Sunrise at the beach on Gold Coast, Australia

It literally took FOREVER to get to Australia, but to be fair, I had been to 8 countries beforehand. Nearly 3 days after I left Athens, I arrived in Gold Coast, Australia and made my way to Surfers Paradise, Australia – a party haven for surfers and travelers alike all year round. I was all turned around and jet lagged beyond belief, so I found myself waking up before sunrise for the first few days and decided to watch the sunrise on the beach. On the walk to the beach, every morning, I passed by partygoers on their way back home or to the hostel from the nightclubs – which was every entertaining. If I had been in a different head space, I would have joined them but I wanted to explore the flora and fauna of this great country more so than dimly lit nightclubs. Plus, I had only accounted for tours and food in my budget -not drinks and club entrance fees. However, the sunrise was spectacular – I loved spending a few hours on the beach and feeling like I had it all to myself but when the sun came up, the people came out. The sunrise on the Gold Coast of Australia is one of the first places in the world the light of a new day touches first, so I felt ahead of the times. It was surreal.