Monday, February 04, 2008

Byron Bay...oh sun, sun and sunburn


After my day in the blue mountains, I boarded an overnight bus to Byron Bay. The bus ride was unadventful, long and FREEEZING!!! the AC was broken...it was stuck on 21degrees and the whole bus of backpackers did more shivering than sleeping. However, we all survied and arrived in Byron Bay early in the morning and was met by hostel recruits waving signs. I choose a YHA hostel as a few on the bus i had met had already booked it. The hostel was great and I met tones a people there. Dear Sophie, my French Canadian friend was the best! I am so sorry I only had one day in Byron Bay. It is a fabulous beach town. Full of surfers, backpackers, and pseudo-hippies. I spent the day on the beautiful white sand beach with Sophie. I would have to say that playing in the waves was the highlight.



The water was so beautiful and the waves were large and super fun. We did our best to body-surf but failed each time, almost drowning ourselves in laughter. There was one dramatic event that day. As a group of us was playing the waves we caught sight of two large dark long shapes in an approaching wave. Some people screamed shark. I was too frightened to do anything but think, well too late to do anything now. The massive waved crashed down on us two seconds later and when I popped my head and battered body out of the water to see how close the dorsal fins where, I did not see sharks, but dophins. Two beautiful dolphins playing in the ways like the rest of us. In another moment they dived back under and disappeared from view. WOW. that is all I have to say. WOW, nothing beats that!
After the dolphine encounter sharks were still on the brain and many of us retreated from the waves. I lay down exhausted on the beach, did a shabby job of reapplying sunscrean and promptly burnt my white skin under the very strong Aussie sun.

Lets just say that the following few days have been very painful. Since I had burnt the tops of my legs, walking was more pain that I could really handle. I am healing, and pealing now.

Next stop was Brisbane but unfortunately I was in too much pain to see the city. I really regret this as I was looking forward to Brisbane. In Brisbane I met up with a tour group I booked for the journy to Cairns, and we headed from there Harvey Bay, the gateway to Fraser Island.

I am getting very scary weather reports from back home. I hope you are all avoiding frost bite like I am avoiding another sun burn.

Ch?

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