Mon Apr.14th - Day 7
I’ve arrived in Byron’s Bay. The weather is... not ideal. It is raining super hard right now, as it has been off and on all day. I’m in the common room of the hostel with a few other people. This afternoon I managed to get in a swim between rain showers. I also walked a long way up the beach. I was trying to get to the lighthouse to watch the sunset, but there’s no lighthouse access from the beach and the clouds made any sunset viewing impossible, no matter where you were.
I like it here, though. It’s more mellow than Surfer’s. There’s an elementary school on the same street as my hostel. There are more residences around as well. The whole pace is just slower and more relaxed.
Tues Apr. 15th - Day 8
I’ve decided to stay here an extra day. I really like the hostel and I couldn’t get booked into the tour that I really want to do until Thurs. So I’m here until Friday. For today I’m just hangin’ out and doin’ some laundry. Maybe I’ll hit the beach later, maybe just the pool. BTW the pool is filled with ocean water. There’s no chlorine and it tastes like salt. Crazy.
Tomorrow I’m going kayaking with my roommates. They’re 3 girls from Edmonton and they seem really cool. They kayaking trip is to see dolphins and other marine life. It should be really good. We’re going in the morning, cuz apparently that’s when you see more things. I have no plans for the afternoon, yet.
Then Thurs I’m going to this hippy village called Nimbin. We just stop there for a bit and then go on to the rainforest. We even get to go swimming in a pool at the foot of a waterfall and there are places from which to jump.
So the showers have been happening on and off all day. And normally, I would be cool with that, but the wind that has come with them is making it chilly. I am also getting desperate for a new bathing suit. And this isn’t just me hoarding suits. My favourite bikini broke just before my surf lesson on Sunday. I’m going crazy with only 2 suits here. And everything is either super pricey or skimpy. And I don’t particularly like either of those things.
Wed Apr. 16th - Day 9
Well. Australia has left its mark on me. But you should see the rock that I hit. Actually, I didn’t even see the rock, I had my eyes closed because I was under water at the time. Kayaking in the waves is fun! We fell out 3 times and I only got hurt the last time. And to put you all at ease, I’m not hurt all that badly. It’s just a little cut at my right eyebrow.
I tried to go to the beach yesterday, but it started raining right after I got there. And it was coming down hard. As I was gathering my things, though, I saw a beautiful rainbow. By the time I grabbed my camera, it had already faded away. It was spectacular and huge.
I had a cup of soup for dinner and ate with my roomies. They’re really cool. They’ve decided to stay for an extra night, too. We’ll all be in the same room until Friday. We went kayaking together today. 2 of them are not strong swimmers so they both got to be in the boat with the guide. But the other one and I had our own boat. We even saw some dolphins in the distance. It was only their backs and fins as they were diving, but still super cool.
After kayaking, in true Aussie style, we went to a bbq with the guide at a friend’s of his. I even ate meat, cuz there was no veggie option. It hasn’t upset my stomach yet, but I think that all the gross grease dripped off in the bbq, so I may be ok.
We may be going out tonight, but maybe not. The roomies all have activities booked super early in the morning. One is going sky diving and the others are going snorkeling. I, meanwhile, am off to the hippie village, Nimbin.
Thurs Apr 17th - Day 10
The day at Nimbin was so much fun. It was really a hippie village. There were rainbows and flower power graffiti on everything, even the legitimate businesses, like the tax office. After the village we went to a swimming hole and then for a bbq. The inland topography of Australia is really mountainous. It was kinda like driving through the country in Northern Ontario, only with higher hills.
On the bus, I met a lot of other people. Most of them were Irish. There was a group of boys and one girl (not with the boys, just also Irish). She was cool and we hung out together for most of the day.
At the bbq spot we went on a little walk through the woods. It was really lovely. At least, the spots when we weren’t worried about slipping in the mud an falling on our asses were. In addition to veggie burgers (which I was thankful for) the guide served kangaroo burgers and emu sausages. Everyone seemed to love them.
The swimming hole was beautiful. There was a waterfall and everything. Very few people went in, though, because it was so cold. Also, the only way to get in was to jump from this rock at the top of the waterfall. In spite of the cold, I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t jump in. So I did. The water was so cold that when I got out, I felt super warm, even just in the air.
When we got back from the tour, I went out to dinner with the Irish girl that I met on the bus. We went to this backpacker’s bar called Cheeky Monkey. It was cheezy and fun and the music was entertaining. Also, there were contests every ½ hour or so. Things like Throw the hacky sack through the hole, and Which Paper airplane will go the farthest. They were good fun. I also saw my very first (and probably last) wet t-shirt contest. I was done watching when the 18-year-old removed hers completely and the entire bar got to see her melons.
Fri Apr 18th -Day 11
Today I had to catch my bus to Coff’s Harbour. The rain did not make that an enjoyable experience. The sky opened up just as I was waiting to load my luggage onto the bus. Ans of course there was no cover there. Everything got soaked. I tried to shield things as well as I could with my body, but that only did so much good. My laptop is fine, but my copy of Sabriel got wet. I dried it once I got to the hostel and I just hope that it doesn’t mold the way Abhorsen did when it got rained on. I’m hoping that Lireal manages to make it home safely without acquiring any water damage from the boat.
Anyway, when I got to my hostel in Coff’s, my new roomies gave me a very warm welcome. The weather was still crap though. One of my roomies was actually travelling in the same direction as I am. We’re even on the same bus staying in the same hostel.
After settling into the hostel, I decided to make the most of my time, and set off immediately for the Pet Porpoise Pool. They’re this interactive marine park. You can pet the dolphins, as much as you like. You can feed one of the sea lions, the little blue penguins, and the sharks and sea turtles. And you can get kisses from a dolphin and a seal. I did all of the above, except for the sharks and turtles. I looked at them though. I got pictures of my kisses. The seal was my favourite, because she didn’t feel rubbery and the whiskers tickled.
They also have this really funny show. It was great to see. And for once the weather worked in my favour. There weren’t many other people there, because no one wanted to venture out in the rain. The show was interactive, too, and informative. It was a really great activity. Although, sadly, they do not have any platapi, so my search continues. I’m hoping that there will be some tours, or a zoo, or something in Sydney, so I can see one before I leave.
After the show I went back to the hostel. I met some Irish boys in the common room, playing chess. They let me play with them and I lost, because I’m crap at chess. There was also an all you can eat pizza night, so I ate well.
A while after dinner, a couple of my roommates wanted to go out for a coffee, because everyone was moving on the next day. It was only about 9:20 when we went out, but nothing was open. Everywhere we tried to go was in the process of closing. It was ridiculous. We ended up back at the hostel drinking tea in our room.
Sat. Apr. 19th - Day 12
I had a lot of time to kill between checking out of the hostel and catching my bus. The weather continued to be crap, but it cleared up enough for me to walk down to the harbour and across to Muttonbird Island. It’s this breeding ground for a certain kind of bird. It’s the end of the breeding season now, but I managed to see a couple of them. The view of the beaches and the harbour and the ocean from the top of the island was spectacular.
The walk itself was quite a workout, so I decided on the way back, to reward myself with some ice cream. There’s a little shop, right by the marina, that sells homemade ice cream. It was thick and creamy. I was full after just one scoop. Let me tell you, cinnamon ice cream should be the 32nd flavour. It was superb.
The bus ride was pretty basic. Some nice scenery. Some parts where I had to close my eyes, so as not to get sick. A meal stop (where I had a banana muffin with chocolate custard in the middle and chocolate drizzled on top). And a shuttle from the hostel met us at the bus stop and brought us here. All of my roommates, except for one arrived today. They seem pretty cool.
The hostel itself is like a big house. Where other hostels have felt like hotels or motels, this one feels like a university house. There’s a kitchen, living room, and "dining" room all within the same space, separated only by one wall. The bathroom (with one stall and one shower) opens off the kitchen. And all of the bedrooms open up off of the other rooms. There are additional bathrooms outside with extra showers.
I went for dinner with Amanda (the girl I met in Coff’s) at the Irish Tavern. The food was spectacular. And they make a mean white russian. There was a band playing too and they were pretty good. They played a lot of 70's folk rock, like CCR. And after dinner they made me a spectacular hot chocolate and Bailey’s. I was a little chocolated out by the end of the day.
We made our way back to the hostel after a quick stop at the grocery store. The rest of the evening was spent hanging out in the room with the rest of the girls. They’re a really good bunch. All of them are from the British Isles. 2 girls, Tina and Jacqui are from Manchester, Amanda’s from Hartfordshire(just outside London) and the other girl, Barbara is from Glasgow. I’m the only North American here. But my knowledge of geography is improving every day.
Sun Apr. 20th - Day 13
The weather continues to be difficult. It was pouring this morning and then cleared up. Then it decided to pour and clear up again. It makes it so difficult to plan. I mean, you don’t mind staying in when it’s raining, but when it ends up staying dry for a few hours, you feel like you missed out, by not going and doing something.
This morning a bunch of us decided to wander around and look at some of the shops in town. We found the shopping mall and a few cute little stores. This is a small town, though, so a lot of the stores were closed because it’s Sunday. While we were in the shopping mall, the skies opened up and we decided to hang out and look around for a bit. I was able to replace my broken bikini top. I didn’t have the bottoms with me, but I managed to match them pretty well.
This afternoon, after tea in the hostel, we went to the Koala Hospital. It was really cute. There’s no cuddling or petting, but the tour was really informative. Random fact; the most common killer of koalas (not counting humans or human activity) is chlamydia. There was all sorts of info about koalas, most of it I’d heard at Lone Pine, but some was new. And the other girls took some cute koala pics. I didn’t because I already have about a million.
I just made dinner here at the hostel and I think I’m going to join the girls in town for a drink. We all leave tomorrow. Amanda’s headed in the same direction as I am, but while I’m going straight to Sydney, she’s stopping in Newcastle. The other girls are all headed north.
Mon Apr 21 - Day 14
I started this morning with a swim at the beach. The weather was fantastic for about 20 minutes. Then a gigantic black cloud moved in and I got back to the hostel just as it started to rain.
Once the rest of the girls were up and moving, we went to the Pancake Place for breakfast. It was delicious and a really nice last meal together. After brekkie, I got an Australian SIM card for my cell. So now I have an Aussie phone number, which will be useful for booking things when I get to Sydney.
I spent most of the afternoon chilling at the hostel and reading. Then at 5 I got on a bus for 6 hours to get to Sydney. The trip was uneventful and I arrived safely. This hostel is very much like a hotel, through the foyer and rooms. The lounge/internet/kitchen areas are all more laid back and informal. Much more like a "hostel".
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