The Daily Grind

So this is where the blog will probably slow down for a while. I’m employed and have a place to live — this was the goal. Of course, this has the effect of cramping my exciting, free, blog-worthy (if I can be so self-important), travelling lifestyle. Nevertheless, I have managed to squeeze a bit of joy into my first two weeks back into the real world.

My “real world.”

A bonus of working at a travel agency is that most companies are happy to let you hop on to tours so you are able to do a better job of promoting them to travellers – “famil” trips as they are known. A couple of days after arriving, I had the opportunity to visit Fraser Island on a day tour. Fraser is the reason most people come to Rainbow Beach. It is the largest sand island in the world and the trips there are pretty exceptional. There are no roads, so it is necessary to go exploring in some form of 4-wheel drive vehicle. Most one- or two-day tours pile a batch of tourists onto a heavy duty bus and take you to all of the notable sites. This is what I was on. I spent most of it thinking the ideal way to do this would be to grab a couple of friends, rent a Land Cruiser, and go properly exploring for a few days. The island is also populated with heaps of freshwater lakes. Swimming in one of these was a strange and welcome experience after being covered in salt for the last couple of months.

Fraser’s main highway.

About a week after arriving, I turned straight around and headed back to Byron Bay for the weekend. The trip that my Sydney friend had booked was still on, so I informed work I would need a couple of days off. Taking the job in Rainbow made this a bit more a trek for me than originally planned, but I was excited to be heading back to Byron anyways – I already missed the town. Good food, drinks, sun, beach, and company made for an essentially ideal weekend. Coming back to Rainbow after reliving the energy in Byron was, admittedly, a bit of a struggle. My contentment with the small-town life may wane slightly faster than I anticipated. But, for now, I am still enjoying Rainbow and will make the most of however long I end up staying here. My handful of new friends and I are busy planning Christmas, and it will certainly be a welcome change to not have New years plans seriously thrashed because of a blizzard!

How can you not love this place?