I mentioned before that I did not enjoy Byron Bay. Let me tell you why.
We arrived in Byron Bay on a Friday night and checked into a very busy hostel. The only beds available were in separate rooms which was totally ok with us. (You need a little break from each other sometimes.) I set up my bed in the female dorm and Mike set up his bed in the male dorm. (By “set up” I mean, I put my backpack on the floor resting against the bed, dropped the still folded sheets on the bed, and messed up the comforter. The bed was not fully made, but it was clearly taken.)
We went out to check out the beach and explore town. No real complaints about either of those except the town seemed to be full of Aussie bro gangs taking up the sidewalks.
Back at the hostel, Mike and I went to check on our things and both reported an annoying problem. Our beds had been “stolen.” Other travelers had decided to move our belongings aside and set themselves up in our bunks. Luckily for me, the girl was very apologetic and moved her things elsewhere. Unfortunately, that was not the case for Mike but that comes later.
As Mike was cooking dinner, I relaxed by reading a book in the common area. Not a big deal, right? Well, apparently so. Two guy’s walked past me and the one said to the other, “See that lady right there? She’s a loser.”
One, that’s just mean*. Two, lady? I guess my age is showing. Turns out those throngs of Aussie bros walking around town were also staying at our hostel. Nice.
After debating spending a night out, Mike and I returned to the hostel early and watched movies with a few other travelers. One thing you learn right away when you travel long term, weekends mean nothing. Every night is a weekend night. It’s not a big deal to stay in on a Friday night.
However, those Aussie bros I keep mentioning, they thought otherwise. Our movie was interrupted by loud pounding on the windows, rude judgements, and drunken lewd propositions. If only I could quote them for you, but it’s far too dirty to share here.
At that point it was time for sleep but the drama wasn’t over. Remember how someone took Mike’s bed? Well, Mike made the reasonable assumption that the person moved his sheets to the top bunk so he slept there. Guess not. A third traveler woke Mike at 3am to tell him that Mike took his bed. When Mike tried to explain the situation the original bed thief got involved. Apparently he had been in a fight the night before and someone else had prepared his (Mike’s) bed for him? Mike says the guy seemed fairly aggressive and then went back to snoring and farting the night away. (Yay for female only dorms!)
So. I did not like Byron Bay. You can see why I was ready to leave.
But…I do believe in second chances. A few months later it was able to redeem itself. Story to follow.
xo, jill
*It felt particularly mean because a few days before another Australian was quite insulting when he found out I’m American. It’s never polite to tell someone their country is “going down the shitter” and that you “couldn’t wait to get out of there” to cite a few examples. Yeah, thanks jerk.
The f*ck? Some people aren’t just rude, they completely lack common decency. Lame that you had to encounter such losers on your trip!
For a while it was a pretty good streak of rude people… and unfortunately they were all Australian!
At least they called you a lady while they were insulting you? Far more than you could do for either of those jerks… 😉
Seriously though, I know that many people have this odd aversion to Americans especially while traveling, but if anything, we have found Aussies to be the most obnoxious and confrontational of travelers we’ve encountered. And I say this as someone who has several Aussie friends who are perfectly lovely!
Sorry to hear you had to endure an awful first night at BB. I don’t blame you for not enjoying your first time there, and hopefully on your return trip you were able to stay somewhere a bit more peaceful!
Hahahaha. Good one.
Yep, Aussies were top of my list of obnoxious travelers even before having these bad experiences. Maybe it’s because they tend to be loud and I’m a quiet person? I met some Dutch girls who told me they kept meeting Aussies who had awful things to say about Americans… oblivious to the fact that the traits they were describing (mainly arrogance) were also quite applicable to themselves! I must say, I found that quite satisfying!
WHAT IN THE HECK!!!! that is so ridiculous. I feel like this is the kind of stuff my immature freshmen do, and I try to tell them that it just makes them look stupid. (side note: I had two kids that got in a shouting match on Friday because one of them called another a “Lion King.” there is nothing about this I understand.)
I think I would have preferred to be called a Lion King. What does that mean?!?!
I know this isn’t indicative of all Australians, but it’s funny because I’ve always thought of Aussies as laid back and friendly people (the few I’ve met have been), but a few coworkers were telling me recently how mean Aussies are. So it’s strange to read this story after! Sorry you had such a bad experience, though I look forward to reading about the one that made up for it.
I know! Of course there are mean people in every country but when the stereotype is laid back beach bums grilling on the bbq, it’s so much more surprising! Maybe I’m just sheltered, but I’ve also been shocked at the amount of fist fighting that happens here. We’ve been woken up twice to the sounds of people punching each other and have heard a few stories about locals beating up (or threatening to beat up) backpackers (including our friend). I mean, backpackers can be annoying but that seems a bit much!
Laid back, like all stereotypes good or bad, they are usually a myth formed from a caricature or at the very least not applicable to many people. Though there is a relativity new term for these types of travellers you described, the ‘Ugly Australian’.
Urban dictionary calls them out as ‘Rude, abrasive and nationalistic Australians who
come to your country and constantly rip everything you love while telling you how wonderful and faultless their country is. Ugly Australians say things like we ONLY watch our TV and NEVER watch American TV or movies because they’re so bad.’
As an Australian myself, from personal experience these ugly travellers are mostly male and either in their late teens or 20’s, and yes this is a stereotype. But as they are often loud, ignorant or both, many of their fellow compatriots are often embarrassed to applauded by the stereotypical behaviour.
Hi Ben, thanks for chiming in!
I think that “abrasive” is a good word to describe some of these unpleasant travelers I’ve encountered. And yep, they do tend to be male and in their early 20s.
There is a tiny part of me that feels relieved that it’s not just us Americans who make fools of themselves while traveling. 😉
I had some friends (Australians) in Singapore that referred to young men like the ones who gave you and Mike trouble as “bogans.”
I’ve had my share of people talking smack about the US when I travel, too. It’s kind of sad. If you make judgements on an entire country based on interactions with/assumptions based off a few people, you’re missing out on a lot.
Haha, yes! I love the term “bogan.” I learned it from watching Summer Heights High and it makes me chuckle every time. It has such a fun sound to it.
Of course, some of the smack Americans/the US gets is well deserved, but it bothers me when people try to act like ONLY Americans are arrogant, loud, uninformed or whatever. I’ve met so many arrogant travelers from all over the world!!
I loved Byron – I’m glad you hated it because of stupid people, and not because of the town itself. And glad you enjoyed yourself there in the end! I really feel that hostels can be the highlight or pitfall of places sometimes – a bunch of great people and it’s amazing / a bunch of idiots and it’s unbearable.