Australia is totally amazing! Now that I've been here for two and a half days, I can see how easy it is to be seduced by this gorgeous place. The Gold Coast is really, really beautiful, and the weather is perfect. We have been pretty busy getting settled.
The South African team are all staying at Sunbird Beach Resorts - self catering apartments a stones throw from the waves. Each apartment has a double and two single beds. Each apartment also has a washing machine, tumble dryer and - get this: a dishwasher! We thought ours wasn't working, so went to tell reception. Turns out we didn't know how to turn it on! Service everywhere is outstanding.
I'm sharing with Britt from Cape Town, and Bev from Gauteng. Its going really well - we have bonded over late night jet lag sessions, and know much more about one another than is probably polite to say! Britt and I are having the time of our lives - we have been inseperable, and are constantly amazed at how similar we are.
Below us, on level 2, are Andre from WP, Vic from Vrystaat and Piet from Klerksdorp. We had dinner there last night, and Andre showed us all just how to emulate Jamie Oliver (whom we had watched cook up a mouthwatering steak and sauce while we waited for our connecting flight in Singapore)
Food is not as expensive as I had thought it would be; we have done a very healthy grocery shop at Woolworths (a bit like our Pick n Pay). I am amazed at how at home I feel - I can really finally understand why so many South Africans pick Australia as their country of choice to emigrate to.
We went for a 20km cycle this morning south past Mermaid Beach, and Pacific Fair Shopping centre and it is totally like KZN South Coast - with bells!
The surf is amazing - we can't wait to go bodysurfing after the event.
On to the event. Everyone has said how Australia would put on a good show for the ITU World Champs and how lucky it was that I was going to Oz. Too right! We have just come from the expo, which opened this morning and it was definitely by far the best and most exciting expo I have ever been to.
Wow - the choices and the variety of triathlon products available! Yes, I did overspend a little, but it could have been a whole lot worse!
Its 3 days to go to our race and I am starting to feel the flutterings of race excitement and nerves. I felt great on the bike this morning, and loosened up well on the quick 3km run off the bike. We swam most of the course in wetsuits yesterday, and I was slower than everyone else, but thats normal, and I tried to concentrate on just relaxing and feeling the water.
Today's aquathlon is a NON wetsuit swim, as the water is 22.1 degrees. So there is a real possibility of a non wetsuit swim for us on Saturday too. We decided not to do the aquathlon, in favour of a bit more rest. The jet lag definitely knocks you a bit, and you suddenly feel really tired, momentarily dizzy and even a bit nauseous for a moment. Its getting better though, and I am feeling much more normal today - we've been quite strict about sleeping normal hours.
This trip is already living up to my expectations of being the most fabulous opportunity ever - I cant wait for the race on Saturday!
