Byron Bay: Riding the waves

Tuesday the 3rd til Monday the 9th of December: I arrived in Byron Bay and instantly liked the vibes. Surfers, musicians, backpackers. Also the hostel (YHA Byron Bay) was great. I started with some bodyboard surfing on Wednesday to warm up and enjoyed the nightlife at Cheeky Monkeys. Tuesday I did a bus tour to Nimbin and Minyon Falls... the first real disappointment I have experienced up to now. When I got on the bus, the driver informed us that we would not go to the national park at all because of the fires but instead to a beach. I should have left then, but I thought the drive, Nimbin, and the planned barbecue might still be worth it, but that was not the case. The drive was very bumpy without the driver giving us any information about the surroundings (which they always did on other tours), Nimbin is basically one street with options to buy weed (which isn't special when you live in Berlin 😋) and the barbecue was very basic. In addition, the driver was quite unfriendly. I got a partial refund when I complained, but some money and the day were still pretty much wasted. But hey, if that becomes my worst experience during this trip, I could call myself very lucky. In the evening, I strolled around town and listened to the buskers that were at every corner. So much talent everywhere. On Friday, I did surf school, and that was really great. Style Surf Byron Bay and our teacher David were amazing. A small group and such a nice supportive way to teach made it perfect as a first surf experience. Everyone stood up, me too 😁. In the evening, I did the lighthouse walk for sundown and passed the most eastern spot of Australia. The sunset was beautiful, partly because the sun glowed exceptionally red due to the smoke of the bushfires. The beauty of doom. Up at the lighthouse, I met a Mexican musician. We had a music session in the park, it was so much fun and such a beautiful evening. We also listened to a busker who was absolutely incredible: Ben Jansz. Plays guitar, a drum machine with his feet, the didgeridoo, beat boxes, and sings like a rock God. Check him out: https://benjanszmusic.bandcamp.com/. Saturday, I was feeling my shoulders quite a bit from two days of surfing, so I chilled at the beach and did some yoga. But once I felt a bit recovered, I hired a board and went for a surf. Without a teacher picking the right waves and giving you a push, it is much harder of course. So I was pretty proud of myself that I stood up ✌️🤙 But three days of surfing really knocked me out, so I was in bed early. Also, to get up early for a last morning surf before I had to bring the board back. So on Sunday, I got up at 6:45 and hit the waves in Byron Bay one last time. They were stronger than the last couple of days, so it was quite a struggle paddling out there. But I was able to double my stand-up rate to 2 😁💪 In the afternoon, I went kayaking and encountered turtles and dolphins. Very happy but physically completely destroyed, I treated myself to a massage (soooo painful but soooo good!) and a burger. On Monday morning, I left for Brisbane. Byron Bay is one of my favorite places on this trip so far. The cute town with nice shops, restaurants, and cafes, the wonderful beaches and coastline, the surf, the laid-back, positive vibes from so many friendly people (shout out to Sunny who saw me struggling with my board and carried it home for me ❤️❤️❤️) and the crazy talented buskers. I wish I could have stayed longer. I totally understand how people come to Byron, planning to stay a couple of days and end up staying months, years, or forever.