Wonderwall

So today is our official first whole day in Byron Bay, NSW. Yesterday L and I got off the 14 hour train ride, 2 hour bus ride and arrived in BB at 5am, we then waited until 7:30 to get into our rooms and thank god they were free so we hopped into our 10 person communal bunk bed rooms and tried to sleep. Then we woke up, spent the day at the beach and then bought 4.4 liters of Goon for $11 and found some Canadian boys to drink with. Everyone here is very nice but it has been surprisingly difficult to make friends, mostly because there are some big language barriers, but also people kind of say hi then go about their own ways, but our new Canadian crew is awesome and very fun, we are definitely the loudest and drunkest in the hostel and made quite a scene last night, playing Slap the Goon and singing a song about it. Was such a riot though.
Other than that, the community feel of Byron is really amazing, there is a big communal kitchen with a communal shelf and fridge, and we just leave all our food there and label it and no one touches anyone elses stuff, everyone cleans up after themselves, there are no assholes leaving huge messes and it's just so nice that everyone respects each other. Good karma for sure. Other than that Byron is totally filled with hippies, it's hilarious to see, and there are alot of new-age alternative type people, who are also cool but I can't quite figure out if they are just part of this neo-beat generation or if they are being ironic in thongs. Whatevs. That's another thing though, no one wears thongs! Everyone walks around bare foot everywhere, on the streets, in shops, in Wooly's (our resident grocery store). So very weird but I have embraced it and am taking it slow, walking barefoot to and from the beach (which is a 5 minute walk from our hostel). The beach in Byron isn't nearly as beautiful as Bondi Beach in Sydney, which may be my favourite spot in the whole world, and the waves are really intense and the water is angry, it seriously beats you up and throws you around, reminds us who's boss around here I guess.
I miss my family lots, I have already created a little fort in my bottom bunk by hanging pashminas all around so it's private, and I have sticky-tacked some photos up on the wall already. I miss my friends too, but mostly I just wish they were with me because the type of partying here is RIGHT up everyone's alley, it's very cool.
I don't know if I'll be down to go out tonight though, I'm kind of hungover from the goon last night and also am spending about a grande on the next 2.5 weeks of my trip (oh yeah there's a story there!) so I don't feel like paying cover and buying drinks all night. And another thing, when I got here, I bought a pack of ciggies, in Sydney I mean, and smoked one, then I got sick, and since then I am disgusted by the thought of smoking, the smell of it makes me nauseous when I walk by and just knowing that I have that pack in my bag makes me want to gag. It is the weirdest thing, a New Years resolution that I didn't even plan on. I won't throw them out because they cost $20, but maybe I'll find a smoker and sell them for a tenner or something. It's so weird, I usually love smoking, I don't smoke too often, even when I was at home, but while drinking you just have too, that and it looks cool (which I still stick by even though I want nothing to do with it.) But I have always been pro-smoker, like yes it's disgusting and unhealthy but so is the rest of the world. I don't know, I guess I just am off it, maybe this will be forever! Which is so funny because I totally thought before I left that, once I was living alone, and not having to worry about not smoking on my parents property, and not smelling like cigs around my fam and friends, that I would smoke all the time, but it has totally been the opposite. Oh well I'm not complaining!
So, my big adventure, I'll have to write more details later, but essentially L and I hustled the travel planner guy, and are going to Noosa beach for a few nights, then doing a 3 day long camping trip on Fraser Island, then a few nights at Airlie Beach, then a 2 day sailing trip around the Whitsunday's, and then a night at a hostel on a beach (forget the name). Then a 2 day snorkeling cruise in the Great Barrier Reef, after that two days, L and I start working on the ship as housekeeping, so we stay and eat for free and do 3 hours of cleaning during the day, this is garunteed to us for 3 days and then if they like us they'll keep us. I am so excited for that, living on a boat, sailing the most beautiful waters in the world! Ugh it will be awesome, as much as I love Byron I am sooooo excited to get to that damn boat. And the camping part of this trip will also be amazing.
I guess I have got my enthusiasm back :)
Love and miss you all who are reading this <3