Thursday, August 10, 2006

Byron Bay (again!)

Not long ago, we went to Byron Bay, in New South Wales, Australia. A few days later, P and S rented a car and brought JY and me to Mount Coot-tha.

As we laid there looking into the night, freezing our butts off and looking at the nth shooting star, I made a suggestion.

Me: Since you only need to return the car tomorrow, why don't we drive to Byron Bay to see sunrise?

2 hours later, we found ourselves back in the car, with sandwiches in the boot, on Pacific Highway again. It was 12am and the ride at most, will take 3 hours. What time do you think the sun rises? Of course not at 3am. No worries, mate! Let's just hit the road.

We played my hurriedly burnt disc of songs for the trip. Some random selections with limited ballads and tons of beaty songs (hip hop, r&b, pop) to keep the driver awake. I think Wang Lee Hom's 唯一 was our theme song for the trip. There's something amazing about being the only car on the road, listening and slaugtering Lee Hom's song while staring at the stars in the cloudless sky. That feeling of being the tiniest being on earth because you can appreciate the vastness of the land.

It was pitch black when we reached Byron Bay lighthouse 1 hour and 40 minutes later.


Look ma! It's pacmoon!


Breathtakingly scary it was! All dark except for the lights from the lighthouse. You can hardly tell the difference between the sea and the sky. The moon was indeed very bright, as the stars twinkled beside it. Light from the moon reflected on the surface of the sea, making for an eery sight that is, at the same time, a reminder of the grandeur of nature. I wondered, morbidly, if anyone had ever fallen from the cliff and was instantly swallowed by the whipping seas. Must have hurt.


What do you see?


After hanging around the area for a while, we got back into the car. It was freezing cold. Imagine the wind howling in your face. Brrr... I feel cold thinking of it now. In the car, we somehow managed to convince ourselves to play the most excruciating aeroplane game. This time though, it was 3 Singaporeans vs a Malaysian! Muahahaha! But about 1 hour later, at 3.30am or so, driver said want to sleep. So we slept. Rather, they slept while I was on self-imposed sentry. I'm considerate like that.


The sky turned a little brighter. I hope it's not like that time at East Coast Park where we were waiting for the 'sunrise' and the sky just got brighter and brighter until we realised the sun was behind us. Ah well... You can see the lone star in the photo as well. Star, ah star! How do you feel, all alone in the sky?



The waves make a very nice pattern on the most easternly side of mainland Australia. If you want to see a clip showing the waves, drop me a line because it's 10mb and would be too much work to upload if no one is interested! +_+



The lighthouse. I like the sky, like the colour pencil combination: pink and blue.



The salted egg made its appearance.



It got bigger...



And brighter...



And brighter...



Bathing everyone in its glow...



What will we do without the sun?



If you die, this will still happen everyday.



Enjoy the sharp rays from the sun. You can see how fast it rises.



Enjoy the waves and beaches!



Take more photos!



I really was there!


Seeing the sunrise at a vast place like this is highly recommended for city kids. You know how insignificant you really are! Humbling experience.

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