I've been in Brisbane for a few days now. Its been a fun journey to the city. We stopped in Byron Bay for a few days. ITs a small hippie/surf town. I loved it! WE stayed at Arts Factory Lodge. The campsite looked like a festival! We met SO MANY really awesome people there. We taught a couple of Italian Guys how to play the card game, shithead. A really addictive game, you'll love it. The water was so warm and inviting the first day. The currents shifted and the water was pretty aggressive the last day we were there. There were so many people in the water having a good time. The night life was non-existant the first night. It being Sunday, all the pubs and clubs close at 9 or 10. The last night we were there Tessa and I closed a backpackers pub called Cheeky Monkey. The entire crowd gathered outside around two guitar players and we all sang along. THe cops came and broke up the crowd so we all migrated to the beach. The rain eventually dispersed the crowd. IT was Such a fun night.

The next day, we drove inland to a small town called Nimbin, known for decriminaling marajuana. We arrived around 4 and were instantly offered all sorts of "options". It was pretty overwhelming. WE stayed for a coffee. The only experimenting we part took in was a bet Christian offered to Tessa~ to eat a Habinaro chilli. The little orange ones. They were in tears. Christian had to drink an entire liter of milk to stop the burning. WE left soon after. The town itself seems to be stuck in the 1960's. It was kinda sad to be there. We set up camp on Mt Warning for the night and left early.
Surfer's Paradise was our next destination. We splurged and got a motel room for the night. Real beds!! *Smile* Our view was of bungee jumpers and other carnival rides glowing in the night. It was really festive. The city reminded me of Daytona Beach. Its the holiday spot for school kids. The beach was beautiful but windy. I was covered with sand the rest of the day. That night
we left town towards Brisbane. We stopped to camp in between the two cities. After driving for what felt like forever, Tessa and I asked permission to camp in their front yard. He said it was no problem, so there we stayed. To my surprise, there was a drive-in movie theatre in the same town. We made dinner, hid Tessa under some blankets, and went to the movies. It was fun to share the experience with the others. They all said it felt so American. To me it felt like home.
We're planning on leaving tomorrow for Frasier Island. Tessa is staying here to find work. I'll miss her. I'm looking forward to see how the next part of the journey will be. *smile*