Surf, Sand, and Sun!

We do realize it's been a while since we blogged... and I really don't feel at all guilty either!
So, here's what's up: Surf, Sand, and Sun!

We have had mixed feelings about Byron Bay, but for better or worse, its where we have decided to settle for now. That is of course, pending finding some work. We have been here for just over a week now, longer than we have stayed anywhere in Australia. Its a nice town, a bit over-loaded with hippies, but there are lots of shops, tons of restaurants, and beautiful outdoors areas. Whether its a nice patio at one of the many pubs, the beautiful beach itself, or taking a nice long hike through the rain forest up to the lighthouse, there is a ton of space to spend time outside, so we have!

Tallow Beach - experts only

We have been looking quite diligently for work, sadly, without much success. Krissy had picked up a shift our first day looking, but they texted us to cancel it the day before, stating they needed someone with direct barista experience. It was a bit of a hard blow, since we had been quite excited at least one of us could find work. We hear that Byron Bay has the highest unemployment rate in all of Australia.

Fortunately, we previously decided that we would put off our visit to Cairns and the Whitsunday Islands until we had done some work, rather that playing and travelling until we were flat-broke. Even so, we are quite aware of our dwindling cash supply, and so spend a good amount of time pounding the pavement looking for work. We moved out of Nomads Byron Bay, for a hostel that theoretically has a quieter atmosphere, Aquarius. They also have the added benefit of free dinner for everyone staying, so that saves on the food bill.

Fortunately, we are still finding time to take advantage of what is literally the one time in our lives we will be able to spend time in Australia like this, given that the visa we have is a one-time thing for Americans. The weather has been a bit spotty, flashes of rain, followed by wonderful periods of sun. We have found that in the spring you need to be a bit opportunistic, and take advantage of the nice weather when its around, and so have now been able to spend parts of several days at the beach, sunning, swimming, and surfing!

View from the lighthouse

On Thursday night, we decided to have a go at a local brewery, where "Cockatoo Paul" was playing. Not knowing what to expect, I had a band in mind, and Krissy a Cockatoo show! It turns out that Cockatoo Paul is a one-man band, and a pretty damn good one to boot! He plays drums and symbols with his feet, a guitar in his hands, a set of rattles/bells on his wrists, and a didgeridoo/singing with his mouth! Not only were the physics of this quite impressive, but the end result was some good music! The beer was also excellent, something that we were quite happy to find, having had a good amount of less-than-great beer.

In the future? Job hunting. I have to say, its quite frustrating given our hard work ethic, experience, careers, and general outlook, being turned down by every retail and food shop in town. I feel 15 again. (I'll update this post with pictures a bit later... I had some technical difficulties updating my iPhone to iOS 5, and am still recovering)