14/04/09: We got up before 7 and got ready and checked out. Then we had quite a long walk with our backpacks to the bus station. We waited and waited- the bus was due at 8.20- at 8.35 a bus turned up and we got all excited only to realise it was the wrong one!!! So we waited and waited some more and about 9.10 our bus finally arrived- held up by floods up north from all the rain! It was a short journey- about 1.5hours- I slept most of it. The weather looked promising! We arrived in Byron Bay and I've never seen anywhere like it! It is very hippy!! The outfits and hair styles!!???!! People are very natural!! Loads of dreads and braided hair and tie-dyed clothes and guitar playing and shops selling crystals and organic food and massages. We also found a "herb" shop!! Apparently there is somewhere here where all the hippies go and do drugs and the police turn a blind eye! We saw several people partaking in such activities less discreetly- there were blokes sprawled out on the benches out of their heads!? Anyone who is not a hippy is a surfer or both! We walked the street about 3 times with our backpacks looking for our hostel and finally found it around the back of a bottle shop. It is a very new, modern hostel. We had to wait til 2 to check in so we put our bags in storage and then went on the internet and booked our buses to Port Macquarie and Sydney and also our accomodation in each place. Then we went for a mooch- we got Subway for lunch (even though lil alex had had one for breakfast too- we will soon look like a Subway). We ate it by the beach. Then we mooched around the town- it is a tiny little place but full of people! We went to the beach and sat and walked along a bit. Then come back and checked in to hostel- we are back in an 8 person dorm but it is clean and we know what beds are ours this time!! We headed back to beach but the sun didnt quite manage to break through until it was about to go down and there was a couple of little showers. We went to Noodle Box for tea- I had the nicest dish with all different seafood and veg! We had a quiet night in- reading. A couple of Canadian guys in our room were sorting out their supply of weed! But the people in the room were quite quiet and so we slept well.

15/04/09: The sun is shining, the weather is sweet again! We didnt get up til about 10, then we made crumpets- not as nice as they are at home!! Then we headed out to walk to the lighthouse and most easterly point in Australia. It nearly killed me- it was swelteringly hot and we had to walk up about 5000 stairs through the rainforest to get to it! We got beautiful views over the beaches and forests and town. We saw stingrays in the clear water and people were hangliding from the top of the hill. Lil alex made me walk even further and up and down even more steps to get to the most easterly point- I did say I shouldnt have to go through such torture on my b'day eve! We didnt even have a drink! We found an easier way down and got a much needed drink! Then we went to the beach- which was very busy and laid and sunbathed all day! There was glorious blue skies and it was very hot. We went for a quick dip each and lil alex had fun jumping in the waves!! We left the beach just before the sun come down and had showers- chatted a bit to people in the room- they seem alright (dont worry its not the druggies- they've moved on). Then we went back to the noodle box for tea!! We then headed to a bar called 'Cheeky Monkeys' but it was a bit crap and the cider was gross and expensive so only had 1 drink then went back to room where a Spainish girl in there was in bed so couldnt turn light on and had to go bed too so didnt get to see my birthday in.

16/04/09: My Birthday!! Thanks everyone for the messages, e-mails and stuff!! Its not the same not being at home for ya b'day but we had a good day. The weather was gorgeous- not a cloud all day. We got up and treated ourselves to a breakfast Subway then went to the beach about 10 and laid there all day!! I went playing in the waves a few times today!! And lil alex was on drinks duty cos it was my b'day! We topped up our tan nicely. Then left just before the sunset about 5. We had showers and got ready in the room. Then we went out for dinner about 6.30. I got to pick anywhere and chose a nice little Mediterraen restaurant that did all Greek and Cypriot food. We had a vegetarian entree platter to start with- it was delicious- houlumi (spelling??), pitta with dips, stuffed vine leaves, aubergine fritters, etc. Then for main I had a vegetable stack of aubergine, courgette, spinach, beef tomato, etc with tomato sauce and houlomi served with rice and a greek salad! Lil alex had beef and houlumi. It was very nice. Then we walked to the beach but it seemed to be the place to go if you enjoy the 'herb'! So we grabbed an ice cream- a bit greedy really as I was still full from dinner. I had banana, chocolate and forest berries flavours. Thanks again everyone!! Went back to room- I couldnt put Jodi Picoult down cos I was getting near the end!! We were woken up about 2 by some girl who'd been out clubbing and had been told that all her bites were from bed bugs so she had told the reception and they were changing her sheets. It made me very itchy but think she just had mosquito bites. An hour later another guy woke us up- he come back to get his stuff cos he was going to watch the sunrise on the beach with a group of people!

17/04/09: We got up and got ready about 8.30, we checked out and waited for 10am bus. Lil alex went to bakery to get us breakfast. Sun shining again!! Bus on time, we stopped after a short time for a meal break. Chinese guy sitting behind us was asleep and catching flies and snoring very loudly- but it was funny cos he slept through the meal break and about 3 hours later was like "aren't we meant to be stopping for a meal break?". We also nearly drove off without someone. Stopped again at 3.30 for another meal break- me and lil alex shared some potato wedges. Drove through Coffs Harbour and saw all the banana plantations.