Last night? Thousands! Once again: far too short. Last nights are magical for travellers. The best thing about them: practically every night is a last night, if you travel fast enough. Last nights are about taking stock. Finalising something, bringing it to an end, making room for something new. Every night.
That’s why last nights are sometimes a bit stressful: tidying up, organising, summing up. At the same time, of course, don’t forget how beautiful all the mess was before – and make sure it’s always there. Sometimes it’s hard to just let last nights be normal nights. Go to sleep. But that’s what turns the important last nights into gold.
We drive further north. The sun is blazing, it’s over thirty degrees and humid. After Coffs Harbour, the vegetation changes. Palm trees and huge sugar cane plantations pass by the roadside. We stop for lunch at a World Heritage Site National Park. We see nothing special.
Lord sleeps in the back seat for most of the day. Verena guides me. I drive. No big important conversations. Just great peace and quiet, despite the six-hour journey today.
We arrive in Byron Bay in the early evening. A dirty hostel wants €22 for a bed in a 16-bed dorm. A scoop of ice cream costs over €2. The streets are crowded with tourists. After two visits to the information centre, we decide unanimously: No, not ours at all.
We drive an hour further into the mountainous hinterland. Our destination: Nimbin, a hippie village with a genuine hemp message. The main street consists of 40 rainbow houses. Our hotel has a bar downstairs. The hippies go out to smoke weed between drinks.
We share our last pizza to live music from the 60s. Drinking our last drinks and sharing cigarettes. A self-confessed nerd from Silicon Valley sits on the Western-style balcony. He’s building an organic farm here in Hippingen.
The last night with Verena and the Lord doesn’t bring any great stories. But nice ones. I’m very tired, but I’m already looking forward to the next ones. Have fun on the rest of your journey!
Frank Woelky, born in 1973. Kitesurfer since 1998. Since 2006, I have been combining kitesurfing and web design on trips lasting several months off the beaten track.