Road Trippin

As my bell bottoms graze the earth below me, Lonnie and I begin the hippy segment of our adventure.

I rose early Thurs. AM to take a long, thorough shower as I knew it could be my last for a good long while. We said goodbye to our private, luxurious hotel room and to Brisbane. And so we picked up our "Wicked" van out of which we are currently living. Yes that's right, the Wicked van is our home now. It is our bedroom, our kitchen, our storage, and our transportation.

Wicked Van (The Down Under)

We hop in and we are still in Brisbane which is a sizable city. As long as you have a driver's license they send you on your way, no questions asked. So Lonnie gets behind the wheel and I can tell he's a little nervous about city driving, especially in a big van on the left side of the road, with the driver's seat on the right. And oh boy, it's a stick shift too. This will surely be entertaining. At first I'm white knuckled and horrified but he does quite well and the freeway driving is much more relaxing.

After a couple of hours drive through gorgeous, lush green country, we arrive in Nimbin. To step forward in Nimbin is to step back in time. This tiny city is comprised of die hard hippies. In 1973 an Aquarius Festival was held in Nimbin. Party goers enjoyed it so much that many never left. They adopted Nimbin as their home and it feels much like I imagine it did 36 years ago. Naked babies run the sidewalks and dread headed, tie dye wearing men shuffle the streets. While there's a part of me that feels at home here, I know I'd go crazy living in a town so small and comprised solely of like-minded individuals. As we check out a couple of quaint shops the smell of patchouli shares the air with the familiar lyrics of Janis Joplin. The surroundings bring me back to my high school years and I'm surprised a city like this thrives. Nimbin stands for freedom. It stands for making love, not war. While I only spent an hour here, I think it left such a strong impression that I will remember it for a lifetime.

We ended up sleeping at a rest stop just 6 km outside of Byron Bay. Tons of people around Byron Bay seem to be doing as we are, squatting. People sleep in their cars everywhere here. It almost seems to be the norm.

I keep having these moments where I start to laugh and I can't stop. My stomach literally aches. After all, we are LIVING out of a van and I find this notion incredibly amusing. I am a very brave sole to share such a tight living space with Lonnie.

We bought boogie boards and spent the day in the ocean. The sun here is hot, the beaches are topless and the water is warm!

Last night we made friends at our new home, the rest stop outside Byron Bay. Three German guys and a French girl were our neighbors. Remo, a blond early twenty something invited us to join their circle. We drank goon (boxed wine) and sang songs from the Beatles as Remo played guitar. He was incredibly good and a very talented singer as well. They have been traveling for four months and working picking rock melon for money as needed. We hung out until late and slept in til noon today.

Today has been rainy so we drove to the lighthouse, shopped and hung low. So, until we meet again my friends...

We will fill you on our Fraiser Island adventure too...What an adventure that was!