North Melbourne Library

I am officially a member of the Melbourne Library Service.  I had stumbled upon the little North Melbourne Library the other day when wandering over to the post office and thought I would do some research to see what it would take for me to be able to borrow books from there.  Turns out it's free for all residents of Melbourne and the surrounding areas.  Luckily I just received an electricity bill so I took that in as proof of address and got my library card less than five minutes later.

I used my card to check out three books.  Right now I'm pretending like I'll have time to read them in between all of my other readings for school.  I really enjoyed all the reading I did this past month while traveling and I'm hoping to keep it up.  I don't know if it's a feasible goal, but we'll see.

The library itself is really small and quaint.  There is a reading room on the second (well, here it's the first floor because the American first floor is called the ground floor) floor that I can see myself taking advantage of.  I probably won't go over there except on the weekends if/when I want to get out of my room.  I'm lucky because I actually do well studying in my room, but sometimes a change of scenery is nice and this little library has a more laid-back feel to it than the ones on campus.   I can also borrow movies, which could be fun.  Woohoo for being a real Victoria resident!

Harry Potter

I don't think I need to state the obvious, but I have grown up with Harry Potter and the series is in some ways the essence of my childhood.  I am nowhere near the only one who is sad that it has come to an end (I just got back from viewing the last movie) but the movie definitely did the series justice and I walked away satisfied.  When it first started, there was a moment where I thought about walking out because I didn't want to face the truth or come to terms with the fact that the Harry Potter fantasy would only be with me for two more hours.  However, I instantly became glued to my seat and many times I even found myself staring at the screen with my mouth open or curled up, knees to chest in my little movie theater chair.  I was living and breathing the journey with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.  And at the end, as I watched Harry send his own son off to Hogwarts, I almost cried.  I didn't want to leave the theater, but eventually it came time to stand up and walk out. 

Thank you, J.K. Rowling for allowing us to travel to Hogwarts and meet Harry and all of his companions.  It's been an amazing 10 years and I know that the series will continue to inspire new readers.  I think I'll probably pick up the books again in the future and give them another go, because they are just too good.  I'll miss the anticipation of getting the newest installment, but eventually something else will come along to help fill the void.  For now, I'll just be content with the last film and the fact that the series is finally complete.

Week One Is Done

It's Friday afternoon and I am done with my first week of school.  I definitely hit the ground running, making it almost seem as if I never even had time off.  After my first week, here are my impressions:

Clinical Engineering:  I have a lecture and lab for this class, both on Monday.  The subject should be interesting, but I've received feedback from other students who have either taken the class or had the professor lecture in another course and have said that as a lecturer he could be better.  We'll have to see on that one because it's hard to tell after only one meeting.  The lab section of the class is going to be difficult.  The major project we will be working on is modelling the cardiovascular system, which will be super cool, using a program called LabView.  The only experience I've had with this program was senior year at Stanford in the devil class ("Intro" to Sensors) and it wasn't fun.  Hopefully it won't be as painful this time.

Biomaterials:  Finally in my element.  I've had three lectures so far (Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday) and will add in a tutorial next week, but we began the class by talking about hard and soft tissues and their mechanical properties.  Surprisingly, I am one of only two people in the class with an engineering background, so I realized that once he began throwing around terms like stress, strain, elasticity, anisotropy and Young's modulus, that I finally have a leg up.  He showed pictures of stress-strain curves and I knew what they were...it was a good feeling.  I think I'm going to like this class, especially because our professor is a biomechanical engineer himself.  All of the research he references really catches my eye and I'm really excited to continue on with this guy.  Our first assigned reading was a scientific paper about how bones respond to loading, and the author cited three different papers written by my Stanford advisor, Dennis Carter.  I thought that was pretty cool, not only because I took an entire class on the subject already, but because I can say, "I know that guy!"

Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells:  This is going to be the Medical Imaging class of this semester, meaning that I'll be spending the bulk of my time trying to wade through all of the information thrown at me.  I only have two lectures (Tuesday and Wednesday) and a tutorial, but we are going to have to write two 4000-word papers (about 15 pages; one due in three weeks) and we'll have work to prepare for each tutorial section.  In this first week we learned about the tissue engineering paradigm and how scientists have successfully grown a human ear on the back of an immuno-suppressed mouse (called the Vacanti mouse...look it up).  Kind of crazy stuff.  We also took a background quiz and from that I learned that I need to go back and brush up on some basic biology and organic chemistry...fun, fun, fun.

Anatomy and Physiology for Engineers:  This was the shocker of the group because it's way different than I thought it was going to be/what I had prepared myself for.  We only meet once a week and luckily last night we didn't take up the entire three hours, as was scheduled (I don't know how any brain can fully function for three hours, especially in the late afternoon).  There was hardly any introduction to the course and we just jumped right in to learning about neurons and neural pathways and how this influences the types of prostheses we can successfully implant/attach to humans.  It was really an amazing lecture, but next week, as well as every week after that, we will be getting something completely different.  It was stated that the goal was to get us to think like engineers when we are faced with a medical problem.  I think I'm going to like the course, especially because our only assessment throughout the semester is one 2000-word essay  :)

That's all as far as classes go.  It was quite stressful jumping back in, and I didn't even have any real tutorials or labs this week.  The days seemed to fly by and if that's any indication of how the rest of the semester is going to go, then it's going to be over before I know it.  This weekend I have to get started on my reading for the first Tissue Engineering tutorial as well as getting myself organized so I can begin my 15-page paper.  It's been nice to settle back into a routine after being gone for so long, but I'm sad to say that I think my beautiful tan is beginning to fade.  It's not nearly the type of weather where I can go outside in shorts and a tank top.  In fact it's quite the opposite; I'm back to winter coats and scarves.  It's okay because it's dry and at least the sun is out.

Lastly, I got hired to write for a website called WeekendNotes.com.  It's basically just a place where people write about fun/cool things to do around Melbourne and other cities.  The pay isn't spectacular, but I'm already tracking all the cool things I do so I might as well cut and paste it onto this website and get something out of it.  If anything it will pay for my trip to the cinema to see Harry Potter!

Last First Day

Tomorrow marks my last ever first day of school.  Round two of my studies at the University of Melbourne start in the morning and I'm both excited and nervous.  I have high expectations for my classes this semester and I'm really hoping that I won't come out disappointed.  It's hard to believe that I am only 12 weeks away from my degree.  I still often wonder if this is all for real and feel like I'll wake up at any moment in my bed back in Menlo Park.  It's been a crazy five months so far and I'm sure the next five months will prove to be much of the same.  The best part about this time around is the fact that I'm more prepared and have some idea of what lies ahead. 

First up at 9am tomorrow is Clinical Engineering.  Throughout the week I'll also have Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells, Anatomy and Physiology for Engineers, and Biomaterials.  I say bring it on.

Thank You, '10's!!

My classmates sent me a package for my birthday while I was away, and I was finally able to pick it up today.  I love what we've done over the past couple of years; we decided that it would be cool to pretty much give each other the same thing but with personal touches added in.  For example, last year we took an article of clothing and wrote birthday messages all over it (Weedge got a shirt, T some pants, Blur a hat, CJ some shoes) as well as a picture frame with class pictures and the word "inseparable" on it.  This year we ordered keychains in the shape of a star (significant because of a song that Blair wrote for us) and had them inscribed and we also put together CD's with songs that made us think of each person.  It's amazing because we are all so different yet we are tied together with such a strong bond.  These girls are my friends, my teammates, my sisters, and I am so lucky to have them in my life.  I love you, '10's!!

Cairns and The Great Barrier Reef

It's been awhile since I've written, partly because I didn't have adequate internet access.  Now I've been to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef and am actually sitting in my room back down in Melbourne.  It's crazy to think that I've been gone for almost a month and looking back, I've covered a lot of ground.

Cairns was fun, especially because the weather was so great.  I spent a total of six days in my final city and split up my time between a hostel located a bit farther away (so I could take some down time) and one right on the water in the center of town.  My first three days were rather laid back and spent by the pool reading or watching TV.  The hostel had a bar on the grounds and so one evening I had dinner there and on a separate night I participated in the pub quiz with an older couple serving as the other members of my team.  We had fun but unfortunately didn't win.  My two shining moments included being able to correctly identify 10 of 12 cartoon characters and also getting to the front of the bar fast enough in the lightening round to earn my team a free pitcher of beer (which my partners gladly drank).  After I learned some interesting facts, such as all polar bears are left-handed and Alfred Hitchcock didn't have a bellybutton, the couple at my table started giving me life advice.  Granted they were pretty drunk, but it was still fun to see what they had to say.  One of the things they pointed out is that I am a "square" and that I need to loosen up (aka they wanted me to drink more with them).

After I moved across town I was directly located on the esplanade, which is home to many restaurants and "Cairns Souvenirs" stores.  It's was much busier than the previous place, though I was still able to relax outside by the lagoon.  I went running along the waterfront and also ran a couple of errands to pick up some last minute things for my trip to the barrier reef.  After much deliberation I decided that it was something I had to do, in spite of my fear of getting seasick.  I went yesterday and it was awesome.  I think one of the things that makes it so cool is the fact that it's so perfect that it looks man-made, but it's most certainly not.  I clogged my body up with enough anti-nausea drugs to get me through the first half of the trip, but after lunch the waves got really bad and I spent a great deal of that time looking over the side of the boat (well, not really looking because I had my eyes closed) and just tried to breathe deep.  I wasn't alone...there were many barf bags filled during the course of the afternoon.

Cairns

We were given the opportunity to snorkel in two locations and not only did I see all the coral and some sea cucumbers (I held one!), but I was also lucky enough to spot some whales, a few sea turtles, and a couple of HUGE clams.  I went alongside one of the boat/tour guides and he pointed a bunch of cool things out and also stroked the clam so that we could see it open up; it was really neat.

snorklers

It took me a little while to get in the water (I thought it would be freezing but it was fine; I didn't even need a wetsuit) because of my small fear of fish.  I don't know what it is about having them swimming around me but it just makes me feel weird.  I got over it eventually and just went in, but the first few moments were...interesting.

fish right off the back of the boat

I finished up my trip and then went back to my room to try and settle my stomach.  I made a very light dinner and ended up taking another anti-nausea pill before going to bed just so that I could attempt to sleep without feeling like I was still rocking back and forth.  I woke up today and headed out the door to the airport.  Cairns International is a nice little airport, but my flight was delayed and I ended up sitting in the terminal for awhile.  Once on board, the flight was easy (until we started descending into Melbourne...the flight crew was told to slow down because of the bad weather) and we landed about an hour past our scheduled arrival time.  I was welcomed back into my apartment by some mail, including a notice that I have a parcel to pick up at the post office, a book from Amazon sent from some unknown source (I need to figure that one out), some birthday cards (thank you!!) and a bill from UniLodge that I have to sort out.  I have a big to-do list for tomorrow and the weekend.  I can't believe it but I'll hit the half-way mark tomorrow, meaning that I only have 5 months left in Australia.  School starts on Monday and I'm sure I'll be expected to hit the ground running.  It's nice not to feel as overwhelmed this time around.  I'm definitely more comfortable with the system and won't be the kid running around like a chicken with their head cut off.  It's time to switch my brain from vacation to work mode; good thing I gave myself a couple of days to do so because I know it's not going to be easy.

Townsville

I woke up and wasn't sore, so as I promised myself I got moving and went back up Castle Hill.  I went the opposite way this time, walking/running/shuffling my way up the paved road and heading down the gravel stairs.  I was very cautious going down and every step was meticulously calculated.  I brought along my camera this time and got some pictures of the view.  I could see all the way to Magnetic Island as well as the entire city of Townsville.

 After I got back I showered and had lunch before embarking on a journey to The Strand, which is the boardwalk lining the water.  However it was not at all what I was expecting and found myself growing quite bored, so I turned around and went back to the hostel for a nap (which was completely awesome).  My conclusion is that besides the hill, this town doesn't really have much to offer.  I am off to Cairns in a couple of hours for the remainder of my trip and am really excited.  This also means my last bus ride, woohoo!

I feel like I should also mention that for the past two nights I've eaten kangaroo for dinner.  I picked up some fillets at the store and decided to give it a go.  It turned out really well and I liked it a lot!  And no, it doesn't taste like chicken  :)

Castle Hill

This morning was a bit rushed but I got out the door in time to catch my bus up to Townsville.  It ended up being almost 30 minutes late (go figure) and I arrived around 2:15pm.  There were a lot of clouds along the way but when I arrived it was sunny and warm...probably the best weather I've encountered so far.  I got in and settled, ran to the store and came back ready to get moving.  In my travel book Castle Hill was listed as a popular running/walking site, so I thought I'd give it a try.  I started off well, but soon encountered steep hills as far as my eyes could see.  I kept plugging along until I thought my lungs were going to burst.  What I didn't realize was that I wasn't even at the start of the designated trail yet.  When I finally found it I began to walk because there was loose gravel everywhere and rocks sticking out of the ground at all angles.  The hills continued, along with the added pleasure of stairs.  Making my way up the hill I was reminded of the times I'd climbed Vernal Falls in Yosemite.  I kept looking up and seeing no end in sight.  However, as painful as it was, the view at the top was amazing.  I could see the entire city, the water, and Magnetic Island.  Instead of braving the stairs on the way down I went the long way around on the pavement.  It was a better choice for me I think because I was able to jog down and not worry about my leg giving out on me or rolling an ankle on a loose rock.  Unfortunately I didn't bring my camera with me, so now I'm debating about going back tomorrow.  I think it's going to depend on how I feel when I wake up in the morning; even though I would like to think that I'm in relatively good shape, I have this feeling that I'll wake up with a sore butt and quads.  However, it's doing things like that that make me feel lucky to have had a great ankle surgeon and reinforces my decision to have had my surgery when I did.  I've said it before, but thanks Dr. Hunt!  You're the man  :)

Airlie Beach

Ahhh, back by the water.  I arrived in Airlie Beach a couple of evenings ago and even in my short walk in the dark from the bus station to the hostel I could tell that more stuff goes on in this town than in either Rockhampton or Mackay.  I checked into the hostel and unpacked my stuff before getting to bed.  The hostel is nice, but I wish it were warmer.  I'm getting tired of being cold at night.

I woke up the next morning and took advantage of the free wi-fi by getting started with Google+ and video chatting with my entire family at the same time.  We were all on different computers and I just couldn't get over the fact that we were able to hold a conversation and see each other at the same time.  It's my new favorite toy  :)

After spending a good chunk of the morning on the computer, I got up and went running.  There is a little boardwalk lining the beach and I went back and forth along that a couple of times.  I went to the store to get enough food for my stay here, had lunch and then hit the beach.  I walked along the boardwalk again and snapped some photos.  I was really impressed with the man-made lagoon adjacent to the ocean; it was beautiful and the water was really warm. 

I ended up sitting in the sand by the water, just watching the sun set and listening to the waves coming in.  There was a guy sitting not too far from where I was and he eventually made his way over and sat next to me.  We started talking but unfortunately didn't have too much in common.  He started out at university and then dropped out because it was too hard.  Needless to say, he's not too fond of studying and wasn't exactly enamored with the way I talked about school.

This morning I got up and did pretty much the same thing, except this time I spent the afternoon at the lagoon.  It was really nice while the sun was out, but the clouds kept rolling through, blocking out the warmth.  I'm really hoping that farther north the clouds will disappear.  I'm so ready for straight sun.

Rockhampton and Mackay

I arrived in Rockhampton around 7:30pm and got picked up by the shuttle service provided by the hostel.  I checked in and because it was dark, not much happened after that.  I settled into my room and kept on reading.  For how warm it's getting during the day, I'm surprised at how cold it is at night.  I was all bundled up as I went to sleep, but luckily it was enough to keep me comfortable (except for my toes for some unexplainable reason).

The next morning I set out to explore Rockhampton and discovered that there wasn't much to look at.  I don't really know what goes on in these small towns on a daily basis, but I've come to the conclusion that these sorts of spots are not where I see myself living later in life.  In any case, I found the library and took advantage of their free internet to book my bus, hostel, and plane ticket (again).  I found out that the buses running from Rockhampton to Mackay (pronounced "mack-eye") come and go at rather inconvenient times and I ended up having to book at 2:30am bus  :/  I went back to the hostel and spent the afternoon in the sun...something that seems to be becoming a routine for me.  I powered through both books that I bought the other day, but luckily the hostel had a book exchange, so I was able to trade them in for something else. 

After dinner I took my time but started getting myself ready for bed.  I packed up all my stuff because I was leaving so early that I didn't want to have to worry about it and climbed into bed.  The girl next to me had a nasty cough going on, so it took me some time to get to sleep and as soon as I closed my eyes I swear my alarm went off.  In fact 3.5 hours had gone by, but it definitely wasn't enough.  I grumpily climbed down from my top bunk, gathered my stuff (I slept in the clothes I was traveling in), and headed out the door, greeting the taxi that was taking me to the bus station.

For some reason I wasn't really able to sleep on the bus, even though it was pitch black outside.  I nodded off here and there, but spent most of my time gazing at the stars.  I arrived in Mackay at 7:15am this morning and because my bus to Airlie Beach was later in the day, I had to haul all of my stuff around town with me.  Being early on a Sunday morning, there wasn't anything going on when I got to the center of town, so I plopped myself down and...wait for it...started reading again.  However I was too tired to concentrate, so I started calling people to pass the time.  Finally around 11am people started coming out to sit in the cafes and enjoy brunch.  I got lunch and ended up going to see Cars 2 afterwards...because I'm cool like that.  After the movie I still had a couple of hours, so I took my stuff and walked around town.  I got to the bus station early and just waited for the bus.  The exhaustion had gotten to me at that point and I just wanted to keel over  and sleep on the sidewalk.  When the bus finally arrived I climbed on board and two hours later, here I am in Airlie Beach.  It's dark, but from what I can tell it is a more "happening" place, so there should be things I can do to occupy myself for the next couple of days.

Tiger Airways

Unfortunately there is a hitch in my plan.  I was notified last night that my flight from Cairns to Melbourne on July 21st has been cancelled.  I had heard somewhere in the news a little while back that Tiger Airways might be in some trouble, but didn't see any major stories or anything develop.  The email that I received last night said, "As you may be aware, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority has instructed Tiger Airways to suspend all Australian domestic services until (and including) 31 July 2011.  We regret to advise that your flight has been cancelled as a result."  So now I am looking at my options and nothing seems very promising.  I'll be getting a refund from Tiger, but the flights now are more expensive.  My other option would be a 54 hour bus trip, but I found that it isn't any cheaper and would definitely be more painful, so I crossed that off the list.  It looks like I'm going to have to shell out some serious cash to get back to home base, which is frustrating but I guess can't be helped at this point.

Hervey Bay

After a couple of nights in Brisbane (nice enough hostel but someone in my room was a terrible snorer) I moved on to Hervey Bay.  The bus ride was five hours, so a little longer than I've become accustomed to, and I arrived around 5:30pm.  My current hostel is very quaint and homey; it has a cabin type feel to it with grounds covered by lots of pretty greenery.

My first morning here I got up and walked to the nearest Woolworths to get food for the next few days.  I ended up using what I got to cook up some turkey burgers with onions in them (Carter family favorite) and vegetables.  I had to go healthy because yesterday I definitely downed pizza and a milkshake for dinner...mmmm, yummy.

After finding the store and returning to the hostel, Sarah (a British girl staying in my room) and I decided to rent bikes so we could ride along the esplanade lining the water.  It was actually a great way to go and we were able to cover some real ground.  Of course the best part was wearing the helmet; the law here is that everyone regardless of age has to have one on.  On one end we found and went down the longest pier I've ever seen.  It was highly populated with fishermen and the water was a lovely shade of blue.  This end of the trail was also very commercial, with some nice places to stay and good looking restaurants.

After the pier we set off in the opposite direction and found it to be a bit quieter, containing more houses than businesses.  It was cool to see the pier from afar and realize how massive it really was.  We rode back before getting to the end of the trail because Sarah had a bus to catch.  I set out again a little later but didn't end up getting very far (mostly because my butt hurt too much from the bike seat).  I ended up at a park and just sat and enjoyed the sun.

Today I got up and went to the used bookstore that I saw on my way to the grocery store.  I've been powering through books (I've already read five) and needed some new material.  I like to take my time and find something good, but of course when I arrived there this morning I realized that I really had to use the restroom and so I had to hurry myself along before I peed my pants in the middle of the store.  A bit unfortunate as far as timing is concerned, but I still managed to come out with two books for $6.  After I got back I dove right into one of the books and then set off to the pier again, but this time on foot.  I ran all the way from the hostel and then about half of the time on the way back.  It was a good bit of exercise and afterwards I just enjoyed the sun again (I'm really trying to soak it in before I head back to the winter weather in Melbourne).

Tomorrow I'm off to Rockhampton for a couple of days.  My task while I'm there is to decide when/if I'm going to to the Great Barrier Reef.  There are so many options as far as where to leave from and what islands to go to, so I just have to pick one and run with it.  I doubt that anything out there will be bad, so I really can't lose.

And also I should mention, as it's July 7th here in Aussie-land, that it's my mom's birthday today/tomorrow!!  Happy Birthday Mom!  Have an absolutely AMAZING day.  I love you!  :)

Brisbane

I'm in Brisbane today and I have to say that I am very impressed with the city.  In fact, I might go out on a limb and say that it is one of my favorite stops so far, probably only behind Sydney.  It reminds me of Melbourne in a way, but less hectic.  The layout is really nice, the city is clean and also well organized.

I arrived yesterday to a humongous transportation terminal.  It was multi-level and very busy.  I got in around 3:30pm (after sleeping most of the way) and so it was nice and bright out as I made my way around and to the hostel, located in the heart of the city which is nice.  I think this might actually be the first time that I didn't get completely turned around which is definitely a feat for me.  After unpacking my stuff I ran to Woolworth's (grocery store) and got enough food for a couple of lunches and dinners.  I made dinner when I got back and the hostel was playing a movie, so I joined in.

I've been enjoying my sleep over the past couple of nights because I'm finally warm after almost a week of "cooler" weather.  I took my time getting up this morning but eventually I made it out of bed, got breakfast and then took off to see the Brisbane highlights.  As I said before, the city is well laid out so it was easy for me to find the things I was looking for.  I started off at Anzac Square, followed by Post Office Square, Riverside Centre and a boardwalk.  There are some very fancy dining establishments that line the river running through the city and if I had more money I would definitely want to experience them.  I went through the City Botanical Gardens and explored parts of Queensland University of Technology (I can see why people would enjoy studying here) before finding my way back to my room for lunch. 

I'm back in my room for now but will probably be heading out again soon; there are still some things that I'd like to see before I leave tomorrow afternoon.  I'll be skipping over the town of Noosa on my way to Hervey Bay.  It's a bit of a longer drive tomorrow but I have to keep going if I want to make it up to Cairns in time to spend a decent number of days there.

Surfers Paradise

The hostel and my room in Surfers Paradise weren't of the highest quality, but the perk of the place was the fact that they organized the "Big Night Out."  It was fun to gather with backpackers from seven other hostels across town and enjoy the scene of a few of the nightclubs in the center of the city.  It was really busy, but I think part of that was due to the fact that there was a big marathon running the next day, so there were many spectators and extra people around.

I went out with the two girls that I met from London and we eventually met up and stayed with two other guys who were traveling together.  The hostel gave us each a cowboy hat and a glow stick (color coded to your hostel) and so we donned those with pride as we entered the clubs.  There was lots of dancing and one of the clubs even had a live band, which was fun.  The two girls from London drank like fish and it didn't take them long to "start having a good time."

In the last club I got separated from the group.  A random guy came up to me and asked to buy me a drink.  At that point it was late, so I said no thank you and he got upset and said that out of common courtesy I should let him get me something because it took him a long time to work up the courage to come over to me.  The sob story got to me but I didn't let him buy me anything...I just got water.  He wanted to talk and so I said fine, but that was a bad decision because I got distracted and missed the cue to head back to the hostel.  So when I went out to look for familiar faces there were none and I had to get back on my own.  The guy told me not to worry, that I could just stay over at his place.  Um, no.  It took some convincing to get him to let me take the lead and I was adamant that I get back to my room.  He asked me why I needed to get back there and besides the fact that I just wanted to (which wasn't a good enough reason for him) I said that I had a bus to Brisbane to catch the next day (which was true, but I said early in the morning, which wasn't exactly truthful).  Unfortunately for me this reasoning didn't work out either because lucky enough, this guy was also from Brisbane and he was driving back the next morning and said that he could just take me.  Obviously he wasn't getting the picture but finally we arrived at my hostel and I started saying thanks/goodbye.  After an awkward silence he had the nerve to say, "So there's no chance I can come inside with you?"  Uhhh, no.  I said that there were other people in the room who were sleeping and he replied that it didn't matter.  Eventually I was able to turn around and walk away, but not without leaving the dude disappointed.  Oh well.

Byron Bay

My last stop in New South Wales was the city of Byron.  When I arrived, it was pouring rain.  Actually, it was nice until we got off the bus and had to haul our luggage a few hundred yards across a gravel path to the van that was there to take us to the hostel.  I stayed at the Arts Factory, and my accommodation ended up being a humongous teepee.  Inside there were 10 cots and a fireplace.  While the fire was lit with the intention of keeping us warm, overnight it would go out and didn't really end up doing much.  Unfortunately the weather didn't show any signs of clearing up, so most of the time was spent inside.  On my one journey out of the hostel, I went to Byron Bay and ended up watching an entire group of surfers for just about an hour.  I had intended to go to the lighthouse, but the path was closed due to construction.  I found a lookout point instead and as I said before, got distracted by the surfers.  At this point the sun was peaking out but as I started home again it began to rain.

The evening turned out to be nice.  I had gone to the store earlier because I decided I wanted to cook instead of buying dinner.  After a week of going out I was getting tired of it, not to mention that cooking is easier on my wallet.  I made pasta and vegetables, and it was fun to be in the kitchen with a bunch of other people from the hostel.  At 7pm they brought in some live music.  Pretty mellow stuff, but there were four different artists and the last one was an amazing guitar specialist.  It was nice to sit in the common area around the fire and just have something to listen to for a couple of hours.

Byron Bay and the other little towns I've been to don't really cater to the tourist, so besides the local attractions, there isn't too much to do.  I took the bus to Surfers Paradise today and as soon as I crossed the border between New South Wales and Queensland I was hit with the sun and I couldn't be happier.  I went for a run on the boardwalk and watched the sun set over the water.  This town is like the Vegas of Australia (or so I'm told) and tonight is the "Big Night Out" where a bunch of the local hostels get their residents together and for a flat fee you get entry into four clubs and a free drink at each, as well as transportation.  And oh yes, a free cowboy hat and glow stick.  The other girls in my room and I are excited to get outside without having to be watchful for rainclouds.  I'm currently out in a sundress and a sweater...quite a change from the past few days and even this morning.  I'm hoping that it stays like this for the duration of my trip.

Coffs Harbour

My time in Coffs Harbour was quiet, which was something I needed.  The weather wasn't great and I'd had a whirlwind of a week so it was nice to spend some time relaxing.  Most of the time I stayed inside and read; I managed to get through two books!!  I was really the only one in the hostel, but I sat in the restaurant/bar while reading and a bunch of people went in and out.  Apparently it's the place to be in Coffs Harbour.  And being observant while I was there, I realized how much people were really drinking...at all hours of the day.  It was amazing.

Another interesting observation I've managed to make is that the Greyhound buses have manual transmissions.  Crazy!  I couldn't even imagine trying to drive a huge bus, much less handle a clutch at the same time.

I also branched out and tried something new at dinner last night...beets on my sandwich.  The bus taking me to Byron Bay stopped for dinner and I ordered a steak sandwich.  I knew (well, I had read) that the Aussies liked to put beets on their burgers.  I didn't think I was going to be getting any, so I kind of surprised when I saw that.  But I tried it and it really wasn't bad.  I don't think I'll go out of my way to put them on myself, but if a sandwich or burger shows up with beets on it in the future, I won't turn up my nose.  Yay for new things  :)