The Drunken Cyclist

I’m walking down the street when I hear a “Woah”, followed by a slight blur to my left. I manage to sidestep a bicycle as it collapses in front of me. The rider, a girl, twenty something I’d guess, stares up at me from the pavement. “Are you okay?” I ask. She looks at me for a moment, contemplating her answer. “Shouldn’t ride when I’m drunk.” She manages. I offer my hand to help her up. Again, she contemplates before taking it, grabbing only my index finger, and staring at me a moment longer before trying to get to her feet. I help her lift the bicycle, and suggest she walk it home. She’s quick to concede, and heads in the opposite direction.

Earlier the same day, I wake up early and decide I have time to take in a yoga class. Byron Bay is well known for yoga, with hundreds of classes a day. I, however, have only managed to find one place that offers it, and it’s right by the ocean, so I figure if the instructor isn’t good, the view will be. I arrive 10 minutes early, and there’s only one person there – and she’s not the instructor. We wait another 25 minutes, before deciding that class is cancelled on account of the public holiday.

I head to the grocery store to buy food for the day, then to the worst global gossip shop in Australia. Global Gossip is a chain of internet “cafes” in Australia. They provide the best computers I’ve come across, but at this branch the internet seems to go down every ten minutes or so. Good news from Mike, though, that he’s now a daddy. I’d been forewarned that the baby was coming a little sooner than expected, so it wasn’t a complete shock, but seeing a photo titled “Dad and Son” was still a bit scary for me. It’s a boy – Jack Henry Dachuk – and I hope the parents both enjoy the next few seasons of “Lost” as much as they’ve obviously enjoyed the first three. Mom and baby are doing well, which is, of course, great news.

Back at the hostel, I eat some breakfast, and take advantage of their free bicycle rentals. For three hours the bike’s yours – so I decide to take another stab at getting to the lighthouse.

The brakes on the bike are questionable, at best, but it’s uphill to the lighthouse, so not much of a worry. I dread the ride back to the hostel (which is quite obviously downhill) a little more. The lighthouse isn’t terribly special, but close to the most easterly point in mainland Australia, so I lock the bike up and walk over there. Loads of steps, but I manage, despite the heat. The fellow at the hostel reception warns me it is going to be a toasty one, and he’s right. I scan the ocean for dolphins, which you can apparently sometimes see, but I have no luck.
The ride back to the hostel is slightly harrowing, but I arrive alive. In lieu of a shower, I pack my bag and head for the beach, which is just a two minute walk through the bush. I set up my sarong, and get some sun. My back is pretty sunburned from the boat in Cairns, but I’m mostly peeling now. I take a quick swim, and get some more sun – I’m hoping the sunburn/tan on my back, which looks mostly like a map of some unknown country, will dissapear as the rest of me gets tanned. I have another swim in the ocean, then decide to go for a run down the beach. I thought about bringing running shoes on my trip, but running barefoot on the beach is even more rewarding.

Spend the afternoon wandering around town (and almost getting run over by a drunk bicyclist), then hanging around the hostel, finishing The Black Dahlia (which I ended up grabbing instead of the John Le Carre book), and another book, Love and Free (which was mostly pictures, but sitting on the hostel bookshelf) and using the hostel pool. The book exchange at the hostel isn’t very good, but thankfully there’s a used bookshop nearby, so I may try and see if I can get a new book in the morning.