Where on earth..?

Byron Bay, east coast Australia

Yoga, surfing, swimming... After landing in Brisbane we took the bus straight here. Its my third time in AUS but my first time on the east coast, so its about time to see what's it all about! So far my perception of AUS has been about the cities in the south, but this is a whole other world.

A vacation doesn't have to be about eating too much and burning yourself in the sun (though we've tried that too). Here I can start my day with a yoga class, followed by a bruch of gluten-free bakery and soy milk latte. And not feel the slightest bit odd =) Then there's swimming, reading a good book in the shade, relaxing on the beach. And there's a lighthouse!! While Raine does surfing, my shoulders cant take the strain, even boogy boarding was too much for them. So I switched to body surfing, that is throwing yourself in the wave with no equipment at all and riding along=) Im also perfecting my swimming technique...

Have stayed in 3 different places here. The first one was a lodge in a caravan park - we arrived on a friday without anything booked and that was all that was left. Were lucky even to get that! Was a bit over our budget and a little quiet. The next one was a basic backpackers. Our room was filled with british 20-somethings who smoke pot and played the guitar til at least 2 am. Not so great if you have a 10 am yoga class... (Im leaving the 8 am stuff for the pros =) This third place is finally working, its a YHA hostel with a palm lined pool, close to the centre and the beach, quiet rooms, nice people =)

Sunglasses. I really thought I could do this whole trip without them (am not a sunglasses person). Wrong! Finally bought a pair and am blending in much better with the locals. If you dont need them for the eyes, you'll need them for the style!

Am now really really starting to enjoy myself. While the Philippines were great and interesting, it was often a lot of hassle and dirt. This place is a hippie mix of surfers and yogis, Sydney people on weekend breaks and alternative therapy. Love it! I dont think I wanna leave, maybe we found the best place at first? But we did have a plan to see the east coast all the way up to the Withsunday Islands. We're also spending quite a bit of money here, so anytime soon it will be time for that working bit...

-Carina

posted by Carina @ 4:51 AM