My New Home Away From Home

Yesterday, I went to the beach; Mooloolaba beach to be exact. Mooloolaba. It is such a tongue twister, easily one of the hardest words I have ever had to pronounce in my life. Mooloolaba is about a 20 minute bus ride despite being only 4 miles away from campus because there is no direct road. After what had seemed like an eternity of overcast and rainy days we happily greeted yesterday's weather: high 70's, slightly breezy and not a cloud in the sky. With our foreign accents, sunglasses and half naked bodies we were all ready for a day of fun. As we passed the dunes we all had to take a moment to appreciate what was before us. This beach was absolutely breathtaking. It was very rocky for some of the beach but after walking further down the coast, the beach widened into an expanse of sand a half-mile deep. The sand was the softest sand I have ever felt before. Imagine walking on cornstarch, there you go, you nailed it, that is what Mooloolaba sand feels like. The water was very salty, much more so than the Atlantic and it was surprisingly warm. I would have to guess it was high 60's. I did not get a body numbing sensation after staying in the water for more that 10 minutes like I do back home at the shore. There were many people at the beach but it still wasn't crowded. The beach here is more of a way of life; somewhere to eat lunch, workout, read a book, meditate, play soccer etc. Although I love the Jersey shore, it is not a place to do such things. I plan to go to this beach every chance I get. For those of you who know me well, I HATE running but Mooloolaba might just be giving me the inspiration I need to try again. Keep in mind these pictures do not do this place justice.