My friend Charlotte invited me to join her and her housemates on a trip to the beach in Torquey for Christmas. I was stoked!! Sherissa and I (we're kind of a 2 -4- 1 deal) packed up our things, bought some bubbly, and headed out on the train on Christmas eve day to meet up with Charlotte, Hywel (like fuel with an H), Chris, and Tim (all from Wales).
The train took us to Geelong from which we caught a bus to Torquey. One of the things I am going to miss most when I end up leaving Melbourne is the public transportation system. There are so many options and you can go almost anywhere you want - I LOVE IT and I love not driving!! Anyway, we missed our bus stop and ended up hitching a ride from a local surfer boy to our backpackers - Bells Beach Lodge. This was a first for me so I was pretty excited :)
Once we got there, we wasted no time getting out to the beach because it was a gorgeous day. We were the first ones to arrive because the boys slept in and Charlotte had to work during the day. We decided to celebrate with a little champagne and some sun! It was paradise and it only got better once the others arrived. By the end of the night, after running amok throughout town and spraying Hywel down in the do-it-yourself car wash, we ended up in the backpackers' TV lounge area that was straight out of the sixties, singing along to Christmas songs that Chris had made a playlist of. We weren't the most popular of guests but we sure had a great time!
Torquey Beach, Christmas Eve
Oh Christmas tree
At the car wash
The next morning was Christmas morning and it was like none other I have ever experienced. We woke up at 7:30 and for breakfast we had bloody marys and a whole roast chicken from the night before that had been on special for $2 at Safeway. Sometimes these things just happen and let me just say that it was delicious!! We also got to watch the family that owned the joint open their presents. It was pretty awkward but I think they kind of enjoyed the company. There were about 15 guests staying for the holiday and everyone was gathered around their tree. Eve had been thoughtful enough to hide presents for Sherissa and I before she left so I was pretty excited to have something to open...gift certificate to the spa WAHOO!! We were all pleasantly surprised to receive something from the family to open as well...Bells Beach Backpackers caps and koozies. We were all very excited to say the least. The hats stayed on our heads the remainder of the day. As we were making our way to the beach, I felt like one of those families that all wears the same thing so they can pick each other out in a crowd. We were a sight.
Charlotte and our bloody marys
Hywel eating chicken
The Bells crew
We spent the day at Janjuk, this gorgeous beach set under some cliffs. I swam and played in the waves if you can believe that. At the end of the day, we barbecued the massive quantity of food we had purchased the night before in a very drunken state. It was so weird to be on a beach on Christmas but totally amazing. If you can imagine what a Forth of July might be like in Seattle if it wasn't raining, this was the mood of the day and I loved it!
poppers
poppers prizes...crowns for all
Santa surfing. MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!
