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NB. Lack of photos owing to the wonderfully frustrating temperamental antics of my new Sony camera. Sorry.

... I had intended a stay here of several weeks.. and now, only a week or so after my arrival in Oz, I am ready to leave, gladly packing my bags for departure tomorrow... So, the story goes...

Aussie Adventures

Asha Patel
2006-08-23 10:59:03

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nonetheless that something productive would come of the conversation. And indeed it did. She showed me where to find the organic cafes and good eateries in Byron Bay. We had organic papaya and peach smoothies with rice milk and honey for breakfast. Yum. The rest of my morning was spent in search of Jessie Chapman; the author of one of my yoga books (as I discovered that she was in fact, based here in Byron Bay). Just when the task was seemingly futile, a woman from the local community centre came running to find me, paper in hand, with Jessie's home telephone no! I thought it may be somewhat inappropriate to be calling a best selling australian author at her home, but of course I did it anyway. Jessie was extremely friendly and said that she would've given me a private class, had she not been busy with her newborn daughter... So, back to the beach. Swim. Lay in the sun, in the tranquility of my own company.... Hot ginger tea and melodic sounds at The Cardomom Pod. Shower. Dinner was steamed salmon, tempura veggies and hand cut chips from the gourmet fishmongers shop. Took the steaming hot box down to the beach to eat. Walked back down the bustling main street and as the assistant at the closed ice-cream shop so sweetly let me in, I couldn't resist a scoop of vanilla and mocha. Sat on the cold sand at the beach, staring up and out into the dark waves. I could've sat there forever, in the blackness, listening to the waves breaking on the shore...

...Slept poorly but once again excited by the prospect of yoga on the beach I cared little for my dormitory needs. So, still in my pj's, I walked the few metres on the path to the beach. Another ear to ear grin as I breathed in the beauty of the morning. The overcast skies cast a comforting blanket over the deserted beach and the warm rainfall felt as though it was seeping through my skin, nourishing and replenishing every lost kilojoule of energy, uplifting every disappointment, fulfilling every failed hope and accompanying every moment of solitude. I ran, open armed, open hearted and free spirited onto the had wet smooth sand, that provided a perfect surface for yoga. Solid, strong and free I savoured the magic of the moments as I lay in the sand resting at the end of my practice. Sprawled out in the sand, I wanted to lay there all day. By now my clothes and hair were wet and full of sand and I had no time to shower before my 9am bus to Brisbane. I really, really, didn't care...

...I awoke as if I'd never left Brisbane. Byron Bay seeming like nothing but a distant dream. Sigh. Found the hostel, collapsed on the dorm bed a while before summoning sufficient energy for yet more unpacking, laundry, repacking and a walk into town for a caffeine fix... Other errands, etc etc..

..Woke early. Called Ant. AirTrain to airport where I sat around for several hours, an entire day in fact. Though, unlike many striken by the impatience bug, I find no frustration in such waits. Airports are not only fascinating people watching places but can also be extremely relaxing, as I melted away into the empty rows of seats at gate 83, alone, without a person in sight...

...With no regrets about my premature departure from Australia, I am eager to embark on my Asian adventure...