We returned from Melbourne on Wednesday, February 17, and on Friday the 19 we flew out to Byron. It was just Mallory, Kate, and me, and we were very excited to break off from the group for a bit and relax away from the city. Kate flew out of Sydney earlier in the day, but Mallory and I had class until 2:00 so we left in the evening. The moment we hit the tarmac, we knew we were in for a quiet weekend. This was our plane:
Luckily, I am very comfortable on tiny planes after flying to St. Barths so many times, so I was not too nervous. We landed in Byron Bay at about 8:15 pm, and were planning on catching a shuttle bus we had heard about to our hostel. However, we got off the plane, and immediately found ourselves alone and feeling lost. The other passengers all had prearranged rides or family members there to meet them, the flight crew evaporated, and one of the two taxis waiting for arrivals hurried away. We did not get the memo that the airport shuts down at 6 pm. Luckily, one taxi remained waiting. We asked the driver what our "options" were to get to town, and he said there was only one: to take his cab. After learning the ride would be about 8 times as costly as the shuttle we anticipated, we accepted the fact that we had no other way out of the airport. So, off we went! It took us about 40 minutes to get there, but we were relieved that we made it.
After our brief panic at the airport, we were delighted to discover our hostel is known as the nicest in Byron Bay. It's called Nomad's, and it's brand new and in the center of town. We unpacked our things and met up with Kate, who had explored all day and led us to the main street (which, by the way, was about 10 feet away from our hostel's front door). We walked around for a few minutes, but soon the essays we had just turned in caught up with us, and we retired pretty early.
On Saturday, we were out the door by 8:30 am. We started the day with some delicious yogurt and muesli smoothies, and then headed for the beach. I should probably explain the layout of the town to make things more clear...
Essentially, Byron Bay has one street that reminded me of a hippie-esque Nantucket, because in both towns, the main street is the only one worth perusing. There are multiple restaurants, clothing stores, souvenir stands, and swim/surf shops on it. There are also several agencies of sorts offering kayaking tours, surf rentals, snorkel equipment, etc. This main street runs perpendicular to the beach, and opens up directly into the beach's parking lot, so you can walk from the top of the street into the ocean. There is little to do in Byron out of the water, which, for me, was ideal. Here's a picture of the main street...
As you can see, it's pretty small. Anyways, for Saturday, we had pre-booked a dolphin kayaking tour. We were expecting a van or bus of some sort to come pick us up, but we were amused to see our ride was a rugged Jeep with two other girls thrown in the trunk. We piled in alongside them, laughing, and headed for the beach, not really knowing what to expect.
I was horrified to learn that we were required to sign a release form, which promised we wouldn't sue the company if we drowned or were eaten by sharks. Our tour guides seemed amused by our (my) fear of potential death by shark attack, so they kindly pointed out that it had been a full two days since the last shark sighting, and we "should" be okay if we stay with the group. Needless to say, it took a lot of willpower and few pushes from Mallory to get me into the kayak. We had an amazing time, though we didn't see any dolphins, and only capsized four or five times. Everyone else managed to stay in their boats a little better than we did. Here's a shot of the beautiful beach we launched from (also the only beach)...
After our sea kayaking tour, as we renamed it, we returned to the beach and then the hostel to regroup for dinner. We had some delicious kebabs and hummus, and then made our way towards the water to watch the sunset. When we got near the beach, we heard a drum circle going on, so we went to check it out and ended up staying for about two hours. There were around 12 musicians playing consistently, and others would drop in and out of the circle as they pleased with various instruments. Everyone involved in the circle and around it was extremely friendly, and people felt comfortable enough to dance and lose themselves in the music. Kate, Mal, and I danced on a cliff overlooking the beach while the sun set. It was beautiful, and the music and laughter surrounding us made it an unforgettable experience. We checked out a couple of bars after this, but didn't last long.
Back at our hostel, we chatted with our roommates, Kate and Ellie, who are from England and traveling around Australia/New Zealand for a year. They were so friendly and fun, and we quickly became friends with them. We also got to know a Swiss guy named Rafael pretty well, and the six of us had a lot of fun together. It was refreshing to hang out with people outside of the BU program, and we've managed to stay in touch with all three of our new friends!
On Sunday, we had no plans but to explore the various shops and restaurants in the town. We made friends with the owner of a vintage store and ended up chatting with her for a couple of hours as we modeled clothes for her. The woman who sewed the clothes together wasn't there, but the salesgirl told us all the fabrics were taken from vintage dresses, tops, and skirts. They were beautifully made and very original. I was the only one of the three of us who didn't make a purchase! After our little fashion show, we headed back to the beach to relax one last time and take in some more sun. We were reveling in the chance to lounge, because we had final exams and essays due later in the week.
Sunday night, we ate some of the best sushi I've ever tasted. In the middle of the restaurant was a sushi train, where they have a sushi-making island in the middle with a train with plates on it circling around the bar. It tasted so fresh and rich, and the chef nearest to us got a big kick out of how excited we were! She kept laughing and refilling the plates with our favorite pieces. Here's a picture of my favorite one, which might look gross but it was AMAZING!! It's salmon with some sort of veggies on the inside, and the wrap was tempura with some yummy sauce on top. Mmmm....
That pretty much topped off our weekend in Byron. After dinner, I went and sat on the beach for about an hour after the sun had set, stargazing and enjoying the fresh air. The next day, Kate flew out early and Mal and I explored some more before our evening flight. The quiet weekend was exactly what the three of us needed to rejuvenate our tired brains and brace ourselves for the busy months ahead! I haven't sat still since that last day on the beach, but I think the most memorable part of the trip was the genuine friendliness of the people. I must admit I'm biased towards Tasmania for sights after spending a week there, so I might not be doing Byron's views justice! Thanks for reading! Stories from Tassie to come...
