Byron Bay
I'm absolutely loving Byron Bay. I knew I would like it, everyone I've spoken to says it's one of their favourite places up the east coast. But something about the ultra-chill, relaxed hippy vibes of the place is exactly what I needed to soothe my travel anxiety and homesickness.
One day I've had in Byron so far encapsulates the good feeling I get here.
The day started off with an activity I'd had planned that I was very excited for- dolphin kayaking. I'd never been kayaking in the sea before, let alone seen dolphins doing it, so I was really looking forward to it. In our double kayaks I was paired with a lovely girl called Leah who was also with Welcome To Travel, and we had a lot of fun trying to not capsize! Once you got in the sea and got past the first wave smacking you in the face, it actually wasn't too hard.
About half way through, and quite far out into the sea, I was reminded by my stomach that I sometimes get seasick. But I pushed through it, and it was really worth it. It was someone's birthday in our group, so we all sang happy birthday, and just after was when we had our first sighting of dolphins! Turns out they really love singing. It was incredible; we saw around 25 dolphins and they got really close to us!
After popping back to my hostel for a shower, I met back up with Leah and her friend from her hostel, Louise. We wandered around Byron and got some delicious tacos for lunch.
We then decided to get some gelato, and when wandering around the main street of Byron we saw the annual naked bike ride! They were raising awareness for cycle safety, and the cheering from the sides of the road emphasised the community-feel that Byron Bay has.
It was quite a nice day but fairly busy so we headed down to the beach. We sat on the grass finishing our gelato and watched a drum circle- a very typical sight in a hippy Aussie town!
On the way back to our hostels we did a bit of shopping in Byron- there are so many nice independent shops selling clothes and crystals and all sorts of other bits and pieces with big beach vibes.
I spent the rest of the day chilling in a hammock by the pool, reading and speaking to family and people back home.
Who wouldn't love this beautiful chilled out lifestyle? I'm totally in love with Byron and the nice relaxed pace of everything. That was absolutely what I needed after my all-too-often stressing out!
The other thing is even though this is my favourite part of my trip so far, the photos don't really look that great and it isn't the most insta-worthy place I've been to. Just goes to show, I'm not taking as many photos as I'm just taking it all in, plus just because something looks pretty doesn't mean it's necessarily the best place for you. Byron is beautiful but we haven't had the best weather all the time, and photos aren't everything!
I'm really glad I've got another few days to enjoy here,
Shepp x
Brunswick Heads - just up the coast from Byron - is also lovely and hippie!
ReplyDeleteOooh lovely hopefully I'll be able to check that out in the future!
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