Crazy Byron

So the entire reason why i had to plan all the details of my trip as soon as i got to Australia was because of this darn place. The time that i wanted to be in Byron Bay, there is some kind of massive blues festival here (the 18th annual BluesFest!), and all the accomodation was booked up. So i had to sit down and plan out my entire trip so i could squeeze three days in at Byron Bay. But it's definitely worth it! There's kind of one main road here with a bunch of surf shops, restraurants and cafes, travel agents, etc. The beach is absolutely beautiful. I stayed at the Arts Factory which is this funky little resort where you can learn fire twirling and didjeridoo (sp?) making and even stay in these big tents (i stayed in a dorm!). The vibe there was awesome.

I took a little trip to Nimbin :) It was on a bus called Happy Tours, and our host was a funny, slightly spacey (!) Aussie with blonde dreads named Zane. He was absolutely hilarious - really made the bus ride a lot of fun! We first went up to Minyon Falls in the World Heritage Park - the waterfall was a little dry but the view was spectacular. Then into Nimbin. It's the strangest little town ever :) I don't know how many of you have heard of Nimbin...it's residents are a little...eccentric. It's called the Alternative Capital of Australia - they have a Hemp Embassy right on mainstreet and they hold a Mardi Grass every year...does that kind of paint a picture? I found the people really fascinating - you just wonder what their stories are. Anyway, it was a really interesting visit to say the least!

I also tried surfing for the very first time here! I was terrible, but it was so much fun. Ok, i guess i wasn't that terrible, because i stood up most of the time - how long i stood up or how well i stood up on each run is debatable! Once i remembered to keep looking up, it got way easier. I kept forgetting the sequence to standing up so i think most of the time i looked really freaked out or really confused! We use these really big foam boards that are really light in the water, and they are very easy to learn on. Apparently when you move on to the smaller boards, it gets much harder! I think i'll stick with my foam board for now! I think i swallowed half of the ocean, especially when we moved onto the bigger waves, but it was a total blast. Where's the good surf in Canada? :)

It started to get really busy in Byron about Wednesday with everyone coming in for the Blues Festival. I had decided the day i got into Byron to book my bus and accomodation for the rest of the trip, and i'm really glad that i did because everywhere i've been, people have had a hard time finding a place to stay (i met an English couple who had NO place to stay in Noosa) and i keep being told that because of the Easter weekend as well i'd better book things as much in advance as possible. So everything's booked! Anyway, the beach and the main street definitely started getting more crowded, as did the pubs and bars. The big buzz around town was the John Mayer and Jessica Simpson sightings (John Mayer was playing at Blues Fest). Jessica has darker hair now in case anyone is wondering! :) Anyways, Cocomangas was hopping last night! I met up with my friends from the Whitsundays (it was Laura's birthday) so we went out to celebrate in style.

I also took the long hike up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse, and also the most eastern point in Australia. The view was amazing from the lighthouse. After i got to see the sunset there, i woke up at 4:30am the next morning to go and see the sunrise from there. It was awesome, but i must say that the Fraser sunrise beats them all!

From Byron Bay it's onto Coff's Harbour for the beginning of Easter weekend. Happy Easter everyone!

Love Lindsay :)

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