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Brisbane 2
By the time we got to Brisbane everything had caught up with us. I felt tired and unfit. So for a few days we just ate well, went to the gym and chilled during the day.
Surfers paradise 2
Despite not liking the town itself in surfers, I was back so Jess could see it and we could have a few days on the beach. We stayed at the same hostel I was at before so I knew a few of the staff. There wasn't much to do in surfers so we used it as more time to catch up with sleep and regain some energy. Jess used it as valuable tanning time.
Byron Bay 2
As soon as we arrived in Byron we were both loved it already. A girl with blue hair and hippy clothes picked us up in a van to take us to the hostel. She showed us round and recommended some good places to go out and see live music. It was the quirky restaurants, bars and chilled environment that made it.
On our first night we joined played bingo that was being run at our hostel. It had drinking game rules and traveller orientated prices. We got to know some girls who sat at our table and we all got competitive wanting to win the prices. Especially the $250 final round prize. In the second to last round Jess won a scuba dive in Cairns!
The next day we chilled on the beach and went round the shops. We found some really unique jewellery and surfer clothes.
That evening we started drinking early excited about a proper night out. We met a bunch of people in our hostel room and a few of us predrank in the room playing drinking games. The club we went to was free entry if we went with the hostel shuttle bus. Despite everywhere in Byron being at most a 20 minute walk away, it made it easy being dropped right at the venue. It was very busy as Woodys was the place to go on a Wednesday. Jess and I had a great time on the dance floor with a Norwegian girl we had met. Everyone was all out dancing.
We had already assigned the following day to be a hungover day. We moved hostels in the morning to a cheaper quieter one. And then we just had another day on the beach and in town. We enjoyed lying on the grass that faced the beach where live music would often be playing. It was way better being here hungover than when you are feeling hungover and miserable in England.
That evening I ended up back in the bar at Aquarius. It was a pub quiz this time. The guys I was with ended up winning and getting a bar tab so i had to go out! Cheeky monkeys was an interesting bar which was very restaurant like. The dance floor had tables on it so everyone danced on the tables. It was a right squeeze and every so often someone would fall off.
Up early the next day, Jess and I rented surf boards. We had been told earlier in the week that the conditions would be good for surfing that day. It was perfect weather and decent waves compared to what we had seen swimming the last few days. We both managed to get up a few times but felt slightly silly compared to all the surfers we had seen in Aus so far. We also spent some time just chilling by the pool at the hostel.
We decided to go out with a few people from our old hostel room. We had some predrinks back at Aquarius where everyone seemed to drink in the kitchen. We got to know some more English people and found a hidden chill out area behind their rooms with hammocks. The bar we went to called 'The Northerner' was popular for live music. It looks like a typical pub from the outside but has a huge inside with a stage and dance floor. The atmosphere was like a festival. The guy singing had an alternative voice and shaggy hair, we couldn't get over his interesting facial expressions.
Later on everyone moved into the main section of the pub. A DJ was playing techno type music. I wasn't normally into music that I didn't know and didn't have lyrics but they kept up a good beat and we really got into the dancing. After the night out we did our usual stop at the 23 hour bakery across the road.
On our last day in Byron jess was feeling quite ill and we suspected food poisoning. I brought her food and let her rest in the hostel. While she tried to get better I spent the day with our Norwegian friend Tone. We went on a walk to fallow beach. It was beautiful and much less busy than the main beach. But that day it was so windy and hard to enjoy the sun. We found a wooden perching spot away from the sand flying about everywhere. We chatted and watched the beach as surfers came in and out the sea. We were lucky enough to see a school of dolphins come right up close to the shore. They jumped and showed off. None of the surfers seemed that phased and we had heard it was quite a common to see dolphins here. That evening I had a drink at the railway bar with Tone before we left. Sadly I missed the live music that was on every night there and attracted a huge crowd. Before I knew it it was time for the 13 hour bus ride.
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