Travelling without moving - Blissful Byron

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Leaing Nimbin

The 10th of August marked 1year since my departure and although being back to London twice since, the anniversary does loose some significance I still think it’s a good point to reflect on the choice I've made - and find myself healthier and happier than I ever felt. A testament to which on my 2 weeks leading up to Byron I went on a two week self enforced detox (no meat or alcohol).
The conclusion of detox being the ‘City to Surf’ a 14km fun run which, as the name suggests, starts in the city and ends in Bondi beach. With the temperature touching 24 degrees I and 64,000 other runners sprinted, galloped and trotted through the suburbs in what was a very enjoyable day. My time was around the 70min mark and probably my only criticism of the whole day was that first we had to start for the HSBC pack which meant I had a whole race of weaving through the back markers. Still I managed to come in 7,371 place which doesn’t look too bad when I started with 30,000 people in front of me.

Tuesday took me to Byron for a weeks holiday to sample the life on one of the stops eastern coast backpacking highway. After many people using the phrase ‘The Arts Factory is the only place to stay in Byron’ in reference to its cult status rather than lack of competition it seemed like an automatic selection - and upon reflection it was probably the correct selection. The Art house tries to be something different with their funky Abodes (including Teepees and a Nunnery), classes in yoga and massage and just a general quirkyness about the place does give a nice feel - but while I made full use of the swimming pool, Sauna and Jacuzzi I did feel that it was all a bit of a fraud being a ‘backpacker’ in such an arty place.
Fresh from my detox the first day started in the life I become accustomed to - Fruit salad from breakfast a quick tour round the town and then onto the yoga class - but the ‘new age hippy’ façade of Byron and the arts factory starts to melt as the restaurant is far more geared to the ‘hangover fry-up’ market than health conscious and the yoga was more for the ‘I like to say I do yoga’ people - At night it was over to the Budda bar (part of the arts factory) to watch ‘Cockatoo Paul’ (a man that could be likened to Mike J ‘Crocodile’ Dundee) bellow out some top tunes on his guitar, drum and didgeridoo broken with witty stories and some quite politically acute observations. (I wasn’t aware that it was only made illegal to hunt aborigine people in the 1930’s before that it seems to have been encouraged)

Thursday started at 5.30am with a trip up to the lighthouse. Originally built in 1900 to warm ships of the most easterly point of Australia the lighthouse is now a symbol of Byron Bay which at night beams across the town. Just in time to catch a beautiful sun rise we were also lucky enough to see some migrating whales - although the reality of this means that I saw a large black mass in the water some distance away which spurted out water every so often. Another gentle yoga class at 8am this time right on the beach was fantastic.

Friday made it time to visit Nimbin……. Nimbin sits in the crater of Mt Warning, the world second largest volcano, and it seems that this inherited fertility has changed the social and scenic landscape from some time. Originally covered in rich tropical rainforest western settlers came, cleared the fertile land and started dairy farms. In the early 70’s the market for butter had collapsed and most of the farms were left to go bankrupt. A year later, with the town in recession, a bunch of Students approached the town and local Aboriginal leaders with the idea of an anti war protest festival. In 1973 thousands of hippies and students converged on the town for the Aquarius festival which, with Australian troops pulled out of Vietnam, lost its anti-war focus. It seems after the festival many of the participants decided to stay on and as stories of the town and festival spread many others joined them and the area was reinvented once more.

To get to Nimbin I had taken one of the many organised tours (Jims tour)….. Although it was Jims day off our fill in, Irvine. Taking on characteristics of Otto from the Simpsons he was more than up to the task of cranking up some carefully picked tunes broken up with interesting stories and observations. It’s all very well organised and a tad formulaic but overall I would recommend it!!!! (Check out my first ever Blog Video!!! click leaving nimbin icon)
Arriving some 30 years after the hippies arrived on some extremely fertile land we’d all heard stories about the town - an oasis for all manor illegal but tolerated natural recreational activities. The main street is filled alternative shops, Hemps museums and restaurants with vagrants street side population to cater to your needs - Actually the main street also has a police station but it seems that there is some sort of tolerated understanding where as long as nothing gets too out of control they will turn a blind eye.
So with multicoloured Nimbin behind us it was time to meet one of the residential hippies - A guy from California who came over 20years ago bought a bare plot of land and has been planting trees ever since. In the middle of this now forest he has a very small but comfortable residence with a big entertaining deck around the permitter. It was here that we invited to try some of his tropical fruit and macadamia nuts during which it was nice to sit down and have a chat to our host. Needless to say he had some strong opinions on the legalisation of drugs but for those reading and instantly dismissing this view it should be noted that this is also the common consensus amongst most intellectual think tanks including The Economist. Not that I want to enter the argument myself but controlling the supply of addictive substances is always a better option than letting criminal underworld do so - but it seems we are destined to be where drugs legality is a matter of social conditioning rather than sense……. statistically more people die from tobacco than any other drug and more crime is created from Alcohol than any other drug.
After our brief debate we then were given a tour of the jungle during which a snake crossed our path. Still getting used to what is poisonous and what is not it was a bit of a fright when he decided to grab it pick it up and give us a good look??? (see pics)

I always think it’s a bit of a gamble when you go travelling on your own as the time you have in a place is always a reflection of who you meet - up to this point I’d met some people who were neither going to add or subtract from my experience. Friday night however, in walk Susan and Jill two Scottish girls who’d recent graduates doing the ‘lets sod this let’s go to oz’ experience - with no concern about me cramping their style they let me join in their Friday night of fun with my grandad dancing. Roll on Saturday where I met Sebastian and Tiarnan who were also friends with the girls and after walking up to the lighthouse once more to watch the sunset we all went out for another night of fun in LaLaLand a club with music away from the usual ‘backpacking YMCA’ to some good house. 3am and we were all still going strong so it was back to ‘the girls bench’ at the arts factory for a few more drinks. With a few things against me (1) I’m not Scottish (2) I’m no longer 21 - I decided to act my age and retire at 5am.
Sunday was a long beach day spent investigating some peculiar fungus. Chilling in the sun with a big drum, stereo and juggling balls I felt so much of the traveller that I always see on the beach - as if to invert the day we went back to the budda bar had a Sunday roast and then relaxed in the Jacuzzi and Sauna….. Backpacking lifestyle eh????
Monday all of us departed with I the only one back to work - Thanks guys for a good time it made my experience of Byron unique and complete!

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Comments

[Sles]

Snakes alive!
Now I am living vacariously thru you! Thanks, I needed a globalized injection to breath again and feel alive swimming in your expericences.