Byron Bay and Surfers Paradise

So as my new friends left for a small town called Yamba, I set off alone to Byron Bay. I wanted to join the girls in Yamba as I'd never heard of it before and wanted to check out places that people recommended to me. I also had plenty of time before meeting Rich in Brisbane so I was definitely up for joining the others on a new adventure. However they were travelling with the Greyhound bus and I was with the Premier and unfortunately Yamba wasn't a stop on my bus' route. I could have paid extra and travelled with the others on the Greyhound but I'd already prepaid for my Premier bus, and paying extra to go to a tiny unheard-of town didn't really make a lot of sense to me. From day one of this trip I haven't really stuck to any form of a budget and I have always stood by the fact that you can always earn more money but you can't get those experiences back. So I could have easily spent the extra money travelling to Yamba, to gain the experience and to tick off another place I'd visited, but I wasn't particularly bothered about it anyway and didn't feel too much that I was missing out on an amazing opportunity. I was sad to be leaving the girls, but I knew they'd be heading to Byron Bay in a few days so I was hoping to meet up with them again. I was planning to stay at least a week in Byron as I'd heard lots of great things about the little coastal town. Lots of people just get stuck there for months apparently as it's just so laidback and easygoing, so I was ready to get stuck in. I was alone again but I really didn't mind this time as it had been so easy to make friends, that I really wasn't worried anymore about meeting people. I arrived into Byron Bay feeling absolutely exhausted as my bus from Coffs Harbour left at around four in the morning and a girl in my room was snoring so loud all night that it felt as though I hadn't slept a single wink. I can withstand just about any noise in a hostel but snoring just drives me absolutely insane. I know people can't help it but seriously it's the most irritating sound ever, it keeps me awake all night and so consequently I felt wiped out. I turned up to my hostel that a girl in Coffs Harbour had recommended to me at nine in the morning, and I couldn't check in to my room until twelve. I was feeling seriously grumpy, grouchy and feeling increasingly more tired. To top off my feelings of annoyance, the lady at reception was anything but welcoming and dealt with me as if I was an inconvenience. All I wanted to do was check in and go to sleep after being awake and travelling for half the night on a cold and cramped bus. Instead I got welcomed to the worst hostel I've ever stayed in with cold looks and hostility. I'm annoyed at myself for listening to the recommendation to stay at this hostel. As grateful as I am to fellow travellers for their advice, I should always listen to my gut instincts. I always check reviews for hostels on the internet to see if they're the sort of place that suits what I'm looking for. On this occasion I didn't bother to even look up the hostel as the girl from Coffs Harbour would not stop raving about it. It sounded amazing the way she was bigging it up so who was I to question her opinion? At least I learned yet another lesson... To take everything other travellers say with a pinch of salt. After a wander round the little seaside town of Byron Bay and finally checking in I was soon to realise just how awful this hostel really was. So as I've said I was feeling incredibly confident about meeting and talking to new people. It felt like a breeze just sitting down with people and asking if you could join them and I wonder why I ever felt nervous about it. Well my feelings of nervousness came straight back to me as I stayed for two nights in the most hostile, unfriendly and unwelcoming hostel I've stayed in throughout all of my travels. The staff as I've mentioned acted as though I was a boring chore they had to deal with and I felt that I was interrupting their precious time of doing nothing and chatting amongst themselves. The staff were nothing compared to the other residents of this particular hostel, however. I got such unfriendly vibes from this place, that it was almost like people went to stay there to be UNSOCIABLE. Surely the whole point of staying in dorm rooms and hostels is that you all have one thing in common? You want to be sociable and meet new people? Well not in this joyful place of residency that's for sure. No one smiled, looked up or even acknowledged my existence here. I even bumped into two girls I'd shared a room with in Port Macquarie, tried to catch their eye to just say hello and they just avoided all eye contact and blanked me. Wait.. What was happening? Up until this point everyone just wanted to speak and have fun and get to know you, and now I'd entered into this alien world of unsociable, unwelcoming and downright unfriendly inhabitants. I just couldn't believe how different it was after having such a great and easy experience in previous hostels when it came to meeting people. Maybe I spoke too soon when I said how easy I was finding it. I guess it couldn't be plain sailing the whole time. The people in my dorm just grunted at me as I entered the room. Normally I'd take the bull by the horns and strike up an opening conversation, or sit down with people at dinner and try and get conversation going, but I just couldn't in this place. When all you're faced with is unfriendly and guarded vibes, it doesn't exactly give you the confidence to start talking to these surly creatures. I didn't speak to anyone for two days because I got the impression no one wanted to talk. Don't get me wrong, I know it takes two and I could have made the first move but how could I? I've learned from the last couple of weeks that I can just start up conversation and make the initial move, but if people are shy with me, that makes me shy. And they weren't even being SHY, they were being downright rude. A smile or any kind of warmth from any of these people would have been encouraging but I didn't even receive a smile in return for my own. I got the impression this hostel was aimed at people who'd maybe had enough of socialising and just wanted a time-out for a few days. That's fair enough, but in Byron Bay? A place of renowned partying and a brilliant social scene? I found it all very bizarre and couldn't wait to leave. I'd been excited for Byron Bay and it had let me down. The girls who'd been in Yamba were due to arrive soon, and I decided to move hostels to stay in the same one as them. And oh, what a completely different experience a change of scenery can provide you with. Whilst staying at the hostel from hell, I literally spent two days all alone. The bar area was nice and there's a lot of good bars and clubs in Byron, but I wasn't likely to check those out on my own or with any of the unsociable hermits that I was residing with, was I? It did give me time to catch up on my journal, go for a nice walk and be alone with my thoughts. That was all very well, but I was so ready to party and have fun, not sit in alone and have early nights. I wanted to be in the thick of it, having this amazing time that everyone says you had, not only in Byron, but on the whole of the East Coast. So far, I'd only been to the chilled out places on the coast and was feeling like a night out was long overdue. Thankfully, I left that hostel and moved on to one of the best hostels I've stayed in and ended up having the most amazing week of my trip. I met back up with Virginie, who I'd met back in Coffs Harbour. She soon became my 'sister from another mister,' as we practically spent every waking minute of the next week together. We instantly hit it off, connected and got on so well. It's amazing how you can meet certain people and have no connection to them whatsoever and can only muster up small talk, but with others, such as Virginie we got on like we'd known each other our whole lives. That's the best thing about travelling is when you meet people who you just know will be your friend for the rest of your life. I connected better to her than I have with some people who I've known and worked with for years. It's not something you can even explain. It's just you hit it off better with some people than you do others. We were literally inseparable for that week, partying hard every night, surfing and spending time at the beach, getting to know one another better. We spent most of our time trying to convince ourselves we were never drinking again, yet a few hours later we'd be found dancing on the tables at Cheeky Monkeys. Byron Bay turned out to be exactly as I hoped it would. Every night, Virginie and I would make our way down to the bar, bottle of Passion Pop or a box of goon in hand, and we'd start our drinking with some of the fellow amazing people at Backpackers Inn. What a contrast this place was compared to that first hostel I stayed in, just five minutes walk up the road. Everyone here was so friendly, everyone just spoke to everybody else, and everyone was there just to have a great time, have some fun and meet new people. We all just sat on a big table outside, where anyone and everyone were welcome to join in our antics. This is exactly what it was supposed to be like; just nights of laughter, good conversation, silliness and new friendships. We made so many friends in this amazing place called Byron Bay. Too many to even mention everybody personally. Every night, there'd be someone new, someone just as eager as you to have a bit of fun and relax. We spent many an evening listening to the gentle strumming of a ukulele, with quite a few crude songs to go with it. We spent an amazing night with a big group of people down on the beach, with a bonfire, marshmallows, wine and of course, good conversation and laughter. It was another moment where I had to sit back and think to myself how lucky I was to be sitting there having a bonfire on the beach in Australia with some truly amazing people. I can see why so many people get stuck for months in this gorgeous coastal little town. The area and the atmosphere are just so relaxed, and its exactly what I think of when I think of that freedom of the travelling lifestyle, and even life out in Australia. The town itself was just really beautiful and a cute little hippy town. There was lots going on with many quaint cafes and funky shops, selling all sorts of weird and wonderful things. The beach and the lighthouse provided a stunning backdrop to this charming little coastal getaway. The place felt like you were inside a happy little bubble, and it's just the perfect holiday destination; perfect for sun, sea and sand. I can certainly cross a few things off my bucket list whilst I've been travelling, and I wasn't let down when it came to adding a few more things to that list and then swiftly ticking them off. Whilst in Byron I went on a snorkelling trip out to an area called Julian Rocks, which is one of the best places in the area to see amazing sea creatures, and above all sea turtles. After a rocky boat trip over to the snorkelling area, I was feeling incredibly seasick. Seasickness is not something that normally affects me, but this was one choppy ocean and I could not wait to jump off that boat and get into the water. Concentrating hard and keeping my eyes peeled for some sea turtles, I hadn't noticed the huge manta ray lurking behind me. I turned around and it took my breath away. I gasped and actually jumped a little as it was massive, amazing and beautiful. It really was absolutely incredible. Here I was taking a dip with a manta ray! Our guide also pointed out a species of shark, which was just awesome. It was lucky the guide did point this out, as it was camouflaged so well against the rocks on the ocean floor, that we wouldn't have spotted it otherwise. As well as some beautiful fish, we did also see some sea turtles. I couldn't believe all the things I had seen and swam with that day. What an experience! I've been snorkelling a few times throughout my travels and it just never seems to get boring, and no matter how many times you swim with those colourful fish, it always seems like the very first time. To add to my incredible few days in Byron Bay, I also went kayaking in the ocean with wild dolphins playing and jumping around me. I have never felt more at peace and at one with the world than I did at that moment I saw a baby dolphin jumping out of the water and showing off to us. I can't even describe my feelings about this experience. I've never even seen a wild dolphin before and just to have them swimming around me was the most amazing feeling. It was a gorgeous day, and to make it even nicer I was on the kayak with the guide, so he was fortunately doing most of the work! We also had a nice chat, and he was telling me some interesting information about Byron. It really was just amazing, amazing, amazing. I say that word a lot, and maybe it's overused but I can't think of any other adjective to describe this experience. To finish off a lovely day, I spent the afternoon swinging in a hammock in the late afternoon sunshine reading my book. Life doesn't get much better than this! We'd heard people talking of a little town near Byron called Nimbin and so we decided to check it out one day, travelling in style on the colourful, 'Happy Coach.' The journey was an awesome couple of hours singing along to classic rock tunes, while our hippy guide rocked out in the driver's seat. Basically the only reason people head to Nimbin is to obtain weed, but it was something that Virginie and I were really not into at all. We'd just heard it was a funky kind of town and we just wanted to see for ourselves what it was all about. The rumours were right about the weed; people were openly carrying massive bags around in the street and asking if we wanted to buy any. This was really not my cup of tea at all and I felt rather uncomfortable being offered weed in such an environment. Apart from a few cafes, funky shops and a little hippy museum, there really was nothing in this town at all. The weather was miserable and we were feeling extremely hungover, so it wasn't really the best of experiences. Our guide cooked us up a BBQ at the bowls club and the burger, although amazing, made us feel a bit worse for wear. After more singing on the way back, it was thankfully time for a little nap back at the hostel. As Nimbin is solely a marijuana hippy town, there was really nothing there that interested me. It wasn't my scene at all and the best part of the day was the journey there, singing along to the music. It felt like a school trip when the best part of the day was the bus ride. Nimbin was just one high street of crazy, high people smoking weed or selling cookies. It was all just very bizarre and I won't be heading back in a hurry. After an absolutely incredible week in my second hostel in Byron Bay, it was unfortunately time to move onto the next destination. As easy as it would be to stay here, I knew I needed to get moving. Virginie and I parted ways only very briefly as we went on our respective buses up the coast to Surfers Paradise. Making a statement in Byron that I was never ever drinking again, I was completely ready to start my week of being sober, and to start some chilling out. However, the minute I was picked up at the bus stop by one of the hostel girls, I was excitedly informed I'd be out drinking every single night for the next week. Well how could I refuse such an offer? I guess the alternative would be to sit in my room all alone, and since that experience in the first hostel in Byron, I'd rather not be doing that again. I'd heard mixed reviews about Surfers Paradise, or 'Surfers' for short. A lot of people had said that there was nothing there at all, and some had said it was a great party place. When Virginie and I had checked in and got sorted, we went for a lovely long stroll along the beach. Miles and miles of gorgeous white sand didn't really hide the fact that the backdrop was a concrete jungle of high-rises. It was a bit of a bizarre setup to have skyscrapers towering over the beautiful beach. The whole beach was consequently in the shade. It was a pretty picture to see the city right next to the beach when you first looked at it, but after a while the tall buildings stole away some of that natural beauty from the ocean. We walked for miles and miles, just chatting away, and realising we would end up in Brisbane if we kept walking at that rate, we thought we'd better turn back. Considering it was a 'surfers paradise,' we were shocked to see NO surfers at all. We were used to seeing surfers in every coastal place we'd been to, and yet here there was not a soul around catching some waves. We later learned that the name was randomly given to the town as an attraction and not because it's any kind of dream location for surfers. And after spending a week here, I soon discovered the town is anything but paradise. Literally all there was in this town was hundreds of hotels. All the high-rises along the beach just made up a strip of hotels and holiday homes. There wasn't even any bars, cafes or restaurants along the seafront, which I found very bizarre as it was clearly a big holiday resort attraction. Even our hostel was considered a party hostel but it seemed like a ghost town in comparison to the amazing hostel in Byron. Maybe it's because it was the wrong season but there was hardly anyone staying there, and consequently it didn't quite seem like the party hostel it claimed to be. We had a few good nights there, but unlike Byron I'm not looking back with fond memories and wishing I could go back. Maybe I had high expectations after such an incredible experience in one of my favourite places in Australia, and Surfers just had no chance of meeting the bar I'd set so high. Poor Surfers, it just lacked something for me. Maybe it's a favourite for Aussie tourists but it just didn't hit the same spot in my heart that Byron did. Since there was not a lot to do in the actual centre of Surfers Paradise, I decided to head further out of the city to cross yet more things off my bucket list. A few weeks previously I'd visited a koala hospital in Port Macquarie, and was disappointed when we were unable to hold or cuddle one. It was something I was desperate to do and so my opportunity finally arose when I visited Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on the Gold Coast. I paid a lot of money to get there by bus, a massive entry fee into the sanctuary and then of course more money to hold the koala and to get a photograph, but it was all worth it. When was I ever going to hold a koala again? It was another of example of spending the money to gain the experience that you'll never get again. Ok so I can make more money (when I eventually have to go back to the real world) but for now, I'm happy to spend my money and have the best time possible. The money may be starting to dwindle however... Whilst at the sanctuary I also went to the kangaroo area and took some obligatory selfies with the famous face of Australia, while they lazed around in the gorgeous midday sunshine. They are incredibly lazy and could be found snoozing or just soaking up some rays. When people have photos with tigers etc, the poor animals are unfortunately drugged up so much that they're just sprawled out on the floor so that the tourist can get have a photo opportunity. For me, I just don't agree with innocent animals being drugged up for tourism. These kangaroos however were just in their natural state; they're just lazy and sleepy and will happily lay there all afternoon. You had the opportunity to feed them and stroke them too. All without the poor things being drugged for the advantage. Some people may not agree that they're as cute or indeed as cuddly as koala but I think kangaroos are absolutely adorable, and I'm so glad that not have I seen them hopping around in the wild, but I've got up close with them and posed for the camera with them in a sanctuary too. One of the most amazing and terrifying things I've ever done, or probably will ever do for that matter, was a skydive from 14000 feet out of an airborne plane. And where better to do it than my favourite place? Good old Byron Bay. The best place, and the one where anyone who's anyone does a skydive is Mission Beach, but I just knew it wouldn't be feasible for me on this trip unfortunately. Although I still have so much more of the East Coast to experience, I only had time to go as far north as Brisbane on this particular trip. I have barely even touched on the travelling I want to do in this country, but time and money are running short, so it'll all just have to wait until I come back for my second year. Like I've said before, all the places will all still be there when I come back, so there's no rush just yet. Anyway, I digress... So as I was unable to go further north and running out of time, I KNEW I needed to do a skydive this time around. It's been at the top of my bucket list for a long time, and my feet were becoming incredibly more itchy as friends I've met along the way have uploaded their own pictures of their amazing skydiving experiences. I was becoming jealous and wanted to experience it for myself. One of the companies was offering a skydive over the beach from 14000ft in Byron Bay. Even though I was still in Surfers and had not long left Byron, I just knew it needed to be done. Awakening very early for my bus back down to Byron, I was beginning to feel quite apprehensive. I was getting up early to go and jump from an aeroplane..what on earth was I thinking? It hadn't quite sunk in what I was letting myself in for until I reached the office and signed my life away on the insurance disclaimer. People were queuing up and returning from their dives, and my palms were starting to feel sweaty and my heart rate was increasing. What am I doing? Can I just back out now? Do I really have to get in that plane? I want to go home. These and many more questions and quite a few choice swear words were running through my brain. But I was there, I'd paid the money and before I knew it my instructor was strapping me up and pulling me towards the plane. There was no backing out now. Rising up to the fluffy clouds and chatting to my instructor as he strapped all his clips to my own, did not do anything for my nerves. We were climbing higher and higher, as was my heart rate. I felt sick and just wanted to get back down to the safety of the earth. Why did I ever think this would be a good idea? To make matters worse, out of all the people doing a jump in my plane, I was the one to be going last. I had to watch each and every one of my fellow skydivers build up their nerves and then get thrown head first out of the plane, knowing my turn would ultimately be coming very very soon. My instructor had said when the door opens, that's when your heart rate will go sky high (excuse the pun!)..He was not wrong! My heart was about to explode from my chest, but before I could dwell on it anymore I was sitting on the edge of the plane looking out at the stunning views of Byron Bay beneath me. Had the guy counted me down or asked if I was ready I would have rapidly changed my mind and asked him to take me back down to the ground. As it was, he sat me on the edge of the plane and within a second he'd jumped. I was free falling through freezing cold air and hurtling towards the ground at a break neck speed. I screamed a lot, and I couldn't really think properly, apart from just how unbelievably scared I was falling, falling, falling.. Then after what seemed like forever, the instructor who'd jumped over 7500 times from a plane, released the parachute and I finally caught my breath. "YOU'VE JUST JUMPED OUT OF A PLANE!!!" Screamed the enthusiastic skydiving expert. I couldn't believe I'd actually done it! The fear was out of this world but so was the feeling of the adrenaline pumping through your veins at your body completely going out of its comfort zone. I can't describe the feeling of euphoria and excitement that fills your body. I was shaking from head to toe, and I was completely overwhelmed with both what I'd just done and those incredible views of the beach that surrounded me, as we slowly made our way back down to solid ground. I'd done it! What an unbelievable experience. I can't work out if it was more amazing or more terrifying but judging my the video of my experience, I think I'd probably say it was the most terrifying thing I've ever done. Terrifying but awesome! So Surfers Paradise in itself was rather average in my opinion, but the activities that I took part in whilst I stayed there were amazing. I crossed many things off my bucket list, met more amazing people and finished off my East Coast adventure in style by throwing myself out of a plane and fulfilling a lifelong dream of cuddling a koala. It's safe to say that it's not where you are that makes your whole trip memorable, but the experiences you have, the limits you cross and the amount of times you do something you may never get the opportunity to do again.