Last night was so good! We partied well into the morning although I didn’t drink that much either after around 11pm so I felt better than fine this morning when I woke even though I only slept for about 5 hours. I think I must have got back to my hostel around 4 this morning, definitely a great way to see in my birthday. I woke up and begun getting ready for my day ahead; I had booked a surf lesson for this morning, so I got picked up for that around 10. Turned out I was the only person on the lesson which I was pleased about. We went around to the storage unit at Dunbar, grabbed the wet suits and surfboards to put in the trailer on the back of the minibus and drove around 5 minutes to a beach that was appropriate. We put our wet suits on and carried the surfboard down the beach so that we were between the flags. The instructor first started off by giving us a warmup, so a quick stretch and jog down the beach. I was then taught how to lay on the surfboard whilst we were on the sand which was flat down with my toes curled around the back of the board, this was so uncomfortable as the board was quite rough and you could feel it against your toes. We also had to practice standing up with the correct technique to help keep the board steady once on the water. After the basics, we got straight in the sea. I had to carry the board and I could not believe how awkward it was to carry; the wind kept catching it meaning it spun slightly, also the size of it was so wide that it was a struggle to carry it under my arm. The sea was ice cold and it was a shock to the system as I got in deeper. The instructor told me to jump on the board and assume the position that I had been shown on the beach; I tried to launch myself on but gave myself so much oomph, I went straight off the other side but after a few attempts I almost perfected the art of laying on the board. The sea water was so salty, so I had to remember to breathe through my nose otherwise I got a very unpleasant taste. My hands and feet were red and sensitive from the cold of the water and I was quite surprised I managed to maintain my grip on the board. After getting used to the feeling of the waves beneath me, as well as a bit seasick, it was time to practise standing up on the water, so first things first was to bring my arms under my shoulders and push up so that I was in the cobra pose; then I had to bring my right knee forward underneath me before following with my left foot to place between my hands, I would say this part was probably the most difficult for me as I am not very agile, so it was a struggle to bring the foot forward, before finally pushing up with my legs into a sort of squat position to maintain my balance. My front foot, or otherwise known as left foot, had to be at 45 degrees whilst my right or back foot had to be at 90 degrees. There are 2 types of stances, mine which is regular with the left foot at the front and goofy which is when the right foot is at the front. As I was paddling through the waves to be further out so that I would be where the wave breaks, we had to go into the oncoming waves which meant each time a face full of sea water, so I am sure I spent most of the 2 hours coughing and spluttering. Finally, it was time to ride the waves, so the instructor spun me around, so I was facing the beach and then as the wave came behind me, he would pull me forward to give me a bit of momentum so that then I could try to stand up. It was smoother than I expected although on this attempt I didn’t stand up as I could not get my leg between my hands without falling off. We just kept trying and trying until eventually I stood up, although it was only for a few seconds, but I was still pleased; I managed to stand up 4 times in total. By the end of the 2 hours, I was battered, my mouth felt so dry from where so much salt water had been in it, my face ached from constantly being battered by the waves and I was so cold, I could no longer feel my body. Somehow, I don’t think I am going to be a surfer babe in Australia. I think if I get the chance, I might try to learn kite surfing instead as at least then you have the air to help you stand up. Once the 2 hours was up, I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a relief as I was so tired and really wanted to drink some fresh water, so we headed back onto the beach. Once we got back to the beach, I looked around for my Birkenstocks but we couldn’t find them, I think someone must have stolen them; I am glad everything else I left in the bus. I was upset that I had lost them as I liked them however on the positive side, they were a bit tattered and I had said that once I get back in 6 months, I was going to replace them so at least they weren’t brand new. The walk back to the bus was painful though as this beach was quite rocky and aside from that, I had stubbed my toe hard on a rock causing my big toenail to split right down the middle and was bleeding really bad, I dread to think how bad that will be to grow back now.

Once I got back to the hostel, I quickly had a hot shower before a quick stroll to the nearby mall to find myself a new pair of sandals. The temperature was hot today so once I got into the building, it felt so refreshing to be hit by the air conditioning. I went around to several different shops in hope to find some decent sandals, but a lot of shops only sold flipflops or fancy sandals which had no sole. In the end, towards the back of the mall, I did find a shoe store and thankfully, in the sale, were some Birkenstock lookalikes which were comfortable enough, so I brought them for £20 which will see me through till I get home. I must have spent around 2 hours in the mall looking for stuff as by the time I eventually looked at the time, it was 3.00 so time for me to head straight to the hairdressers where I had booked myself in for a cut as I never had time before I left England. This haircut was so much more than just a cut though, the washbasin where they wash your hair had a back and shoulder massager installed so whilst they were washing it, I could enjoy the massage and then the lady also gave me 10 minutes of the best head massage I have ever felt! Whilst cutting my hair, me and the lady had a nice conversation as well, so it wasn’t too quiet either.

So that has basically been my day which leads us to now where I am just about ready to head out for some dinner; I thought there was going to be a large group, but it is looking more likely just to be me and Stine, which will be nice but I don’t think I can buy a cake and candles just for the two of us which I am a little disappointed about. I will let you know what happens tonight in tomorrow’s entry.