Hey Old Friend, It's Been Awhile...

I've been slacking. Badly. And by 'I' I really mean 'us.'

We just haven't had much motivation to actually sit down and write anything. I just got a good playlist set up for this very purpose so I'm just going to hunker down and get it done =).

I think we left off with us skydiving and then a little picture blog about our weekend trip to Byron Bay. So I'm going to have to backtrack just a little bit to just before we took our little trip.

So we had been in Byron Bay for about 3 nights and it was time to move on. We had seen pretty much everything the town had to offer and it was time to head out. We woke up that last morning and packed up all of our things and got ready for skydiving. We did that, came back to our hostel, then quickly headed over to the only bus station in town and hopped on to the 'Brisbane to Byron Express.' This was a bit bigger than a van and a little smaller than a bus. Short-bus length, I guess. Once we got all of our belongings packed away into the trailer in tow behind us we got into our coach and got the VIP seats in the back. Luckily it wasn't too crowded, so we didn't have to share our seats with anybody so we had plenty of room for ourselves and our backpacks. The drive was just beautiful. When I thought of Australia before I actually came here I envisioned the outback. This couldn't be further from the truth. Every city/town we go to is more lush and breathtaking then the previous. Being from Utah I'm not really used to such overwhelming flora. The drive went without a hitch and we were dropped off at the central transit station in downtown Brisbane.

We took a train about 25 minutes outside of town and called our contact, Mr. Morales, who picked us up promptly and took us to his car to store our things while he showed us around a bit. He walked us around a bit with his young daughter as we were headed to meet his wife and son about 5 minutes walk away. We met a few of their friends and got to talk to the Morales family for a few minutes before heading to their home for the night. Mrs. Morales took her children home and Andrew decided that he didn't want to head home quite yet. He drove us around the city for a good 45 minutes showing us everything there is to see, where to go, how to get everywhere, and just helping us orient ourselves in the new city. This really did help us a lot and we got to see an amazing view of the city that we never would have been able to see without a car. After our Brisbane orientation was finished we headed 30 minutes out of downtown, into the more country side of the city. Their house was everything a backpacker could ask for. A bed, food, and company. We had a pretty full day and slept great that night.

After a restful night of sleep we woke up and had a quick breakfast before heading down to the train station and leaving the suburb of Mt. Cotton for the city for a day of exploring. Brisbane is a city, definitely, but it is nowhere near the size of Sydney. We walked through nearly the whole downtown area in the afternoon and saw pretty much everything there was to see within a few hours. We saw a few parks, the biggest art gallery we've been to so far, and the largest library we've been in so far. The art gallery and library were part of the Queensland University of Technology and were definitely the best part about the campus. The landscaping was nowhere near what we've seen surrounding other campuses in Oz. After reading for an hour or two in the library we jetted up towards the temple for institute.

 See, I've never been to an institute class and never thought I would attend one, but I figured I may as well go with Marissa because we were going to get a ride home from one of the members and I would be less of a bother to the people we were staying with. I usually don't like the atmosphere in churches, and this occasion was no different. I just don't really mesh with the people that go there. I can't really speak for Marissa, but I'm sure she was as comfortable as ever. I went to a class concerning leadership and Marissa, something else that I can't be bothered remembering right now. I sat in the very back corner and whipped out my journal and began writing. We were there a few minutes early so I was getting in a good rhythm before the class started. I kept on going straight through the opening prayer and song. Institute didn't have much of an effect on my concentration. Until the teacher started talking. I have no clue what this guy does for a living, his name, or really anything else about him. Except that he teaches a pretty good lesson. I was surprised how non-gospel oriented it was. There were a few scriptures read, but the whole lesson was pretty much based on good ways to lead people and how different strategies would be better for certain situations than other. The whole experience was much better than I anticipated and it was topped off with two tables covered in after-lesson treats.

We met up with our new contact after our lessons, Ryan Fell, and we were introduced to person after person. He's a really sociable guy. He really is genuine and wanted us to have a great time while we were in his city. We were informed by nearly every person we met that they were going to take a trip down to Byron Bay that weekend and that we just had to accompany them. Of course we're not going to turn down a road trip, even if we were there the prior weekend. Experiences are always different when you're with those who know that they're doing. Our social gathering slowly migrated to the car park where it was decided that we were going to meet back up at South Bank, a nice area in downtown Brisbane that has restaurants, a man-made beach, and, well, nobody watching that beach. The night was great. Once we finally found a parking spot we promptly strolled over to the pseudo beach and stripped down to whatever was comfortable. All the guys ended up in just boxers, and the girls in either big shirts or shorts and tanks or whatever they could find. Sadly, no skivvies for the girls. We all played freeze tag, zoo animals, retarded lion, and had a cartwheel contest. Freeze tag is classic. Zoo animals is a game where as soon as you say 'Go' everyone starts acting like a zoo animal until you've had enough. It sounds really mature, I know. I, in my infinite wisdom, chose to be a shark. It was only after that I was told sharks aren't in zoos. I can remember we had a shark, a hippo, a gorilla, an ape, and an elephant. We looked great. Retarded lion is basically a game that I can't explain, because it will take the fun out of it. We'll play it sometime when I get home =). It ended up with all of us soaking wet with no towels and wet clothes. This group was amazing.

We packed up our things at the Morales' household the next morning and transferred over to the Fell's house with the help of Ryan "Roo" Fell. Their house was about 10-15 minutes away from our current location, but still a ways away from the city. So I thought the last place we were at was nice, but this was just amazing. They had a 46' LCD TV and a PS3 along with a couple of external hard drives chock-full with great movies and shows. Pair this with an overflowing fridge, freezer, and pantry, and you're set. They also had a nice pool in their back yard. The only thing missing, really, was the people. The only one that we really saw those first few days was Roo. His parents and siblings were constantly on the move and were rarely seen in the household. To be honest I kind of enjoyed the temporary solitude. The next few days were constituted of excess media exposure, a few trips into the city with friends, and lots of sleep. It was great to recharge.

The day had finally come. Destination: Byron Bay! Since there were so many people headed down there, people were leaving at different times and we all just figured it would work out in the end. Sure enough, it did. We were almost the last to arrive in the car park to the beach, and were greeted by a dozen or so friends. The night was still young so the crew split; some went out on the town, while others stayed behind and prepped the 'campsite.' Marissa and I were in the latter group; we aren't really ones for partying. Neither of us had ever spent the night on the beach before so we weren't exactly sure what we were supposed to be doing. Luckily, the other people we were with were seasoned vets. They had brought a tarp to lay down and extra sleeping bags for those that were without (us). Once the giant tarp was secured, the second order of business was to get a fire started. There were a few signs warning us that campfires on the beach are illegal, but those were the same signs that said camping was illegal. All or nothing, I guess. Gathering the sticks wasn't a problem, but the wind was. Marissa and I had to dig a little ditch and fill it with kindling in an attempt to get the fire started. It worked beautifully. Within 15 minutes we had a full-on blaze on the beach and the blustering gales couldn't best our flames. Smalltalk by the fire was a nice way to cap off the night before we fell asleep underneath the stars. I've had trouble sleeping this whole trip. It isn't often that I am able to sleep through the whole night without waking up once. This inability to sleep restfully ended up being alright on this occasion. Every time I opened my eyes I was rewarded with the endless expanse of space coupled with the not too distant crashing of the Pacific. Put it on your bucket lists, people. It doesn't have to be Byron, necessarily, just a beach far far away from a big city. The absence of light, and other, pollution made the cosmos infinitely more vivid.

The thing about bucket lists is sometimes you can plan it so you can tick off more than one goal at a time. Waking up on the beach to a beautiful sunrise should also make it on there. Check and check. The fire was still going and everyone was awake and talking by around 5 in the morning. I can't remember the last time that's ever happened to me. I usually curse anyone who wakes my up that early, but cursing the sun seems a little childish, and honestly it was quite refreshing. A short stroll along the coastline was just the ticket to put me in a good mood the entire day. The day consisted of more than a handful of hours on the beach, and mobbing through the small town when the group got hungry. One thing that I LOVED while we were on the beach was that I played my first game of cricket and got a good introduction to the rules and game-play. I am actually horrible at cricket, but I still enjoyed messing around with the guys. By this point there were nearly 20 of us. Shopping, eating, tanning, talking until the sun went down.

Once it got dark it was time to prepare for the night ahead. Everyone got as presentable as possible and headed back into town once more. The guys all wanted to watch 'The Game' at a bar and I was quite keen as well. I assumed Rugby, and I was right. The match was Australia v. New Zealand. I had yet to watch a full match and was excited to see it run its course with the supplemented comments from my knowledgeable new friends. The cheers echoed around the room any time points were scored for either team. I assumed the crowd would be overwhelmingly lopsided towards rooting for the home team, but apparently plenty of Kiwis call Australia home. It was a close game and NZ ended up winning. I didn't really care either way; I was happy to finally understand what was going on and to see the game played at its highest level. The girls had made themselves very scarce through the whole match, but they somehow materialized as soon as it was over, completely ready to go out to the clubs and party the night away.

I've only been out a few times since I've been here and I figured that night was as good as any other to go out again. These people all knew how to have a good time and I wasn't about to stay at the beach two nights in a row. By this point Marissa had left our group and was hanging out with a friend she had made earlier in the week at institute, Blake. She can tell you about her adventures with him later, if she wishes. Our posse slowly made it down the main street and shortly I was introduced to the club they frequent when in town...I really can't remember how it's spelled but it was something similar to Coocamunga? Anyway, we got in after a short wait in line and from the second we walked down those stairs everyone was dancing. I usually feel like an idiot when I dance, and I'm sure I'm not alone, but it was chill. Everyone was just having some good clean fun for a few carefree hours. The group finally dragged themselves out of the music and into the world for one more trip to our sandy beds. We chose a different beach the second night but the crew split in half: those who were worried about rain and those who weren't. I wasn't. Those who were worried stayed and slept in cars. I just threw down a sleeping bag and passed out under the stars again.

The beach we ended up at is oriented differently than the first one, so the sunrise didn't wake anybody up that morning. We all got to sleep in until around 9 and took our time getting ready prior to heading into town once more for a quick breakfast before the two-hour drive back to Brissy.

The next few days we saw a lot more of the Fell family and were introduced to a fantastic TV show: Community. We watched about 24 episodes...nearly the whole first season. We also watched too many movies. We just had to burn a few days before we could head up to the Sunshine Coast, where our next house was. The people there had some scheduling conflicts, so we just had to wait. The short stint at the Fell house with Roo and his family came and went, and we were soon on a train headed north.

A few hours later and we stepped off the car only to be immediately greeted by the friendly face of Liz & Hannah Atkinson, along with their friend, Laura. The drive to their house was pretty quick and, just like every other city in Australia so far, beautiful. Their quaint, country home is nestled about 100 meters from the road in the lush scenery of this coastal town. The family owns a good portion of land and they all live on it. There are six houses here I think...each just a short drive from one another. Since we've been here, we've visited the nearest beach, listened to a rain storm every night, and watched about 20 episodes of the office. We also watched Toy Story 3 last night at a friend's friend's house.

We are planning on making one more trip north before we start our ascension back down to Sydney and beyond. Tomorrow morning we will catch a ride with some friendly LDS members up to Bundaberg and hopefully make it up to the itty bitty town of 'Town of 1770' for some snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef. Hopefully we'll have enough motivation to keep writing on here and keep you all updated. Once again, sorry about the serious lapse.


-Baxter

PS. I apologize that this post isn't as compelling, detailed, and as good of a read as previous posts. My brain has just been a little bit broken lately and I've been having a really hard time writing even in my journal. I don't know what the deal is...