Sarah made the decision to go back to Collaroy and everyone was in shock. When I was told the news I didn’t feel anything as I knew that no matter what I said, Sarah’s decision was final. It’s a big deal to get up and leave a group mid-trip so I doubt a few nice words would have made her change her mind.
Travelling with a group of people isn’t a decision that should be taken lightly. I’ve been on trips with girls who were my friends and came across problems and drama so travelling with practical strangers is always a risk. Mel, Steff and I are like family and, despite the odd quarrel, still remain close no matter what. Sarah was a newcomer and it’s the hardest role to slot into. Sarah also had the least amount of money. Before Sarah came into the mix, I was the one with the least amount of money. My good friend Emma warned me that this could cause problems later on down the line when some people want to do activities or go to places that are out of another person’s budget range. But sometimes the unexpected can get in the way. You can be the best of friends but living or travelling together brings out the neuroses in everyone whether you like it or not. Some bond and some hate the very presence of someone. There’s not a lot you can do if you don’t get on with someone.
I’ve surprised myself with how many different types of people I can get along with. I don’t mean this in a condescending way. It’s more the fact that I usually stick with people who have similar personalities to me or are pretty laid back. This is partly to avoid conflict but also to almost guarantee that I’d get along with them. I hate time wasters, fake people, liars and two faced idiots. You’d think that people would grow out of these immature traits but you’d be surprised. The thing is, you can have similar personalities, be from the same area and know the same people but in an enclosed environment even the seemingly nice people can change. It’s almost like seeing them with fresh eyes. You can’t predict it either; it’s a risk you take. I’ve seen it happen to other people and have witnessed it myself many times.
If anything, a major change like this would be best off happening early on in the trip. Mel, Steff and I have been together (on and off) since Phuket. We may bicker, have our differences and do things that one of us doesn't agree with, but despite this, we are incredibly close. Now that Sarah has left, it’s almost like a relief as awful as that sounds. It feels like nothing else majorly disruptive can happen now. Anything negative that would occur will be tackled by all three of us collectively. In a sense, we’re stronger now. I don’t feel like I need to worry about how I’m being or how everyone else is feeling. I already know that!
With that set of philosophising aside, we still had the rest of the day. After yesterday’s antics, I was ready for a chilled out day. We couldn’t think of much else to do activity-wise in Coffs Harbour but Steff knew exactly what he wanted to do – go karting. The boy is obsessed! He went to a place in Phuket that had souped up carts and drove around like a nut case. In Australia however, it’s not as mighty but the price surely is. He paid $55 for 20 minutes. Mad.
Mel and I weren’t interested so waited by the side and tried to take photos.
...and failed. I did say try!
Steff thinks he looks like this...
When in actual fact he looked like this...
Nice gloves Steff!
I am cheeky I know! I get ribbed all the time so this is tame in comparison. I got full beam lights on me whilst going to the toilet a few days ago, this is nothing!
It looked pretty boring. I’d have to be racing someone for me to feel truly excited about driving around in wiggly circles. Steff seemed happy though so Mel and I shrugged and left.
That happiness didn’t last long. Today was the worst for The Steffan Syndrome. I coin this term as Steff is the only person I have ever met that can lose something within seconds of you handing him something. I could give him a key, a minute later I’ll ask him for it and it’s disappeared. It sounds funny, and for the most part it is, but it sure as hell creates a lot of needless stress. I know how worked up I get when I lose something. I have visions of me tearing my room apart looking for my birth certificate or driving papers. The thing is, my room is a tip so it’s not surprising that I lose things in the mountain of mess that I have. We’re bleedin’ backpackers. We don’t have that much stuff to lose and if we do, we only have two places to look. The car or the tent!
Firstly Steff lost his bank card so Mel and I had to chip together to pay for his go karting. It turns out he left it at the petrol station. Steff then lost his wallet so many times that I can’t actually remember. It was always at the time when we were about to set off and do something so everything had to be dropped to find it. Mel and I would be panicking for him as all his money and cards would be gone. Now, we just roll our eyes and sit back as Steff runs around mumbling to himself and trying to re-enact his previous movements. He is extremely lucky in a sense as I have countlessly returned his wallet and phone to him after he abandoned them. So have other people. However he has misplaced two pairs of flip flops, a hoody and a hooded cardigan. So far it has been items that are easily replaceable!
My next surprise came when we visited the mall and bought the best curry I’ve had in Australia for dinner. It was beautiful. On the way back to the camp site we stopped off at a drive-thru bottle shop. We each bought a mixed fruit cider to accompany the tasty curry. It was a perfect evening meal.
A last minute decision was made to go to the cinema out of boredom. We hadn’t been to the cinema for such a long time. Hunger Games was the only film we knew that was out. We had a couple of hours before the showing and Mel chose this time to sort through her clothes. It was yet another culling session. About 70% of Mel’s clothes are newly bought here so you can imagine how hard it was to do this. I have no idea how Mel is going to get all her stuff home! Not that I can really talk! Checking in for my flight to New Zealand is going to be interesting!
*****
As I settled down on my air bed, I started to think about the next stop. I’ve heard brilliant things about Byron Bay so I was happily dreaming of how the next day might unfold. That was until our tent got attacked by screeching bats. It was an eerie moment as one after another flew into our tent. Ok, it wasn’t an attack per se. I don’t think the bats purposefully flew into our tent, but still…weird. I’m getting to witness a wide spectrum of the natural world in Australia and I’m not sure yet whether that’s a good thing!
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