Surfers Paradise 23/09/2012-25/09/2012

It truly is Paradise. It’s warm day and night, and the beaches are beautiful. As I mentioned before, my stay here was ruined a little bit by that cold which came with more coughing and fever this time. On the first day I forced myself to stay outside and be active. I walked on the beach for a couple of hours and even took the time to work on my tan. It feels really weird to bake in the sun in a bikini while your nose is running and your body is burning up with a fever. But hey, it’s all about new experiences, right? On a related note, the sunburn on my feet made every step my own version of the passion of Christ. Where the sand or the water under the shower were warm, I was hopping around like a cat on a hot tin roof. When I was sunbathing, I dug my feet deep into the (cold) sand, and walking was only bearable bare-feet and in the ocean.

The way I spent my first day might not have been the best way to handle my flu/cold/whatever, because it knocked me out that night. The fever was so high that I was still feeling warm under an icy shower. I went to sleep at 5pm and slept for a good 14 hours; sporadically waking up with coughing fits. So on my second day, I did the exact opposite of what I did on the first. I still went to the beach for a couple of hours of fresh air, but I was content with just sitting there; no walking and no “active” tanning. I went back to the hostel around mid-morning, paid for 24-hour wifi and only left the bed to take a shower later that day. It was one of the more unpleasant days of my life. I reveled in self-pity and was very whiney in general. But I guess it was the right thing to do, because today (Wednesday, last day here) I feel much better and the fever is gone. After checking out, I left my backpack at the hostel, praying that no one will steal my laptop, and went to the beach. There was a thunderstorm yesterday (if I wasn’t hallucinating), which is why it’s not as humid and hot today as it was before. I think that’s quite nice and I will spend some time on/near the beach and maybe go for a walk later. My feet aren’t hurting as much when I walk now, which is such a huge relieve because that pain was almost more unpleasant than the fever. My bus to Brisbane only leaves at 9.30 tonight, so I’ve got a whole day left to spend in paradise.