Byron Bay and Goodbye Mike

Size Although Sam had left to go home, Mike still had nearly one more week in Australia.  Sam works an actual job ("for the man" as he is fond of saying) and has actual responsibilities to get back to.  I was bumbed he couldn't stay for longer; on second thought, the first class flight from Seoul to JFK looked amazing!  Mike does a lot of work online, mainly selling products from overseas or second hand, so he can work almost anywhere.  It would be hard for me to see him in a traditional 9-5 job - more power to him if he never has to!

Yes this is on an airplane...Sam in AA first class from Seoul to NYC,
complete with a lay flat seat/bed and personal 32 inch flatscreen TV!

Following two nights in Brisbane Mike and I headed back into the state of New South Wales, to Byron Bay.  Byron is a small beach-side town just south of the Queensland border.  Even with a stop in Surfer's Paradise the trip only took 3 hours (although we changed time zones - weird that New South Wales and Queensland are an hour apart).  Byron is popular for snorkeling, scuba, whale watching, and especially surfing.

For a town of only 5,000 residents there are tons of backpackers about.  I don't know why they come here exactly - there are many small towns dotting the coast - but I'd guess part of Byron's popularity is its popularity.  Sounds confusing, but what I mean is that once a place is established as a cool hangout spot for backpackers more and more come simply because so many others have also done it.  The word is passed around, the tourist facilities are there, and it simply becomes another stop along the backpacker trail.

I must have seen more camper vans in Byron than any other place in Australia combined.  I haven't been in Oz long, but have still seen enough to know what is out of the ordinary.  There are plenty of backpackers traveling along the east coast of Australia by bus, train, plane, or some combination of the three, but many also rent or buy camper vans for the trip.  I'm not talking about a huge American RV, but simply a large van with beds, luggage, and transportable kitchenware; surfboards and hippie clothes are optional.  Some have an elevated roof which fits a bed.

The camper is a great way to avoid paying for expensive accommodation, and splitting gas two or three ways is usually cheaper than buying public transport tickets.  Too bad so many people who do it are hippies.  Only kidding - mostly.  But seriously there are quite a lot of hippies in Byron, from the surfer living out of a van to the grey-haired hippie who settled down and opened up a gem shop by the beach.

If you have the time and mates to split the cost, a camper
may be your cheapest option; well, aside from airline miles!

Byron was definitely relaxing - there really isn't too much to do - but that's kinda the point.  Well there are a number of aquatic activities, although we had already snorkeled in Cairns and it wasn't whale season.  The surf was definitely better than Surfer's Paradise (not that I tried...maybe I'll make a fool of myself later on the trip).  I think Byron and Surfer's need to switch names to alleviate any confusion.  Aside from the beach there is a great hike up to a lighthouse and to the most easterly point on the Australian mainland.  The hike may be short, but the journey up the hill can still wear you out.  Also makes for a good run - I nearly made it to the top without stopping...oh well, next time.

Some views of the beach and cliffs during the hike:

I managed to take my first selfie...I'd rather just have
someone else take the photo for me!

Like Cairns, the weather in Byron didn't do us any favors.  The sun did come out one afternoon and the last day Mike was there, but other than that it was constantly raining and/or overcast.  We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and toured as much of the town and beach as we could before one of many downpours.  On Wednesday we went hiking up to the lighthouse and explored the surrounding beaches, at least as long as it was dry.  Guess what the weather was like most of Thursday...did you say rain?  ding ding ding, you are correct!  Well to be fair the morning was dry-ish, which is when we went for a swim.

Luckily Mike and I met some cool people staying at our hostel who made up for the shitty weather.  Every night there were backpackers socializing and drinking out on the balconies and in the rooms - never mind that we weren't allowed to have alcohol in the dorms!  The first few nights were alright, but on Friday and Saturday night we got busted.  The hostel security told us to stop drinking or take it off the premises.  So we simply moved into another room, then the roof.  When he told us to stop again we finally wrapped it up.  I've seen that policy at a lot of hostels here, but don't really understand why.

Cheap boxed wine, aka goon in Australia. It
will give you a wicked hangover...be careful!

A 24 pack of 'cheap' Australian beer will still set you back
at least $40, at some shops closer to $50.

Supposedly if an establishment sells alcohol you can't bring your own onto the property.  But it should be easy to distinguish between the hostel bar and the living quarters.  As far as I know hotels don't have the same policy (or at least nobody said anything to us in Sydney).  It's probably in part to try and get us to spend more money at their bar.  I completely understand telling people to quiet down or to leave if they are disturbing other guests, but if we are behaving ourselves, it seems silly to get worked up about it.  I'm sure there have been lots of alcohol-related incidents at hostels which led to a harsh crackdown.  Stupid drunk backpackers...wait, I'm a backpacker!  Well people will still find ways to get drunk.  I'd just like to avoid exorbitant bar costs!

On Friday and Saturday Mike and I spent a solid chunk of the day watching college basketball.  The games were on late enough back home that we could catch them the following morning and early afternoon.  We were able to stream games though Mike's slingbox, which lets him watch his cable TV online, plus the bar even carried games (oddly on ESPN - I thought CBS had all the rights).  I thought my bracket with Duke and Villanova had been finished by the sweet 16, but my two finalists, Florida and Wisconsin, kept it alive.  Actually if Florida wins it all I will take first place in the pool...fingers crossed!

Although we drank each night we actually never made it out on the town (I'm not counting once for food).  Several nights the plan was to go out to one of the three late night spots in Byron - yep all of three, and one is just a pub - but each time we continued drinking in the hostel and never left!  One night was triva at the bar, with drink specials between each round.  Even though we didn't win the game was a blast, and hey, it was a good way to get us in the bar buying their drinks!

Our hostel actually had a pretty nice bar.  Prices weren't all that high,
but buying from the liquor store is still the way to go!

On Saturday evening Mike caught an overnight bus to Sydney.  It was supposed to take 14 hours, arriving at 7 am, and then his flight left at 11:00.  It actually arrived two hours early - better early than late and risk missing his flight!  From Sydney Mike flew to Bangkok, had an overnight layover, and continued on to London.  He will visit his Aunt, Uncle, and cousins in the UK and then head to Italy and Hungary.  Not a bad trip!

As for me I spent one more night at the hostel in Byron, got a much needed break from the drinking, and took an evening bus headed for Brisbane on Sunday.  For the time being I am done holiday traveling and need to find a job again.  Hopefully I will have lots more to update you on soon!