A few people said that Australia is not all bad, just the people of Sydney, like any big city. Though I met a bunch of interesting foreign people in Sydney, from Russian PHD students, to Chinese fashion designers, my concern in a country is of its locals.

In my 14.5 hour bus ride, we stopped at several rural gas stations and as I cringed when speaking to the locals (walking on egg shells), they would reply with sentences like “That will be $5 thanks”. They were thanking the patrons before they even received any money. This was the type of small town manors that I was foolishly hoping to find in Sydney.

We pulled up to Byron Bay at 8:30 am and I was completely drained. Normally the rooms are not ready for people until at least noon. Luckily my first impression of Byron was a good one. The manager of the hostel saw that I had been in a bus all night and bent a few rules to get me a bed to sleep in. This was a huge step in the right direction.

Byron Bay is a 10-20 mile white sand bay with crystal clear 78 degree water that isn’t very salty at all. Because of the low salt content, you can easily swim around with your eyes open under water. Although, unlike New Zealand, there are plenty of things to kill you in this country. In fact, there have been 3 shark attacks on the east coast in the last month or so. Sharks are a very real danger here and always on my mind when in the water. In New Zealand, I would easily swim straight out to sea, but here I am always scanning for dark clouds in the water.

Though I met a bunch of people on the bus, I didn’t get any of their phone numbers because I wanted to have a day or so to myself. This is all part of traveling alone there is a balance between loneliness and intense bonding that is constantly in fast forward. It’s good training for patience and a perfect time to reflect.

Many of the people that I’ve met in Australia (who are traveling) are just looking for the next big party. This is fun but I do miss the quality of traveler that I found in New Zealand already. I’m sure they are out there. In fact, a few of them are just arriving to Australia right now. And those numbers I do have.

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