So as all trips should, my trip has taken me down some very unexpected roads.Road number one: I've become stuck in Byron bay.
No, i haven't run out of money, I've just fallen in love with this sleepy/crazyy town, as well as the hostel I'm staying at. I've decided to abandon the obsession with sight seeing and scrap a few of my plans in order to stay here to focus on what really is the best part of travel, meeting people and having totally unexpected experiences thanks to the new friendships you form. And to really cement my status as a short-term long-termer, I've moved into a tent on the hostel's camping area. Yes, I am a bottom-dweller, and proud of it. I'm in a huge, 8 person tent, with one other person, an awesome gal named Sid from LA. It's more like luxury camping - or it would be if it weren't for the fact that it has been raining torrentially for about 5 days STRAIGHT. But other than the unpleasant dampness of all my clothing, Sid and I are staying high and dry. Well, not actually high, contrary to Byron Bay clichés. You know what I mean.
Finally, it seems that Karma has delivered some traveling Tibetan Monks into my lap here at the Arts Factory, a serendipitous addition to this 'spiritual' journey. We'll see what I discover from them over the next few days!
Road number two: Surfing. I'm a complete convert.
I've spent my whole life saying how I'm not an athletic person, I don't like sports, it's just not me. But taking up surfing has changed my mind completely, and that in itself is one of life's real joys. My first lesson was such a blast, and an amazing ego boost. I stunned myself with my ability to actually get up on the board, as well as overcome the fact that I cannot, CANNOT breath out of my nose underwater (people, I have to hold my nose every time I fall off the board. its embarrassing) and live with inhaling ridiculous amounts of seawater every time I take a nose dive. (often.) Anyways. Lessons 2, 3, and 4 were a WHOLE different story. Suddenly I had to actually catch my OWN waves rather than have someone hold onto my board and push me into the wave at the exactly the right moment. I had to figure out timing, learn how and when to paddle into the wave, and discover that my arms are about as strong as two pieces of spaghetti. Basically, learning to surf feels like battling against everything; the waves, the rip, the undertow, the board, and hardest of all, your own physical and mental weaknesses. But after 30 minutes of discouraging struggle, almost on the point of giving up, you finally catch a wave, ride it to shore, and actually manage to steer the board a bit: Hallelujah, you've hit the jackpot of positive emotions. I think the best part has been learning that I can push right through the discouragement, the disappointment, the frustration, the exhaustion, and come out the other end a happy, enthusiastic ball of energy, ready for anything.
On a side note, my tan is coming along miserably. That may have something to do with the fact that I haven't exactly been laying around at the beach, which really is bad for you anyways. But a growing cluster of freckles seems to be gracing my cheeks and nose, and damn it, I like it.
Oh, and last but not least, I just HAVE to brag about this: I won the pub trivia two weeks in a row. (heance the triumphant picture of me with my week one team.) And I had a completely different team each time. Booyah!
Road number two: Surfing. I'm a complete convert.
I've spent my whole life saying how I'm not an athletic person, I don't like sports, it's just not me. But taking up surfing has changed my mind completely, and that in itself is one of life's real joys. My first lesson was such a blast, and an amazing ego boost. I stunned myself with my ability to actually get up on the board, as well as overcome the fact that I cannot, CANNOT breath out of my nose underwater (people, I have to hold my nose every time I fall off the board. its embarrassing) and live with inhaling ridiculous amounts of seawater every time I take a nose dive. (often.) Anyways. Lessons 2, 3, and 4 were a WHOLE different story. Suddenly I had to actually catch my OWN waves rather than have someone hold onto my board and push me into the wave at the exactly the right moment. I had to figure out timing, learn how and when to paddle into the wave, and discover that my arms are about as strong as two pieces of spaghetti. Basically, learning to surf feels like battling against everything; the waves, the rip, the undertow, the board, and hardest of all, your own physical and mental weaknesses. But after 30 minutes of discouraging struggle, almost on the point of giving up, you finally catch a wave, ride it to shore, and actually manage to steer the board a bit: Hallelujah, you've hit the jackpot of positive emotions. I think the best part has been learning that I can push right through the discouragement, the disappointment, the frustration, the exhaustion, and come out the other end a happy, enthusiastic ball of energy, ready for anything.
On a side note, my tan is coming along miserably. That may have something to do with the fact that I haven't exactly been laying around at the beach, which really is bad for you anyways. But a growing cluster of freckles seems to be gracing my cheeks and nose, and damn it, I like it.Oh, and last but not least, I just HAVE to brag about this: I won the pub trivia two weeks in a row. (heance the triumphant picture of me with my week one team.) And I had a completely different team each time. Booyah!
Pictures:
Top - the view from my tent.
Middle - tons of byron friends! top to bottum: my trivia team week one, dancing with dan, sam and camilla at coco's, me and jill and cheeky's, and sid and tom hangin out at the hostel.
Bottum - playing scrabble with Sid in the tent. We both crashed at about 10pm right after this game, how sad are we?! Sid won, by the way.
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1 comment:
wow... so your tent has a dirt floor... awesome
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