Byron, Wed. + Thurs.
Awoke early, has some brekkie and did some writing on the deck before packing up my bag and catching the shuttle to town. Kerry and I are switching hostels today from Arts Factory to Wake Up because our room was booked out at Arts. So we arrived at Wake Up around 11 AM but our room wasn't ready until 2 PM, so we set our bags aside and made an epic lunch- sweet potato with sautéed veggies and a side salad with avocado and hummus. After, I FaceTimed with mumsie and my pup, Santo! And I also booked my flight for my next adventure. And just like that, it was 2 PM.
We dropped our bags in the room and headed into town. We turned the wrong way out of the hostel and stumbled upon the cutest little place called The Tree House. We stopped for a drink then walked to town where we proceeded to buy some goon (cheap boxed wine) to drink for the night. We took the shuttle back to the hostel and ran into Rony.
Once we arrived back to the hostel, the rest of the night was something magical. I had been telling Kerry how much connectivity I'm feeling here and it grew even more apparent. We decided to sit in the backyard space at the hostel, and I saw a dude sitting by myself so I said "you look like you could use some company" and we sat with him. Then, I saw another table of 5 people and waved them over to join us. We all introduced ourselves and began chatting about our travels. Paul, a German dude, had an epic yet terrifying story of being bit by a shark while out swimming at sunset (things that bite come out at night!).
Someone asked where I was from and when I said I lived in Mexico, a guy named Pedro said he does too! He is from Mexico City but his girlfriend lives in Cabo and he knows heaps of my best mates from Ana Sofia to Cami and the Chulas! Wow, first Mexican I meet and he's practically a Cabo local! I was tripping with excitement. Our hostel has free wine and cheese night every Wednesday so we all stayed put for a couple hours as cheese, grapes, hummus, crackers, and wine was served. Another epic connection happened when my friend Justin from Napa messaged me saying that he has a friend named Cait who lives in Byron. I invited her to wine night and wow was it amazing meeting this beautiful soul! And I didn't even realize that she hadn't actually met Justin or his girlfriend, Tashina, but just knows them thru work. She said "you're the closest I've gotten to meeting them" and that made me feel so special!
Anyways, we listened to the live music while sipping our wine, and then Cait took off and the rest of us went downtown to a bar called Woodys. Milo, Sam, Aiden, Pedro, Kerry, Rony and I all danced the night away to some 90s tunes. After several hours, we made our way across the street for a kebab (seems to be the late night snack in Aus) and then back to the hostel. It wasn't until we arrived back that we realized we were all staying in the same room!!! HAHAHA! I was laughing so hard like wow, what are the odds! From the early evening until now, 2 AM, we had no idea we were all bunk mates. CONNECTIVITY! I am loving this. Milo, my Italian friend, and I were laughing so hard, uncontrollably, for so long. I'm laughing again as I'm writing this. I fell asleep laughing, feeling so blissed out and grateful for this epic journey so far.
09/12/19
I fell asleep laughing and awoke doing just the same. This dude, Sam, was snoring up a storm, and all 10 of us in the room woke up except Sam. We were cracking up! And then I began jumping on the bed in an attempt to make it (yes I make my bed everyday even in hostels), and Milo saw me. Needless to say we couldn't stop laughing. Great vibes when you can fall asleep and wake up laughing all the same.
Anyways, was up and at 'em early for the Byron Farmers Market, yay! I love going to local markets and there are heaps here in Byron, except they go from 7AM-11Am, but so worth the wake up. Axel picked Kerry and I up from the hostel and the three of us headed to the market. It had so many farmer stands and then some food and smoothie stands as well. 75% of the market has to be farmers, so there are heaps of amazing produce options. I got some organic lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and mini bananas, and then we sat at the tables to enjoy the music. Honestly, I am blown away already by the talent in this town.
After the market closed, we headed towards a place called The Farm to check it out. It is similar to Floras Farm in Cabo, with the idea of farm to table meals. The garden was huge and there were cows, chickens, and roosters on site. We spent some time roaming around, walking beneath the pecan trees, and having great conversations before heading out for some lunch in town. Axel recommended a place called Bagus, which means "good" in Indonesian. It made me think of Bai so I agreed right away! And remember my friend Carla from my Whitsundays tour? Well she drove down to hang! So she met up with Kerry, Axel and I at Bagus. Just reading the menu put a huge smile on my face. Seeing "Single Finn" on the menu, nasi goreng and mei goreng as food options, and even Bingtang beer in the fridge, I was illumined with joy.
The amazing conversations continued throughout the afternoon, Axel telling us all about his Vipassana meditation retreats and Carla asking opinions on commitment, attachment and relationships. We took our conversation beachside to absorb the suns rays. And eventually Axel dropped us at the hostel, and Kerry decided to take a nap while Carla and I headed to the Belongil Beach, right in front of the hostel. It was a bit windy, but we watched the beginning of the sunset and then went back into the hostel to relax in the room. I had time to chat with my Sunbeam, Riley, who's currently in Uganda. Aw she always warms my heart. And Carla braided my hair while us girls in the room chatted. Felt like I was back in a sorority, hostel style!
After, I made a salad for dinner and then Kerry and I joined Rony and some others at The Tree House for some wine before walking to a brewery for a beer. We arrived to the brewery and it was last call. Most things close quite early in Australia in general. Once we all finished our beers, we walked over to Woodys for salsa night! Some dancing took place, naturally, and I had some great chats with an Aussie, Ed, learning all the local slang and verbiage. We walked back, taking the beach route, gazing at the moon the whole way. Once back at the hostel, I rinsed my feet (because I am still not wearing shoes) and then curled up in bed.
