161 hanlan street, apartment 703

finally found a place! not only is it somewhere to stay, but it's in a prime location and a really nice building. gym, pool, perfect view AND within our budget! although, we did have to settle for a studio rather than the two bedroom that we had intended on getting, but prices were high and places were going fast, so when we saw the view from this one, we took it immediately without looking at anything else.











we knew surfers paradise was going to be an awesome place to live, but google earth definitely did not do it justice. it doesn't seem like it with all the high rise apartments and city-like setup, but there are actually only 12000 people who live here. it's mostly tourists and people like us, who came here to work and travel. the beach is absolutely beautiful though. waves are big, the sand is white and the sun is hot. playing around in the waves is so much fun, but the current is super strong. so strong that the first day, i got carried way out of the swimming zone and the rescue boat had to come out and tell me to get back to where i'm supposed to be! it's a good workout though. i can't wait to surf. the city itself kind of reminds me of halifax because it seems bigger, but it's pretty small in reality. everything is central within a matter of blocks. there is a market-type street called cavill ave. which is packed with stores, restaurants and some bars. it's an easy city to get around, i'm loving it so far. i guess what the australians would say here is cheers!