On the trip to Cairns I had alot of time to think about what I was doing with the rest of the trip. I am ok-ish for money although I am just going into my overdraft. I would have enough of that left I rekon to finish off SE-Asia.
I was thinking though, I probably don't want to head back to England in maximum debt, I will still need some money to get sorted for work etc. And backpacking is never as much fun if you are stressing about money every day.
So...I've decided that now I have done everything in Aus I want to do, this seems like a good point to call an end to this leg of the travelling, for now. I have travelled USA, Fiji, NZ and Oz over 8 months and done so much of the stuff I've really wanted to do. I have had a great time and I now have an excuse for another trip to come back and travel through SE Asia in the future... and do it properly! I would hate to miss some stuff just because I have to budget too hard. Plus a break from hostels now would be great! Haha.
Which means.....I'm coming back to England, WAHEY! Can't wait to catch up with family and friends!
I will plan my future trip another time and will definitely carry on the blogging when I am travelling next time.
So I guess that's it for now. This is probably my last blog.
Bye for now.
Sunday, May 3, 2009
Arrived in Cairns!
Finally arrived in Cairns!!
We set off on Tuesday morning and I got into Cairns on Saturday evening. It turned out to be a great trip. Liam and Kevin are both really nice guys.
Before we set off I met the group of people Liam had travelled up to Darwin with and they were all very sad to see Sue or Sue-B (Subaru...?) leave. They had grown seriously attached to this car and made me promise to take care of her. I think they were only partly joking. We got some food supplies and water, said goodbye and left, laughing about how we had only to take one major turn off the highway in around 3 days. We were all looking forward to the turning, it was going to be a momentous occassion in the road trip.
So with the i-pod blasting we drove through the desert heat. It sounds obvious but travelling through the outback is bloody hot! Every now and again you have to try and seperate yourself from the seat you've melted into. We drove through pine creek to Katherine where I took my first turn at driving. She was a beast! And felt like a tank to drive. We had decided to keep an average speed of around 80-90kp/h to keep the fuel consumption low (Liam is seriously broke!).
We drove through a series of 'towns' which are pretty much just a few houses/caravans and maybe a shop if you're lucky. I drove through Larrimma first, and almost hit a peacock, of all things.... There were two of them just walking around. Around 6.30 the sun went down and it may as well have been 4am for all the light there was. As soon as the sun went down it was absolutely pitch black, no lights/towns in sight. That made for an awesome view of the stars tho! By this point we were only a small way into the drive and decided we would drive through the night, with one person sleeping in the back (a very comfortable make shift bed!) and would rotate drivers. If we got too tired we would stop.
We stopped at a place called the highway inn the first night for dinner. Set up the gas cooker and had some rice and beans (the food of kings). Kevin took his first turn at driving first....that's when things started going a little bit tits up, as they say. Now Kevin is a sound driver, although I later found out he doesn't have a drivers licence....but what he lacks in licences and government papers, he makes up for in sheer enthusiasm. He's a good driver and king of the ipod. We got to a place called Dunmarra where the car started to knock and jerk a bit. At first we thought it was a blip but it happened some more so we pulled over. We were worried we had abused Sue a bit too much with the non-stop driving so wanted to give her a break. So here we were.....pitch black in the middle of no-where, standing on the highway with the hazards giving a nice stobe effect on us all. We joked about how this was the typical start to a horror movie and we should expect to see someone stood in the middle of the road flashing in the light of the hazards.
After a short break we got back in and carried on, around 1.30am the problem got very bad and limited us to around 30km/hr so we chugged our way into a camp-site we were passing and drove to a discrete spot in the hope of steathily avoiding the fee. Kevin and I slept in the car, and Liam slept in his sleeping bag outside. At 7.30am we got busted and had to pay the $24 camping fee. Several people came over to have a look at the car, there was alot of speculation about what it could be but we decided it was probably the fuel filter or a dodgy batch of fuel, which apparently can be quite common in the outback. So we decided to head for the big town Tennant's creek, which is the main town between Darwin and Cairns. So we were back on the road, driving now at 20km/h towards Tennant's creek, 90km away. That's 4.5 hours....... haha. As we were leaving there were 3 vultures overhead and shortly after we passed 'attack creek'. You can't make this stuff up!
25 km away from TC we completely break down. It's now around 10am, bloody hot, and we are broken down in the outback, without cover, and with very little money in our budget. We are screwed! Some guy pulls over to offer a hand and before we know it has called someone to come pick us up. There was a petrol station 5km away so a guy tow's us to there. He then charged Liam $100 for the tow. Yep, $100! Bastard! He works at the station and I assume the guy that stopped knew him and spotted a trick. I think it only dawned on Liam he was being ripped after he paid. By then too late. So now we were about 20km from TC, in a petrol station. So we call a mechanic. He has never heard of an L-Series Subaru station wagon. That's not a good sign. Apparently he is the only mechanic in TC. We had already worked out which fuel filter we need (FF-52), and just need the part. The mechanic wont come out to get us.... We were really buggered! So....we decided to take a break and play frizbee...as you do!
We decided to take out the filter and have a look at it to see if that really was the problem. We made the mistake of not having any thing to block the fuel line with (doh!!) so when Liam took it out the fuel start's pouring out. Kevin and I jumped under the car to plug it whilst liam attached the fuel can to drain the fuel. Kevin got covered in petrol and Liam got some in his eye. Fantastic! Despite all this everyone kept pretty up-beat, although Liam was contemplating trying to flog the car and then we would work out how to get out of here. Kevin sat down to light up a cigarette, and I quickly remind him he's covered in petrol. The last thing we need is a crispy frenchman. I spent some time in the petrol station reading the info card about the place whilst the girls at the checkout made us some free coffee (they realised we got ripped off). I found out the guy/owner's name was Tim. Tim is now on my list.
Outside Liam got chatting to Bob. A really sound guy who offered to give us a tow into Tennant's creek to find the mechanic. Tow number 2. This time the tow lead was really short and we were convinced if Bob broke a bit too hard we would go into the back of him. You can't help but laugh at this point.
In TC we spoke to the mechanic who tells us he can't be sure what the problem is without getting the car into the garage, and he cant do that for a week as he is really busy. Crap! Bob was a legend, driving us around to try to find another mechanic. We found some guys who also took a look and decided it probably was the fuel filter. We found a parts store and picked up a filter for $15, and changed it ourselves. That did the trick, and we stopped for some drinks/internet time in the town before we left. As we were fuelling up Liam realised he had left his watch on the road when he changed the filter. I was feeling really bad for the guy, he was down to around $100 and was really not having any luck. I think he's been sleeping in this car for a few weeks now!
So we left TC around 4pm and got back on the highway. Liam tricked me into thinking the car was breaking down again. He found it hilarious, haha. I was VERY glad it was only a joke. We drove into the night and again pitched up for some pasta and sauce. We stopped for more fuel and got to a place called Cloncurry. Here we stopped at the side of the road and slept there again, in sleeping bags under the stars. Apart from mozzies it was a good sleep.
By now (day 3) I was pretty desperate for a shower. We all were. We hammered on towards Townsville and eventually got there around 7.30pm. About 2 hours from Townsville the front tyre burst as I was driving, so we had a night time change at the side of the road. We have had some really bad luck here! Haha. I hadn't had a chance to book a hostel (no signal for the trip) before we got to Townsville but we parked up and I spoke to the local backpackers reception. As it turns out, everywhere was booked up as there's a big festival in town this week. Brilliant. So, I decided to carry on with the guys south a bit further as they were heading to Ayr. I would just sort stuff out when I get there.
We arrived in Ayr quite late and drove to the beach. Liam knows the place well as he used to work here for a while so we found a quiet spot to sleep. Sat on the beach for a bit and then got some sleep under a tree. I woke up at around 7am to find Liam leaning over me looking sinister. He swatted a mosquito which was sucking on my arm. Good morning! I have a few bits now, one in the middle of my forehead, which looks especially good. We found a camp ground nearby and snuck in for some stealth showers. Afterwards we headed to the train station, which was closed at weekend. Haha. I managed to book myself onto a bus up the coast to Cairns and arrived here last night. The hostel im staying at is quite far out the city but is actually one of the best I've stayed in so far. Liam and Kevin are sticking around in Ayr with the prospect of work there looking quite good. They are still planning on sleeping in the car to keep costs down. A backpackers life eh!
So Cairns is good. It's a bit overcast today. I'm going to book my dive on the Barrier reef for sometime over the next day or two. That's the last thing I have on my list to do in Australia! Wahey. Well looking forward to that.
The road trip was so much fun, despite the car trouble. If anything that made it a bit more of an adventure. I'm glad now that I said yes. As it turns out I made some good mates out of it as well, and it probably still only cost the same as a flight, even with the extra cost of repairs. Hopefully I will catch up with those guys again at some point in the future.
We set off on Tuesday morning and I got into Cairns on Saturday evening. It turned out to be a great trip. Liam and Kevin are both really nice guys.
Before we set off I met the group of people Liam had travelled up to Darwin with and they were all very sad to see Sue or Sue-B (Subaru...?) leave. They had grown seriously attached to this car and made me promise to take care of her. I think they were only partly joking. We got some food supplies and water, said goodbye and left, laughing about how we had only to take one major turn off the highway in around 3 days. We were all looking forward to the turning, it was going to be a momentous occassion in the road trip.
So with the i-pod blasting we drove through the desert heat. It sounds obvious but travelling through the outback is bloody hot! Every now and again you have to try and seperate yourself from the seat you've melted into. We drove through pine creek to Katherine where I took my first turn at driving. She was a beast! And felt like a tank to drive. We had decided to keep an average speed of around 80-90kp/h to keep the fuel consumption low (Liam is seriously broke!).
We drove through a series of 'towns' which are pretty much just a few houses/caravans and maybe a shop if you're lucky. I drove through Larrimma first, and almost hit a peacock, of all things.... There were two of them just walking around. Around 6.30 the sun went down and it may as well have been 4am for all the light there was. As soon as the sun went down it was absolutely pitch black, no lights/towns in sight. That made for an awesome view of the stars tho! By this point we were only a small way into the drive and decided we would drive through the night, with one person sleeping in the back (a very comfortable make shift bed!) and would rotate drivers. If we got too tired we would stop.
We stopped at a place called the highway inn the first night for dinner. Set up the gas cooker and had some rice and beans (the food of kings). Kevin took his first turn at driving first....that's when things started going a little bit tits up, as they say. Now Kevin is a sound driver, although I later found out he doesn't have a drivers licence....but what he lacks in licences and government papers, he makes up for in sheer enthusiasm. He's a good driver and king of the ipod. We got to a place called Dunmarra where the car started to knock and jerk a bit. At first we thought it was a blip but it happened some more so we pulled over. We were worried we had abused Sue a bit too much with the non-stop driving so wanted to give her a break. So here we were.....pitch black in the middle of no-where, standing on the highway with the hazards giving a nice stobe effect on us all. We joked about how this was the typical start to a horror movie and we should expect to see someone stood in the middle of the road flashing in the light of the hazards.
After a short break we got back in and carried on, around 1.30am the problem got very bad and limited us to around 30km/hr so we chugged our way into a camp-site we were passing and drove to a discrete spot in the hope of steathily avoiding the fee. Kevin and I slept in the car, and Liam slept in his sleeping bag outside. At 7.30am we got busted and had to pay the $24 camping fee. Several people came over to have a look at the car, there was alot of speculation about what it could be but we decided it was probably the fuel filter or a dodgy batch of fuel, which apparently can be quite common in the outback. So we decided to head for the big town Tennant's creek, which is the main town between Darwin and Cairns. So we were back on the road, driving now at 20km/h towards Tennant's creek, 90km away. That's 4.5 hours....... haha. As we were leaving there were 3 vultures overhead and shortly after we passed 'attack creek'. You can't make this stuff up!
25 km away from TC we completely break down. It's now around 10am, bloody hot, and we are broken down in the outback, without cover, and with very little money in our budget. We are screwed! Some guy pulls over to offer a hand and before we know it has called someone to come pick us up. There was a petrol station 5km away so a guy tow's us to there. He then charged Liam $100 for the tow. Yep, $100! Bastard! He works at the station and I assume the guy that stopped knew him and spotted a trick. I think it only dawned on Liam he was being ripped after he paid. By then too late. So now we were about 20km from TC, in a petrol station. So we call a mechanic. He has never heard of an L-Series Subaru station wagon. That's not a good sign. Apparently he is the only mechanic in TC. We had already worked out which fuel filter we need (FF-52), and just need the part. The mechanic wont come out to get us.... We were really buggered! So....we decided to take a break and play frizbee...as you do!
We decided to take out the filter and have a look at it to see if that really was the problem. We made the mistake of not having any thing to block the fuel line with (doh!!) so when Liam took it out the fuel start's pouring out. Kevin and I jumped under the car to plug it whilst liam attached the fuel can to drain the fuel. Kevin got covered in petrol and Liam got some in his eye. Fantastic! Despite all this everyone kept pretty up-beat, although Liam was contemplating trying to flog the car and then we would work out how to get out of here. Kevin sat down to light up a cigarette, and I quickly remind him he's covered in petrol. The last thing we need is a crispy frenchman. I spent some time in the petrol station reading the info card about the place whilst the girls at the checkout made us some free coffee (they realised we got ripped off). I found out the guy/owner's name was Tim. Tim is now on my list.
Outside Liam got chatting to Bob. A really sound guy who offered to give us a tow into Tennant's creek to find the mechanic. Tow number 2. This time the tow lead was really short and we were convinced if Bob broke a bit too hard we would go into the back of him. You can't help but laugh at this point.
In TC we spoke to the mechanic who tells us he can't be sure what the problem is without getting the car into the garage, and he cant do that for a week as he is really busy. Crap! Bob was a legend, driving us around to try to find another mechanic. We found some guys who also took a look and decided it probably was the fuel filter. We found a parts store and picked up a filter for $15, and changed it ourselves. That did the trick, and we stopped for some drinks/internet time in the town before we left. As we were fuelling up Liam realised he had left his watch on the road when he changed the filter. I was feeling really bad for the guy, he was down to around $100 and was really not having any luck. I think he's been sleeping in this car for a few weeks now!
So we left TC around 4pm and got back on the highway. Liam tricked me into thinking the car was breaking down again. He found it hilarious, haha. I was VERY glad it was only a joke. We drove into the night and again pitched up for some pasta and sauce. We stopped for more fuel and got to a place called Cloncurry. Here we stopped at the side of the road and slept there again, in sleeping bags under the stars. Apart from mozzies it was a good sleep.
By now (day 3) I was pretty desperate for a shower. We all were. We hammered on towards Townsville and eventually got there around 7.30pm. About 2 hours from Townsville the front tyre burst as I was driving, so we had a night time change at the side of the road. We have had some really bad luck here! Haha. I hadn't had a chance to book a hostel (no signal for the trip) before we got to Townsville but we parked up and I spoke to the local backpackers reception. As it turns out, everywhere was booked up as there's a big festival in town this week. Brilliant. So, I decided to carry on with the guys south a bit further as they were heading to Ayr. I would just sort stuff out when I get there.
We arrived in Ayr quite late and drove to the beach. Liam knows the place well as he used to work here for a while so we found a quiet spot to sleep. Sat on the beach for a bit and then got some sleep under a tree. I woke up at around 7am to find Liam leaning over me looking sinister. He swatted a mosquito which was sucking on my arm. Good morning! I have a few bits now, one in the middle of my forehead, which looks especially good. We found a camp ground nearby and snuck in for some stealth showers. Afterwards we headed to the train station, which was closed at weekend. Haha. I managed to book myself onto a bus up the coast to Cairns and arrived here last night. The hostel im staying at is quite far out the city but is actually one of the best I've stayed in so far. Liam and Kevin are sticking around in Ayr with the prospect of work there looking quite good. They are still planning on sleeping in the car to keep costs down. A backpackers life eh!
So Cairns is good. It's a bit overcast today. I'm going to book my dive on the Barrier reef for sometime over the next day or two. That's the last thing I have on my list to do in Australia! Wahey. Well looking forward to that.
The road trip was so much fun, despite the car trouble. If anything that made it a bit more of an adventure. I'm glad now that I said yes. As it turns out I made some good mates out of it as well, and it probably still only cost the same as a flight, even with the extra cost of repairs. Hopefully I will catch up with those guys again at some point in the future.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Damn, I lost my SD memory card!
Damn, damn, damn. Today hasn't been the best so far.... I was in the internet cafe this morning and tried to upload my photos from Litchfield and I left my SD memory card in the computer. After breakfast I remembered and went back to look and I guess someone took it, damn!
Fortunately, I had backed up all my pictures (around 1000), and sent them back home, so all I had on that card was the last 2 days, pretty lucky! I would have been gutted if I lost a whole load of photos. As it is, I got a replacement for $30, which is pretty good! I'm amazed I have lasted this long without losing something, as it's always been a running joke with me losing stuff at home. So one loss in 8 months is pretty good going. Oh, I did lose some shoes in New Zealand, but I'm not going to count that...
Met up with Liam this morning, got chatting about his 'story'. The obligatory questions every traveller asks new people they meet. Where have you been? How long has you been travelling? Where are you heading to next?. Turns out he has been in OZ for 14 months, run out of money, and needs to get to Townsville in the hope of finding work. He has enough money to get there and then is going to sell his car, which is a bit of a beast (if you like bangers). We are also going to travel with his mate, a french guy called Kevin who has a big curly afro. That's pretty cool. At the moment, Kevin cant leave until tomorrow so we are setting off in the morning. I guess its not like im in a major rush or anything. So just killing time in Darwin until the morning...
Oh, and I just found a hole in one of my shoes, so I think I will have to buy some new ones. I thought converse were supposed to be good quality??! Think they've only lasted a few months...
Ah well, as they say you need the bad bits to make the good bits better. Or something profound like that.
I think I will go and buy some new shoes.....
Fortunately, I had backed up all my pictures (around 1000), and sent them back home, so all I had on that card was the last 2 days, pretty lucky! I would have been gutted if I lost a whole load of photos. As it is, I got a replacement for $30, which is pretty good! I'm amazed I have lasted this long without losing something, as it's always been a running joke with me losing stuff at home. So one loss in 8 months is pretty good going. Oh, I did lose some shoes in New Zealand, but I'm not going to count that...
Met up with Liam this morning, got chatting about his 'story'. The obligatory questions every traveller asks new people they meet. Where have you been? How long has you been travelling? Where are you heading to next?. Turns out he has been in OZ for 14 months, run out of money, and needs to get to Townsville in the hope of finding work. He has enough money to get there and then is going to sell his car, which is a bit of a beast (if you like bangers). We are also going to travel with his mate, a french guy called Kevin who has a big curly afro. That's pretty cool. At the moment, Kevin cant leave until tomorrow so we are setting off in the morning. I guess its not like im in a major rush or anything. So just killing time in Darwin until the morning...
Oh, and I just found a hole in one of my shoes, so I think I will have to buy some new ones. I thought converse were supposed to be good quality??! Think they've only lasted a few months...
Ah well, as they say you need the bad bits to make the good bits better. Or something profound like that.
I think I will go and buy some new shoes.....
Back from Litchfield NP
Hi!!
Just got back from camping about half an hour ago! The trip was great. We rented a car from some company in Darwin city. All the rental companies look a bit shady around here but we managed to get a reasonable deal on a small car which was a yaris.
Drove to Litchfield national park which is not too far away. The first site we pitched up at was really crappy. Big rocks in the floor, and a tap. That was about it. Oh and a toilet. But if you wanted to get to the toilet you had to get past the webs.
It was extremely hot the first night and was pretty manky sleeping in the tent, but there were lots of mozzies outside so it was a tough decision as to which was better.
The next day we headed to a different campsite and this one was brilliant. A couple of dollars more but it had flat ground, decent showers, toilets etc and laundry so I could wash my stuff.
I was a bit concerned about renting a car, I always hate the idea of it being rented in my name because I always assume the rental companies will try and scam you. So we haggled a good deal, by lying outright about what the quote lady had told us the price would be. My memory failed me for those few minutes, so the guy matched the 'quote' we had been given. I think you are allowed to do stuff like that when youre travelling. They kind of expect it. Anyway, we took the Yaris a bit more offroad than I would have liked but to get to the camp sites we had to go down some pretty bad roads. We were pretty much doing jumps at some points. I had kissed my savings goodbye by this point! Then on the second day we were driving and the inside mirror just bloody fell off!!! So we kept it in the glove compartment mostly, and held it up as and when necessary.
The weekend was a nice mix of hopping from hiking trail to waterfall and checking out all the good places to swim. Lots of the water holes were closed as its the end of the wet season and crocs sometimes still hang around. The worst we came into contact with was a pretty big lizard. I wonder if that's what a goanna is??
So on returning the car today the rental guy said we had gone over out allowed km limit. I assured him we hadn't and that he had agreed to give us 200km a day. I also said that in view of the fact the car was falling apart, theres no way I was gonna pay any extra km. His reply was 'shit happens'. Brilliant! So we agreed to disagree. But its not a problem because I managed to convince him my debit card was a credit card so as to cover any damage which occured. As it happens he can't take any more of my money anyway! You have to try and stay one step ahead you know!
So I'm just killing some time here at the internet cafe. I have all my bags and am technically homeless while I wait to meet Liam about the trip to Cairns. I am heading to his hostel around 10 as he overslept. All good. Means I can update the blog.
So anyway, I think my phone signal will be pretty hit and miss for the next few days. Should be in Cairns in around 3-4 days I think. I'll try and get back online then.
Talk to you then...
Oh and for some reason pictures aren't working again, but I will add some more when I am online next.
Cheers
My first follower...
I have my first follower. I have no idea who 'Isla' is, or in fact what a follower actually is, but I have one now. Wicked!
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Happy Anzac day!
Hi, hope everyone is well.
Today is a national holiday in Oz, to remember people who died in WWI. Although, it seems like an excuse for a big piss-up for most people as the pubs are full and everyone seems pretty merry.
Today has been a good day so far! Just when you start thinking things are getting a bit dull loads of offers come your way!
A girl I was chatting to on the Ghan train from Alice Springs, Eleana, is here in Darwin. She is from Holland. I saw her yesterday and she wanted to know if I like camping. I do. Her and her dorm-mate Andy, from Germany, were thinking of going to Kakadu national park for a couple of days and finding someplace to camp there for a couple of nights. Sounds good! We looked into renting a car but had some difficulty as it was already 8pm Friday night, the day before a public holiday. We didn't really get far. The 3 of us had a chat about it and Andy has to be back for work on monday and doesn't really want to pull a sicky. Even so, since the offer is still good me and Eleana are picking up a rental car tomorrow morning and heading to the park. She has the tent, so all I have to bring is some food and drink. Pretty good deal!
Also, I got a reply from the guy who posted the lift offer to Cairns! I was getting a little put-off cos I had applied to a couple of other posts since then from other people and nobody was really replying. Two Swiss guys (with hard to pronounce names) offered me a space in there car but they are leaving tomorrow morning and I've already agreed to the camping! Damn. But shortly after the English guy, Liam, called me to ask if I still needed a ride. He is pretty flexible on times so we agreed to leave Tuesday morning. I think we arrive back from camping to drop off the rental car at around 8.30am Tues, and I'm meeting Liam around 9am I think. So no shower for a LOOOONNNG time. I'm sure I will make a great impression. Going to have to try and hunt down some showers in the park.
So, had a quick chat with Liam this morning and all sounds pretty promising. He has a Subaru 4x4 and is heading to Townsville (not too far from Cairns). That's good enough, I can make my way from there on the train. It's a fair old drive at 2500km, so between the two of us (unless there are others?) it will probably take 3-5 days I suppose. Depends how much we drive. He has a tent and camping stuff so we will find some places to sleep. Sounds like fun!
I think being more spontaneous is working out well!
Just off to an outdoor cinema this evening and then going to pack and stuff ready for an early start tomorrow to the park!
Will keep you posted on the roadtrip the next time I can get online. That may be in Townsville at the weekend.
Bye for now!
Friday, April 24, 2009
Plan to get to Cairns
Good news! Just picked up a message about a car-share ride to a place called Townsville, close to Cairns. They are planning to leave in the next day or two. Just gotta wait to hear back.
Fingers crossed!
Fingers crossed!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Still in Darwin...
Hey,
Went to the croc park today. That was pretty good! It's been very hot today so I didn't stick around too long. The public transport in Darwin is not great, the buses go every hour and a half or so which meant a bit of hanging around but i'm getting into my new book quite a bit now. It's the original book of the film 'yes men', about the guy who decide's to try saying yes to every invitation he is given. I've been wondering whether that's a good idea, might have to try it for a day or so, see where I end up.....
Checked out the notice board, there is only one new offer of a lift and thats to a town called Kununarra which is the wrong direction for me. Lucky I wasn't doing the yes thing....it look's pretty remote. The irish guys in my room are all working today and the German dude is pretty dull and doesn't really leave the room so it's been quite a quiet one. I will chat to the irish guys tonight and maybe go for a few drinks but I know they are up early tomorrow and trying to save money.
Getting a little bored of Darwin now. I obviously have the attention span of....something with a short attention span. It's a nice place but there isn't a huge amount to do. I think I will either move hostel and meet some new people or I will head to Cairns sometime around the weekend or just after. Or if all else fails just take the advice of my book and accept the next lift offer someone gives me...could be fun!
Bye for now
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Arrived in Darwin - April 21st
(Alice Springs)
I arrived in Darwin yesterday at around 6pm. The ghan train was long, taking a full 24 hours. The train was quite a bit more basic than I was expecting, with broken chairs and generally pretty poor facilities. The views were great though and I was lucky enough to have a spare seat next to me so I managed to get some decent sleep.
The overhead speakers played the cheesiest promotion song on quiet a regular basis, and there was a recorded narrator telling us about the journey. Then the on board staff would repeat the same thing word for word. Quite funny really. Someone got annoyed in the carriage and unplugged the speakers, which made me laugh even more.
Along the way we stopped off at a place called Katherine, around 1pm yesterday. I was a bit concious of smelling bad cos I'd spent the day taking photos in Alice Springs before we left, and then slept in the carriage. I payed $29 to take a bus out to a place called Katherine Gorge and took some photos and stuff. Again it was very hot. Got back onto the train for the last 6 hours to Darwin. Not alot I could do about the smell, and I wasn't the only one that's for sure.
The overhead speakers played the cheesiest promotion song on quiet a regular basis, and there was a recorded narrator telling us about the journey. Then the on board staff would repeat the same thing word for word. Quite funny really. Someone got annoyed in the carriage and unplugged the speakers, which made me laugh even more.
Along the way we stopped off at a place called Katherine, around 1pm yesterday. I was a bit concious of smelling bad cos I'd spent the day taking photos in Alice Springs before we left, and then slept in the carriage. I payed $29 to take a bus out to a place called Katherine Gorge and took some photos and stuff. Again it was very hot. Got back onto the train for the last 6 hours to Darwin. Not alot I could do about the smell, and I wasn't the only one that's for sure.
Katherine Gorge (Nitmiluk National Park)
I lasted the whole trip on a family pack of Safeway biscuits (keeping cost's down!), but after the Gorge walk I was pretty hungry so got a meal with my last $15 I had in cash. When we arrived in Darwin they told us the station was in the middle of the stix, and we had to pay $15 to get the bus transfer. I was surprised they didn't tell us that before, and I'd just spent my last money on a burger. Haha. Luckily the driver was cool and let me on without paying. I had to leave him my passport for a couple of minutes whilst I nipped to the ATM the other side. All fun and games.
My hostel at the moment is reasonable. I'm sharing with 2 Irish guys and one from Germany. The german dude isn't very talkative, but the irish lads seem nice. They are both looking for work in Darwin as they want to stick around so it must be a decent place! All the other beds in the room are free at the moment so I'm hoping it doesn't get too much busier.
So far just had breakfast, sorting/planning my budget this morning. It's my last payday today and I got a little more than expected which is always good, so just planning out the rest of the 2 weeks in Oz. Gonna take a look around Darwin CBD this afternoon and plan some trips out the the croc park and the Charles Darwin national park over the next couple of days.
Not sure about how im getting to Cairns yet. I could get a flight which is only $169 with Jetstar, and sleep at the airport as its a 5am flight (and that saves on a nights accommodation!), or there are quite a few notices up in the hostels offering spaces in cars where people are taking roadtrips around different places. I think I will probably do that, if I can find someone who is leaving at the right kind of time heading towards Cairns. Its good to have options though! Funnily there was a guy looking for travel mates on a boating trip to Madagascar. He say's he has a boat and is looking for willing crew mates to learn to sail with him as he want's to go across the Indian ocean over to Madagascar. Sounds like one hell of a trip. It's funny what you can find in hostels.
Just been trying to add some pictures altho its a bit tempremental, I will see how it goes.
Katherine Gorge (cliff view)
Monday, April 20, 2009
Monday 20th April - Leaving Alice Springs
Yesterday afternoon I was exploring the town and taking some pictures when I stumbled upon the Botanic gardens of Alice Springs. The place was deserted apart from the odd Aboriginal and the whole place had a kind of 'the hills have eyes' feeling about it. I walked the sand path leading to the rocks where there are some labelled plants and shrubs etc. Still nobody about. I got to a rock face and wanted to climb up to check out the view but there was a sign saying that you have to keep off the rocks because of the snakes and goannas (what are they??). I was a bit disappointed at that but being in the middle of knowhere on my own this probably isnt the place to get into trouble.
Anyway, walking about 50 metres down the rock face there was a track called the Alice Mayer hike, which apparently takes around 35 minutes and leads you straight up the rocks.......which is odd considering the sign!.. But anyway, even though it was around 30-35C I had enough water so was quite keen climbing it. I headed up the rocks trying to watch the floor so I didnt stand on any snakes, and in front of me so I didn't catch any webs. Probably being a bit paranoid but there was nobody I could see for a long way.. I felt like a bit of an adventurer. About 20 minutes up the rocks you get to the summit which was amazing! Complete 360 degree views of the town surrounded by the rocks. It was a really spectacular sight! I took a load of photos but the sun was just where the town was so I couldn't get any decent pictures of that.
So today, after another fried breakfast, I'm going to head up there again to take some better photos and explore a bit more. Was tempted to go up for the sunrise but they wont let you up there when its that early as apparently the bugs etc come out then, when its cool. I checked out the old town jail earlier as well (or Gaol) as it is here in Oz. That was interesting. Just been finishing my book around lunch time cos the sun is way too hot. In a couple of hours I'll head back up to the view. Then around 6 I'm getting on the train to Darwin.
I also tried to upload some photos but I dont think the internet connection here can handle it so I will do it later on when the connection is faster. Just found a good book on the exchange shelf at the hostel so I will have to hurry up and finish my one so I can swap it. Am just reading the book version of the film 21. It's really good and makes me want to go back to Vegas!
Anyway, hope everyone is good.
Bye for now
Anyway, walking about 50 metres down the rock face there was a track called the Alice Mayer hike, which apparently takes around 35 minutes and leads you straight up the rocks.......which is odd considering the sign!.. But anyway, even though it was around 30-35C I had enough water so was quite keen climbing it. I headed up the rocks trying to watch the floor so I didnt stand on any snakes, and in front of me so I didn't catch any webs. Probably being a bit paranoid but there was nobody I could see for a long way.. I felt like a bit of an adventurer. About 20 minutes up the rocks you get to the summit which was amazing! Complete 360 degree views of the town surrounded by the rocks. It was a really spectacular sight! I took a load of photos but the sun was just where the town was so I couldn't get any decent pictures of that.
So today, after another fried breakfast, I'm going to head up there again to take some better photos and explore a bit more. Was tempted to go up for the sunrise but they wont let you up there when its that early as apparently the bugs etc come out then, when its cool. I checked out the old town jail earlier as well (or Gaol) as it is here in Oz. That was interesting. Just been finishing my book around lunch time cos the sun is way too hot. In a couple of hours I'll head back up to the view. Then around 6 I'm getting on the train to Darwin.
I also tried to upload some photos but I dont think the internet connection here can handle it so I will do it later on when the connection is faster. Just found a good book on the exchange shelf at the hostel so I will have to hurry up and finish my one so I can swap it. Am just reading the book version of the film 21. It's really good and makes me want to go back to Vegas!
Anyway, hope everyone is good.
Bye for now
Sunday, April 19, 2009
18th / 19th April - Alice
Woke up early (6am) to catch a sunset from the hostel viewing point. Turns out the sun was on the wrong side (duh!), but still managed to get some great pictures as it was a really clear day. Apparently less than 1% of visitors get to see a cloudy sky above Ayer's Rock so we should be very pleased, we were told.
Waited for my bus with Bridget and a French guy I met. He was going onto New Zealand next so wanted some pointers for which route to take and what to see. I was chatting to him for a while and it turns out he had driven up to Ayers Rock from Adelaide, which is a fairly hefty drive! Bridget offered to show me around Hong Kong when I arrive there in July which is nice.
Got on the bus around mid-day and headed to Alice Springs which is around 460km or about 6 hours. The ride was interesting seeing the desert. Along the way I saw:
Waited for my bus with Bridget and a French guy I met. He was going onto New Zealand next so wanted some pointers for which route to take and what to see. I was chatting to him for a while and it turns out he had driven up to Ayers Rock from Adelaide, which is a fairly hefty drive! Bridget offered to show me around Hong Kong when I arrive there in July which is nice.
Got on the bus around mid-day and headed to Alice Springs which is around 460km or about 6 hours. The ride was interesting seeing the desert. Along the way I saw:
- Several burnt out cars
- A makeshift grave with newly dug earth on top and some fresh flowers
- A dead ox (cow?) with crows feeding on it
- Loads of tyres
- The odd solar powered station (apparently so truckers have hot water to stop off and shower)
Just as we arrived into Alice there was a broken down car with 4 aborigines hanging around. One was on the ground and looked like he had keeled over from the heat. I had heard stories about Aborigines doing this kind of thing and then robbing people (or worse) who were good enough to stop and try to help. Spoke to the driver and he was telling us that those guys had been there 3 days earlier, in exactly the same spot. If they had really broken down they would be dead by now! Makes you wonder.....
Alice springs is a pretty amazing town. Its completely self sufficient in providing its own water, gas oil and electricity. It's enclosed by mountains and desert and is pretty much in the centre of Australia. The town itself is reasonably modern, they have most of the big shops and good supplies of pretty much everything. I checked into my hostel here at around 7pm and am now in a 10-bed share. Fun times! Managed to bag a decent bed and got some food at the bar. Fish and chips for only $5! I felt obliged to get a couple of beers as well as apparently the town relies on tourist income to survive, so I had to help. Went out to the garden/pool area and they were showing Gladiator on a big screen. Picked a spot on the grass and watched the movie. Looking up you have the clearest view of the stars (I guess because were in the middle of no-where). It was pretty wicked.
Got some decent sleep until around 7am when randomly we had beethoven and Mozart pumped into the hostel sound system. Not sure why. But it was an early start then. Had a shower in the 1 shower to 10 people bathroom. The lock doesn't work so I figured it was just a matter of time before somebody walked in on me. I guess hostels kind of get you used to that kind of thing, so I wasnt too bothered. As it turns out nobody did, but glancing out the window I realised I just showered in full view of the other block. I guess you close the blind BEFORE you shower. Ah well.
Its bloody hot today. Just been for a wander round the town and had a full english breakfast. It's culture week today which means theres a big fair type thing in the middle of town. Lots of people selling junk to the tourists. I wonder if its culture week every week? Or maybe thats just the sceptic in me. Not much else planned today, might take a wander out into the bush (but not too far as its hot). This evening they are playing Amelie, so not sure if thats worth bothering with.... Tomorrow I'm getting the Ghan train up to Darwin, with a brief stop off in Katherine. Its about 1500km and takes around 24hours on the train (inc. the stop off). So I have a book ready for that.
Will probably post again in a few days.
Bye for now.
16-17th April- Leaving Melbourne/Arriving Ayers Rock
So my flight to Ayers rock was scheduled for 6.30am from Melbourne airport. The last shuttle from the city to the airport was around midnight. Even then I managed to arrive at the airport at 11.30pm. I think that's my dad's advice of always being extra early to the airport rubbing off. The airport was pretty dead so I just found a comfortable(ish) bench and got some sleep. I was paranoid I would miss my flight if I didn't hear my alarm so I had to get a couple of people to text me a couple of hours later, just incase!
The flight was pretty uneventful. Flew to sydney which took around 1.5 hours and then changed plane for the trip to Ayers Rock. All in all the trip was around 4000km. The airport in ayers rock is tiny. Only enough room for one plane and theres no real terminal, you just get off the plane and onto a bus transfer to the accommodation.
There's only one choice for accommodation, Ayer's Rock resort. But there are a couple of hotels and a hostel so obviously I booked into the hostel. It's probably the most expensive one so far (but then they do kind of have a monopoly being the only ones). It costs $44 a night and I was there for two. The room was ok, small but comfortable. I was the first one in closely followed by a girl called Bridget from Hong Kong. There was the choice of a 20 bed dorm but I decided that for my first hostel travelling solo it would be nice to have the luxury of a 4 share.
I was at the hostel around 2pm so decided not to bother going to the rock straight away as you pay for each trip. I pretty much just chilled and explored the area. Had a walk in the desert. Found what I think was a scarab beetle like in the film the mummy but I'm not sure if they are real or not. There are also supposed to be loads of different snakes / spiders etc but didn't manage to spot a single one. Found some giant ant's but that's not quite as interesting. I confirmed my coach for the trip to Alice Springs and then went to book my bus to the rock for the morning.
When I got to the bookings area I booked the cheapest trip ($45), you get to see the sunrise from the lookout and then they drop you at the rock so you can do your own thing. I didnt fancy being guided around. As it turns out people who booked the more expensive tour, around $120 ended up doing the same as me so that was a bit of a result! The woman at the desk asked me for my room number and then wanted to confirm if I was Ziang Ming Xi (or similar...) or Adrian Nessmann. I thought she was having a laugh, turns out she wasn't.
The rock is amazing. The sunrise was a bit of a bust because it was quite cloudy. I walked around the base of whole thing which is around 10km. The weather was cool which made for good walking conditions. There are huge areas of the rock which are supposed to be extra sacred to the Aborigine people, so they ask you not to take photographs. I found this out after I had taken around 50 photos. Never mind. There are hundreds of flies which get pretty annoying. I took a look around the cultural centre. There are painting from Aboriginal artists, some of which were really nice. The small paintings were selling for around $3000. Which is crazy. In the evening I wrote some postcards and had dinner (peanut butter sandwiches).
The flight was pretty uneventful. Flew to sydney which took around 1.5 hours and then changed plane for the trip to Ayers Rock. All in all the trip was around 4000km. The airport in ayers rock is tiny. Only enough room for one plane and theres no real terminal, you just get off the plane and onto a bus transfer to the accommodation.
There's only one choice for accommodation, Ayer's Rock resort. But there are a couple of hotels and a hostel so obviously I booked into the hostel. It's probably the most expensive one so far (but then they do kind of have a monopoly being the only ones). It costs $44 a night and I was there for two. The room was ok, small but comfortable. I was the first one in closely followed by a girl called Bridget from Hong Kong. There was the choice of a 20 bed dorm but I decided that for my first hostel travelling solo it would be nice to have the luxury of a 4 share.
I was at the hostel around 2pm so decided not to bother going to the rock straight away as you pay for each trip. I pretty much just chilled and explored the area. Had a walk in the desert. Found what I think was a scarab beetle like in the film the mummy but I'm not sure if they are real or not. There are also supposed to be loads of different snakes / spiders etc but didn't manage to spot a single one. Found some giant ant's but that's not quite as interesting. I confirmed my coach for the trip to Alice Springs and then went to book my bus to the rock for the morning.
When I got to the bookings area I booked the cheapest trip ($45), you get to see the sunrise from the lookout and then they drop you at the rock so you can do your own thing. I didnt fancy being guided around. As it turns out people who booked the more expensive tour, around $120 ended up doing the same as me so that was a bit of a result! The woman at the desk asked me for my room number and then wanted to confirm if I was Ziang Ming Xi (or similar...) or Adrian Nessmann. I thought she was having a laugh, turns out she wasn't.
The rock is amazing. The sunrise was a bit of a bust because it was quite cloudy. I walked around the base of whole thing which is around 10km. The weather was cool which made for good walking conditions. There are huge areas of the rock which are supposed to be extra sacred to the Aborigine people, so they ask you not to take photographs. I found this out after I had taken around 50 photos. Never mind. There are hundreds of flies which get pretty annoying. I took a look around the cultural centre. There are painting from Aboriginal artists, some of which were really nice. The small paintings were selling for around $3000. Which is crazy. In the evening I wrote some postcards and had dinner (peanut butter sandwiches).
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Ayers Rock!
I have arrived at Ayers rock!
The internet is extortionate and I only have 1min credit left...
Will post soon.
Cheers
The internet is extortionate and I only have 1min credit left...
Will post soon.
Cheers
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Are we bad luck??
I was thinking last night about how many 'this is the worst ever....' events there have been on our travels. Steve and I have definitely heard that expression a few times, so I decided to make a list:
1) In manhatten, NYC, they had the worst flash floods the locals had ever seen due to tropical storm Hanna off the east coast of the USA
2) One of our stop off's in the USA, Texas City, Texas, had to be avoided as it was smashed up by Hurricane Ike
3) LA was having a heatwave when temperatures reached around 35C
4) Fiji had an outbreak of Dengue Fever when we were there, although we didn't find this out until after we left.
5) Melbourne had its hottest temperature on record hitting 45.6C on January 12th. There was also the longest period of consecutive day temperatures of above 40C.
6) The worst bush fires in Melbournes history, spurred on by the extreme temperatures, began on Black Friday, 12th Jan 2009.
7) And lets not forget the worst economic collapse since 1929. Which has made work very tricky to find.
8) And since deciding to travel SE Asia over the coming few weeks Thailand is on the brink of a military coup.
I guess its things like this that make the trip memorable.
Just thought it was interesting anyway, I'm sure we'd be complaining if it was dull!
1) In manhatten, NYC, they had the worst flash floods the locals had ever seen due to tropical storm Hanna off the east coast of the USA
2) One of our stop off's in the USA, Texas City, Texas, had to be avoided as it was smashed up by Hurricane Ike
3) LA was having a heatwave when temperatures reached around 35C
4) Fiji had an outbreak of Dengue Fever when we were there, although we didn't find this out until after we left.
5) Melbourne had its hottest temperature on record hitting 45.6C on January 12th. There was also the longest period of consecutive day temperatures of above 40C.
6) The worst bush fires in Melbournes history, spurred on by the extreme temperatures, began on Black Friday, 12th Jan 2009.
7) And lets not forget the worst economic collapse since 1929. Which has made work very tricky to find.
8) And since deciding to travel SE Asia over the coming few weeks Thailand is on the brink of a military coup.
I guess its things like this that make the trip memorable.
Just thought it was interesting anyway, I'm sure we'd be complaining if it was dull!
The blog is back!
Woah, it's been a long time since anybody last posted on here!
As you probably know Steve and I left New Zealand at the end of November to come to Melbourne.
It was a bit of an abrupt end to the New Zealand trip when I found out that my grandmother had sadly passed away, so I contacted Qantas and made my way home from New Zealand via Melbourne and Singapore (not the best flight in the world, I think it was around 23 hours all in!) but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Although obviously a terrible reason to be visiting home, it was a great chance to see all of the family again, especially since pretty much everyone was there, which was good to see. The service was a good one.
So arriving back in England made my round the world ticket void, since I effectively used up the rest of my air miles to travel direct to the UK. This is a pretty good service Qantas offers as it means for just a 50 pounds fee you can fly home immediately should you need to. My insurance was also void.
So....the temptation was to stay at home....and I was VERY tempted. The idea of being so close to the family and friends again was very appealing. I could also start earning some money and begin some of the stuff I've been looking forward to, like looking for a flat. But I was also keen to see more of the world and finish the trip. And I know my grandmother had always said to me to finish the trip no matter what. That was actually the last conversation we had. So I was definitely keen to head back to Australia to carry on.
So at the end of November, 1500 pounds down for a new ticket and insurance, I left England...again. I arrived in Melbourne on the 1st December.
The time in Melbourne has been spent mostly in the city, in a hostel called Victoria Halls. This place became our home for a long time. Its a great hostel, reasonably cheap, and it comes with alot of luxuries like a cimema room and a gym. It also has a great rooftop area with a bbq and great views of the city.
Steve and I both found it very hard to find work. The 'easy to get' temp jobs had dried up, apparently due to the beginning of the recession. One recruitment agent told me that she had around 800 CV's on file and only 10 or so jobs to give, so her advice was to lay low over the winter months and come back around February time. That was all well and good but lying low is a) boring, b) something you can do at home and c) not a great way to see places.
There was a brief period when I looked into fruit picking work. If you do 3 months of manual labour you qualify for a years visa to be used at another time, which is ideal if you want to come back to Australia. For me it was about the new experience, getting some money and meeting some new people. I contacted the government agency. Lo and behold, there was no work. The fruit and veg season had been excessively hot and so the crops were either damaged or in low supply. They didnt need pickers. In retrospect, this probably turned out to be a blessing as the worst bush-fires in Melbournes history hit a short while after and affected a large portion of the fruit picking areas around the city. So I guess things do happen for a reason.
The last straw was to apply for a job at Specsavers. The company I have worked for since I was 15. Yes 15!. In face the only company I have ever worked for, apart from my 1 week work experience at the Basingstoke Gazette! I contacted the recruitment agency and they were very excited. They had a place which was on the east side of the city. I could start straight away if I would agree to work for 12 months. They could even sponser me to work over here permanantly and pay for my visa and exams to practice as an optometrist!! That was all a bit much considering I just wanted some part time work. So I haggled. I started low, agreeing to a 2 month contract. She wanted 6 minimum. I offered 3. She wanted 6. I agreed to 6. I lied. But what can you do, a job is a job.
As it turns out, I learnt a fundamental lesson when applying for a job. Always check the location of the store. To me, 'west of the city', meant a few blocks west in the central business district, which to me is Melbourne. As it turns out, 'west of the city' means west of the whole STATE!. A place called Werribee.
The trip took about 2 hours when I first began, each way. I refined it down to around 1.5 hours. I would get a train 15 stops down the line and then walk another half hour. This was a real pain in the ass as I ended up working there for 3 months. Especially when you work a 9-9 shift, arrive home at around 11pm, and then have to be back up to leave the hostel by 7am. And sleeping in a hostel can make it tricky to hold down a full time job. So as it turned out, I was never on time. Ever. It became a running joke that I would always arrive at 9.15am. The latest was 10.30, but that was partly down to the trains. Sometimes, on rare occassions, I was still drunk at work. But this is the beauty of having an un-important job in a place you know you are never going to go back to.
The store was nice and the boss David was a legend. Totally relaxed. A great environment to work in. And he didn't mind what time I turned up, as he understood the distance was a bit of a pain. The area was not so great. It turns out Werribee is the armpit of Melbourne. The gene pool here must be very small and most customers were related to one another. One person's response to my working in Werribee was 'What are you doing out there, shovelling shit?'. That didn't fill me with confidence. But all in all, I was glad of the job, and 3 months later David again offered me a very impressive salary and relocation bonus if I would consider his offer of a premanent work visa and move to Australia to practice as an Optometrist. I didn't consider it for a second, but it was still nice to know I made a good impression.
So most of my time in Melbourne has been working. But filled in with a good amount of fun stuff as well. We've had some great trips. Driven the great ocean road (3 times??), which as they say in Gavin and Stacey is immense. Went to Philip Island where there is the largest colony of penguins in Australia. We have been to the Melbourne car show, watched the Australian open and seen Basement Jaxx and N.E.R.D live at the future music festival. We have also done the other obligatory stuff like the Melbourne Aquarium and been drinking at many of the wicked bars in Melbourne. I think Melbourne is most famous for its bars. Some of which you really have to hunt for, hidden down dirty alley ways or between buildings. One of my favourites is the rooftop bar on Swanston street which has a cinema on the roof, and gives a really good view of the city. At Christmas time we went to Sydney for around a week and lived it up in a hotel room which we got on the cheap through a mate! Gave us a good chance to see all the stuff around there like Bondi beach, the harbour bridge and the opera house.
So....up to the current day. I have finished work now. Had a good leaving party. I have saved just around enough money to carry on the rest of the trip around Australia and then onto South East Asia. My flight is booked for tomorrow morning at 6.30am leaving Melbourne and flying to Ayers Rock via Sydney. The rest of the route is planned and I will add that in another post. Just thought it was about time to bring this blog up to date as I want to start posting alot more for the rest of the trip.
I also just wanted to say cheers to Steve for the trip so far, it has been a great laugh! We have had lots of discussions about money / where we want to go etc and Steve is keen to stick around Melbourne for a while. We both found it hard to get work but I was lucky enough to have Specsavers to fall back on otherwise I would have been screwed. Now that Steve has found work, he is keen to stick around Melbourne for a bit longer. I'm on a bit more of a tight schedule as I'm due to be starting back at my job in England sometime in August/September. So we have agreed I'm going to set off on the next leg of the trip now.
So GOOD LUCK Steve in whatever you decide to do! I will catch up with you back in England!
As I am writing this I have a mixture of excitement, and the feeling that maybe I have bitten off more that I can chew. The prospect of travelling through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam of my own is definitely daunting. But the excitement is driving me. I have a big list of things I can't wait to see. And the excitment of the unknown is spurring me on. I'm sure there will be good days and bad days, and I have no doubt I will make a tit out of myself on several occassions along the way. But it will be an ADVENTURE!! Which is what I wanted when I set off. This is the end of the organised tours and pretend backpacking. Im off into the serious world of budget backpacking, and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!
As you probably know Steve and I left New Zealand at the end of November to come to Melbourne.
It was a bit of an abrupt end to the New Zealand trip when I found out that my grandmother had sadly passed away, so I contacted Qantas and made my way home from New Zealand via Melbourne and Singapore (not the best flight in the world, I think it was around 23 hours all in!) but I wouldn't have missed it for anything.
Although obviously a terrible reason to be visiting home, it was a great chance to see all of the family again, especially since pretty much everyone was there, which was good to see. The service was a good one.
So arriving back in England made my round the world ticket void, since I effectively used up the rest of my air miles to travel direct to the UK. This is a pretty good service Qantas offers as it means for just a 50 pounds fee you can fly home immediately should you need to. My insurance was also void.
So....the temptation was to stay at home....and I was VERY tempted. The idea of being so close to the family and friends again was very appealing. I could also start earning some money and begin some of the stuff I've been looking forward to, like looking for a flat. But I was also keen to see more of the world and finish the trip. And I know my grandmother had always said to me to finish the trip no matter what. That was actually the last conversation we had. So I was definitely keen to head back to Australia to carry on.
So at the end of November, 1500 pounds down for a new ticket and insurance, I left England...again. I arrived in Melbourne on the 1st December.
The time in Melbourne has been spent mostly in the city, in a hostel called Victoria Halls. This place became our home for a long time. Its a great hostel, reasonably cheap, and it comes with alot of luxuries like a cimema room and a gym. It also has a great rooftop area with a bbq and great views of the city.Steve and I both found it very hard to find work. The 'easy to get' temp jobs had dried up, apparently due to the beginning of the recession. One recruitment agent told me that she had around 800 CV's on file and only 10 or so jobs to give, so her advice was to lay low over the winter months and come back around February time. That was all well and good but lying low is a) boring, b) something you can do at home and c) not a great way to see places.
There was a brief period when I looked into fruit picking work. If you do 3 months of manual labour you qualify for a years visa to be used at another time, which is ideal if you want to come back to Australia. For me it was about the new experience, getting some money and meeting some new people. I contacted the government agency. Lo and behold, there was no work. The fruit and veg season had been excessively hot and so the crops were either damaged or in low supply. They didnt need pickers. In retrospect, this probably turned out to be a blessing as the worst bush-fires in Melbournes history hit a short while after and affected a large portion of the fruit picking areas around the city. So I guess things do happen for a reason.
The last straw was to apply for a job at Specsavers. The company I have worked for since I was 15. Yes 15!. In face the only company I have ever worked for, apart from my 1 week work experience at the Basingstoke Gazette! I contacted the recruitment agency and they were very excited. They had a place which was on the east side of the city. I could start straight away if I would agree to work for 12 months. They could even sponser me to work over here permanantly and pay for my visa and exams to practice as an optometrist!! That was all a bit much considering I just wanted some part time work. So I haggled. I started low, agreeing to a 2 month contract. She wanted 6 minimum. I offered 3. She wanted 6. I agreed to 6. I lied. But what can you do, a job is a job.
As it turns out, I learnt a fundamental lesson when applying for a job. Always check the location of the store. To me, 'west of the city', meant a few blocks west in the central business district, which to me is Melbourne. As it turns out, 'west of the city' means west of the whole STATE!. A place called Werribee.
The trip took about 2 hours when I first began, each way. I refined it down to around 1.5 hours. I would get a train 15 stops down the line and then walk another half hour. This was a real pain in the ass as I ended up working there for 3 months. Especially when you work a 9-9 shift, arrive home at around 11pm, and then have to be back up to leave the hostel by 7am. And sleeping in a hostel can make it tricky to hold down a full time job. So as it turned out, I was never on time. Ever. It became a running joke that I would always arrive at 9.15am. The latest was 10.30, but that was partly down to the trains. Sometimes, on rare occassions, I was still drunk at work. But this is the beauty of having an un-important job in a place you know you are never going to go back to.
The store was nice and the boss David was a legend. Totally relaxed. A great environment to work in. And he didn't mind what time I turned up, as he understood the distance was a bit of a pain. The area was not so great. It turns out Werribee is the armpit of Melbourne. The gene pool here must be very small and most customers were related to one another. One person's response to my working in Werribee was 'What are you doing out there, shovelling shit?'. That didn't fill me with confidence. But all in all, I was glad of the job, and 3 months later David again offered me a very impressive salary and relocation bonus if I would consider his offer of a premanent work visa and move to Australia to practice as an Optometrist. I didn't consider it for a second, but it was still nice to know I made a good impression.
So most of my time in Melbourne has been working. But filled in with a good amount of fun stuff as well. We've had some great trips. Driven the great ocean road (3 times??), which as they say in Gavin and Stacey is immense. Went to Philip Island where there is the largest colony of penguins in Australia. We have been to the Melbourne car show, watched the Australian open and seen Basement Jaxx and N.E.R.D live at the future music festival. We have also done the other obligatory stuff like the Melbourne Aquarium and been drinking at many of the wicked bars in Melbourne. I think Melbourne is most famous for its bars. Some of which you really have to hunt for, hidden down dirty alley ways or between buildings. One of my favourites is the rooftop bar on Swanston street which has a cinema on the roof, and gives a really good view of the city. At Christmas time we went to Sydney for around a week and lived it up in a hotel room which we got on the cheap through a mate! Gave us a good chance to see all the stuff around there like Bondi beach, the harbour bridge and the opera house.So....up to the current day. I have finished work now. Had a good leaving party. I have saved just around enough money to carry on the rest of the trip around Australia and then onto South East Asia. My flight is booked for tomorrow morning at 6.30am leaving Melbourne and flying to Ayers Rock via Sydney. The rest of the route is planned and I will add that in another post. Just thought it was about time to bring this blog up to date as I want to start posting alot more for the rest of the trip.
I also just wanted to say cheers to Steve for the trip so far, it has been a great laugh! We have had lots of discussions about money / where we want to go etc and Steve is keen to stick around Melbourne for a while. We both found it hard to get work but I was lucky enough to have Specsavers to fall back on otherwise I would have been screwed. Now that Steve has found work, he is keen to stick around Melbourne for a bit longer. I'm on a bit more of a tight schedule as I'm due to be starting back at my job in England sometime in August/September. So we have agreed I'm going to set off on the next leg of the trip now.
So GOOD LUCK Steve in whatever you decide to do! I will catch up with you back in England!
As I am writing this I have a mixture of excitement, and the feeling that maybe I have bitten off more that I can chew. The prospect of travelling through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam of my own is definitely daunting. But the excitement is driving me. I have a big list of things I can't wait to see. And the excitment of the unknown is spurring me on. I'm sure there will be good days and bad days, and I have no doubt I will make a tit out of myself on several occassions along the way. But it will be an ADVENTURE!! Which is what I wanted when I set off. This is the end of the organised tours and pretend backpacking. Im off into the serious world of budget backpacking, and I can't wait!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Almost the end of NZ....
Since the last post of black water rafting in Waitomo we have done quite a bit. We stopped off at a small town (population 34?) called Punakaiki, which was a pretty last minute decision. The place was very cool we got to explore some caves and the local tavern was a great place for dinner and a few beers. The second day there was pretty terrible weather so we were stuck indoors playing games. The weather didnt stop us from taking a dip in the sea though. I think it must have been bordering on minus temperatures and Steve quite literally turned purple but it was a good laugh.
After Punakiki we travelled on to a place called Lake Wahinapua, which had some beautiful scenery, so got some cracking photo's there. There is a place known as the poo pub, which is an abbreviation for a much longer word. This is where we stayed the night. The landlord is a bit of a local legend. He's about 90 years old and throws a great party. We had steak dinners and then set off to the pub. Unfortunately, being such a cold day the dorm heaters must have all been set to max because the generator blew. So we had our party in the dark by candlelight and slept in unheated dorms with no running water. It was a pretty good night though and I did manage to win a free canyon swing at yet another blokes dress as women party. That was worth around 70 pounds and finally made up my mind as to whether I would have the balls to get over my fear of heights (the boys back home will probably remember my less than impressive bungee jump back home!)
Next was a stop at a place called Franz Josef which is home to the worlds fastest moving glacier. We got to do a full day of hiking here which was brilliant. The scenery was amazing and the weather was really good that day. The 8 hours of the hike went really fast and we got to climb through ice caves and slide through some very narrow paths in the ice. What made it all the better was that the guide actually carved out a fresh path as we were travelling because the glacier changes each day so it was a really unique tour.
We are currently in Queenstown which is high on my list of favourite places in NZ so far. The town is still quite small, although it is actually one of the largest in the southern island. It does have a really relaxed vibe about it and we've had some great weather so far. There's been a few good parties so far, the highlight probably being the World bar where Sunday night was england night and the alcohol was served in teapots (random). At the bar they give you a dice, roll a 4,5 or 6 and the drink is free. Unfortunatly I was regretting my good luck the next day but it was a cracking night!
As Steve's last post says we did the Canyon swing today and I'm still buzzing from the adrenaline. It is without a doubt the most insane thing I have ever done in my life especially having a bit of a phobia of heights. But I am 100% glad I managed to do it. The guys there were a real good laugh even if they do wind you up when you are hung 350ft over a cliff! Also, I am still amazed at Steve's handstand off the edge. It was by far the best jump of the day!
Tommorow we leave for Christchurch and then we fly to Melbourne, Australia on Friday. I have already had a few beers in the bar and am heading back there shortly so it might be a bit of a hangover day tomorrow but the journey is around 500km so it might be a good thing to sleep off some of the trip.
Hopefully you get time to check out our canyon swing videos cos that was a particular highlight of the trip so far.
Hope everyone is well. Will post again soon.
3, 2, 1... aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrgh
Abso-fucking-lutely incredible! Ady won a Canyon Swing a few days ago while dressed as a woman (Anne from Little Britain - with the added bonus of a couple of fantastic fake tits!), because of the win of his I decided to also take the plunge...
It was amazing. I was struggling to choose which of the twisted methods of jumping (or being pushed) off the edge so the guy who put on my harness suggested the hand stand! Not one of the official jumps, but a one that isn't for the feint hearted. Watch the video above - makes my palms sweat even now!
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Black Water Rafting
We've done it. Possibly the highlight of my trip so far, and something I've been looking forward to since a lovely STA lady told me about it waaaaaaaaaay back before we set off; Black Water Rafting!
Its nothing like white water rafting except the fact that you're in the water... instead its a mix of abseiling, caving and floating around on a small black rubber ring... ACE! We opted for the black abyss trip although it was a little more expensive.
The trip started out with an abseil into the cave; not quite what I was expecting from abseiling as there wasn't really anywhere to put your feet, instead you just slowly lowered yourself through the hole in the ground and down in to a massive cave about 30ft underground. Because I've never done anything like that (neither had most of the group) everyone began their trip feeling really good, specially those that were quite afraid of heights. Our 2 guides made everyone feel relaxed and confident about what they were doing, taking time to help anyone who needed it.
After the abseil down it was time to start making our way through the cave system, balancing precariously over metal walk ways (with nothing below them.. scary stuff!) before finally coming to a harness. The poor lass who went first was strapped in then we were all ordered to turn our lights out. As he was checking her harness was all connected properly he just pushed her off the side; she screamed, then there was a loud bang... and everyone was a little bit less confident about the caving!! As it turns out it was just another guide at the bottom of the zip line banging a rubber ring on the rocks... shit everyone up though, making everyone a little bit more nervous about the trip.
Next up was a huge leap into the water from a cliff into our rubber rings below; followed by a bit of paddling up through the caves looking at various rock formations, once we reached the end we were instructed to turn off our lamps for a gentle float back through the caves. Above were hundreds of glow worms making it look like a starry night sky, absolutely amazing (the dream was shattered a little after we were told that glow worms are basically maggots and its their shit that makes them glow... beautiful!!)!
After the gentle floating the adventure really began with with a slide down a waterfall,a danger wee (trying to go to the toilet under the ground while wearing a wetsuit is fu*king hard work!) an introduction to a resident Eel (Hello Cecil!) and some serious climbing up and around underground waterfalls. It was a wicked trip which finished at around 9 when we finally emerged from underground after 5 hours of exploring the underground caves. A nice little bonus at the end was presented to us... bagels and hot soup! It was very welcome after being in the freezing waters for so long!
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Heading down South!
Thats me... jumping off Mt Eden!After another brief stay in Auckland we got back on the Kiwi bus to begin out journey south through the north Island. We first had a quick trip up Mt. Eden which over looks the whole of Auckland, its pretty breathtaking, and really shows you some scale of the city (seems A LOT smaller when you're actually there).
We then began our main journey down to Mercury Bay via the beautiful 'Cathedral Cove'. 'Cathedral Cove' is the place that took the Pevensie children on there second trip to Narnia in the film version of Prince Caspian. It was an amazing beach with beautiful scenery, something that New Zealand seems to do VERY well! After we'd had a swim in the sea it was time to hike back up the cliff to the bus and on to Mercury Bay; named because Captain Cook took his boat there to watch the transit of Mercury. We stayed in a nice little homely hostel called Turtle Cove where we met a couple of lasses from the Uk - Beth and Helen, as well as got to know some of the other guys from the bus. After an evening of drinking, playing pool and winning some games of poker it was time to go to bed ready for the journey to Rotarua (or Rottenrura as some of the locals call it!). Ady mentionned most of the stuff we did here but suffice to say it was brilliant! Racing driving, sledging (with wheels...) and relaxing in one of the top 5 Spas in the World.. can't get any better than that!
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