#17 It always turns out differently than one thinks

(by Meykel)

Before we drove from Coffs Harbour towards Byron Bay, we thought we would spend another nice day at the beach. The weather was great, the waves were high, and the slight sunburn from the day before had subsided somewhat. So in the morning, we packed our tent and other equipment and headed to the beautiful beach section that Annika had discovered the day before.

Meykel immediately started surfing, but unfortunately luck didn't last long. The first big wave that I aimed for rolled over me and caused my gifted professional surfboard to plunge into my thigh (from that point on, I realized why beginners should practice with a softboard).

When I resurfaced, it was clear to me that something was wrong. So I got out of the water and saw a deep cut that was bleeding heavily. And it was immediately clear to me that I would soon see the inside of an Australian hospital.

I limped out of the water and went to Annika. When she saw the wound, she jumped up and ran to the lifeguards. That's when I realized that she probably had more stress and adrenaline than I did.

The nice lifeguards cleaned and bandaged the wound for me temporarily. When they had given us the name of the nearest hospital, we were already on our way. We packed our stuff and Annika drove the car ahead.

Less than 2 hours later, a nice young doctor carefully stitched my leg back together. Now it looked almost better than before.

But worse than the treatment was the thought of the hospital bill for me. I thought we would have to pay $500 or more. But in hindsight, the treatment and medication were a bargain. It only cost us $160. And since we have international health insurance (thanks to Annika), we will probably be fully reimbursed for the costs.

A hike to a waterfall was planned for the next day, and the following days we wanted to spend surfing or lying on the beach. And that just shows again that you can't plan much in Australia or that plans are quickly thrown out the window.

After the hospital, we drove to our previous campsite and took a shower first. Then we headed towards Byron Bay, slightly weakened.

All in all, the start of the day was not perfect, but at least now I have a lasting memory of our Australia adventure.

***If you have weak nerves and can't stand blood, you should not scroll down any further.***

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