CAIT AROUND THE WORLD

March 10, 2023 — Today was my first full day in Byron! I started off with yoga in the morning, which was certainly an interesting experience. I’m used to gentle hatha classes, and strengthen and stretch (emphasis on stretch) classes. I also hadn’t done much yoga since starting my trip. So when this class turned out to be a core-work vinyasa flow, I was a bit over my head. Plus, we were in the sand it was already warm out. I did a fair amount of modification and still enjoyed the breath and movement that I got out of the class, meeting my body where it was.

After class, I jumped directly into the ocean, yoga clothes and all, because I was so sweaty and covered in sand. The water felt amazing; now that I’m back in the warmer weather, the ocean seems to be around 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit and above. Although I’d never entertain that in a pool, it’s really nice to not be freezing my butt off in the ocean.

I hung my things out to dry and got changed, then did some blogging and planning for my trip to Italy with my friend later this year. After a while, I was itching for a bit of an exercise break and went to look into bike rentals. I haven’t been on a bike since last October at home and since I’m enjoying so much warm weather (prime bike-riding weather), I’m really missing it. The thing that has really been stopping me is the fact that they drive on the wrong side of the road in Australia and I absolutely don’t want to get into/cause an accident. Byron is a pretty small town, though, and even though there is a decent amount of traffic, it’s fairly straightforward to navigate and deal with.

When I went to the travel desk to rent a bike, however, they were all in use. I got talking with one of the agents, Dan, about the rest of my trip and about how I was going to be in Cairns but didn’t really have a whole lot booked yet — specifically for the Daintree, Cape Tribulation, the Tablelands, and the Great Barrier Reef. He told me about the Best of Both Worlds tour through Uncle Brian’s that covered the Daintree, Cape Trib, and the Tablelands. I’d actually heard about this tour from friends in Bondi who booked on to other Uncle Brian’s tours. They had a slot left in the time that I was in Cairns, which coincided perfectly with a live-aboard PADI (scuba diving) certification on the Great Barrier Reef that Dan himself would also be taking. We booked on to the same one, and we added an Airlie Beach skydive while we were at it. (I’d wanted to skydive while here in Australia but after looking at the cost on my own I was shying away from it. This caught me on the right day, though.)

And just like that, the rest of my trip was booked.

After that, I finally rented the bike I’d come for in the first place and headed into town. I biked mostly in a straight line, so I didn’t have to worry about being in the exact right spot at the right time to make a weird turn that I wasn’t used to (like turning right). I rode to the outskirts and then circled back around and hooked the bike up to a sign post. (After a very not-graceful attempt at a dismount; at home I usually glide in on one pedal but this was a beach bike with a basket on the back and so my usual way of getting off the bike definitely did not work and I’m just glad I didn’t fall.) I took a little walk around town before heading back to the bike and riding down the road to the hostel.

When I got back from my bike ride and turned the bike in, I desperately needed another swim. It was very humid (and also very hot) in Byron Bay and with the ocean right there, who could possibly resist a cool down?

I took a shower after my swim and got dressed again, this time to go to the BBQ area of the hostel and enjoy a free meal. A couple of the other girls in my dorm were also heading that way and since I didn’t know where I was going, and neither did another girl in my dorm, we followed them until we found the line of people. We chatted while in the line, which was honestly huge — name me a backpacker who could resist free food. She was from Germany and had met another girl earlier in her travels who was getting a group together to go to “a piano bar” later that night and invited myself and another girl we met in the line to come along. So I did!

We met up with the group after taking the 8:00pm bus from the hostel into town. The girls we met up with had gotten wine from the liquor store for pre-drinking, primarily because alcohol is so expensive to buy at bars over here. At this time I also discovered that there were only two of us who didn’t speak German, which is kind of funny and just the types of situations you run into when meeting new people. Everyone was super nice and we had a great time chatting and hanging out before we went to the bar. We sat at a table and played Never Have I Ever until a little after nine when we headed to the pianos.

This place was so. Incredibly. Awesome.

They had two pianos set up in the middle of the room, taking requests exclusively, and practically every song that came on was one that I knew and liked or loved. It was so much fun.

Eventually, around one in the morning I headed back to the hostel with one of the girls from the group who was getting a headache because I also had to be up early for surfing the next morning. I took a quick run through the shower because it had been so warm in the bar, sorted out a few things for the morning, and dropped into bed for a small amount of movie watching before drifting off to sleep.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to leave a like, comment, and share with your friends and family! If you’re looking for more frequent updates, follow me on Instagram @cait_around_the_world.