The Wandering Chocoholic

Hello from Byron Bay. It took three days and many hours on a bus to get up here from Sydney, but at long last I’ve arrived.

On Thursday, we drove up to Barrington and stayed at a lodge right on the river, where they have whitewater rafting, lots of wildlife including kangaroos hopping around, and old gold mining equipment. Unfortunately, the dorms were also modelled after old miners’ quarters, so they were really cramped and uncomfortable. The staff at the lodge were really nice, though, and I met another Canadian CSoul fan and we happily hijacked the stereo for a little while. Payback for all the crap music I’ve been forced to listen to on bus rides until now.

Yesterday, we drove up through Coffs Harbour, home of the Big Banana (don’t ask), to the surf camp at Arrawarra where well-meaning instructors (sorry, “dudes”) tried to teach us how to surf. Of course, they hadn’t encountered the likes of me before. After about a half hour in the water I concluded that I’m a hopeless case and permanently gave up on my surfing career. Oh well, I guess I’ll have to do something else with my life. The beach was really nice, though, and we had a good time by the campfire. So did a possum that seemed to enjoy our dinner scraps.

Some of the more coordinated people went out surfing again this morning, and the rest of us slept in and took it easy before heading out from surf camp. We arrived in Byron, as pretty much everyone calls it, this afternoon. It’s a renowned party town but it’s got a pretty chill vibe, and it’s chock full of hippies who haven’t realized the 60s are over, people who believe in Tarot or the healing powers of crystal, and other colourful characters. Oh, and about a gazillion backpackers. The hostel I’m staying in is really nice and homey, and I already love it here.

Cape Byron, right nearby, is also Australia’s easternmost point and therefore the first spot in OZ to see the sun rise. There’s a famous lighthouse to mark the spot that’s a short walk from here. Tomorrow morning if I’m feeling really enterprising, I may walk out there for sunrise. More likely, I’ll sleep in and see it later. But I’ve got big plans for some beach lounging, some snorkling, and maybe even a yoga class. We’ll see how it goes.

I’m hearing a lot of pessimism about the Habs’ chances against Carolina in my e-mail inbox. None of that, folks. Let’s have a little faith, shall we? I know we can do it. Huuuuuuuuuuuet.