Byron's Rays

After a fairly successful overnight coach we rocked up in the much hyperd backpacker stopoff Byron Bay.  The coach driver was the strictess person we've met in Oz so far, warning the bus that we were being watched by video cameras and any drugs, alcohol etc would be seen and mean we'd get dropped off the coach and deported!!!  I find that unlikely that a security man is up all night watching intensely for a sip of booze on a overnight coach.  As odd as all that was he then insisted that we watched an Aussie film on the coach, giving no choice to the bus and forcing us to watch Mad Max 3!!! Hardly what I'd call an epic. It was quite funny though and after the school teacher threats had been said he chilled out a bit.

We got a good nights sleep and got to Byron bang on time at 08:30.  This was too early for our shared apartment so we dumped our stuff down at the apartments and headed for the main beach.  We had a little explore, a little brek then a good swim.  The waves were really really powerful and high.  It was fun getting crashed about.  Then we went for a brief 20 min walk down the beach, went shopping for food for the week and back to our waiting apartment.  After which we discovered despite putting on loads of suntan cream, and for the first time this holiday, we were burnt.  Nothing that aftersun can't handle but this Oz sun is lethal.  Even when it's not that hot, it boils your skin.  Some people have said to us that the biggest hole in the ozone layer is over oz.  Is that true? 

There's some cool likeminded people staying in our appartments.  Basically we have shared kitchen and bathroom facilities but private rooms but to be away from the C-R-A-Z-Y kids in the badly reviewed hostels (of which there are many) is brilliant.  We met too posh London law students who were making their way round the world before their training contracts.  They were interesting to talk to as they enlightened us about Cambodia and Vietnam.  We watched "Hitch" with them on the apartment DVD player before going out late evening for a bit of Thai food.  The storms came again, but as ever, it was dramatic and exciting.

I'm looking forward to doing next to bugger all in Byron...