Rainbow power!

Sun is shining, the weather is sweet. Makes you want to move your dancing feet... 

I can't believe I forgot to write about Nimbin!

We did a day trip from Byron Bay to this alternative capital of Australia. Hiding in the middle of beautiful mountains from the rest of the world, Nimbin is stopped in time and still living in the 60s. Relaxed, peaceful, friendly atmosphere with shiny, happy people.

Walking the main street we ran across many cheerful fellows:

Buying, consumption and selling of cannabis is open and the first thing we heard after jumping out of our van indeed was: 'Would you girls like to buy some marijuana?'. 

Unfortunately, we also saw what this environ-mentally healthy herb may do to you in the long-run in the form of an elderly aboriginal 'lady' who wasn't sure if she was a woman or a man, and kept talking to her imaginary friends.

There was a hemp embassy, hemp bar and cafe, pipe shops and all these colourful, happily decorated shops selling anything to do with hemp. MardiGrass festival, aiming to end the prohibition of cannabis in Australia, is held in Nimbin annually. They have hemp olympics too, including activities such as joint rolling. 

Such a happy place.


Want you to know, I'm a rainbow too!

Surf all day party all night in Byron Bay

The first highlight of the trip was old surf and hippie mecca, nowadays a popular tourist destination of Byron Bay. Everybody was really looking forward to it and we wanted to stay there for a few days. Full of backpackers, bars, shops, restaurants, surfers and nice beaches. 

We got the first taste of a holiday lying on the beach, looking around the shops, eating out and drinking out. Stine and me had a workout at a small gym. For showers, we sneaked into a backpackers.  Alix and Sabrina even abandoned our Jucy van and got a room at the hostel for one night to taste some luxury. 

We talked to some German guys who had been camping in front of the supermarket for 4 days. Every time we went to the supermarket, they were there, outside their van, drinking beer. So one night we joined them to have some goon. 

Stressing about where to park at night, we asked other backpackers what they are doing. They told us that it is ok to stay at the beach, and we saw that it was full of campervans. However, in the early hours of the morning the ranger knocked on our window and handed us an $84 fine. He gave us 5 minutes to get out of there or else we would get a $300 fine EACH. I think we broke our speed record in packing up. 

The next night we stayed at a spot that a local guy told us about. Again, early in the morning the rangers woke us. This time, thanks to Alix, and despite me, we avoided the ticket. From then on, we decided to drive out of Byron Bay to a rest area to camp. It is ridiculous that there is no free camping.

Since we were in Byron Bay, obviously we had to take surf lessons. The instructor was an old guy who had been teaching surfing for decades and wouldn't stop boasting about it. We drove out to a quiet beach with small waves. 4 hours in the water went by in what felt like half an hour. I love surfing!!

So far we had been really lucky with the weather, however the fourth day it started pouring with rain and we decided to move on. Before we left Byron Bay, we checked out the beautiful lighthouse in Australia's most easterly point. The views from up there were gorgeous, or would have been, without the rain.

Next destination: Surfer's Paradise!