What a long, strange trip it was!

Well, yesterday I went on my tour of Nimbin, which was a town unlike any I have ever seen in my life. We got into a tye-dyed bus at 10:15, which was driven by a short-haired hippy who told us stories about the many different areas around Byron Bay as we passed them. “this hostel was once a slaughter house, but it was bought and shut down  – and a vegetarian restaurant opened up across the street! Kind of a karmic justice, isn’t it?”

The town of Nimbin is built inside an extinct volcano. When I first heard this, I was expecting dust and dirt roads and not much greenery (you hear ‘volcano’ and that is the image that is usually conjured) but it was actually the most beautiful, green, lush, hilly place I’ve seen in a long time! The scenery driving up to get into the volcano as well as driving down into the volcano was just breathtaking. A few of the roads were pretty scary because we were right next to a cliff and there was no wall but it was still pretty neat.

It took about an hour to get to the town of Nimbin, and it was so interesting. All of the shops were colourful and bright and it was exactly what you would think a town run by hippies would look like.

   

Seriously, it was like if you took the sixties and put it into an extinct volcano, and there you have Nimbin.

After we wandered around the town and had lunch, we got onto the bus again and went off to the market. It was kind of like a flea market run by hippies. Is anyone catching the hippy motif on this trip?

  

After we had wandered around the market for an hour, we got back onto our bus to go to see the waterfall. The waterfall was located inside a rainforest, which brought back so many memories of Costa Rica! We only had a short time at the rainforest/waterfall, so I didn’t really have time to explore. All we really had time for was to eat a slice of watermelon and look at the waterfall for a few minutes, and that was it. We didn’t go swimming. Some of the other groups did that but I think because we were running a bit late we only were able to see the waterfall from the top of the cliff. It was a huge and deep cliff, but the waterfall was very cool. The bus driver told us that normally the waterfall wasn’t as big, but because of all the rain we had gotten lately it was much more spectacular than it would have been. So I guess there was one good thing about all that rain!

  

After the waterfall and watermelon, we got back on the bus and headed for home. It was really a great trip, very interesting and I’ve never really been to a place like that before. It was like an entirely different culture.

I didn’t really do much last night after I got back from the trip, we just went and had ice cream and sat on the beach and watched the waves and looked at the stars. I took a goodbye picture of all the people that I hung out with while in Byron Bay, since most likely we wouldn’t see each other again.

If you have noticed, the pictures are smaller and I was able to put them right side up! I figured out a way to do it (sometimes) on computers, but it only works if the computer lets me save files. I made them a smaller size to make them upload a lot faster. Since I’m paying to use the internet by the half hour.

And now to leave you. I’m going to be on a 12-hour bus trip this afternoon to get back to Sydney for a day or two so I can the work stuff settled… or get more information on “wwoofing” if that’s what I choose to do. Most likely it is what I’m going to do. It would be neat to stay with different Australian families and experience their day to day life… and experience the REAL Australia.

I’ll give you one last picture… this was from a couple of nights ago when we were playing Jenga at a restaurant. I was making a funny face so I wanted to share. Good times… good times!

9 Comments

  1. PMH

    WooHoo! I get to be the first one to make a post on this one! I’m glad to see that you are still having lots of fun out there. Now when I come out there you will be able to tell me what to see. Have you talked to Kaz from Oz again? She had made a post on your one thread, but now I don’t see it anymore. She wished you a Happy Birthday and told you to try a Boag beer. She also was telling you how they shorten all their words out there – like I would be called Trish. Anyway, have a good trip back to Sydney and keep us up to date when you can.
    Love you,
    Mom

  2. Dad

    Another great post Karen. You really have a way of making it seem that we’re right there with you. Great pictures too. Keep the good times rolling.

  3. lisah0822@comcast.net

    ok, you make me more and more jealous with every post, lol. i wish i could be there. you seem to be having a blast. i’m so glad you decided to go to oz. i’m living it through you :-)
    the hippy town looked really cool. cheryl would have LOVED it!!!
    i love all the pictures! you look great too!!
    the jenga picture is too funny. looking forward to next post

  4. Cheryl

    so did you topple the jenga with that move????? :)

    I want to visit a hippie town! Oh wait.. I guess I could go to New Hope.. hmm

    Oh and don’t you know anything about volcanos Karen? Read up on your “volcano-ology!” When they erupt they leave behind the debris which actually HELPS the soil and makes the plant life that grows back super healthy and happy! To put it nicely. :)

  5. Nic

    I am glad you are out of that town. Seemed really nice but reminded me of that movie Volcano, where the mountain hadn’t erupted in years and then it did and man oh man it caused some trouble! Plus the vacationers are always the first to die! So keep on moving! Its 11 degrees here today, Jealous?

  6. lisah0822@comcast.net

    HA! i was thinking more like Dante’s Peak!!

    dun dun dun dunnnnn….

  7. Lisah0822

    oh yeah, karen, thanks for calling me. i’m sorry i missed your call. next time call the house phone, i’m more likely to answer that one.

  8. Lisah0822

    i just noticed this in the picture. what is “fairy floss”?

    also, have you uploaded more pictuers to your photo album yet? just curious.

  9. stacy122982

    Hey Hey! It’s me…don’t really have too much to say with this post, but just wanted to let my presence be seen…

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