Cackling Madmen

Note: When I can upload them, the photos from Sydney will be found in the album to the right titled, “Australia: Sydney and Surrounds.” Photos from my trip north to (and including) Byron Bay will be found in “Australia: Up to Byron Bay.” Warning: They won’t be captioned yet!

• Wednesday, 2 March: Slept in, yay! Had a slow morning showering, eating breakfast, computing, separating dirty laundry from clean; went to the Chatswood mall with Maya, got a few essentials from Target, including a bikini and some licorice; back to Maya’s place; relaxed the evening away on my own; met Maya’s mother and watched Millionaire Matchmaker with her.
• Thursday, 3 March: Hitched a ride with Maya on her way to work; walked from her bar (just north of bridge) through Clarke Park’s gardens and met strange but helpful guy to find my way out; meandered to the Sydney Bridge, aka “The Coathanger”; met Joan there and walked with her through The Rocks and the Sydney Opera House; went to Sydney library for internet and lunch; visited NSW Art Museum; wandered back towards bridge via the Royal Botanical Gardens; met Maya at a rooftop bar in The Rocks; went to Argyle Bar for amazing cocktails; had seafood mixer and pizza dinner out; briefly visited historic building with below-floor city model; took train back to Maya’s.
•   Friday, 4 March: Got a ride with Maya to Balmoral, got coffee and sat on beach and chatted for awhile; then she dropped me at another beach and I hiked along to Manly beach, stopping at various deserted beaches along the way; made it to Manly, crowded but fun feel; had Turkish wrap for a mid-day meal; eventually caught ferry back to Sydney Harbour; met Maya and went with her and her busker earnings to a bank; wandered across town and another harbour to the Sydney CS gathering; met many interesting and fun people; took bus back to Maya’s around 1am.
• Saturday, 5 March: Gray day; went to Italian neighborhood with Maya; wandered on my own; had a canoli and tea for breakfast; expensive risotto, so-so, with wine that made my cold come back; caught a bus to Glebe, visited bookstore and bought “Alaska,” and went to a “funk market",” bought two wallets; eventually made my way back to Maya’s; lazed away the evening, missing Mardi Gras because of cold/flu feeling overwhelming my energy.
• Sunday, 6 March: Woke up grumpy; too gray to do Bondi to Coogee walk as planned; went to the mall; spent entire day in Chatswood being grumpy; ended evening feeling better when I bought plane tickets, made plans and got a call from needaride.com.au guy.
• Monday, 7 March: Said good-bye to Maya and parents; visited Chatswood mall again, dropped hard drive at techie’s, bought USB storage drive, and a few essentials; took broken drive back to Maya’s and computed until Pascal called to meet me at the mall; packed up and walked; got in van with Pascal and motored all day; got pulled over and breathalyzed; parked in free parking area for the night.
• Tuesday, 8 March: Quick breakfast at nearby cafe, then motored all the way up to Byron Bay; gray day, not very beach-y but hot when we got to Byron; checked in to Aquarius; went to beach and read book; got “free” dinner at backpacker; chilled out.

Decompression time in Sydney was massively productive. I did many (but not all) of the touristy things to do there: hike to Manly (superb, although Manly was too crowded for me), check. Walk across the Sydney Bridge, check. View the Sydney Opera House from many viewpoints, check. Visit the New South Wales Museum of Art, check. Explore the Royal Botanical Gardens, check. Take a ferry to Sydney Harbor, check. Sleep, eat, drink, do laundry, socialize and even party a little, check. Have good days and bad, double check.

Maya was a wonderful host, just as I’d remembered her from the Tongariro Crossing, and subsequent adventures, in New Zealand.

Maya: 24-year-old Australian slightly shorter than me; trombone busker by day, bartender cum Bingo-caller by… well, night and other days. Funky, funny, loves to tell stories of her travels adventuring around the world. Personable and self-proclaimed late bloomer just recently interested in being a girl. All around awesome chick.

When she could, she showed me around and told me some of the Australian or Sydney lore she knew about. Her parents were friendly and helpful and very welcoming. This was a comfortable and easy Couchsurf where I could relax and totally waste away a day or two if I wanted. And I did. My five days in Sydney were just lazy enough and just touristy enough to give me a break!

Next up, my first try at hitching a ride via the Internet.

Have you ever heard the sound of a kookaburra? It’s a kind of bird in Australia which is utterly maddening to hear, especially when there are a lot of them talking to each other. At times they sound like small shrieking children, at times like cackling madmen. When Pascal and I pulled over to enjoy a beach view and some pasta for dinner, we parked under some beautiful trees and set out the camp chairs. As we waited for the water to boil, birds swooped into the branches over our heads and began … cackling like madmen. There were at least four or five going at once and it made me laugh and then cringe, then laugh again. The raucous noise is truly disturbing!

Pascal Kern: 22-year-old Australian-Swiss party boy. Short, stocky smoker with longish hair pushed back. Both ears pierced and studded with thick black rings, wonderful eyes girls everywhere swoon for. Most of the way through a visit to his birth country in which he has driven the east coast north then south three times. Recently single. Posted an ad on www.needaride.com.au for people to join him and help defray costs of a drive up to Byron Bay.

The last two days did not go at all as I had envisioned. From one e-mail and one phone conversation with Pascal, I foresaw a four to five day, leisurely drive up the east coast, stopping at beaches, sunning, relaxing. I expected cheap, as I understood that Pascal just wanted help with petrol. Oh, and I’d expected a campervan. In the end, we arrived at Byron Bay approximately twenty-seven hours after we’d left Sydney. In the end, I spent $160 Australian and less than two days in the van. We got along all right, but Pascal’s plans changed hours after we left Sydney and I didn’t see a single place on the way that I’d hoped to see. The campervan? A cleared out Ford van with a mattress in the back.

My own fault, really. I should learn from this to clarify, specify and confirm expectations and plans before getting into a van. We parted on decent terms, and he even gave me a sleeping bag and all the food we had shared the cost for.

Now I’m in Byron Bay and not really sure what’s next. I expect to stay here for a few days and nights, maybe do a short hike up to the lighthouse, enjoy the beautiful beach, and possibly take a surfing lesson or two. Then it’ll take a bus ride up to Surfer’s Paradise, where I’ll catch a plane on Sunday to Cairns. I’m sending out Couch requests now…

--Z