Well, folks, I made it to Australia without incident (unless you count some infuriatingly smug, PDA-crazed couples on Valentine's Day rubbing in the absence of my own Valentine the day I flew in)!
I've been here a month now and have already had some incredible adventures! I started with two weeks getting to know Oz's most famous city: Sydney. I absolutely loved it there and had never realized just how much there was to do! And, let me just say, that despite a minor pang of loss at the absence of a major culture difference, I was ecstatic to be back in a modern, western city again. I mean, for crying out loud, I could get myself on a train without an army of translators! It felt great to really know what I was doing for, arguably, the first time in over 6 months.
Now, my plan for Australia was to work for the first month to generate some income to travel with. However, I shortly realized that, just like the US, Australia is FREAKING HUGE and offers more to see than could ever be seen, no matter the length of the trip. It quickly became apparent that if I were to see and do everything I'd hoped for on this trip, that I would not be able to settle in one place for that long. So, NEW PLAN: find a few one-shot jobs (as many as I could) to bring in even a little money, and otherwise, budget budget BUDGET. Thankfully, I've become pretty damn good at finding a bargain and exploiting every offer of "FREE" things that are actually designed to draw you in to spend money. Not me, sneaky marketing ploys! I'll take the free stuff and take my leave, thank you very much! Unfortunately, however, I also soon discovered what I had been warned of just a couple months before my arrival: Australia is expensive. I'm talking "you have GOT to be kidding me" prices. Exhibit A: staying in a multi-share, dorm style hostel costs an average of $32AUD/night. In Europe, this would cost about half that and in Africa and Asia, the difference in price is too painful to talk of now. Exhibit B: a value menu meal at McDonald's, designed specifically to cost nothing at home, costs an average of $7-9. FOR MCDONALD'S. I mean, the Subway footlong deal is $7 here! What?! Sheesh.
Anyway, with my work cut out for me, I set about planning my attack. And, if I do say so myself, it's pretty awesome. First, was two weeks in Sydney, getting over my reverse culture shock and checking things off of my "must do" list. I did my obligatory city sightseeing bus tour to get my bearings and see where I might like to go back to and set about hitting it hard. I did a general and backstage tour of the Opera House, saw a play in it's drama theater, spent a day at Taronga Zoo, Wildlife World, Sydney Aquarium, the Hunter Valley winelands, the Rocks weekend markets, Darling Harbour, and the list goes on and on. I also had the chance to meet up with friends in Sydney. Two folks from my time in Thailand also made there way Down Under next and it was great to catch up with them, even if it had only been a month or less since I saw them last. Even better, I spent an evening with a friend from college! He'd graduated a year before me and moved almost immediately to Sydney to start work, so it had been three years since we'd seen each other! He contacted me and invited me to dinner and a wander around the cool neighborhoods of Sydney. It felt great to talk about old friends and old times and have someone offer to buy me a nice dinner out. Thanks, Colin! You're the bestest.
Sydney also afforded me one particularly surprising and wonderful opportunity. Through my volunteer coordinator in Cape Town (who is actually Australian and from Sydney), I was introduced via Facebook to another Australian volunteer who had done similar projects in Swaziland and South Africa with All Out Africa and lives just north of Sydney. I met Duckie, as she calls herself on my first full day in Australia when she came all the way into the city to show me around. It was a great day and it was obvious that my volunteer coordinator's praise of her kindness was more than justified. Not only did she take me around the city that day, but, having only known me in person for a couple hours, offered for me to accompany her on a road trip to the Northern Territory, land of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kakadu National Park (where "Crocodile Dundee" was filmed), in the middle of April. I was absolutely stunned with gratitude and disbelief at my own good luck! I had been lamenting how to make it to the otherwise isolated "Red Centre" and here was the perfect solution! I obviously accepted her invitation and get more and more excited for our trip every day!
SO, as it stood, a plan for my time in Australia was starting to fall into place.
After two weeks, my time in Sydney was finally and thankfully coming to a close. I had really enjoyed my time there, but I was anxious to move on and see more. My trip up the east coast was to begin with a 5-day, traveling surf school going from Sydney north to end in Byron Bay! I woke up that morning filled with anticipation. All my things were packed up, I checked out of the hostel which had been my base of operations for most of my time in Sydney, planted myself on the sidewalk outside and awaited the representative who was to pick me up.
. . . . . . More than half an hour later, I was still waiting. I started to get nervous, so I called the number I'd been given for the surf school. After about 2 minutes on the phone, it was established that not only had my agent never actually made my booking, but that the group had left more than an hour and a half ago, making it impossible for me to join them that day.
Ummmmmmmmmmmm . . . What could I say or do in that moment? I think I froze for a solid minute. There I was, standing on the sidewalk like a jackass with all my shit packed up and nowhere to go. After the numbness wore away, it was quickly replaced with an outrageous fury. Not only was I potentially going to have to delay my trip, perhaps by as much as a week (which I did not have to spare), but it meant that I had to fill more time in the most expensive city in the most expensive country on my itinerary, mostly covering things like accomodation and meals that were to be included in the program I'd paid for already. CRAP.
Well, God bless what's-her-face who I spoke to at Waves Surf School. Not only did she find me a quick solution, but she did it with compassion and speed. I wanted to hug her. She told me that I could either defer for a week (not an option) or lose a day and join in with the 4-day surf school that would join that day's group the following day. She did warn me that they would still have to charge my booking agent for the 5 days since that was the voucher I had, but I told her not to worry, my beef wasn't with Waves. It was with Real Gap. And with God as my witness, I would tear them a new one, demand a refund for the money lost, and rain fury down on them like they'd never expect from some stupid Yank.
After a completely wasted day in Sydney, most of which was spent sitting with all my stuff in the common areas of the hostel waiting for my room to be ready some time around mid-afternoon, the next morning went off without a hitch and by that afternoon . . . I was surfing!
Now, the surf camp was not without incident, either, but they were mostly small issues, particularly in comparison with not having something booked that I was told was booked. On that first day, I had the pleasure of someone surfing into the back of my head. It was only POSSIBLY a concussion, but my mother will roll her eyes and sigh with maternal concern unpon reading that phrase. In short, it hurt. But, (and again my mother will wail with her powerlessness from the other side of the world) I was back in the waves after a rest and standing up on the board before the end of the day!
Over the next several days, I got to know the others in my group, got more and more practice in the water, swallowed/inhaled more saltwater than is healthy (or I had even previously thought possible), generally got assaulted by the ocean, fell down a lot, stood up a little, and had the time of my life. What surfing comes down to for me is this: it's a helluva lot of time and effort for what is comparatively little time in enjoyment, but it is DEFINITELY worth it. I had so much fun! And it is absolutely something I want to keep doing.
Surf school ended in a lovely little town called Byron Bay that so reminded me of the spirit of Austin, Texas on the coast of Australia, that I found myself feeling real pangs of homesickness for my hometown for the first time since my departure. I filled my three days here with an essential night out at the infamous Cheeky Monkeys bar and niteclub, a kayak tour around the bay looking for marine life and kayak surfing, a day tour to the infamous town of Nimbin where (with the exception of recent police raids) a tolerated market for marijuana and hemp products has blossomed, and a walk up to the lighthouse and the most easterly point of the Australian mainland.
I felt it was too soon to leave Byron, as I could see myself enjoying some time to settle down there for a while. However, time, even a little while, I did not have. So, I continued my way north using, for the first time, my pass on the Oz Experience bus. This is a bus service with routes all over the country that usually pick you up from your hostel and drop you off at or near the door to your next hostel. It's just like my Baz Bus experience in Swaziland and South Africa: full of backpackers, many of whom are also traveling alone, and a great place to get good ideas, advice, and even discounts for where you're headed next.
My next stop was Surfers Paradise . . . Apparently, a misnomer. While there are sometimes surfable waves there, it is not generally considered the end all, be all of surfing in Australia. It is more like the party capital of the east coast. My time here was spent organizing and paying for (ouch) my upcoming tours as I made my way north, as well as watching the Roxy and Quicksilver Pro Surfing Championships. Now, anyone who knows me probably knows that it doesn't take much for me to get into watching a sport. Except maybe baseball. Surfing, I'm excited to say, was no exception. I was in absolute awe. Quite possibly because I had now experienced just how much work it is and what a challenge it can be to do the simplest things. Regardless, it was an incredible competition and, unfortunately, one that I'd not had the means to get to, even though it was happening SO close by on the Gold Coast. Oh well. Next year . . . ?
From Surfers Paradise, I hit Brisbane, or "BrisVegas" as it's known by the locals (ha). My time here was split between a day trip I booked last-minute and was surprised to enjoy so much and a day trip I'd been looking forward to since I decided to come to Australia and was surprised by its effect on me. The first was a day trip to Moreton Island, the world's third largest sand island. The latter was a trip to Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's brainchild and dream come true.
My Moreton Island trip was a ridiculously great day. I met fantastic people (including a mom who gave me a "mom fix" to last me a while); had a fun tour guide who actually used to compete on a national level in pole dancing competitions (what? haha); sandboarded down some rather steep sand dunes; and snorkeled around half a dozen shipwrecks where we saw beautifully and brightly colored fish, two wobbegong sharks (sp?), two eels, and a stingray, with a wingspan of about 5 feet and a stinger that was no less than 10 feet long, that I spotted first at about 20 feet deep and half buried in the sand! When we weren't engaged in these activities, we were either charging our way over the sand in a 4-wheel drive bus, talking, or enjoying the ferry ride. It was a surprisingly wonderful day and a place I would recommend wholeheartedly for a visit!
As for Australia Zoo, I was incredibly excited when the day finally came. So much so, that I was extremely irritated when my day was cut short by a bus that ran more than an hour behind schedule! But fear not. Thankfully, I didn't miss that much in the end. I saw it all. Every exhibit, some keeper talks with the koalas, tigers, and otters (duh), and the infamous Crocoseum Show! There were some very cool moments throughout the day, such as getting to pet and hand-feed lounging kangaroos and wallabees, watching the tigers show off their natural abilities, and seeing a keeper almost lose a hand to a giant saltwater crocodile. However, I found myself feeling a little depressed throughout. Steve Irwin's image is absolutely everywhere. It is actually impossible to escape the thought of him. On the one had, I totally get it. He's easily the reason people come to that place. But, on the other hand, putting it bluntly, it's a bit of a downer. Not only are there photos of him everywhere, but in his absence, his wife and children are the new, though not exclusive, faces of the zoo. For crying out loud, his daughter Bindy has her own fashion line on sale in the store! Basically, as much fun as I had there and as much as it seems to be that the Australia Zoo is becoming more and more what Steve had dreamed of, it was bittersweet to know that he wasn't there to enjoy it.
OK. My hands are getting tired and there is still much to write about. AND, seeing as how I have already written a novella, I will end here for the moment and get to the northern half of the east coast a little later. For now, though, enjoy this summing up.
If anyone actually read this far . . .
Other than my mom and Aunt Patti. (Love you!)
For now, mates, take care!
I've been here a month now and have already had some incredible adventures! I started with two weeks getting to know Oz's most famous city: Sydney. I absolutely loved it there and had never realized just how much there was to do! And, let me just say, that despite a minor pang of loss at the absence of a major culture difference, I was ecstatic to be back in a modern, western city again. I mean, for crying out loud, I could get myself on a train without an army of translators! It felt great to really know what I was doing for, arguably, the first time in over 6 months.
Now, my plan for Australia was to work for the first month to generate some income to travel with. However, I shortly realized that, just like the US, Australia is FREAKING HUGE and offers more to see than could ever be seen, no matter the length of the trip. It quickly became apparent that if I were to see and do everything I'd hoped for on this trip, that I would not be able to settle in one place for that long. So, NEW PLAN: find a few one-shot jobs (as many as I could) to bring in even a little money, and otherwise, budget budget BUDGET. Thankfully, I've become pretty damn good at finding a bargain and exploiting every offer of "FREE" things that are actually designed to draw you in to spend money. Not me, sneaky marketing ploys! I'll take the free stuff and take my leave, thank you very much! Unfortunately, however, I also soon discovered what I had been warned of just a couple months before my arrival: Australia is expensive. I'm talking "you have GOT to be kidding me" prices. Exhibit A: staying in a multi-share, dorm style hostel costs an average of $32AUD/night. In Europe, this would cost about half that and in Africa and Asia, the difference in price is too painful to talk of now. Exhibit B: a value menu meal at McDonald's, designed specifically to cost nothing at home, costs an average of $7-9. FOR MCDONALD'S. I mean, the Subway footlong deal is $7 here! What?! Sheesh.
Anyway, with my work cut out for me, I set about planning my attack. And, if I do say so myself, it's pretty awesome. First, was two weeks in Sydney, getting over my reverse culture shock and checking things off of my "must do" list. I did my obligatory city sightseeing bus tour to get my bearings and see where I might like to go back to and set about hitting it hard. I did a general and backstage tour of the Opera House, saw a play in it's drama theater, spent a day at Taronga Zoo, Wildlife World, Sydney Aquarium, the Hunter Valley winelands, the Rocks weekend markets, Darling Harbour, and the list goes on and on. I also had the chance to meet up with friends in Sydney. Two folks from my time in Thailand also made there way Down Under next and it was great to catch up with them, even if it had only been a month or less since I saw them last. Even better, I spent an evening with a friend from college! He'd graduated a year before me and moved almost immediately to Sydney to start work, so it had been three years since we'd seen each other! He contacted me and invited me to dinner and a wander around the cool neighborhoods of Sydney. It felt great to talk about old friends and old times and have someone offer to buy me a nice dinner out. Thanks, Colin! You're the bestest.
Sydney also afforded me one particularly surprising and wonderful opportunity. Through my volunteer coordinator in Cape Town (who is actually Australian and from Sydney), I was introduced via Facebook to another Australian volunteer who had done similar projects in Swaziland and South Africa with All Out Africa and lives just north of Sydney. I met Duckie, as she calls herself on my first full day in Australia when she came all the way into the city to show me around. It was a great day and it was obvious that my volunteer coordinator's praise of her kindness was more than justified. Not only did she take me around the city that day, but, having only known me in person for a couple hours, offered for me to accompany her on a road trip to the Northern Territory, land of Uluru (Ayers Rock) and Kakadu National Park (where "Crocodile Dundee" was filmed), in the middle of April. I was absolutely stunned with gratitude and disbelief at my own good luck! I had been lamenting how to make it to the otherwise isolated "Red Centre" and here was the perfect solution! I obviously accepted her invitation and get more and more excited for our trip every day!
SO, as it stood, a plan for my time in Australia was starting to fall into place.
After two weeks, my time in Sydney was finally and thankfully coming to a close. I had really enjoyed my time there, but I was anxious to move on and see more. My trip up the east coast was to begin with a 5-day, traveling surf school going from Sydney north to end in Byron Bay! I woke up that morning filled with anticipation. All my things were packed up, I checked out of the hostel which had been my base of operations for most of my time in Sydney, planted myself on the sidewalk outside and awaited the representative who was to pick me up.
. . . . . . More than half an hour later, I was still waiting. I started to get nervous, so I called the number I'd been given for the surf school. After about 2 minutes on the phone, it was established that not only had my agent never actually made my booking, but that the group had left more than an hour and a half ago, making it impossible for me to join them that day.
Ummmmmmmmmmmm . . . What could I say or do in that moment? I think I froze for a solid minute. There I was, standing on the sidewalk like a jackass with all my shit packed up and nowhere to go. After the numbness wore away, it was quickly replaced with an outrageous fury. Not only was I potentially going to have to delay my trip, perhaps by as much as a week (which I did not have to spare), but it meant that I had to fill more time in the most expensive city in the most expensive country on my itinerary, mostly covering things like accomodation and meals that were to be included in the program I'd paid for already. CRAP.
Well, God bless what's-her-face who I spoke to at Waves Surf School. Not only did she find me a quick solution, but she did it with compassion and speed. I wanted to hug her. She told me that I could either defer for a week (not an option) or lose a day and join in with the 4-day surf school that would join that day's group the following day. She did warn me that they would still have to charge my booking agent for the 5 days since that was the voucher I had, but I told her not to worry, my beef wasn't with Waves. It was with Real Gap. And with God as my witness, I would tear them a new one, demand a refund for the money lost, and rain fury down on them like they'd never expect from some stupid Yank.
After a completely wasted day in Sydney, most of which was spent sitting with all my stuff in the common areas of the hostel waiting for my room to be ready some time around mid-afternoon, the next morning went off without a hitch and by that afternoon . . . I was surfing!
Now, the surf camp was not without incident, either, but they were mostly small issues, particularly in comparison with not having something booked that I was told was booked. On that first day, I had the pleasure of someone surfing into the back of my head. It was only POSSIBLY a concussion, but my mother will roll her eyes and sigh with maternal concern unpon reading that phrase. In short, it hurt. But, (and again my mother will wail with her powerlessness from the other side of the world) I was back in the waves after a rest and standing up on the board before the end of the day!
Over the next several days, I got to know the others in my group, got more and more practice in the water, swallowed/inhaled more saltwater than is healthy (or I had even previously thought possible), generally got assaulted by the ocean, fell down a lot, stood up a little, and had the time of my life. What surfing comes down to for me is this: it's a helluva lot of time and effort for what is comparatively little time in enjoyment, but it is DEFINITELY worth it. I had so much fun! And it is absolutely something I want to keep doing.
Surf school ended in a lovely little town called Byron Bay that so reminded me of the spirit of Austin, Texas on the coast of Australia, that I found myself feeling real pangs of homesickness for my hometown for the first time since my departure. I filled my three days here with an essential night out at the infamous Cheeky Monkeys bar and niteclub, a kayak tour around the bay looking for marine life and kayak surfing, a day tour to the infamous town of Nimbin where (with the exception of recent police raids) a tolerated market for marijuana and hemp products has blossomed, and a walk up to the lighthouse and the most easterly point of the Australian mainland.
I felt it was too soon to leave Byron, as I could see myself enjoying some time to settle down there for a while. However, time, even a little while, I did not have. So, I continued my way north using, for the first time, my pass on the Oz Experience bus. This is a bus service with routes all over the country that usually pick you up from your hostel and drop you off at or near the door to your next hostel. It's just like my Baz Bus experience in Swaziland and South Africa: full of backpackers, many of whom are also traveling alone, and a great place to get good ideas, advice, and even discounts for where you're headed next.
My next stop was Surfers Paradise . . . Apparently, a misnomer. While there are sometimes surfable waves there, it is not generally considered the end all, be all of surfing in Australia. It is more like the party capital of the east coast. My time here was spent organizing and paying for (ouch) my upcoming tours as I made my way north, as well as watching the Roxy and Quicksilver Pro Surfing Championships. Now, anyone who knows me probably knows that it doesn't take much for me to get into watching a sport. Except maybe baseball. Surfing, I'm excited to say, was no exception. I was in absolute awe. Quite possibly because I had now experienced just how much work it is and what a challenge it can be to do the simplest things. Regardless, it was an incredible competition and, unfortunately, one that I'd not had the means to get to, even though it was happening SO close by on the Gold Coast. Oh well. Next year . . . ?
From Surfers Paradise, I hit Brisbane, or "BrisVegas" as it's known by the locals (ha). My time here was split between a day trip I booked last-minute and was surprised to enjoy so much and a day trip I'd been looking forward to since I decided to come to Australia and was surprised by its effect on me. The first was a day trip to Moreton Island, the world's third largest sand island. The latter was a trip to Australia Zoo, Steve Irwin's brainchild and dream come true.
My Moreton Island trip was a ridiculously great day. I met fantastic people (including a mom who gave me a "mom fix" to last me a while); had a fun tour guide who actually used to compete on a national level in pole dancing competitions (what? haha); sandboarded down some rather steep sand dunes; and snorkeled around half a dozen shipwrecks where we saw beautifully and brightly colored fish, two wobbegong sharks (sp?), two eels, and a stingray, with a wingspan of about 5 feet and a stinger that was no less than 10 feet long, that I spotted first at about 20 feet deep and half buried in the sand! When we weren't engaged in these activities, we were either charging our way over the sand in a 4-wheel drive bus, talking, or enjoying the ferry ride. It was a surprisingly wonderful day and a place I would recommend wholeheartedly for a visit!
As for Australia Zoo, I was incredibly excited when the day finally came. So much so, that I was extremely irritated when my day was cut short by a bus that ran more than an hour behind schedule! But fear not. Thankfully, I didn't miss that much in the end. I saw it all. Every exhibit, some keeper talks with the koalas, tigers, and otters (duh), and the infamous Crocoseum Show! There were some very cool moments throughout the day, such as getting to pet and hand-feed lounging kangaroos and wallabees, watching the tigers show off their natural abilities, and seeing a keeper almost lose a hand to a giant saltwater crocodile. However, I found myself feeling a little depressed throughout. Steve Irwin's image is absolutely everywhere. It is actually impossible to escape the thought of him. On the one had, I totally get it. He's easily the reason people come to that place. But, on the other hand, putting it bluntly, it's a bit of a downer. Not only are there photos of him everywhere, but in his absence, his wife and children are the new, though not exclusive, faces of the zoo. For crying out loud, his daughter Bindy has her own fashion line on sale in the store! Basically, as much fun as I had there and as much as it seems to be that the Australia Zoo is becoming more and more what Steve had dreamed of, it was bittersweet to know that he wasn't there to enjoy it.
OK. My hands are getting tired and there is still much to write about. AND, seeing as how I have already written a novella, I will end here for the moment and get to the northern half of the east coast a little later. For now, though, enjoy this summing up.
If anyone actually read this far . . .
Other than my mom and Aunt Patti. (Love you!)
For now, mates, take care!
What an amazing adventure. Thank you for posting, it's great to hear what you are up to even if you've clearly decided against my "don't go near the water" advice. xoxo Aunt Patti
ReplyDeletewell, aunt patti, it is shockingly difficult to stay away from the water with something like 85% of the Australian population living along the coast! but, hey, at least i stayed out of the congo!
ReplyDelete