Gold Coast for the Roxy Pro and Quiki Pro

Since I have been in Australia I watched the movie "The Bucket List" and started to think about my own list as I'm sure everyone else does when they watch that movie. Well, going to the Gold Coast was on my list. Since I have become healthily obsessed with surfing over the past few years I have been watching surf movies of exotic beaches, islands, and perfect point breaks and barrels that this world has to offer, including the many world-class surf breaks of the Gold Coast. I arrived Saturday night and made my way to Palm Beach. The next morning my friend Liselle and I went for a walk along the beach and as I turned around to get a few of my surroundings I saw the Surfers Paradise skyline in the distance and stood there in awe. Its the back-drop of every typical Aussie movie and it is breath-taking in live view. Ah-mazing.....

One of the main reasons I came to the Gold Coast was to see my good friend Liselle who is the Women's WCT Chaplain. She was the tour manager for the Walking On Water East Coast Tour back in 2007 and is an amazing woman of God and insane musician. :) She was on the Gold Coast for the first contest (Roxy Pro) of the season at Snapper Rocks. Every top surfer in the world travels to the Gold Coast to kick-start the year, meet with their sponsors, appear at surf film premieres and the like. The place wreaked of surf culture and it was unreal. It was great for a short time, but eventually it dies down and the circus leaves town.

While on the Gold Coast I was also scoping out the land as this is one place I am considering moving to once I get back from New Zealand at the end of May. There is so much that this place has to offer and Liselle and I met a lot of great people, which is what makes a place come alive. I went to a great chuch, Beachside, right in Palm Beach with a surfer vibe and a great pastor. This coincidentally is the same church that my friend Prisca and her husband Tim go to. It was the first church that I have been to in Oz that is like my home church, North Coast Calvary Chapel.

After a week of beaching it I made my way back down to Sydney. Although sad to leave, I knew it was just a taste of what I get to come back to in May and it definitely has gotten me excited of all the adventures to come. So it's either Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast. If you don't know what I am talking about then Google Earth it. Both places are incredible.

Once I get to Sydney I met up with one of my good friends Lauren who is from San Diego. That night we went to a taping of So You Think You Can Dance Australia and it was so much fun. We stood in prime view of the stage and were actually on tv standing next to the presenter. It's not as great as the American version but then again the tickets were free.

I know these posts are few and far between but I am working hard on keeping you all up to date with all that I have been doing, seeing, getting to experience, and the like.

Until next time.......
love, cindy