfast to go surfing on!). Still trying to get used to the coffee... it's good, but it's really not the same.
My surfing lesson is at 11:30 this morning, and I believe that I get some kind of certificate when I finish today. The ocean looks fairly calm again today, so I should be able to have some good standing rides and maybe even start to learn turning a bit, depending on how well things go. I'm starting to feel the muscle fatigue of the surfing today (felt fine yesterday), so I may end up quitting a bit early again today too.
After surfing, Diana and I are planning on taking a bus into the city, although we aren't sure exactly what we want to do yet. Buses run all the time and very late, so we should have tons of time if we arrive in the city around 3.
Tomorrow is when I take the train into the Blue Mountains to meet Tracy and Carl for some hiking and exploring. I'll be on an early train, but as I was awake at 6am this morning, I don't think it'll be a problem for me! I had managed to stay awake til about 10:30 last night, which was an improvement on the night before. I think I should be reasonably adjusted to the time difference here in another day or two. So I may not be able to update tomorrow, but I may if the motel in Katoomba has internet access (Tracy has her laptop).