I've had a solo expedition today to Nimbin, leaving Jim soaking up the rays back at Byron. Seeing as Jim hates hippies (sample quote "Get a job") it was probably his idea of hell, but I enjoyed it!

Nimbin is this hippy town near Byron Bay where weed consumption is overlooked by the police and the whole place sort of resembles the healing fields at Glastonbury, in terms of the fact that it's full of crusties trying to sell you weed and hash cookies. It's a really small place and the main street is lined with shops pedalling hemp goods, bongs and anything pot-related. Apparently Nimbin, in its current incarnation (it used to be quite a poor dairy farming town) was established in 1973 when the 'Aquarius Festival' was staged there. All the hippies that turned up just didn't leave!

I went with Jim's Alternative Tours (a different Jim, obviously) and he drove a coach load of us around playing a soundtrack of Devo, Primal Scream, Pink Floyd, Creedance Clearwater Revival etc., interspersed with stoner film clips (the one from The Big Lebowski was a highlight) and facts about the area/funny weed-related anecdotes.

We stayed in Nimbin for about two hours (just long enough for everyone to buy hash - don't worry mum, I didn't get involved) before Jim drove us into the forest to meet his mate Paul.

Paul is this 60 year old hippy who lives alone in the forest (he owns about 80 acres somehow) growing plants and collecting dolls which he mostly arranges in sexual positions. He fed us all mulberries, sweet lime and macadamia nuts from his estate and then everyone smoked on the terrace of his hut/home, overlooking a really pretty pond, covered in waterlilies. He was quite a character: long greying hair, silver nailvarnish, a bright shirt with little pictures of Taz on it and bare feet (which was impressive considering we were walking on a lot of gravel). He told us in his American accent that he likes welcoming Jim's Tours because the money keeps him in fertiliser for his plants ("You can never have enough beauty").

Without my Jim for company I chatted to lots of different people today: Australian school teachers, American girls, more Canadian fratboys (there seems to be a theme emerging...), a Danish lad and a quite intense Irish boy who I was relieved to say goodbye to. So, all in all it was a fun day. Jim and I are now reunited and off to get food and to get tipsy.

Peace x x x