Get Lost!

I am a firm believer in the idea that getting lost can be incredibly enjoyable when done correctly. And yes, I sometimes try to get lost. Maybe I'm adventurous. Maybe I'm crazy. Maybe I don't care which is more accurate.

So, today Elise and I decided to get lost. We made a decision to start in the morning, take the bus to Charlestown, and from there, the plan was up in the air.

Naturally, this plan included eating first. Day-to-day, I eat really simple, inexpensive, healthy meals. So, every time I eat out here, it is for dessert. If I'm going to splurge, it has to be justified. So, we started the day at Max Brenner Chocolate Bar. This place is divine.

Since it was still time for brekky (breakfast), I got banana bread. Before you verbally assault me for getting banana bread at a chocolate bar, this banana bread came with a small pot of melted, silky, glorious chocolate for dipping.

I enjoyed every single bite.

After a couple more stops in the mall, the real adventure began. We walked outside to the bus stop and hopped on the first bus that came by. We didn't even look at the bus route number. We just went.

Well, it turns out this bus route was residential, so once we got to a small shopping centre, we got off and took the next bus that came by. (This time we actually looked where it was going. It may be cheating, but we decided it was okay so we didn't go through neighborhoods again.)

This bus took us to Belmont, a quiet little suburb on Lake Macquarie. There were docks and sailboats scattered everywhere along this lake, and thanks to a bit of prior knowledge and a handy dandy iPhone compass, we knew that the sun would set over the lake later in the evening.

So, we continued on. We knew there were buses to Redhead nearby, so we decided to head there. Until yesterday, neither one of us knew what was in Redhead, but we'd seen it listed on bus routes and wanted to go to the town solely because of its cute name.

This place was gorgeous. It is home to a gorgeous beach and reddish-brown cliffs. We decided to check out the beach first, especially since we weren't sure how to get to the cliffs.

I then asked someone how to get to the cliffs, and she gave me what I later realized were very vague directions to get there. "Just take this road up the hill and then follow the roads there." WELL, it seems that there were many roads, and none of them seemed to go there.

When we'd made it to the top of the hill, it didn't feel like we'd gone far or high enough. So we walked to the end of the neighborhood. After wandering down several side streets to no avail, we came across a little path. While this did lead to one overlook of the cliffs, it didn't seem to be the right one--it was facing the wrong direction. Luckily, there was a guy at this overlook who told us about a different one that is normally for fishing.

We went in the direction of this trail only to find that it was long, winding, and through the bush. Since it also seemed like it would be the wrong overlook, we quickly gave up on that one and started walking back toward the bus stop.

We passed the same side streets on the way down, until finally we came to the very first one we'd seen on the way up. We hadn't actually gone to the end of this one because it seemed way to close to be right, but alas, this was the one.

We made it to the overlook of the beach, proud of our accomplishment, but also a touch disappointed because all of the work was for a pretty mediocre view compared to down below. It was definitely something to laugh at, though!

After just a few minutes of looking at the view, we headed back to the bus stop to head back to Belmont for sunset. This was the best decision. The sunset over the lake was gorgeous.

Once the sun was below the horizon, the sky lit up pink, and we headed to the dock. Frantically, we tried to take as many pictures of the sky as possible.

Then, we got a little silly and took "artsy" pictures.

By the time we got back from Belmont, it was roughly 8pm. It was an all-day affair, but this spontaneous adventure was one to remember!

Update: A flock of surprisingly friendly seagulls has been found. Whether they are a group of rebels or spies for the enemy seagulls remains to be seen, but I am cautiously optimistic and hope to gain them as allies.