An unforgettable trip (Introduction & Day 1)

Hyeyoung and I planned this trip back in early October, with the pure intention of celebrating our graduation with a simple trip to the beach to indulge in Australia's summer rays. But instead, it was the most exciting and unforgettable trip of my time here.

We did SOOO many things in just over a span of 4 days... From having yummy organic food in a hippy town, to standing next to a waterfall that plunges 104 meters down, to star-gazing at Australia's most Eastern point, to sunbathing at the beach, to savoring the creations of recently awarded one-chef hat restaurant, to watching a renowned Russian conductor leading the Sydney Symphony in telling the story of "Peter and the wolf".

It was truly, a trip worthy of celebrating such an important milestone in our lives.

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The trip started early on the 16th as we departed from Canberra to Sydney Airport in the earliest coach possible, the 4am coach. As if it was some kind of omen, the bus was 30 minutes late (some people apparently missed their flight). Our plane came slightly late as well but nothing really exciting happened while en route to Gold Coast Airport.

The REAL adventure started when I was at the Thrifty counter, at Gold Coast Airport, and realized that I had actually forgotten to bring my fucking driver's license with me.

G.
R.
E.
A.
T!

All the (detailed) planning I'd done for this trip just crumpled in front of my eyes. Suddenly, I felt like the trip had been destroyed by my own carelessness and I feel so responsible. I tried talking to Thrifty's customer service to retrieve some my previous rental records but to no avail. For once, I was lost. My mind was spinning but I couldn't come up with a better plan. There was no plan. Without my driver's license, nothing could be done.

I could tell in Hyeyoung's eyes there was a hint of disappointment but she hid it well. She was very understanding and she did her very best to comfort me. Trust me, there's is no more guilt than to have failed your love one.

Nonetheless, I was able to get a grip of myself and soon we were out of the airport (on a airport transfer mini-bus) and on our way to Brunswick Head, where we were going to stay for two nights.

It was when we arrived that the situation improved.

By a stroke of luck, the female owner of our accommodation was able to find somebody who's willing to rent me a car without my driver's license. In fear of getting the company into trouble, I shan't reveal any more details. You have no idea how relived I was when I heard of that news.

In my mind I thought to myself, "I don't care how much it costs, just get me a damn car! If not, this holiday is ruined!"

So anyway, the lady boss was nice enough to give us a lift there and while waiting for her, Hyeyoung and I took a short walk around Brunswick Head. First off, was definitely, THE BEACH.

The sun was high in the sky but because it was extremely windy that day, it was nearly impossible to be suntanning at the beach. Hence the emptiness of it.

And since Brunswick Head is such a small town, we decided to walk around town and we made a stop at this really healthy and hippy shop for a late lunch...

Hyeyoung's Pumpkin Pie. She was so happy and excited about this organic shop. Somehow, I had a hunch that she'd like such a place...

Vegetable quiche, as yummy as the colors and perfect for someone who doesn't eat a lot of greens (like me!)

Thereafter, we made our way to the car rental shop and after the necessary paper work, we were back on track with our schedule. Immediately, we DROVE to our first destination, Minyon Falls at Nightcap National Park.

To get there, we were traveling on the highlands and the view as you will see, is simply spectacular. The vast greenery accompanied by the calming sea.

"I feel like I'm in a fairly tale," Hyeyoung said as we drove through farms and towering trees that felt almost as though we were heading for our château. Indeed, it didn't feel like I was in Australia and the only thing missing was our horse carriage.

Finally, after approximately 40 minutes of driving, we arrived at our World Heritage-listed destination...

The original plan was to do a 45 minute hike through one of the trails to go to Protester Falls but we found out (to our delight) that we could drive up to not just Minyon Falls (which would normally take 4.5 hours to hike), but the TOP of it as well. So we did.

After walking no more than 5 minutes from the carpark, we were presented with a breath-taking view of the national park.

And just next to it, sits Minyon Falls, trickling gracefully.

Apparently to witness a grander waterfall, you should come here after a rain. Nonetheless, the view plus the fact that you're 104 meters above the national park just makes the entire trip worth it, regardless of the season I'm sure.

Anyway, this is to show how excited and happy Hyeyoung was. Out of pure spontaneity, she decided to climb the roof of the car as a display of her ecstasy.

It might look bright to you but by the time we driving back to Brunswick Head from Minyon Falls, it was already 7-ish. We took a quick shower, got changed and headed to Byron Bay for a nice deserving dinner. It's anybody's guess that by that time, we were famished after such an eventful first day.

While planning for the trip, I read a lot about this restaurant called, Orient Express. Plus, the lady boss seconded the recommendation and so we decided to give it a try.

For entrée, we had this lettuce-wrap thingy (I can't remember the name), with minced meat and some other diced vegetables inside.

Reminds me of P.F. Chang's chicken lettuce wraps and since I'm sure Hyeyoung hasn't tried such a dish before, I thought I might be fun for her to try it.

For mains we ordered the fried snapper with Thai green curry...

And some honey pork belly.

Besides the fact that by the time they were served it was like 9pm and we were starving to death, both dishes were truly delicious. There's nothing special about fried snapper but to top it up with Thai green curry and cherry tomatoes is a totally different story. Meanwhile, the pork belly is just so well made - crispy at the top and juicy at the bottom. The honey sauce too was just so good, even with plain rice.

Another thing worth mentioning at Orient Express is it's special blend of tea. At first taste it would be fairly mild and bland but drank together with the savory food, the tea's flavor gets "released". What is even more amazing is that finally, after the meal, the flavor "changes" again. I don't know much about matching wines but this chameleon tea simply matched every dish we had. It was amazing.

After dinner, we took a small stroll around the town center of Byron Bay and since it was already 10-ish, it was nice and quiet. In fact, we were the last to leave the restaurant that night!

The first day ended with a drive up to the Cape Byron Lighthouse where (I believe) was the most amazing stargazing night ever. The sky was clear and it was literally FILLED with stars. It was so beautiful that I'm sure any girl would say "Yes!" should you propose to her under such a sky. I tried to take shots of the sky but I think my skills was not good enough to unleash my Dee Ninety's ability to take the stars.

And so although the day started with hiccups but in the end, all's well and we were able to have a very, fun and fulfilling first day at Byron Bay. :D Next up, Cape Byron and MORE FOOD!