Byron Bay~ most eastern point of Australia

Oh my!
The weather has been so rainy for 2 days! so rainy all my stuff is soggy and our hostel is so humid and gross.

Grant loves my rainyday cooking

We ended up going to the beach yesterday though and let me tell you, it was probably a crazy idea for me. The swells were quite big, especially for a praire girl. So we got free body boards from the hostel and set out in the pouring rain. Get to the beach and head straight into the water. Well, I found out it is super hard to get past the break and Grant was teachng me how to dive into the waves so you dont get swept away..... but that takes talent with a board. I finally made it past but I had NO energy left and I needed to just float on my board for awhile. twas nice. water is way warmer than the air. Then i got in the way of this old man and he started yelling at me and I just started to laugh because there is no way in HELL I was going to swim out of the way with the little amount of energy I had. Grant decided we should go to the "less experianced" area so people weren't yelling at me :).

old man wearing only what I wasnt wearing haha

So Grant taught me how to catch a wave and it was so much fun because you just fly forwards in front of the breaking water. the best part was....I stuck out my chest and I felt like Rose off of Titanic when she is at the front of the boat. hehe. Now that was awesome catching the wave, right? Yup but now what? Face the dreaded break and get back out. Ya I was able to do it 2 more times before the weather started getting much worse and there was thunder and lightening, odd thing is everyone still stayed in the water with lightening....so we did cause we figured since we were on our stomachs that we were lower than the surfers and they would get hit before us and the ocean was big enough that we wouldnt feel the shock...haha. anywho, the 4th time I attempted to make it out, I got hit by the mother of all waves and my bottoms came undone on one side and was at my ankle, I tried to grab them but got nailed by another wave, and another and another. At that point all I could do was take them off completely and swim for shore on my board with a Canadian white bum... and things got worse, I got stuck in a current where the waves came at a V. so i got hit by a wave and then pulled back out and hit by 2 more. I wasn't able to touch, I was naked waist down and rolling head over heels. I was all alone and I was oh so near the rocks....dun dun dun. After much pleading and praying, I made it to the beach crawling on my hands and knees with a board dragging behind me and a big white butt. I couldn't get my bottoms back on because I was too tired... and then Grant shows up. haha. He said he thought I had drowned and while he was searching for me he got taken out by waves and he had to save 2 Sweetish girls cause they couldn't get to the shore either haha. So Grant finally made it to me and held up his board so I could put my bikini bottoms back on. I'm sure if it wasn't pouring rain and striking lightening people would have been laughing so hard but I was lucky because no one could see me...hopefully :). So I'm at the shore finally covered again and Grant says....k lets go out right here. ha! No way dude. I'll watch. haha He went back out a few more times. After he finished he said he was actually suprised I did so well because I was one of the only inexperianced people out there because the break was too big HAHA! What a cool dude. Drag an inlander out into big waves....it was totally worth it though. Now I feel pretty cool and I'm wearing a full bathing suit tomorrow!!!!

Not So Bad waves

Today the weather is much nicer. Suns out but it's probably only 18degrees. Anyways gotta go eat a kabob.
LOVES from the land of Aussies.

Oye,

It is absolutely amazing here! I may never come home....sorry. If I could live here forever, I would, but I may live as a bum.
Yesterday it rained all day and today it has rained all day, but I find it warm still. Grants freezing. Wimp ;).
Yesterday we went for a bike ride in the pouring rain. We get free rental bikes from our hostel and we rode for 2 hrs. I keep forgetting people drive on the left side of the road and frequently Grant has to yell at me to stop because I'm looking the wrong way and a cars coming. It's odd... pedestrians do not have right of way!

Grant is a fantastic photographer!

When we were on this splendidly wet bike ride, we stopped at a beach and watched some surfers and then walked the beach for a weebit, I seriously can say I will never get sick of the ocean. On the bike ride home we stopped at a sky diving shop and a over enthusiastic German (obviously on comission) helped me book skydiving for 630 in the morning so I could jump with the sun rise.....cancelled:( too much rain. Its just buckets, I can't keep dry. After a pathetic attempt at drying off from the bike ride, we went to a local bar and watched bands play music and Grant got his rugby on tv. We were people watching and I want dreadlocks so bad and Grant is pointing out how gross they are so I probably will not get them because lots of them do look gross, and really when I come back to Canada I will stick out way too much... oh and dont worry Emily, I won't be getting a tattoo anytime soon.

Byron Beach

My favorite shirt I have seen here said "My life is funner than your vacation" I WANNA BE A HIPPIE BUM HERE! haha but im sure it would get old.........probably not. Dont worry mom, I won't because ......I'm actually working towards my work visa so I can stay and work and be a work and play bum. I feel so free here and everyone is so nice.

Kalle and his friend from Sweden

I woke up at 7am this morning and Grant was still sleeping and the other roommate was gone so I just went to get fruit from the kitchen and I ended up sitting and talking to people for 3 hrs. One girl from Denmark, two guys from Sweden, and a guy from Austria. They travel alot so they had accents down and could guess peoples accents but not me! I guessed every person wrong by a long shot. They thought I was from europe though.....good thing not the states...joking. Come to think of it, I haven't met anyone from the states, but I have met a guy from Saskatoon, a girl from Calgary, and a guy from Toronto. We all told jokes about our countries and it was great times....I can't remember most of them and I'm not going to lie, I didn't understand very many of them. anywho, planning the rest of my trip now.
So plans for today are eat, sleep, drink, and surf in the rain. Jealous?..... be jelaous!
Peace out!

I am one sexy beast! admit it!!!!