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Published: December 28th 2007
Hello and Merry Christmas!
Since I have last written, Ashley has arrived! She flew in on the morning of the 19th, and we met up with no problems at the Sydney train station. We walked around for a bit, and then got on a train to Newcastle, where we met up with my friend Emma. We spent the night at her family's house, and the next morning got up bright and early to drive to Byron Bay, a little beach town about 10 hours north of Newcastle.
Byron is a cute little hippy beach town, and its where a lot of Aussies go during Christmas time. Luckily I had booked our hostel early and we checked into the Main Beach Backpackers, which was right downtown. The 3 of us stayed in a 16 bed dorm room, which was mostly filled with guys, so that was definitly an interesting experience. It ended up being a great hostel, right in the heart of downtown and everyone was really friendly and went out together at night. We spent the next two days just chilling on the beach, eating lots of yummy food, and going out at night! The bars in Byron are aimed
That was then...
I was told that bowl cuts were the style for children in the 80s...yet I seem to be the only one with one!towards the "spring break" crowd, so they were all super fun and really rowdy. One of the popular activities around Byron is walking up to the lighthouse, which looks over the whole bay area, I got some great shots up there.
We drove back to Emma's house on the 23rd, and spent the next three days with her. On Christmas eve we went out w/ her brother and sister to the local pub. Her family lives in a small rural town, so we definitly got a dose of small town living at the pub! Case in point: I went up to the bar to buy shots for the 5 of us, and the bartender informed me that we would have to do the shots 2 at a time, because the bar only owned 2 shot glasses. Seriously. Staying at Emma's for christmas was great though. Her family is so nice, and was so great and welcoming to Ashley and I-we even got a few small presents under the tree! Christmas was spent consuming more food in one day than humanly possible. We got up at 9 to have mimosas and a breakfast feast, then took a few hours to
cook and eat lunch, then took a nap, then came back at 8 to have dinner! It rained on Christmas but it has been different having 80-90 degree heat right around christmas time!
We left Emma's house on Boxing Day, the day after Christmas, to head down to the Dunstons. Mark's sister Cass, and her Husband mark were in from the states, so it was so great to see all of them. The first night all of us had a few bevs and then went out to the bar, which was heaps of fun. I think half of my budget is going to bar tabs, which is definitly starting to add up! Now Ashley and I are back in Sydney for 2 whirlwind days of seeing the city, and then off to New Zealand. I can't believe my time in Australia is already coming to an end, but I'm really excited for the next phase. Wishing everyone a very merry (and belated) Christmas, and the best for the new year!
Love, Alissa
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All in Chicago missed you
We are still in Chicago with Sandi (aunt), grandma, Ally and Frank having a great time but missing you. Loved the pictures of you at Emma's on Christmas. Everyone sends their love. We are looking forward to following your travel suggestions when we do this trip in 2 years!!