Port Macquarie 18/03/2012 - 2 Nights

Another sunny day and another beach front stop off. Port Macquarie provided us with a lot of the good stuff - a beautiful beach and plenty of activities. The Glasshouse (TIC) was abundant with leaflets and the service desk staff were very helpful. There were campsites dotted all over but we settled on one closest to the beach. With that decided, we wandered around town to stretch our legs. I didn't really need anything so I returned to the car with Mel. I just wanted to set up camp and check out the beach. Steff joined soon after and we hung out in the car waiting for Sarah. Moments later, Sarah came hurtling past the car, threw her purse at Mel, said something and ran off. Steff ran after her and Mel and I were left dumbfounded. I thought the worst and hoped that Sarah was ok. Everyone returned to the car and Sarah looked pretty shaken. A cheeky Irish guy grabbed her arse and Sarah chased after the guys! She has more brass than me! My heart was pounding as I thought she'd been attacked. I'm not quite sure what she would have done if she caught up to those guys. I'm glad Steff was there to diffuse the situation. The last thing we need is an assault charge!

Oh the drama! I think we all could do with chilling out so we went straight to the camp site. We pulled up to what looked like a jungle. Trees with long bending branches were sprouting out from everywhere. Mel and Sarah both commented on how everything reminded them of I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here, especially the kitchen. 

Bushtucker Trial anyone?

Well that's one way of calling it!

Amongst the greenery, we found the hut that housed the reception area. The owners gave us a smiley welcome and handed over the necessary information. Having two nights under our belt meant that putting up the tent wasn't too much of a chore. Mel and Steff knew exactly what they were doing, as did Sarah. I on the other hand bumbled about and waited to be told what to do. Each time I have tried to help, I always ended up doing something wrong. I felt like an inept school child who didn’t know their times tables. Back of the class Miss Lee. Whilst I brandished the dunce hat for the day, everyone else flowed like clockwork. As long as I look like I’ve done something then I can dodge any future accusatory arguments. So far so good…

Not one to break tradition, we had set up camp by the beach just as we had done in Port Stephens as well as the four months spent in Collaroy. There’s just some “home” comforts we can’t give up so easily. Flynns Beach was a beautiful addition to the routine and gave me the perfect opportunity to crack out the GoPro camera for the first time.

Lovely day!

Steff went off on his own to surf. Mel, Sarah and I ran into the water to mess about and (for me) tried to avoid getting knocked out by waves. This was easier said than done as we were all too busy posing for photos and filming on our cameras to notice how rough the sea was getting. We had great fun but noticed that the sky started to cloud over. We took a few photos on the beach and grabbed our towels to warm up.

Flynns beach photo shoot.

As we sat and waited for Steff to finish surfing we saw a rainbow. These seem to be following me around as of late. What’s more…it turned into a double rainbow. Awesome!

Expertly taken by Melissa Taylor© 

Steff had finished surfing just in time for the rain. It rained hard! Even though we’d just come out of the water and were wet anyway, it still wasn’t nice. My towel was soaked through and I was already thinking ahead in trying to get my stuff together for the shower in the rain What a pain in the arse that would be. Everyone was laughing at how I walked. I had my towel over my shoulders, I was hunched over and I was waddling in an awkward manner as my shorts were getting weighed down by the water. It was very uncomfortable. I always seem to inadvertently provide entertainment for my travel mates.

The weather didn’t improve but eased off enough to make the showering and getting changed process slightly more tolerable. Now comes the moment when the day is over, we’re all pretty knackered and can’t really be bothered to do anything. Normally we would have access to a common room, TV room or just the company of a different set of people. Since travelling, we came to realise pretty quickly that it’s just us and us alone. We had to entertain ourselves. As our personalities differ so much, we all like to unwind in various ways. I like to watch a film or blog whereas the others would rather do something or just chat. There’s only so much talking I can do. That evening our priorities soon changed. We had no food and were too lazy to cook – well you saw the kitchen! – so we went to the town centre in search of some nice cheap grub.

We couldn’t find anywhere that sold meals under $20 which was annoying. I thought I’d found a cheap bar so Sarah and I walked in to look at the menu. The place was vacant apart from one group of guys. They were all wearing football shirts and I’m sure I detected an Irish twang from one of them. I joked to myself that they might be the guys who Sarah chased after earlier…it turned out that I was actually right. They WERE the guys from earlier. Argh! We made a swift exit in which they didn’t have chance to recognise us. Phew.

We scoured the streets for a while longer then gave up and tried to find something closer to our camp site. We drove past a noodle bar which everyone agreed was the best place to go. I was so hungry I didn’t care what I ate. It happened to be a fantastic little place. The food was so good. It was up there with one of the best meals I’ve had in Australia. To round it off, Mel and I had ice cream from the nearest vendor.

All in all, it was a pretty darn good day. I just hoped the rain would bugger off!

 *****

The next day, the weather was still a bit rubbish. It was wet and miserable but not so bad that it could ruin our plans.

Again, we had no food in so ate out for breakfast. This is where all our money is going, eating out. It’s a downfall I never considered before. We all have to eat together. As we drive around, we stop off for something to eat. If I don’t eat at that time then I don’t eat so I’ve found that my eating patterns are irregular. Also, because we never settle in one place for more than a couple of nights, it’s never worth investing in my own food to eat as and when I please like back in Collaroy due to storage issues. We never seem to agree on the same foods to eat so it’s easier for us to eat out. I’ve eaten so much crap lately it’s unbelievable. It was fine when I ate out a lot in Japan as the food is so good and healthy that it never felt like a bad thing. The food in Thailand and Malaysia was so cheap and plentiful that it didn’t really matter. In Australia, I’m paying top dollar for average food that isn’t good for me. I don’t need a pair of scales to tell me that I’ve put on a lot of weight since being in Australia. This is not good. I’m supposed to get fat in America not Australia! I’m ahead of schedule. Damn. That morning, Mel and Steff ate pancakes and I had a smoothie. It was my feeble attempt at being healthy. I doubt it will last. 

We were told that there was a koala corridor somewhere in Port Macquarie. What we thought was an area to leisurely walk through and watch a load of koalas do what they do, turned out to be an area that inhabits koalas but not so much for us to be guaranteed a viewing. None of us fancied the 10 or so kilometre walk in the mud without seeing a koala. We visited the koala hospital instead.

The koalas curled up on high branches.

This koala has a curved spine and is a long term resident.

The guy on the front desk spoke to us for a while about the koalas they look after and how naïve people are in thinking that koalas are cute and cuddly. They can rip your arms off! I wonder if he told the same stories to children that come there. It was definitely an eye opener. Mel and I kept talking about going somewhere that lets you cuddle a koala but, after visiting the hospital, we realised how cruel that is. Just like the sharks and manta rays back in Port Stephens, it’s not fair on the animals to be prodded and man-handled in such a way. Of course there are different circumstances for different animals and this opens a wide debate on animals born in captivity as well as those who are so used to life in an enclosure that they wouldn’t be able to survive out in the wild. It’s sad but probably true.

Perhaps I should move this on to a lighter note! Our visit to the koala hospital was rather brief which left a wide gap open in our day. We decided to rent out a boat, try a bit of fishing and dolphin-watch. Things didn’t run that smoothly though. It started to rain, Steff broke his fishing rod and dropped the line with the hook on into the water and there were no dolphins. We tried our best to get their attention. Mel told us stories of her relatives in America who pat the side of the boat to draw them in. It disturbingly reminded me of the film Free Willy. I went for a different approach. I sang. I did read it somewhere and thought it was worth a shot. I’ve hardly sung since being away so it was nice to let go a little. I probably scared them away with my rendition of David Gray’s Sail Away or Oh Happy Day and Aint No Mountain High Enough. Mel and Sarah sang along to a couple of other songs I sang but Steff was having none of it. After a while, everyone got sick of me and told me to shut up. Instead, my warbles were replaced with silence…well there was the sound of the boat’s engine but I’d like to think of it as boring silence. Once everyone had a go at driving the boat we headed back.

We were all exceptionally hungry so we bought a hoard of food from Coles supermarket and cooked a feast back in the kitchen. Steff, Sarah and I were all distracted by one thing or another which left Mel to do the cooking. It’s times like these where tensions run high. Putting up and packing away the tent, cooking, deciding on what to eat, where to go…basically anything which involves us all having to come to an agreement of some sort can sometimes turn into an argument. It is early days within our new travel group and we’re all trying to find out feet. It didn't help that the weather had been particularly pants as of late and money was going fast. Tensions were high and it was all quiet around the dinner table until later on after we’d all eaten…

Steff had gone off to make a phone call, Mel was elsewhere, Sarah was on the phone and I was sat at the table writing my blog. I was typing away in my own little world when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. I looked up to find the biggest hairiest spider crawling down a silk line it had cast. I screamed. My scream resembled the cheesy damsel-in-distress type screams you hear in horror movies. Sarah didn’t even know what I was screaming at but screamed anyway. I shot away from the table. Sarah kept saying, “What? What is it?” 

Sidenote: Hearing Sarah say those words was a strange moment. The night before Sarah stroked my back and prodded me. I was half asleep and turned over to see Sarah leaning over me. Sarah asked, "What is it?" I replied with a weak, "What?" Sarah repeated the words, "What is it?" with emphasis each time. I realised that Sarah was talking in her sleep and rolled back over.

I couldn’t form words. My mouth opened but nothing came out. I’d used all the voice I had left in that scream I just omitted! Mel and Steff ran across to us thinking we’d been attacked (a common assumption so it would seem). We all stared at this spider with wonderment.

Earlier, whilst we were eating, I saw a dragonfly zoom into a spider’s web. I asked Steff to save it but as he flicked the dragonfly away, the spider appeared. A battle ensued and we all sat completely agog as the dragonfly tried to EAT the spider. We thought that was weird. I’ve never seen a spider that big, move so fast.

Steff was so blasé about it all and sat back down at his previously abandoned laptop. By this point the spider had crawled back up its little bungee. I reckon that’s all he does. Waits until a few people are out, crawls down, wiggles his legs and revels in the screams and gasps of fear it evokes. The evil hairy bastard. 

Despite Steff's calm disposition, none of us were convinced to sit back on the bench. Our qualms were justified when a moth the size of my face flew down. It circled the kitchen, flew around Sarah and Mel then settled in a corner just behind Steff.

I grabbed my things and went back to the car. We were all trying to calm ourselves down. I just wanted to get out of that place. We suddenly remembered that we needed to collect our washing. Steff had kindly placed our washed clothes into the tumble drier once again after the first cycle left our clothes damp still. After what had just happened, nobody wanted to be alone. We didn’t want to risk another attack so drove to the laundry building. I’d actually calmed down a bit and started to joke about it all. I screamed like an idiot. I don’t really scream that often so I never used to think I had it in me to scream that loudly. We all laughed at my silliness and Steff switched on the light. Let me think how to sum up the moment after the light came on. Ok. Remember the moment in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when he’s walking along and has no idea what’s going on around him, he flashes a light only to find that the cave walls are crawling with bugs of all descriptions? Well it was like that. Roaches and huntsman spiders to be exact. My reaction was definitely more akin to Indiana's love interest than the cool, calm and collected hero himself. I surprised myself in how loud I could scream. Sarah did the same and I’m not sure there is even a word to describe the noise that came out of Mel’s mouth. Even Steff sprang back in shock.

What is going on with this place tonight?! We left Steff to collect our washing as one huntsman remained on the wall, staring at us. I didn’t want it to jump on my face and suck my brain out so I walked back to the car. We were about to depart back to our campsite, when the smiley owner from yesterday walked up to the car. I hid under the blanket as I could tell he was going to give me a roasting. I apologised straight away. Mel tried to speak but only a whisper came out. Mel's voice had gone! I never thought I'd see the day (hehe). He only came over to check what had happened. He joked that it’s a good test to see what his network is like which meant he had had quite a few phone calls about the noise. He said that they get people partying sometimes so just wanted to see if that was where the screams were coming from. Oh no, it was just me reacting to the spiderfest!

Due to all the excitement, us girls didn’t fancy the long trek up to the toilets so decided to go the natural way. Probably a little too much information you might think but there’s more. Sarah and Mel went and then it was my turn. What I didn’t anticipate was Mel turning on the full beams of the car so my arse was a-glow. I was in the spotlight like I’d never imagined. I did what I had to do and came back to the car. The girls had tears rolling down their faces they were laughing that hard. Well I’m glad that, yet again, I could provide the entertainment for the night. It definitely beat the adrenalin rush that came after seeing all those spiders! I just wish I didn’t have to bare all to my mates in order to provide the laughs…

Next stop…Coffs Harbour.

Port Stephens 16/03/2012 - 2 Nights

Goodbye hostel. Goodbye beach. Goodbye job. Goodbye Sydney. It was a dizzying feeling leaving Collaroy. It’s a place I’ve called home for around four months which is scary in itself. I wasn’t sure how I would feel leaving. I wasn’t sad as I didn’t hold much of an attachment to the place other than the odd routine and any real friends that I did make, I'd be sure to see again in the future. The only word I feel that truly emulates my feelings is relief. I felt like I was starting to get into a bit of a rut. I was too dependent on my surroundings and I didn’t like that. It’s not a good sign really as what the hell am I going to be like when I eventually get home? It’s a good job I don’t have to worry about that just yet.

Once the surge of excitement had left my body and the car had taken us out of Sydney, it was a, “Now what?” moment. Steff had his, and I use the term loosely, tunes blasting out of the stereo so conversation was out of the question. After hearing the same ten songs for two hours I thought I was going to crack up. It took me back to my days at New Look where we used to have one CD on repeat. Christmas was unbearable. I took solace in reading a book I thought I’d read before but bought it anyway. It was only $2 from a charity shop. The book is titled Girl Meets Ape by Chis Manby. Perhaps I subconsciously stole her wordplay for my blog. It kept me going.

It wasn’t the music that got to me, nor was it the leaning tower of crap that teetered between Sarah and me but the searing heat that prickled my flesh. The sun finally came out and boy did we feel it. Being a typical Brit, I don’t like being soaked by the rain, it can’t be too cold and it can’t be too hot either. Ergo, just like everyone else, I’m never bleedin’ happy!

It wasn’t the only thing that left me feeling uncomfortable. I had my qualms about the changes that had come about. Our trio had recently become a quartet - another girl - which, on paper, sounds like a good thing. Surely it’s refreshing to have a fresh face amongst us. For me though, I had a weird unsettling feeling in the pit of my stomach. Firstly, I was worried that I’d be pushed out. Sarah got on exceedingly well with Mel which worried me. I shudder at the school day flashbacks. Girls can be so mean. The last thing I want is a flipping cat fight. How would Sarah’s personality mix in with Mel’s fieriness and my laid back attitude? I already know Mel so well that I can tell what she’s thinking and can even predict what she will do at certain points. It’s rather scary. Steff is a bit of a closed book but isn't a challenge to get on with. I want things to be easy though. I don’t want to become the little girl bouncing up and down shouting, “Look at me!” to get attention nor do I want to walk into a cliched bitch fest. Girls scare me…more than guys! Why do you think the majority of the friends I’ve made on my trip have been guys? Male company is a heck of a lot easier to handle then female. My M.O. will be to approach with caution. I’m going to sit on the wings and see how this thing pans out. I hoped I was just being paranoid.

*****

As we drove out of Sydney, we were still debating on where our first stop was going to be. I was hoping to drop in on my friend Bex seen as we were going north but this caused a lot of drama. Everyone was panicking and wanted to get to our first stop as soon as possible so we can find camp and settle down. A detour could ruin this and we could get lost. I was gutted but swallowed my feelings and let my idea be vetoed without a strong fight. When I feel it is right to fight for my opinions, then I will, but this was not the time. It was the beginning of the trip and I’d do anything for an easy life.

We were thinking of stopping off at Newcastle but decided to go further up to Port Stephens instead. The drive there didn’t feel that long. Mel and Steff both drove. I offered to drive but neither of them seemed that bothered with driving so I went back to my book.

Escaping to the world of chimpanzees certainly made the drive fly by. We arrived in Port Stephens and headed straight to the beach. Mel and Steff ran into the sea and Sarah and I watched on. One Mile Beach had the softest sand I had ever seen or felt for that matter. It was the strangest feeling having that stuff filter through my toes. We didn’t hang around for long as we were all pretty drained from the drive. 


The search was on for a decent camp site within our budget. Steff had been told to head to Anna Bay for good surf so we stopped off at a series of camp sites in the area and settled on the cheapest one. The guy on the desk must suffer from multiple personality disorder as he went from a cheery welcome to an abrupt speech on how we best behave ourselves. Apparently he gets a lot of backpackers in causing a drunken raucous. It wasn’t the warmest of welcomes but never mind! Everything was so clean that I couldn’t complain for the price. I didn’t worry about any creepy crawlies lurking around so that suited me. We set up the tent. Ok Mel and Steff did most of the work. I just did as I was told!

All this travelling lark certainly takes it out of you. Our stomachs were rumbling so we headed out to get some food from the local supermarket. This time around this was a simple task. We all agreed on cheeseburgers, a quick and easy meal. It also made splitting the costs at the till a lot easier! The camp had a PAYG barbie so, once back, we fired that up and cooked our tea. As we just finished eating the guy from earlier cropped up. It looks like he’s the owner or manager at least. We had a bit of banter with him and we seemed to have got the cheery Aussie again.

Back at the tent, we unfolded our chairs and sat round for a little camp side chatter. The sky was beautiful that night. The jet black blanket perfectly cushioned the sparkling stars making them the clearest I'd ever seen them. We all found a star constellation. I found Orion’s Belt. Trusty Men In Black ensured that I knew something at least! We cracked open some sparklers left over from some time I can’t recall (!) and regressed back to childhood. We were all so giddy but that didn’t last. Our earlier weariness caught up with us and it was time for bed. Finally after four months I can happily hit the hay with everyone else. Back at the hostel we all wanted to go to sleep at different times. As I worked mornings, it was always me that wanted the light to go out first.

Ooo, my first photo with glasses I do believe.

*****

It wasn’t our alarms that woke us up in the morning, it was the rain. Typical, we’re ready to do something with our day and it belts it down with rain. It eased off enough for us to get ready without too much hassle. Despite laying down camp mats, I still had a sore arse. I envied Mel and Steff who had bagged a free air bed from a work mate. I saw bunny rabbits outside the tent and my spirits lifted slightly. We ate breakfast and went out on a quest to find something to do in the intermittent rain. We grabbed some leaflets from reception but headed over to a Tourist Information Office for some advice.

Everything was either shut or too expensive. There wasn’t that much to do in Port Stephens anyway. We went there for the surf but that wasn’t possible. There was a place that let you swim with harmless - won't bite your leg off - sharks. That seemed pretty cool. I hadn’t had chance to try out my recently acquired GoPro camera. I bought it off of Wayne after a conversation on cameras led to Wayne wanting to upgrade his and offload the old one. I kindly offered to help him out with that one obviously! I have a camera that can go under water now!

We rocked up to the place and skipped inside, again, like school kids (a common theme you will find). Unfortunately we were thoroughly disappointed. The place was awful. The sharks were in a cramped shallow (mid-calf deep) pool. The manta rays and other sea life didn’t fare any better. Not only were they trapped in these conditions but had the discomfort of having snotty kids prod them. We felt awkward and didn’t want to be around this so left pretty sharpish.

Driving around looking for inspiration drained us all. I was sick of passing the same muscly guy holding up a massive fish - an advertisement for fish and chips. I felt like he was mocking me. The final place we could think of to visit was a huge water slide. We stumbled at the first hurdle as it was shut. Instead, we went on the nearby toboggan ride. I didn't really know what to expect so approached with caution. I whipped out the GoPro and watched as Mel, Steff and Sarah sped off. It was my turn. I listened to the controller informing me on how to brake and how to speed up. It all seemed pretty simple. That's not what I thought half way down the track when I fell off! I was going that fast that the toboggan wobbled and I tumbled out. I hit my head, scraped my knee and elbow. I quickly got back on my toboggan and carried on like nothing had happened. I played down my injuries even though they stung. The metal track had sliced off a layer of skin. Surprisingly my travel mates reacted with concern rather than hysterics. It's not like them at all!

My latest boo boo. Bruises later developed and I sported a rainbow band around my elbow that has only just faded.

Everyone enjoyed the toboggan ride but we still felt disheartened with the day's events. We returned to camp rather early where I took this opportunity to spend some time on my laptop, updating my blog specifically. I decided to use the kitchen nearest to our site. This kitchen was being used by a church group the night before but I assumed it was ok to use that day. I was corrected a short while later when someone asked me if I was part of the group (ha!). When I told her I wasn't, the woman said I was fine to stay until more people arrived and they’d be cooking a meal. Fair enough. The woman then sternly added that a lot of their stuff had been stolen. Food and cutlery had gone missing and I could definitely empathise. It slowly dawned on me that this woman thought that I had stolen the stuff. Pah! Obviously she didn’t say that to me but the judgemental stares and faint whisperings to her friends said as much. It didn’t offend me enough to leave though!

There isn’t much to report about Port Stephens other than that. We left the next day. As we packed up the manager drove over to us on a quad bike and told us to pay up. We got the grumpy Aussie that morning. What a weird little man. Our next stop was Port Macquarie where we hoped that the weather would improve and that we’d find more things to do!

On The Road Again...

The time has come for me to leave Sydney. The time has come for me to leave Sydney. The TIME has come to LEAVE Sydney. It still didn't feel real. It's always been a couple of months away, then a few weeks away and then a couple of weeks away. But it never felt like it would actually happen which is probably why the last week in Collaroy was a panic. Where are we going? How are we going to get there? What do we need? How much is this all going to cost? Oh dear...

*****

Two weeks earlier...

The decision had been made to embark on a road trip to Melbourne rather than fly straight to Tasmania. We'd been told about relocating campervans as a cheap option rather than renting a car/campervan. We'd been on a website and saw that petrol is included and it would only cost either a dollar or $5 a day. We'd spoken to someone in Kuala Lumpur who had done the same so felt it was a viable option, it was just a case of waiting until one was available during the dates that we wanted.

It was a good thing that nothing was booked as so much changed during that time. Firstly, we acquired a new travel buddy. Sarah had been at a loss as to what to do with her time in Sydney. Her friends were starting to leave and felt panicked by this. Dan (Aus Day) suggested the option of coming with us to Sarah. After a brief conversation, it was done. Our wolf pack had grown to four.

Mel explained our route options to Sarah and everything seemed to be falling into place. But when does anything ever run that smoothly in the real world. Of course there was a catch with the relocation vans. You only have one to three days to get the van there. Any extra days incur a ridiculous surcharge. We'd be rushed and then end up in Melbourne in exactly the same situation. We'd have all our stuff piled up on the side of the street and our options would be limited. Thinking it through, it wasn't such a good idea.

Mel looked into renting a car or campervan. Renting a campervan is a popular choice among backpackers but it's not cheap unless there's a large group of you, or you have a lot of money (duh!). We didn't realise there was a bond deposit that needed to be paid when renting a campervan. I was screwed on the deposit I put down on student accommodation so alarm bells were ringing for me straight away. None of us could afford this so we looked at renting a car.

This caused a lot of arguments as Steff said it was dead money and we may as well buy a car. There were risks on both sides. If we bought a car, there's the possibility that we'd end up with a dud and be stuck in the middle of nowhere. That could also happen with a rental but we'd have access to a breakdown service. If anything happened to the rental car we'd be hit with fees and costs to fix it. We wouldn't be arsed if our own car got a bit of a knock but we'd always be on edge that something might happen to the rental. Argh!

Mel was adamant that rental was best. I was on the fence and Sarah was with Steff on buying a car. As we couldn't all agree on the same thing, we carried on researching. Mel found a great deal on a rental car and reserved it. Everything had to be put in my name as I was the oldest. Again, this turned out to be too good to be true. As the only name on the account, only I was insured to drive the car. Mel and Steff wanted to drive so again this had to be scrapped. It was at this point that we decided to buy a car. What a faff on.

Transport wasn't the only thing we disagreed on. Our route kept changing every other day and it became increasingly frustrating. We couldn't plan anything as people kept telling us different things. I spoke to backpackers who recommended going south. We also spoke to backpackers who said that going north was the better option. All the Aussies we spoke to said North which tipped it over to become the majority vote.

One week earlier...

We still had no car and no clue. Steff and I scoured Gumtree for banger cars. There were plenty out there but nothing suitable or within our price range.

With days to spare, Steff came to the rescue. He found a car whilst he was at work, bought it, cleaned it out with Sarah and came and picked me and Mel up from work. It was the best surprise. From then on, everything fell into place. We bought all our camping gear and was pretty much good to go.

Mel and Steff are Mr and Mrs Organised so decided to practice pitching the tent up inside the hostel, much to the amusement of others. We did a damn good job too.

Our new home.

One day before...

Mel had bought thank you cards for the staff on reception at the hostel. We all decided to chip in and buy the managers a bottle of wine each. They helped Mel and Steff out a lot when they first arrived and saved our skins at the Christmas party. We were able to do odd jobs for them in return for free accommodation which a lot of places wouldn't do. It was a nice feeling being able to give something back and they looked happy when we presented it to them. We got all soppy and hugged it out.

I went back to the room to pack. I'd put off packing the beast as I knew what would happen. I had far too much stuff. I saw how much Mel stressed about cramming all her pretty things into her case and it's over twice the size of mine. Obviously I couldn't put it off any longer so I went through my stuff and chucked out everything that was old and that I didn't need. I was still left with a mountain of clothes and bulky items. Arse.

Mel tried her best to cram it in as I gave up all too easily. Fail. A distraction was in order and I had a perfect excuse. A farewell meal. I arranged to meet up with Emma for a final goodbye. Mel, Steff and I went across to the Surf Rock bar for a meal and drinks with a few others from the hostel. I'm not very good with goodbyes so I quickly hugged Emma and said the usual about keeping in touch and left. I wish I had spent more time with Emma whilst I was here but she's a very busy lady!

I walked back to the hostel with everyone else. I hugged everyone and said my goodbyes and hid in my room. I had things I needed to do anyway. I sat and stared at the beast. It was packed so tightly that it looked ready to burst. It was an uncomfortable sight.

*****

The morning came and the beast was still sat there across the room filled to the brim. My heart sank. I knew what I had to do. I decided to buy a new case from the surf shop up the road. I've upgraded from the 55L backpack to a 75L duffel bag case with wheels. I didn't want to discard the beast as we've had good times together. I didn't want to sell her either, not that I had time. I took it round to the post office to send home.

The postal system here is warped. I know it's expensive to send stuff across to Australia from the UK, but from here it's treble the price and it won't get home for three months. I had a brief moment with the beast as I wrapped her up in bubble wrap. I handed her over with a sigh. I didn't have long to feel down as I was leaving in less than half an hour.

We originally planned to set off at 10am as that is the checkout time at the hostel. Instead, we left at 12:30pm. A few people from the hostel were there to wave us goodbye as we left. We took plenty of photos and eventually left. Wooooo, road trip!!!

Cheese!

Me, Sarah and all the shit we took with us!

Goodbye Sydney Beachouse!!

Blue Mountains: Food, Friendship And Fun times

It had dawned on me that I only had a couple of weeks left in Sydney and there was still a lot that I hadn’t done yet. It was at this point that Mel, Steff and I sat down and went through all the places we wanted to visit before we left. From the scattered list of activities and places, a route was formed.

It wasn’t the only last minute decisions that were made that week. A girl from the hostel asked if she could join us on our trip. All I knew was that she was from York and that we knew some of the same people. Sarah knew Mel a lot better but I was still happy that she asked if she could join us. Not only would it be refreshing to have a new person in the group, but it would make things a little cheaper. We were all thinking the same, it wasn’t just me!

We excitedly grabbed our books and notes and sat round to discuss where we all wanted to go. Sarah said straight away that she wasn’t fussed where she went so would go along with anything that we planned. I guess that makes things a little easier. 

Annoyingly, our plans changed a lot. First we planned to go south, then it changed to north, then back to south again and a couple of days before we left it changed back to north again. This was all because of the advice of those around us. Backpackers said one thing, Aussies said another and the random bloke down the pub said something else. We didn’t know what way was up in the end. It was so confusing. Who do we trust, locals or those who have done the route themselves?

Anyway, enough of all of that. I’ll get to that in a later post. So we sat in a circle, pens and notebooks poised to jot down our route. I shouted out the first place that came to mind which was Blue Mountains. It’s a couple of hours from Sydney and somewhere I had thought about visiting since I arrived in Sydney. I presumed that everyone wanted to go as it’s a beautiful place and is always on the guide book’s top 10 things to do along the East Coast. My idea got a unanimous no. What? Aw crap! This put a spanner in the works. My friends turned their noses up at the thought of hiking and taking photos of beautiful scenery. Great.

I thought that was that and pouted. There wasn’t a lot I could about it really. I could have booked on a trip but that would end up being too expensive and I wanted to go with friends, not on my own. Oriel overheard my dilemma and came to the rescue. He wanted to go to the Blue Mountains and so did someone else. A few conversations later and I was set to go to the Blue Mountains with four others from the hostel. Perfect! After this was announced, a few people murmured their displeasure at the fact that they were not invited. It felt like I was back at school again.

On the day, it was still the five of us and I was happy with that. The driver, Wayne, I met in January and have since had brief conversations with him. I gave him a piece of the chocolate cake left over from the Christmas party*. I felt that secured a lasting bond. Joey and Oriel came too. The last passenger was Angela. I didn’t know Angela that well and, from what I saw at the hostel, I had always been slightly intimidated by her. I don't mean that in a nasty way. Angela has a big personality and sometimes I shy away from that but sometimes I clash. I wasn’t sure how this group would gel on this trip but I was still excited.

I was marked in to work the next day at 9am which was annoying. It meant that I couldn’t camp overnight and had to get the train back. The plan was to set off between 7:30-8am and make the most of the first day.

At 8:30am on the Saturday morning, we were still sat around in the common room. I think we were all just about packed and ready to go. We’d all taken a verbal beating from those around us. Angela had never been camping before and everyone was going on about that and the fact that we’d be squeezed into a car driving for hours on end…blah blah blah. It didn’t bother me. Somehow I just knew we’d have a good time.

The guys weren’t wrong about the tight squeeze as all our things only just fit in the boot. They were only staying for one night. What did they have in there!? I don’t know how I managed it but I got to ride shotgun on the way there. Everyone confidently said that I could be the navigator. Ha! These guys obviously know nothing about my sense of direction, or should I say lack thereof. I didn’t mind. I was able to stretch my legs out. It was alright for Angela in the back too as she was stretched out across Joey whilst Oriel gave her a foot massage! Maybe I made the wrong decision.

First stop was petrol, second stop was food. For some reason, the latter thought didn’t cross our minds until part way through our road journey. We stopped off at the next mall and bought enough food for a barbeque as well as lunch for that day.

Angela and I spotted our lunch straight away.

 

Great minds...

 

...eat alike.

All this navigation business was mighty tiring so I have nothing to report about the journey there as I slept through most of it!

 

I've not learnt my lesson from Thailand!

We didn’t have much of a plan. We thought we’d head to the heart of the Blue Mountains at Katoomba, visit the Tourist Information place and let them tell us where to go. It’s what I usually do anyway so I had no problem with that.

Before we reached Katoomba however, we passed road marks for Wentworth Falls and decided to have a little look-see at that. We didn’t think we’d be that long but ended up staying there for a good couple of hours. Obviously if I’d have known that I would have changed into my trusty hiking boots. They’ve been in storage since Fuji-San and could do with a bit of an airing. Instead, me, Angela and Wayne all wore flip-flops (thongs).

 

Ewwww!

The expression on my face is the result of walking in wet mud. At first it was gross. Then it was unbearable. But after a while, it actually felt quite nice. My feet got a nice little mud facial. 

Ange loved it!

Along the walk we saw miniature waterfalls and inlets within the mountains.

 

View from the starting point.

 

 

Rule breakers!

 

I guess it is a nice place to stop and have a rest.

Joey was a bit more daring. Crazy man.

 

 

It wasn’t a comfortable walk but the sight was magnificent. As we looked out through a clearing between the trees, we saw a rainbow reach across Wentworth Falls. It was mesmerising.

 

It was the best photo I could get on my camera.

We finally made it to a clearing to see the falls and this happened.

 

I was still so stubborn as to keep my white flip flops on. That didn't last!

Moments later I got stuck and almost fell arse over tit. It was at this point that I admitted defeat and took my flip flops off. Five minutes later, I put my full weight onto a sharp rock hidden within the sludge. Fuuuuuuu…dgery doo dah, that hurt.

 

I saw this photo and was bloody thankful that I stood on a rock and not this bad boy!

Nice view but I actually got a better view from the other side. I ignored that fact and convinced myself that submerging my feet in mud was worth it.

I think we all had had enough of the mud at this point so headed back to the car. Our next stop was the Three Sisters. My roommate Mel told me the history behind them and I thought there would be more information displayed when we got there but there wasn’t which was a bit disappointing. There are two Aboriginal legends surrounding the origins of the Three Sisters. The first story describes three sisters who fall in love with men from a rival tribe. Unable to marry by tribal law, the men capture the women and a battle ensues. To protect the sisters, a local witchdoctor turns them into stone. Unfortunately, the witchdoctor was killed and couldn't reverse the spell and so the sisters remained this way. An alternate story is a bit more complicated and long winded. In a nut shell, a witchdoctor who was father to three daughters turned them into stone to protect them from a Bunyip (Aboriginal mythological creature). The magic bone which he used to do so was lost during the attack and was never to be found.

  

I was so happy with our day as I saw a lot and the sun stayed out just for us. Travelling around with the others was so easy. There were no egos, no dramas and no indecisiveness. It was just plain easy. I wish I could have stayed longer.

Before I was to leave, the others needed to figure out where they would be kipping for the night. 

 

The guys strongly suggested to sleep here so they'd have shelter if it rained.

But Angela was having none of it. Instead, we found a campsite not too far away. It had amenities! Showers, toilets and plug sockets. I was happy for Angela. 

I sat and watched from the safety of the car as the others set up camp.

 

 

Angela is happy with her one-man-tent.

 

Cosy!

I decided to pass on food and get dropped off at the train station in good time so I wasn’t rushing. I said goodbye to Oriel and Joey. Everyone wanted me to stay which made it harder to leave. I didn’t want to ditch work and leave on a sour note. Wayne drove me and Angela accompanied us as they planned on getting munchies on the way back. I’m not the only one who gets late night sugar cravings then! 

As we set off I checked my phone. I hadn’t looked at it all day as I never get text messages ordinarily. I thought I best text my roommates to let them know I’ve set off. I unlocked my phone and was shocked to see a text message had arrived. I thought it might be from my roommates but it wasn’t…it was from my boss telling me not to bother coming into work the following day! That was awesome news. I could stay after all.

Wayne, Angela and I excitedly stopped off at the local supermarket and got some goodies. Oriel and Joey weren’t even surprised when I came back. They must have known all along that I wouldn’t go.

I may as well eat with everyone now then. We kept things simple and had sausage sarnies with onions and cheese. It was delicious.

The boys in the "kitchen" where they belong. 

Oh nom nom.

 

Oriel tried to freak me out by deep throating a sausage.

It got dark so quickly and I started to shiver. It then dawned on me that I had no overnight things and I didn’t have anything to soak my lenses in. I had spare ones back in Collaroy but if I discarded the ones I had in, then I wouldn’t be able to see anything the next day. Arse.

In the meantime, Oriel kindly gave me his jacket. Wayne said he had a spare sleeping bag I could use too. That’ll do! I’ll just have to chance my lenses. I’ve fallen asleep in them before and they didn’t escape into the back of my head so I hoped that night wouldn’t be any different.

I can’t believe how cold it was. During the day it was blazing sunshine but tonight it was ice cold. We all sat in the only lit place on the campsite, the BBQ area, and bantered until we couldn’t put it off any longer. We split off and went into our tents with the intention of getting a good night’s kip. I just hoped I didn’t freeze overnight.

Wayne had obviously camped a lot as he was all snuggily buggily in his massive sleeping bag and lied on top of a long cushioned mat. Oriel and I looked on in envy as we lied on the ground. Not even my chunky ass could provide a good enough cushion. Oriel again donated a pair of jogger-bottoms. I naively thought he had other sleep-ware as surely no sane person would give away their clothes. Oriel did give away all his clothes. Most people would have handed back the clothes out of guilt. I offered his clothes back but I looked so feeble that he declined. Poor Oriel spent most, if not all, of the night getting soaked by the edge of the tent. As well as the cold, it was raining heavily. I can’t say I was having a better time. I kept dipping in and out from warmth to freezing. It was tiring. My back, arse and hips were yelping in discomfort and then I had the sight of Wayne happy as Larry with his mod-cons, snoring away.

I awoke with the cackle of Angela’s laugh ringing in my ears. I felt groggy but held on to the consolation that I’d be able to sleep in the car. I peered out of the tent and tried to make out my surroundings. The sun was so bright and my eyes were so dry that everything was blurry. I didn’t look too healthy.

 

Duck!

Seeing a family of ducks potter round actually cheered me up. I wasn't fully regenerated but it gave me enough energy to get out of the tent.

The others had said yesterday that they would do a four hour hike around Wentworth Falls. I wasn’t particularly up for that and I thought Angela would feel the same too. We already saw plenty of Wentworth Falls whilst we were there yesterday. I don’t want to do a hike just for the sake of it.

We all got ready at a sluggish pace. Once everything was packed, we paid up and went. Before we had chance to make a final decision on what to do, we needed food. We went to the nearest café and ordered a bacon and egg sarnie. Oriel snarled at the price and said it was too expensive. At $6 I told him that’s half the price of what it is in Sydney. I was that hungry I would have paid double for half. 

The food was good and rejuvenated me enough to actually feel like I could tackle a four hour hike. Instead, we all decided to drive back to Sydney via a longer route and stop off at certain points. 

 

My failed attempt at revenge for the photo Joey took of me asleep.

Our first stop was Govett's Leap. It was pretty brief. Got out the car, went across and had a gander, took a photo and went back to the car.

 

Our second stop took us to the area around Mt. Wilson. Somehow, Wayne managed to manoeuvre the car up a bumpy dirt track to the view point.

Mad man Joey at it again

We all split up and started climbing over rocks and through trees. We had no idea what we were searching for but had good fun leaping about. Joey fell off a ledge and me and Angela screamed. We raced over to see the damage only to find Joey stood on a step just below with a beaming grin on his face. Not funny!

Nice little resting place.

After stretching our legs and enjoying the views, we trudged back to the car. We decided that we had seen enough and ventured on back to the hostel. We all sat in silence, partly due to exhaustion but mainly because Wayne's iPhone had conked out and we had no tunes. I was thinking back to the funny highlights of my trip and pictured the long hot steamy shower that awaited me when I got back. I had such a good time. There were no arguments or tantrums. Everyone got along and everything was easy. We didn't get lost which is a new one on me. We saw a lot without having to spend a lot. Everyone was happy.

We rocked up to the hostel and dragged everything out of the boot. I said I'd see everyone later and skipped to my room. I wasn't sure whether my roommates would be in the room waiting to fire questions at me or out and about somewhere. I opened the door to find them both glued to a laptop. My arrival barely registered with them. With that warm welcome out of the way, I dumped my stuff and announced I was going for a shower to which Mel replied, "Oh. Well we're going to K-Mart to pick up the camping stuff and everything that we need for our trip." Back to reality with a crash!

*Oh yeah. I forgot to mention that we had over 50 slices of chocolate cake left from the Christmas party. We sold half and kept the rest. From that, I reckon I cleared away three quarters of it. Mel and Steff didn’t stand a chance!

A Grand Day Out: Mardi Gras 03/03/2012

Sydney is up there with San Francisco, as being one of the gay capitals of the world. I had no idea. I’ve been holed away up in the Northern Beaches with all the high and mighties. Perhaps this will provide the culture boost I’ve been craving.

I knew people at the hostel were heading out for the parade but I had already been invited by my friend Emma to witness it with her friends. I jumped at the chance to see her as it felt like it had been a while. I would have invited my roommates but they didn’t fancy it. It’s one of a few topics for which they have controversial opinions on. The conversation I had with them when I told them I was going is up there with the ones we’ve had on breast feeding, God (and religion in general) and travelling. We do have a lot of time on our hands so it’s not surprising that we have divisive debates about topics.

They’re not homophobic but feel that Mardi Gras stereotypes gays which they are against. I didn’t let it hold me back from what I wanted to do. I couldn’t wait to see a new side of Sydney.

I didn’t wear fancy dress or don crazy face paint. I just wore something casual and practical as the forecast was rain. I got the bus to the Town Hall (in the city) and met Emma and her boyfriend Matt outside Woolworths. The plan was to get some goodies and have a little picnic. We wanted to ensure we got a decent viewing spot.

As I stood and waited for Emma and Matt, I saw the occasional person walk by with loud outfits on, but I couldn’t tell if that was their sense of style or if it was for the Mardi Gras! Just like Australia Day, I saw photos of what to expect. It was like S&M meets Barbie. I was so excited! I’ve only seen the “cool” side of Australia, where everyone has to look great at all times and for that to look effortless. Again, I wanted to see some madness!

We loaded up on goodies and made our way to a bar to meet Emma and Matt’s friends. Although the streets were busy with people, we could still see spaces for us to sidle into and watch the parade. I’m glad we came in early as I’d hate to be stuck at the back and not being able to see anything. It’s just like at a concert where you pray the people in front aren’t basketball players or sporting a fro (I’ve had that already!).

As we walked down, many of the shops had special displays to represent their support for the Mardi Gras. Rainbow coloured mannequins, rainbow coloured clothing and accessories, rainbow coloured lighting – anything was used to draw attention to their display. A lot of places were selling tat to tourists but everyone was lapping it up. Miniature rainbow flags, rainbow teddies, angel wings, glow sticks…anything and everything, it was here, it was queer and ready to be sold! 

I saved my pennies and walked past the lot.  We met Emma and Matt’s friends and debated whether to watch the parade inside or out on the street. Thankfully Emma and a couple of others were adamant, come rain or shine, we’d be on the street watching the show rather than on a large screen in a crowded bar.

We had a little time to kill before we had to make a move so we stayed for a drink. It was funny playing spot-the-hetro. I looked around and there were leather-clad men to the left of me and random guys wearing lederhosen to the right of me. The latter was a popular choice with men this year. There weren’t too many women in this bar. I laughed as some of Emma’s mates flinched when they saw a couple of guys snogging. I’m not really used to seeing outward displays of affection in that sense either but it’s not something that fazes me.

I had a look round and it seemed that only Matt, Emma and I had bothered to buy goodies. I don’t think the message quite got around that we were going to have a picnic. Oh well, more for us then!

Time marched on and the moment came for us to take our place outside. We only walked a few footsteps across and found the perfect-ish place. There were a couple of people in front of us but it was only a family and we could still see a little bit over the top of them. There were rumours that this was the spot where Kylie would stop and possibly perform a song so, if anything, this was the best place to be. 

The weather was slowly deteriorating but I was hoping it would clear up later…

It didn’t. The rain continued throughout the parade which was an arse. We waited what felt like a lifetime for the parade to start. Emma said it would start at 7pm but things didn’t kick off until 7:45pm. It wasn’t too bad as Emma’s friend found a place that sold crates for $5 each so at least we had a seat.

When the time was right, we stood on our crates and towered over everyone. A-ha! The guys in front also had a parasol-sized umbrella which sort of covered me. It also bashed me in the head on a few occasions but it was better than nothing. I had a waterproof on but, after a few hours of continuous rain, it wouldn’t hold out completely.

A few salsa dancers strutted by. Everyone around me kept banging on about the dykesvis jackets started creating an alternate route with new barriers. We thought we were right at the front and that the acts would be passing right by us but instead, they would pass by around 10 metres in front of us instead which was a bit pants.

The dykes on bikes eventually came and our sight wasn’t impaired too much by the distance. Everyone around me screamed and yelled at them. The atmosphere in the crowds was incredibly uplifting. Everyone was happy and singing along to the music as each float passed. It was pouring with rain but, as every bored cliched reporter would write, it didn't dampen our spirits.

Daring costumes are a must.

The parade was slow-moving to begin with. It was surprising how tiring it was, balancing on a crate and dodging the ends of an umbrella. The lull in the parade was supplemented by the random run-ins within the crowd. People from our group knew people that happened to walk by. Cue hugs, air kisses, the lot. Soon, Matt joined us and came bearing gifts.

 

These little guys were handed out at the bar we were in earlier.

Soon enough, the parade was in full swing and I loved it! The street came alive with colour and jumping music.

Even Google got in on the act.

I was gutted that I didn’t manage to take any closer photos of the floats and groups that passed by. It wasn’t just the parade that my eyes were drawn to. Behind us was a group of drunks who were messing around with a plastic knife. I saw one drag queen dressed in skin-tight PVC with the tiniest of waists. Accompanying her on a leash was a smaller guy with blonde spikey hair and PVC hot pants. Nothing else. Just the hot pants. There was another guy wearing an outfit just made out of large polystyrene balls. Many dared to wear Lady Gaga inspired heeless platform wedges. Mardi Gras was certainly a feast for the eyes!

Speaking of, I saw a lot more than I bargained for when I went back to the bar I was in earlier. Emma's friend - also called Danielle - and I needed the toilet so we went to use the ones in the bar. The queue for the ladies was quite long but there was no queue for the mens. One guy signalled us over and told us to use the mens - "It's Mardi Gras. We're all equal today." I was pretty desperate so ducked in the mens toilets. The place was empty. The place stank so I wasn't wanting to hang about. I didn't realise that after I went inside, a few guys came in to use the urinals. All I kept hearing was, "I'm too nervous. I can't go." When I came out, I was greeted by blushing cheeks...and two bare arses. Ha!

As the parade wore on, more and more people collected behind me and edged forward to find a better view. As it was raining, everyone had umbrellas up which obviously impinged certain people’s views. Someone was stood on part of my crate and I ended up crouched and huddled, fighting to see the parade. 

By this point, I have to admit that I did grow a little bored. The rain didn’t affect the crowd but the participants in the parade looked a little subdued. Some danced whilst others just walked with an umbrella in one hand and a placard in another. I’m not sure if it’s like this every year, but this parade was very politically motivated. I thought it was a celebration but it looked like a fight to gain equal rights in Australia. Gay marriage is not recognised in Australia. Many groups held banners and placards with different slogans but the same message. It felt more like a protest march than a parade.

As if the guardians of fate had been listening in on my thoughts, we had to leave. Emma wasn’t feeling well at all. After throwing up on a guy’s shoe and collapsing, it was time to go. I’m not sure what made Emma feel so ill. Earlier we helped a girl who had collapsed and looked dehydrated. It must be a popular occurrence at the Mardi Gras!

We went to another bar in the city and sat down for a little bit. It was getting late and I knew I had an early start the next day. Emma and Matt got up to leave and I followed them. We got in a taxi which dropped me off near the bus stop which was handy.

I got back to the hostel in good time. I was expecting more from the parade but I still had a fantastic time. I actually saw a side of Australia I liked that day.