Surfing in Lancelin Beach, Perth

Lancelin Beach, one and a half hour drive away from Perth city, a beginner's safehaven for surfing.

My second surfing lesson, the first being a 4 hour course in Bali @ Hard Rock Cafe pool & Kuta Beach about one and a half years ago.

I booked my 2 days (aproximately 10 hours) lessons online with the AUSECO Learn to Surf, the only accredited surfing school in Lancelin. The course includes transport, free accomodation and meals at Keith, the house of the owner, where I would dorm with the other guys who were there to learn surfing.

We were a small group, including a Japanese girl and her norweigan classmate in perth; an american (who looks like a hick), a czech guy with plans to visit Asia including Thailand. He speaks good English and has been in Australia for some time. A Perthite couple and a surf chick returner from Dublin. Keith jokes about her since she has came back for more lessons with them.

Lancelin beach has white fine sands and gentle waves suitable for beginners.

Though I had already taken a 4 hour lesson in Bali, surfing is still a difficult sport for me. Imagine the amount of sea water I drank; and the number of times I fell out of my board. Nevertheless, the rush of trying to stood up or balancing, even for a few seconds, is enough to make all the hard work seem worthwhile.

Other surfing tips:

Read the beach before surfing. Look for reefs, ripcurls and study direction and strength of waves.

Paddling (including paddling with our body on board and upper board stretched upright, feet just a little over the end of the board), turning our surfboard around, body surf, handling our surfboard past an incoming wave, swimming back to the shore in case the waves drags us away, and the few steps to standing up on a surfboard. It sounds easy but practice practice practice!!!

Try standing up when with the left foot first when you feel the waves hitting the board. Then the right foot to the centre of the board, with hands still on the board to balance, bending the knees before fully standing upright.

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I managed to stood up at least 60 percent of the time by the end of the lesson. I would need more practice for sure. Another surfing course maybe.

The camp was made cordial with the people whom I chatted to during the 2 short days.Everyone was polite. There was radio, TV, pool table and a hammock which I read and rested after lessons. They even catered for vegetarians (me!).

Now that I'm back on dry land, the itch to do surfing has come back again!

gay night clubs play crap music

I hate the dance music that gay night clubs play. To be completely honest, it’s crap. Not that dance music is crap but the music they play is crap.

I’m there only partly to feel a sense of infinity with the community; But besides a preference for people of the same gender and that’s about it isn’t it. I mean what else is there?

So I’m boycotting gay dance clubs that are insistent on playing crappy techno or trance music which is simply not my cup of tea. Or horribly mixed sets which does not seem to take into account the atmosphere of its patrons.

I guess if I’m rich. I would open my own pub and play the type of music I like. A mix of retro 80s, indie pop, alternative rock, instrumental jazz and cutting edge drum and bass.

Say goodbye to nightclubs! I shall spent my nights socialising at places i prefer!!!!

grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr