Travel Guides and Stories

In December 2008, due to an unexpected incident, my colleagues and I traveled to Australia's Gold Coast and ended up staying for ten days.

(A corner of the living room)

To save on expenses, I shared an oceanfront apartment with two female companions. The apartment was fully equipped with all living amenities, even more convenient than home. 1. The View from the 25th Floor

This was a self-service apartment building. Each unit was about 150 square meters, complete with all necessary facilities. The spacious living room had windows on two sides, with a T-shaped balcony furnished with small tables and loungers. To the south was the glistening ocean, and to the west, you could see the vast forest behind Gold Coast city. Standing on the 25th-floor balcony, both the ocean and city were in full view.

(Taken from the rooftop)

It was early summer in Australia, and along the pedestrian street beside the hotel, several Royal Poinciana trees were in full bloom with their fiery red flowers. Under the golden sunlight, the red flowers appeared even more vibrant, the green leaves more pure, creating a bold, striking visual tapestry. Just across the road lay the azure ocean.

The Gold Coast, known as "Surfers Paradise," sees waves rushing toward the beach in endless succession, with brave surfers standing or lying on their boards, jumping through the peaks and troughs of the waves. Right next to the white sandy beach is a tree-shaded walking path. Tall palm trees sway their graceful, arching fronds in the warm breeze, as if extending their arms to welcome friends from all directions. Directly below our hotel was a bustling commercial center, with Christmas lights decorating the eaves and trees. While many Western countries become quiet at night, the Gold Coast remains brilliantly lit, with bars playing lively music. The Gold Coast truly looks like a paradise of joy.

Surfers Paradise Beach

2. Embracing the Ocean

In December in Australia, daylight begins around 4 AM. By 6 or 7 o'clock, the sun is so bright it's hard to keep your eyes open. Due to Australia's well-preserved environment and high air purity, the sunlight is particularly intense. Walking in this environment, the sky above appears extraordinarily blue, the sea beside exceptionally clear - everything feels incredibly pure.

From our hotel, crossing just one road brings you to the beach. Taking off shoes to walk barefoot on the soft sand, fine grains slide gently between toes, creating a ticklish sensation in the soles. The Gold Coast beach is about 40-50 meters wide. The sand near the road is soft and fine, leaving deep holes when stepped on. Near the water, the sand becomes firm and solid, leaving only shallow, round heel prints and five-petal-like toe marks. The Gold Coast isn't ideal for swimming due to large waves, but it's perfect for surfing, hence its nickname "Surfers Paradise." Waves curl with white foam, rushing toward the beach one after another - as one wave retreats, another immediately charges forward, like an endless advance of soldiers. Standing in the refreshingly cool water, watching the ocean's tireless roar, I suddenly wished I could possess such magnificent spirit as the sea. Actually, I've never been particularly fond of the ocean. The sea is unfathomably deep and prone to storms and huge waves. In comparison, I prefer the quiet depth of lakes, both profound and contained. However, the ocean before me now deeply moved me with its fearless vigor.

Even braver than the waves are the surfing enthusiasts. Those standing on surfboards ride with the waves - when waves form, they're pushed up to high crests, then suddenly drop into troughs, disappearing into the white foam, only to emerge moments later and rise again to the peak. Some people holding surfboards face the waves head-on, estimating the distance of wave formation. When a wave comes rolling in, they leap bodily into the white foam, emerging on the other side as the wave pushes through. Some don't even use surfboards, simply playing with the waves bare-handed. When waves rush in, they somersault or jump over the tumbling water, as agile as fish.

It's not just the surfers who interact with the waves, but also us tourists and the flocks of seagulls on the beach. Previously, I'd only seen seagulls flying from boats, never so relaxed on a beach. Perhaps because it was early, groups of seagulls gathered together, resting on the fine sand. A few, either industrious or hungry, searched for food on the wave-washed beach. Whenever a wave retreated, they would run forward hoping to find small creatures. One seagull actually caught something long and worm-like in the moment the tide withdrew, throwing back its head to swallow it. Most times, though, they returned empty-beaked. When the next wave approached, they would quickly retreat, their three-pronged footprints leaving delicate marks in the wet sand - truly adorable.

3. Watching the Rain    As our business situation took a turn for the better, we were freed from our daily meetings and strategy discussions. In the lazy afternoon sunlight, I curled up alone in a rattan chair on the balcony with a book, reading languidly. After a while, thunder rumbled in the distance. The sun had retreated behind clouds unnoticed, and the sky began to darken - it seemed a storm was coming. Sure enough, shortly after, accompanied by rolling thunder, large raindrops swept across horizontally. As lightning continuously flashed between distant high-rises, the raindrops became increasingly dense. Looking out from our high-rise, through the heavy rain curtain, the sky and sea began to blur together - the leaden sky, the grey-blue sea, only distinguishable where their colors gradually merged at the horizon. Without careful observation, it was hard to tell where sky ended and sea began.    At this moment, the living room's two floor-to-ceiling doors stood wide open, the wind violently tugging at the blue curtains as if trying to carry them away. The usually well-behaved curtains that quietly blocked sun and wind seemed to want to break free with the wind's help, flying skyward in search of freedom. I quickly closed the windows and stood again on the inside, watching the city under the rain curtain, listening to the ocean waves accompanying the raindrops, discovering that the city in the rain possessed its own elegant composure, while the usually boisterous sea had lowered its voice in the rain, harmonizing with the sound of rainfall to become somewhat melodious. Actually, wind and rain themselves bring no inherent meaning - it's just that with different states of mind, the scenery of the four seasons changes accordingly.

4. Moon Gazing

Never before had I such leisure and peace of mind to appreciate an ocean moon on such a night in a foreign land.

It was already past ten at night. The moon was bright and stars were sparse. For many nights, I had stood on the balcony countless times, looking up at the night sky, hoping to see an ocean moon and the sea bathed in moonlight. But each time, the moon played hide-and-seek among the clouds - even when it occasionally showed its face, it would quickly retreat behind drifting clouds before fully revealing itself. But tonight, the moon was truly full.

I couldn't remember when I'd last seen such a bright and perfect moon - perhaps during some Mid-Autumn Festival, or somewhere in the countryside at some time.

I've always loved moonlight, loved the moon's clear light and solitary shadow, loved small paths and courtyards bathed in gentle moonlight.

That night's moonlit scene was truly special.

The moon cast its reflection into the great ocean.

I had seen the moon in water before, like a round jade plate, quietly submerged. But here, facing the passionate, surging ocean, the moon had shed its shy veil, pouring out its tender, charming light like splashed ink, creating a long, bright solitary beam across the sea surface. This beam extended uniformly from beneath the high-hanging moon all the way to the shore, narrowing only slightly at the wave peaks and troughs. Within this beam of moonlight, the seawater displayed silver ripples, sparkling, dancing, shouting as they rushed toward shore.

When the bright moon rises over the sea, we share this moment across the world. I wondered if someone on the other side of the ocean was watching the same moon.

5. Farewell

Ever since seeing the ocean moon, I had developed a longing for the moonlit beach. The night before returning home, my two female companions and I took a walk on the beach together. The night air was incredibly refreshing, the pleasant sea breeze rustling our clothes and hairpins, warm waves lapping at our ankles - what a relaxing and delightful evening.

On the flat, newly water-dampened sand, we had a sudden inspiration to create a sand sculpture. At first, none of us knew exactly what to sculpt. The three of us dug and piled sand haphazardly, and after a while, a human figure emerged. Oh, let's make it a laughing Buddha, wishing for eternal happiness. Round head, broad shoulders, round belly - don't forget to add a belly button. Was that about right? Looking from different angles, it still didn't quite resemble one. A laughing Buddha should be broad-minded and plump, so let's add some more bulk. One of my companions examined it, grabbed a handful of wet sand, and pressed it on either side of the Buddha's chest. We immediately burst into laughter. Since we'd gone this far, we decided to abandon the Buddha idea and instead sculpt a voluptuous Australian woman. That night, all the frustrations and difficulties from our work days were washed away by our tears of laughter.

After we'd had our fun and finished laughing, we walked further along the beach. Watching the ocean continuously throwing up white waves, I was suddenly inspired to write with my big toe in a patch of smooth sand, inscribing Su Dongpo's verse: "Startling waves pound the shore, rolling up thousands of snow-white breakers. Mountains and rivers like a painting, how many heroes of the time?" Before I could finish admiring my lifetime first attempt at toe-written cursive script, a wave surged forward, smoothing away the freshly written words. When I looked back, our masterpiece "Australian Woman" had also been erased by the waves, leaving no trace.

That night, I slept incredibly well.