Hooking up, Part 4

Continuing in our Random Meet-Up theme, let’s move back to Australia.

July 22, 2003

The town of Noosa must have some sort of supernatural forces bending reality, since such strange and wonderful things have happened to me here. First of all, I’m staying at a place called the North Shore Retreat, which is located a ways out of town on a lake, and is very beautiful. There are roos, turkeys, and peacocks wandering around the grounds. When I got here the backpacker lodge was full, so me and this nice, soft-spoken British guy named Andy were put into a Unit, which is like a pimp motel suite. I have my own king-sized bed, plus kitchen, dining room, and bathroom to share with Andy. You have to catch a van back to town and the beach, but that’s OK.

So, I sign up for a surfing lesson, and am waiting in town to be picked up by the company, sitting on a bench, reading a book, when I get the feeling that someone is staring at me. I look up, and there is Douggie, with a silly grin on his face. “Of all the gin joints in the world…” he begins. I only could just laugh, seeing a friend from home standing there with a big shit-eating grin on his face, and gave him a big hug. Turns out he and his lab group from Sydney were in town for a Polymer conference.

After my lesson I met up with Doug, and we surfed all afternoon. I love surfing! When I finally caught my first wave on two feet and rode it for a few seconds I felt like I had just learned to ride a bike or drive. It's so much fun to hang out in the ocean and chase a few waves, especially on the beautiful Noosa beach under a blue sky and bright sun. I've always sort of liked going to the beach back home, but always felt like there was not quite enough to do. Now that I can surf, the beach has a whole new appeal for me.

So, Doug Holmes and I spent the next two days surfing, crashing at the sweet Swiss-style cottage his lab group had rented, and eating giant burgers off the grill. It's a great way to spend one's time, and I've kept going back to the beach and playing in the waves.

Today, another random encounter: I'm bust surfing, without my contacts so I can't really see that well, when someone calls out to me. It was Xander and Suuz, two Dutch people I had hiked the Routeburn and Greenstone tracks with in New Zealand! They had been in Noosa about as long as I had, and were loving it as much as I was.

So, two chance encounters with friends in one small beach town. Seems like a little magic to me.