Would you rather drink a pint of Victoria Bitter or Carlton Draft?
Would you rather pay $1 for Coles white bread or $4.50 for a loaf of multigrain?
Would you rather listen to Down Under by Men at Work five times in a row or an entire Beyonce album?
Would you rather buy a digital camera with a really good zoom or one with a panoramic option?
Would you rather stay in a hostel for $20 per night or camp out for free? Even if your only shower options are freezing cold beach showers?
Would you rather travel with one person you really really like and one person you can not stand or two mediocre people who you don't really care if you keep in touch with?
My Answers: Victoria Bitter, multi grain, Down Under, panoramic, camp, one person you love and one person you can't stand (hate is a bonding experience)
In my last entry I did not do Byron Bay justice. The town might be a Santa Barbra-Santa Cruz-Point Reyes Station but the coastline is 100,000 times more fantastic than any coastline I have ever been to. This is a low--tide season so the waves roll in thin smooth layers that seamlessly glide back down shore. From the coastline you can spot dolphins and humpback whales and the water sparkles like blue magic under the hot Australian sun. I splurged on a half-day guided kayaking trip (they don't rent out kayaks in Byron because of ocean dangers and stupid things tourists do with animals so you have to do a guided tour.) It was AWESOME. We paddled up to groups of whales and dolphins as they happily swam through the clear ocean waters. The guide said that it was the clearest visibility day that he had seen in months!
At night we went to Cheeky Monkeys, a famous backpacker bar/restaurant with an awesome $6 dinner special: a pretty good steak, chips (french fries), salad, and a pint...I know awesome right?! (and no, in case you were wondering I am not a vegetarian anymore). At night they have stupid games where you can win prizes. Two people got close to naked on stage to win a scuba diving trip. Later bar filled up with backpackers and by midnight everyone was dancing on tables to popular American music.
All in all Byron Bay was AMAZING DEFINITELY MY FAVORITE PLACE SO FAR...DONT YOU HATE IT WHEN PEOPLE WRITE IN ALL CAPITAL LETTERS?
The next morning we left Byron Bay. Our first stop was Nimbin. Nimbim is a little hippie town in the middle of no where. Its only selling points are drug tourism and the spectacle of drug tourism - people either go there to buy drugs or to ogle at the weed positive culture. Going to Nimbin with Estella and Rhys made me realize two things: 1. how unfazed I am by stoned - tie dye wearing - mate drinking - hippies and 2. how uncomfortable they make most of the world. Nimbin is one of those towns with so many high people that walking around sober makes you feel slightly paranoid, as if you are on the wrong level to understand your surroundings. After about an hour of walking the town (which is only about five or six blocks) Estella and Rhys wanted to leave because the town made them feel uncomfortable and I wanted to leave because I found it a bit boring.
Our next stop was Coffs Harbor. We stayed there for all of five minutes to take a picture with The Big Banana. From what I saw, Coffs Harbor is made up of strip malls and a big banana plantation so that is pretty much all there is to do there. After a great photo shoot (I am being sarcastic - it was cold and I had to pee) we hopped back in the car and headed all the way to Port Macquarie, which is where I am now. From what I have seen so far Port Macquarie is a step up from Coffs Harbor...maybe a small step...but there is a Koala Hospital and we are camping near the beach so life could be a lot worse :)
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