Hello!!!

Well I am back on the road again and having a blast! I have missed travelling a lot after being in the same city for two weeks.

Since I last wrote I had a fabulous sofa day at the place Rach is flatsitting for her manager. I was round hers and it got late so I stayed over and she let me spend the next day while she was at work laying on her sofa watching rubbish on cable tv and having some R&R, it was just what I needed after a week in the hostel.

At the weekend was the Mardi Gras festival, we went with some of Rach's friends who she met on her travels and one of my room mates who we have nicknamed Boomerang Joey because he bought literally 30 something boomerangs for his family and friends and spent $300 in Paddy's Market on stupid souvenirs (says the girl who bought a genuine kangaroo hand!). He's from Florida but is on leave from the Army, he's stationed out in Afghanistan. We watched the parade, it was raining but the atomosphere was still incredible. Everyone was in such high spirits and fully embracing the gay vibe, I thought it was great to see so much support for a Gay Pride Festival. We went to some typical backpacker bars after and spent Sunday at Coogee beach.

Monday I headed out to Penrith to stay with my Great Aunt and Uncle Kathleen and Paddy again, to be looked after and overfed for the final time before I head off up the coast. They were disappointed I wasn't staying as long as I intended as I hadn't seen some of the family and they wanted to do a BBQ for me with everyone, I'm disappointed too but I just couldn't afford to and didn't want to stay in a rainy city with no work.

So I said goodbye to my lovely room mates; Boomerang Joey, the beautiful Swedish girls (haven't yet found an ugly Swede!), the Canadian girls who got drunk and vomited on the dorm carpet, the Canadian boys who nicknamed me Princess Catherine (which I kind of like, possible new name?!), the German couple who do not seem to have grasped the concept of suntan lotion and the English boy who sleeps all day after drinking all night (name unknown as I have only seen the back of his sleeping head!). I said goodbye to Kathleen and Paddy, who I now think of as Grandparents, they have been so hospitable to me and treated me like their own, fussing around after me and feeding me lots :) And I said goodbye to Rach, who we joke has been my husband this last month going off to work and leaving me in bed, then meeting me after, she has not just been my best friend but my life planner, tour guide and wingman these past few weeks and I honestly would not have known what to do without her.

I caught an extremely early morning Oz Experience bus to Spot X where I would have my first surf lesson. On the way up we took a detour to a Koala Hospital and saw the cute little orphan koalas (not as cute as my orphans though!) and the not so cute koalas who were in there with chlamydia (yes that is true it's a big problem for the frisky little things) which is also called Wet Bottom disease.

We got to Spot X Mojo surf camp and it was so cool, it was like a holiday camp, lots of basic chalets, camper vans and tents everywhere. Most people were typical surfer types; so laidback they don't wear shoes, usually blonde, wavy beach hair, tanned and fit. It was so chilled out, I loved it. We had been and watched the sunset on the beach whilst drinking Goon (boxed wine, 4 litres for 6 pound! Awful stuff but a bargain), then we went back to the drivers cabin and sat on his balcony playing games to get to know each other. I'm in the Blonde Room (debatable I know!) with Laura a lovely Irish woman who looks my age but we were shocked to find out is actually 31, Jennika another hot Swede (seriously what is in the Swedish water?) and Caroline from Canada. Also on our bus is a hilarious Welsh couple, a group of girls from Doncaster, a Scot, an Essex lad and two Canadian lads.

Our surf lesson was at 7am the next morning, we pulled on our unflattering wetsuits, grabbed our gigantic surfboards and after a quick lesson in 'popping up' we hit the sea! IT.WAS.AMAZING!!!!! I thought I'd be useless and don't get me wrong I'm know Kelly Slater (oh yeah I'm down with the surfers) but I wasn't dreadful. I managed to stand up all the way to the shore 3 times with the instructors telling me exactly when to stand, it's all about timing and balance. Even falling off was fun, I just loved it so much and the lesson flew by.

After lunch we left camp and headed to Byron Bay where most of us were booked into the same hostel, Holiday Village. We had a table reserved at Cheeky Monkeys where my supposed (I'll get to that later) job is, we had pasta and a beer for $5, although the woman tried to tell me and Laura the lasagne dish didn't come with a free beer as it's only for pasta dishes!! We argued the point and got our drink :) The bar loves to Oz Experience bus as they bring so much custom so we got given loads of free jugs of beer. They auctioned off prizes and did the usually tacky bar games which got a bit out of hand. Everyone was up dancing on tables, it was just so much fun and the group we're with are great.

Today we surfaced at about 10am and headed to the beach, our heads weren't quite in the right state to try surfing despite the free board rental at the hostel, but we swam in the sea and lay on the beach. The weather is sooooo much better than Sydney and I have an awesome tan (and have purchased Zinc cream for my nose so no longer look like Rudolph), life is good. It is good to have a change of scenery. We did a little food shop, then lay by the pool at the hostel. Some of the girls are leaving Sunday so Jennika and I found a cheaper hostel to stay in after the weekend.

On the job front I rocked up to the manager of Cheeky Monkeys and introduced myself and he knew nothing about me or the job but said he's willing to give me a trial after the weekend but warned me winter is quiet for the bar and only the most outgoing and sociable staff get kept on. He also said he'd be looking out for me in the bar last night so I felt under pressure to bring my A game and act like I was having the best night ever but it was actually a pretty awesome night.

Optimistically we booked onto a sunrise tour this morning but after rolling into bed at 3am we didn't make it so tomorrow we are up at 5.30am to head to the lighthouse and be the first people in Australia to see the sunrise on the 10th March 2012. Byron Bay is the most Easterly point in Australia so we will see the sunrise before anyone else :)

Still loving life out here and am incredibly happy!!!

Love to all back home from sunny beautiful Byron xxxxxxxxxxxxx