GC Day 2 - Byron Bay

Since we didn't manage to go to Byron Bay on our 1st day, we went on the 2nd day....when we got back to our apartment the day before, we asked Lizzy, the manager of the resort to help us book the tickets to Byron Bay...but she wasn't as helpful as Chris...coz she didn't want to help us call the bus company...and when she tried to book the tics online, my debit card was declined (i eventually found out the reason why...apparently, i had to go to Maybank2u website and activate my online shopping service, which i didn't know about)...so then we had to call the bus company from our room to book the tics...initially we couldn't seem to call out..then we discovered that we had to dial '0' before the numbers...hmm.. pretty embarassing...so the tics cost AUD37.10 return...

So we woke up at 6.45am on day 2...coz our bus picked us up at 7.45am...Flora boiled some eggs for breakfast...but for some miraculous reason, they were still raw after being boiled for more than 15 mins... so i thought we'd try cooking it in the microwave...i already broke the eggs into bowls...so i just put them in the microwave...and heat for 20 secs...voila!! instant sunny-side up...oil-free...very healthy...but i'm not too sure if it's salmonella-safe...

So we got onto our bus, which went all the way to Casino (some 1 hour plus journey)...where we changed another bus which took us to Byron Bay...total time of journey was probably 2 1/2 hours.. but i managed to sleep a little..and catch the lovely countryside view along the way...we reached Byron Bay about 11am...started walking around the shops...found a 2nd hand bookstore and we couldn't resist ourselves...browsed through the books..inhaling the scent of old books...and we stumbled upon a section dedicated for gay literature...interesting titles...

I brought Flora to Subway for lunch...shared a foot-long sandwich with her....after lunch, we hung out at the beach...saw a guy making sand-sculpture of a dragon...quite impressive...then we walked up to the lighthouse via the rainforest trail...took us about 20 minutes...about few hundred metres before we reached the lighthouse, we saw a take-off ramp for hang-gliders...it offered a really amazing view of the beach and ocean...definitely a cool pic spot...sat there for a while with a man who was with his 2 daughters and dog named Oscar...i think i can spend a whole day just sitting there...gazing at the ocean....Flora said it was a good spot for a date...and i replied, just make sure your date is not intent on pushing you off the ramp...

We walked up to the lighthouse...it was pretty cool...then we continued walking to the most easterly point in Australia...great view...i just love watching the waves crashing over the rocks...saw rainbow a few times when the mist of the waves dispersed...Byron Bay is definitely a great spot for wedding pics...after we've taken in enough of the view, we started walking back down to the town area...but we decided to take the road this time...except that apparently there's more than one road up to the lighthouse...and we took the wrong turning...got lost..but managed to find our way again....

We rushed to the 2nd hand bookstore coz we were afraid it would close by 5pm...just like everything else in Australia (in winter)...we made it there before 5pm...and the lady at the store said they weren't about to close yet..phew!!! so we bought 2 gay literature books...just to satisfy our curiosity...Flora finished hers within 4 days...i still haven't started chapter 3 of mine yet...i find fiction fantasy like "The Neverending Story" more intriguing...

We bought some souvenirs at the souvenir shop...then walked to the beach again and sat there...it was getting cold by then..but the place was quite happening...lotsa restaurants and pubs...teeming with people..i needed to pee so we went into a pub/casino to use the bathroom...after using the bathroom, we just sat in the jackpot machines room and read our gay books...while waiting for our bus which only leaves at 8pm...

1/2 hour before 8pm, i went to the toilet again....it was then that i realized my camera was missing...i put it in the pocket of my jacket..and it must have fallen off while i was sitting....but when i came back out to search for it, it was gone...i kinda panicked...coz i could have sworn i still had the camera with me when we came into the pub...so i asked the girl at the bar if anyone found a camera...left my no. with her...then went back to trace our steps..back to the beach where we sat...but i thought, even if somebody found it, i'd never get it back again....i mourned my bad luck... i thought we'd have no more camera to take pics for the rest of the trip...

As we were passing by the pub again on our way to the bus stop, a guy was standing outside the pub and he asked if i dropped a camera...i guess he was the one who found the camera when i dropped it at the place where we sat...i was so relieved i almost cried...miracles do happen after all...really thank God for honest Ausssies...so we boarded our bus which was a direct trip back to Cabarita Beach...took only 50 mins...from our stop, we practically ran all the way home coz it was freaking cold...had minced beef with potato mash for dinner (which wasn't burnt)..read a bit..and fell asleep...too exhausted from so much happenings...