Just a Few Days ‘til Bali

 

Today I had a good think down by the Darwin waterfront, which is not a terribly impressive place but it is one that was quiet. In fact, I wasn’t by the part of the waterfront that is frequented, the Wave Lagoon or tiny sectioned off beach area, surrounded by little restaurants and chatchki shops. I was on a lovely little footpath that honored women of Darwin. This footpath led to The Deckchair, an open air movie theater that is closed, understandably, for the wet season. Behind that, though, is a border of large rocks, beyond which is water. Again, not a pretty beach or anything, but it was quiet and only a few straggling wanderers like myself were around.

I pondered, looking out at the water, beyond the murky and littered mudflats closest to me. I’ve been feeling restless, which most likely has to do with the fact that I’ve been sick and lacking in energy. But this restlessness made me want to stop and think, and here’s what I came up with.

First, I’m ready to leave Australia. For whatever reasons, it just hasn’t struck me like other countries I’ve visited. Perhaps it’s just that I’m ready to go back to “foreign” places; or that I am tiring of travel; or that this cold thing has drained me for long enough that I couldn’t enjoy anyplace. I know the cost of things has kept my mood down a bit, especially here in Darwin. Doing a guided trip to Kakadu National Park, the “must-see” here, would be slightly less than $200 AUD per day. I just can’t make myself spend that. I did splurge for a one day tour to Lichfield, though, which will hopefully be worth the $120. That will be how I spend my last day in Australia!

The one experience I’ve thoroughly enjoyed in Darwin was a visit to a local art gallery. The owner came to talk to me about the Aboriginal art he was showing and selling, which was primarily northern and central Australian tribe artwork. He professed himself to be a lover of Aboriginal art and told me about his history with it: growing up an area where he could mix freely with Aboriginals; choosing to remain there when the rest of his family moved away, at age 17; and learning about traditions and beliefs and thought patterns. He showed me how he saw some of the art on his walls, how they reflected ceremonies he’d seen, or how lines were used a specific way. There were downsides to his spiel as well, including how awful his competitors were compared to him and a rather unsatisfactory response, given his history, to my question of why no Aboriginals seemed to own or work in any of the galleries. I’ve been to several and they’re all owned by white people, possibly well-intentioned and doing good for the community, but absolutely no Aboriginals in sight. It was a great learning experience, however, and I felt like I got a tiny glimpse into some of the meanings and representations of the Aboriginal art shown in this guy’s shop.

The second subject with which I racked my brain was my future. No, I wasn’t worrying or fretting about it. But coming across various cultures and universal world issues – poverty, natural disasters, unequal living/working conditions for those of various degrees of society or background – has made me realize that I want to be involved in helping, somehow. I know that I need more education on a variety of issues. And I need to determine my own stance and opinions on many things as well. On the other hand, I know that the next thing I would like to do with myself is to help people. Today, at least, the idea that most appealed was to learn to be part of an emergency response team. You know, like organizations that go out and help at natural disaster sites. I am good at organizing and leading and physical work. I think that this would be ideal for me. I just don’t know how, exactly, to get started.

It’s funny how timing works out. Just the other night, I was talking to a dorm-mate from England, and she thought I should check with the Red Cross and see what job opportunities they would have for me. Duh! That’s a simple answer, isn’t it? Another idea we talked about was perhaps teaching English somewhere that I would also like to volunteer. Somewhere like Cambodia, where I could probably find many places to volunteer (orphanages, NGOs, etc) and where I know I could teach English as well. As a side note, later that night our room was broken into and the English girl’s bags were stolen. I spent three hours helping her figure out how to handle it, from going to the police, reviewing the backpacker’s video footage, canceling her credit cards and figuring out how to get cash to sustain her. Talk about emergency response!

And the third thing that I philosophized upon this afternoon was whether I was tired of traveling. Can’t say I came up with an answer, really, but in general, I think not. It’s just time to move on and change my surroundings. I’m really looking forward to Bali, where I have a Couchsurfer ready to host me for my first few days. It struck me that I haven’t taken many pictures in the last week or so… none in Darwin, although my Lichfield trip tomorrow should change that. Also, my dirty laundry bag is getting bigger than my clean clothes bag. Lastly, and perhaps most telling, I’ve finished the last part of one book along with two other (notably easy reading) books, in the last four days. I’m experiencing the mid-year-travel weariness, all right!

Before writing this blog entry, I double-checked my next several flight bookings. So I can’t be too tired of travel, because I’m looking forward to what’s next: Bali, Singapore and Nepal! I also spent some time reading e-mails from some good friends, which were wonderful to get. Sometimes hearing the news in other people’s lives is a good way to relax and get away from my current situation, whether it’s good, bad or indifferent. So keep the e-mails coming, people! I want to hear from YOU!

--Z

The Unexpected

• Saturday, 12 March: Woke up early, snoozed; had free breakfast, went to beach, took surfing lesson with four others on nine foot softy boards, managed to stand a few times!; had lunch at the room, swam in the pool, computed, read book; went back to the beach, swam, sunned; grocery shopped for healthy dinner, got lots of fruit; hung out with English roommate for the evening.
• Sunday, 13 March: Up early, packed, breakfast; caught a cab with another girl heading to the airport; easy flight to Cairns; got a ride from Gilligan’s backpacker van from airport to the backpacker; got cheapest dorm room; walked around with Hina, Japanese girl I met on the bus; grocery shopped; to bed around 11pm, with music thumping; still thumping, but louder, at 2:30am.
• Monday, 14 March: Up early to pack and head to the piers; got on Osprey V and met two German girls who I hung out with much of the day; did intro dive, then certified dive with a guide; lots of snorkeling; great day on the boat and Great Barrier Reef; made myself dinner back at Gilligan’s; no thumpy music but a loud interruption at 1:30am by security.
• Tuesday, 15 March: Woke up feeling a cold attacking; went on Captain Matty’s Barefoot Tours Tabletop waterfall tour; gray day but many pretty waterfalls; very tired and feeling poorly most of the day; switched backpackers when we got back late in the evening; two nice English girls, Amy and Haley, in my $10, four-bed, quiet room.
• Wednesday, 16 March: Forced myself to stay in bed most of the day; went out only twice, to use free internet and find a new book to read at a used book store, and to eat free dinner at a nearby restaurant; to bed fairly early.
• Thursday, 17 March: Got up, packed and ate breakfast fairly early; checked out; used internet; caught airport shuttle to the airport, caught flight to Darwin, everything went smoothly; checked in to Chilli’s backpacker; wandered a bit around town and had a quiet evening, not feeling so hot; exchanged books at another hostel.
• Friday, 18 March: Skyped with parents; visited two Aboriginal art galleries; had a nice vegetarian lunch out; napped in the afternoon; helped roommate color her hair; soaked in the “spa,” a cool water jet tub at Chilli’s; another quiet day and evening.

The last few weeks have been a real mix of good and not so great, of sunny days and rainy days, and of experiences both exciting and dull. There are two particular “Oh!” moments that stand out, though, and that is what I’ll write about today.

THUMPS IN THE NIGHT

Gilligan’s, a backpacker in Cairns, had been mentioned to me by a girl I stayed with in Coolangatta, so it was where I went first thing upon arriving. I was able to snag a $17 per night ten-bed dorm, the cheapest they had, so I was happy. Having gotten up fairly early that morning, I decided to turn in early and was in bed by 10:30pm. Gilligan’s is not just a backpacker, but a club and a restaurant and a tour organizer. So I wasn’t surprised, then, when I could feel the bass from the club music reverberating through the floor. It was a bit shocking that, on the top bunk, I could feel the metal bars of my bed vibrating, but I was able to fall asleep around 11pm.

At two thirty in the morning, I woke up abruptly, sucking in my breath as some shock I couldn’t quite place. It took me several seconds of my brain repeating, “What the…?”, but then I understood what had awoken me: they’d turned up the volume, and the the bass, in the club, which turned out to be directly underneath this room. As I lay there somewhat dazed, I could feel my legs shaking in time with the beat. I had a bottle of water in the corner of my bed and I watched as it rippled constantly. Still half asleep, I thought, “Oh! Who needs that much bass?!” It may or may not surprise some of you to know that I fell back asleep after a few minutes.

BATS

Sometimes just walking around a neighborhood can be a fun way to explore. As I ambled towards the public library in Cairns’ downtown area, I came across a lovely huge tree, whose trunk seemed to made of twining and twisting roots. It was huge and turned out to really be two trees of the same kind of trunk, whose canopies had mixed and tangled, creating a huge umbrella of leaves. As I admired it, I became aware of the chirping and screeching of what I took to be birds, a huge cacophony of noise going on and on. As I followed the path of the trunk with my eyes, though, I realized that there were several large things hanging from the branches. No, not several: dozens, maybe hundreds! All of the sudden, I realized what they were and said out loud, “Oh! They’re bats!” And they were. Huge bats. Creepy, vampire-like bats. All these bundles of bodies, wings tightly wrapped about them, hung upside-down from the various branches of this huge, twisty tree. In the late afternoon light, they were clearly defined shapes once I knew what they were. I got the chills just watching them twitch and realizing that the shrill shrieks were theirs.

Just two hours later, as I was walking back to Gilligan’s, I looked up and saw a trail of bats flying by, their dark, hooked wings, furry big bodies and little feet trailing after all visible against the darkening sky. On and on the stream went, with chitterings and shrieks accompanying the creepy sight. I hurried on my way, feeling slightly apprehensive as I glanced occasionally up at the sky to see the gliding bodies soaring past. I gave a good dramatic shudder.

--Z

Eighth Floor Ruminations

Note: No new pictures yet… but check back in the “Australia: Up the East Coast” album periodically because that’s where I’ll put pictures until I get to Cairns (Sunday).

• Thursday, 10 March: Went to the beach and alternately swam and tanned for a few hours; did 3.8km loop hike around peninsula head up to Byron Bay Lighthouse, stopping to watch dolphins and surfers along the way; lunch at the lighthouse, met Canadian and Australian couples and chatted; ventured back to Aquarius backpacker and showered, rested, ate lunch; wandered around town; realized that I’d lost my spare 4-Gig camera memory card; retraced previous day’s steps to see if I could find it, no luck; mood turned sour; had “free” dinner at backpacker and met a few girls to play trivia with, which cheered me up; flirted with a couple stupid Australian boys; went to bed feeling mildly better.
• Friday, 11 March: Had breakfast out, poached eggs and toast, fruit salad with yoghurt and muesli, yum!; checked out, bought cheap bus ticket and waited around until the bus came; two hour trip to Tweed Heads, which is just a few minutes walk from Coolangatta, where a travel organizer at Aquarius recommended a slightly upscale backpacker; after wandering a bit, I found it and was pleasantly surprised; all-girl’s six-bed dorm room very nice, huge balcony looking out on clear blue ocean beach; met a few roommates, ate lunch, went to the beach with one of them; a few hours later we came back and spent the evening chilling out in the common area, computing and chatting. Mood much improved.

Amazing how a little distance can help improve one’s mood, isn’t it? This morning, I was disgruntled still at the loss of a few items in Byron Bay: my sunglasses, which I’d managed to forget about wearing when swimming in the ocean; and a four Gig spare memory card for my camera, which I’ve been carrying around in my pocket for months and planned to put somewhere safe… soon. As I' did yesterday, I retraced my steps from the past few days and asked at every establishment I’d been in whether they’d found it. No luck.

Once on the $11 bus to Tweed Heads, however, I felt like I could breathe. Byron Bay was just not the right place for me and whatever dark clouds I’d gathered around me from the beginnings of my trip north just wouldn’t be scattered while I was there. Amongst the young party crowd at the Aquarius (the backpacker I stayed at) and the trendy surfer crowd streaming through the rest of town, I couldn’t seem to feel comfortable. I stuck my nose into the pages of my book and rarely came up for air. Even the beach didn’t cheer me up, which is saying quite a bit!

Having chosen the bus to Tweed Heads was just the first of several decisions I made today that improved my situation and mood. The travel desk lady at Aquarius had told me that the best bus for me would be a $24 bus to Coolangatta, which is the town where my flight leaves from on Sunday. Luckily, I recalled that at the travel information center in town, there had been a sign for an $11 bus to Tweed Heads. I looked at a map and found that the two were walking distance from each other, so I ignored the Aquarius lady. Ding, point for me!

Another decision that turned out to be a very good one was to, oddly, listen to the Aquarius lady when it came to backpacker recommendations in Coolangatta. Brochure in hand, I toted all my gear plus a bag of food up one street and, when I realized that the street I wanted was parallel, back down the correct street. I was about to give up on the Kommune Beach Resort and Club when suddenly, there it was in front of me. It looked a bit posh and doubtfully I went inside, asked the price, and decided to splurge by paying $5 more per night than usual. The decision to look for, and then pay for, a spot in a six-bed girl’s dorm at Kommune parted those dark clouds. I got a room on the eighth floor, facing the beautiful beach just meters from the back door of the place. Although three bunk beds are crammed into what should be a small guest bedroom, the rest of the place is great. Basically, it’s a converted hotel room, complete with a kitchen (but weirdly incomplete because there’s no stove, microwave or toaster; there is a fridge, though), bathroom, washer and living room area. Oh, and a lovely balcony on which I can (and did) sit and gaze out at the water.

While not a decision, a third factor which has helped me blow those dark clouds into oblivion is that my roommates are mature, friendly and NOT partiers… at least, not for the time being. So far I have met an English girl, a French girl and a Canadian girl. I think that’s all of us, though I could be wrong.

Anyway, I’m feeling immensely better than when I last wrote, which is such a relief. Reflecting, I can find many reasons for my funk which lasted for quite awhile, although there were brief reprieves:

1. Traveling might be wearing me out. I list this one first not because I think it’s most likely, but because it scares me the most. Honestly, I’m not ready to go home yet. But I always keep in mind that this “year of travel” doesn’t have to be a year. It can end whenever I want… and stretch as long as I have the desire (and funds) to continue. There’s so much more I want to see: Bali is beckoning, a cultural and exotic island paradise; Nepal with its treks and complete change of atmosphere, food and locale; Israel where I’ll meet my parents; Turkey with its beauty and mysteriousness; and beyond. Anyway, in my heart I don’t want this adventure to be over yet. Sometimes I worry, though, that mentally and maybe even physically, I won’t be able to last.

2. Restlessness from not having any responsibilities. To some, this will sound silly, but given the fact that I’ve had a job and mission for the past eight years to throw myself into, and that for the past five months I’ve had absolutely no responsibilities besides ensuring the correct visas for whatever country I was in or going to, well… I think it’s understandable. Also, at various times throughout my travels different mediums have made me realize that I could do so much to help people if I just found the right field to throw myself into. The poverty and corruption in Cambodia; the natural disasters in Thailand and New Zealand; even the badly made film about land disputes in Latin America made me feel mad and then confused as to how I could contribute. So part of this restlessness, I’m sure, stems from the fact that I want to find my next purpose, or calling, or drive in life. Teaching English as a foreign language in some foreign country would be great for me; but I want to feel like what I do next is great for other people.

3. Budget concerns. Australia ain’t cheap, at least not for me, at the moment. The US dollar is worth less than the Australian dollar and to me, Australia’s prices for everyday things is incredibly high: two eggs and toast, $12; fresh bananas, $9.99 per kilogram; books, $28 for paperbacks; and so on. Of course, I’m running through touristy towns. But even traveling up the east coast has emptied my bank account a bit. I figure for my three weeks on mainland Australia I will have spent as much as my six weeks on both islands in New Zealand. And while overall, I’m still staying below my planned budget for this trip, it hurts when I spend over $600 purely on internal travel in Australia (airline tickets, bus tickets, petrol, etc).

4. Realization of bad planning, weather-wise. Originally I’d envisioned getting to Eastern Europe around June/July timeframe, spending two weeks apiece in several countries before heading to Western Europe. I now realize that two weeks per country is ridiculous, but am reluctant to delete any countries from my list. This would be all right, if autumn and then winter didn’t follow summer. As it stands, my itinerary is fairly fixed for the next few months: end of March to mid-April, Bali; mid-April to mid-May, Nepal; mid-May to mid- or end of June, Israel. I have struck Egypt from the itinerary for obvious reasons. So after Israel, I’ll head to Turkey, assuming I’ll spend the month of July there. Next up were Romania, Hungary, Austria and the Netherlands, but if I give each a month, that takes me well into winter (November). Even if I plan only three weeks apiece, that’s October. And I’m not interested in spending winter in someplace cold. What to do? I’m considering possibilities like southern Italy, where I may be able to visit and stay with Maria, whom I met in New Zealand. Or perhaps head directly to Spain and stay in Andalusia, the southern part, which reputedly stays warm. I’ve even toyed with the idea of heading back to Asia and visiting Laos and spending more time in Thailand. In any case, I anticipate that my travels will last later than originally anticipated (Oct 2011).

5. Things getting lost or broken. I’ve been quite bad about this lately. Since New Zealand, I’ve lost about a dozen things and broken at least two. I have a habit of rushing and whenever that happens, I forget something. Time to slow down, think about things and take stock. And actually, this probably isn’t a reason for my mood… it’s probably a result. In any case, hopefully I can take things a little more slowly and keep my mind clear so that I don’t have to buy new things (which leads to worries in #3).

Anyway, regarding the dark clouds, I’m sure they’ll visit me again for these or new reasons. Hopefully I’ll have the sense and the ability to simply move, or sleep, or treat myself to something nice, in order to help dispel them and remember that I AM on an adventure of my own choosing. And therefore, I should do whatever I need to in order to enjoy my time and not fret.

Someone remind me of that next time I write glum posts, ok?!

--Z

Out of Place in Byron Bay

Note: I have captioned the pictures in “Australia: Sydney and Surrounds,” and uploaded and captioned the pictures in “Australia: Up the East Coast.”

• Wednesday, 9 March: Borrowed a boogie board and went to beach in the morning; spent a few hours alternately sunbathing, reading and swimming; dark clouds sent me back to hostel; showered, had lunch, drank a hard cider, read; wandered around town; attended afternoon session of Byron Bay Film Festival, viewing three Latin American pieces, 2 shorts and one hour-long; bought Great Barrier Reef day trip; had “free” dinner at backpacker; chilled out for the evening.

Byron Bay is a party and surf scene. While the people at my backpacker are nice, with several Japanese girls in my dorm room, I know that it’s not really the right place for me. I’ve heard there’s an artsy place nearby, where they have didgeridoo lessons amongst other perks, and even though it’ll be $14 more expensive I may check it out for tomorrow night.

Today was a lazy day for me. I think I’m fighting something off, maybe the cold which started creeping up on me in Sydney. I feel tired and lackadaisical, with a slight headache threatening a various parts of the day. The bar downstairs is blaring music and the DJ is screaming bingo numbers into his microphone. I’m going to be that annoying girl who goes to bed at 9pm in a ten bed dorm, but oh well.

One of the things I managed to get myself to today was an afternoon session of the Byron Bay Film Festival. I saw four Latin American films, of which the first three were cute and enjoyable, and the fourth serious. First there was "Manual Practico Del Amigo Imaginario,” a twenty-minute film about a twenty-something guy who has an imaginary friend. It was well done, including bits where his imaginary friend Captain Kiloton speaks at a convention of unemployed imaginary friends.

The second film was a little too cutesy for me, about a guy who sees a mermaid and becomes enraptured by her, turning from being a failed drug runner to a world champion swimmer. The ending was very predictable. The third, “El Cortejo,” was a lovely love story about a gravedigger and the flower-bringing widower. Very sweet.

Finally, there was the hour long film, “Land,” about the land development of Nicaragua. The Americans portrayed were greedy and evil, or cow-pokey, or a bit crazy. I would have enjoyed the film if it had been more chronological. It tried to be a documentary but, like Michael Moore’s “Capitalism: A Love Story,” it never coalesced and seemed to follow a string of thoughts linear only in the mind of the authors and directors.

I realize that this blog entry is a bit scattered. It’s a bit indicative of my mood (varied, but tired), I suppose… perhaps tomorrow will bring better weather, better health and possibly a surfing lesson, if I decide to splurge!

--Z

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

Tastes of Tasmania

Note: I’ve added the last of my Tasmania pictures to the album, “Australia: Tastes of Tasmania” and am working on captioning all the pictures there.

• Thursday, 24 Feb: Up at 8am; cooked breakfast and got out of the camping area by 10:30am; Joan did Mt. Amos walk while Jordi and I lazed at the van; drove to east coast to see a lighthouse; drove up to Apsley State Park and did a walk to the gorge, swimming in fresh, cold water; drove to St. Helen’s in the rainy dusk, passing the town and finding a campsite to hunker down at, heating up instant soups for dinner.
• Friday, 25 Feb: Up at 7:30am and fed and clothed and leaving by 9:30am; headed for the Bay of Fires and started the day with a beautiful meander around the Gardens lookout, which sported powder-white sand and gorgeous cerulean waters, boulders and orange algae; next stop was Cozy Corner campsite, which we’d heard mentioned several times; this led us to the beach area there, where we spent over an hour each wandering our own ways; I clambered over rocks, waded in crystal clear waters and daydreamed; then drove to another hiking point, but I only did a short walk before reading and taking a nap; took free hot showers in St. Helen’s; drove to Columba Falls, short twenty minute walk through rainforest; drove to Scotsdale and parked in free campervan lot; loud party nearby, shrieking karaoke.
• Saturday, 26 Feb: Drove to Launceston, found info center and library; internet for an hour (bought Melb-Syd ticket!) and then back to van to find a parking ticket (we hadn’t paid the meter); went to Cataract Gorge and hiked around; Jordie went swimmning, Joan and I had a cafe snack and wandered around; paid parking ticket, went grocery shopping, headed for Cradle Mountain; once there, did three quick hikes: Pencil Pine and Knyvet Falls, King Billy Walk and Enchanged Walk; parked near the tavern; had a drink and played trivia; eventually drove to visitor’s center and parked there for the night.
• Sunday, 27 Feb: Got up, fed ourselves, made lunches and took off for the free Cradle Mountain shuttle; condescending lady ranger advised against doing the summit hike; Jordie got off one stop early, which Joan and I discovered when we got off at the Dove Lake stop; decided to hike to Marion’s Lookout since clouds ringed Cradle summit; from there, hiked to summit and back; then did part of Face Track, skinny-dipped in Lake Willis; and did part of the Dove Lake walk back to the car park; met Jordie back at the van; decided to drive to Queenstown, where we parked in front of a church, cooked dinner and slept.
• Monday, 28 Feb: Drove to Lake St. Claire, stopping at Nelson Falls and the Gordon River suspension bridge on the way; hiked with Joan along the Larmairremener tabelti, an Aboriginal culture walk, as well as Platypus Bay (didn’t see any) before stopping to sun, read and eat lunch on a small beach; walked back to van to relax.
• Tuesday, 1 Mar: Drizzling when we woke up; drove to Wild Things Wildlife Sanctuary but it was closed; then to Hobart; went up to the top of Mt. Wellington, where it was snowing; halfway down, some gorgeous views; cleaned the campervan, dropped everyone off at their hostels and drove up to Sorrel to return it; went to library, internetted, got a ride to the airport; easy flight to Sydney; met Maya at the airport and stayed at her place.

 

For the past eight days, I’ve been motoring around Tasmania and taking in its landscapes, critters and beaches. It’s been an amazing time! The most awe-inspiring place for me was the Bay of Fires, where the beach behind Cozy Corner campsite made my jaw drop and my eyes tear up: Pure white sand beach with crystal clear waters crashing upon it in energy-filled waves. Huge smoothed boulders covered with fiery orange algae provided a place to scramble and seat oneself to better take in the paradise-blue waters. The sky was blue and the air was cool but not cold. And all around was silent save the wind, the waves and the birds. It was all so close, so accessible, that you couldn’t help but feel that you were in a dream. Seriously, it made my heart skip a few beats.

Cradle Mountain was pretty incredible as well, and while the ascent to its summit was slightly terrifying, since there was no path except for the occasionally placed pole as you clambered up the tumbledown boulders wedged one against the other, the three hundred sixty degree views at the top were well worth the fear and effort. Especially pleasing, for me, was Dove Lake, which glistened in the sun invitingly. Even so, it was Willis Lake that I swam in, and with no bathing suit in my bag it meant going in as nature intended. Luckily, no other hikers were about, so I enjoyed the freezing waters in all my glory. Nothing quite so refreshing and revitalizing after a hard day’s treck!

A few things really struck me as I traveled the highways from place to place. First, the amount of road kill was astounding. Now and then we’d see a wombat waddling across the road or into the bushes, or spot a wallaby or near-cousin bouncing along, but for the most part, the animals we saw were dead on the roadside. It was incredibly sad. While Tasmania exudes a wild and untouched feel, this display of human destruction is fairly saddening.

Second, the landscapes as you drive really do exude that wild Australian feel. Before I got to Tasmania, I could not have told you what I expected; however, driving through the mountains and along scrub-lined highways, I felt that it was exactly as I’d thought. It just felt rough and untamed and the landscape was full of dry trees, scrub bushes, fern-like shrubs and wind-blown grasses. Every time I took in the scenery going by, I felt satisfied and fulfilled with the Tasmanian aura. Yes, I actually thought to myself, This is feels Tasmanian, exactly how anyone who’s never seen it would expect.

Third, it’s a real pleasure to travel via campervan, although difficult when everyone is from a different country, has been traveling on their own for a long time and is fiercely independent. Jordie, Joan and I managed to get along, although on our last day, Jordie  wouldn’t speak to either of us for a long while, for reasons we couldn’t quite fathom. Perhaps it was just a bad day, but I took his stubborn silence to be displeasure at me insisting upon visiting a wildlife sanctuary that he wasn’t interested in seeing. It was closed, to my disappointment, meaning that I didn’t see a Tasmanian Devil, something I really hoped to see while I was here. In any case, the three of us continued to clash in small ways during the entire eight days, although for the most part we remained on speaking and joking terms. I suppose you can’t be bosom buddies with everyone you meet and travel with, but I wish that we’d all been able to communicate a bit better and make the trip a little easier. I do hope to try campervan travel again during my travels, or perhaps once I’m back in the United States. It’s nice to feel self-contained and sufficient, to be able to sleep or cook anywhere you can drive. And it sure did wonders for the budget! I figure that for my time in Tasmania, including two nights in a hostel in Hobart, I spent about $40 AUD per day, which includes absolutely everything: food, lodging, transportation (rental and gas), activities, internet time and drinks.

My small Taste of Tasmania tour was, ultimately, a success. I really got a feel for the island and could certainly see coming back. If that does happen, I can guarantee that I’ll be renting a campervan again!

--Z

The Three … Amigos?

Note: I can’t upload pictures at this time… I’ll let you know when I can and do!

• Monday, 21 Feb: Woke up at 9:30am, got ready to meet with other hostel girls to bicycle around town; one of them came out at 10am and said they were all still in bed; Skyped with folks; caught up on e-mail; walked around town; met Joan (CSer from Holland) at the Information center as planned; booked a “basic” campervan for $60 per day; walked around town a bit more with Joan; went to library to use free internet; back to hostel, met Joan and Jordi (CSer from Spain) and went out for pizza together; on the way, encountered drunk man verbally abusing a simple girl, turned on us; called police, helped simple girl to get a ride home; continued on for pizza; walked back to hostel; asleep by 11pm.
• Tuesday, 22 Feb: Woke up at 7:30am; took bus to Surrel?; met Aussie Dollar lady, Diane, who drove me to her home; filled out rental info, picked up the “basic” campervan which turned out to be awesome; drove back to Hobart, picked up Joan, my stuff and Jordi; drove down to Port Arthur saw Devil’s Kitchen, the Archway, the Blowhole, Tesserated Pavement and some nice views; visited the original penal colony site, sneaking past the ticket holders ($30 per person! no way!); walked around for a few hours; drove until Triabunna and parked near some other campers; made rice and chicken for dinner; all slept in the double bed in the camper, me in the middle.
• Wednesday, 23 Feb: Woke up at 9:30am; had tea for breakfast, with granola bar, cheese wheel and banana, then added a piece of bread and an egg when the others cooked it up for themselves; drove to Freycinet National Park via a dirt road, saw many wallabys and pademelons; arrived Wineglass Bay carpark and started hike around 2pm; Jordi did Mt Amost first and then caught up with me and Joan along the Wineglass Bay/Hazard Beach hike (11km); gorgeous views and beaches! Around 7pm we drove north a bit to River and Rocks camper park (free!); cooked pasta with sauce and lots of veggies and tuna for dinner.

Jordi: 38-year-old Spaniard traveling for 18 months around the world. Quite fit, smiley but serious. Taking two years off from government job that gave him a two year minimum break! Polite, smart, ready for very active days. English-speaking skills could use a little work but he’s got enough to get by.

Joan: 24-year-old Dutch girl finishing a year in Australia by exploring Tasmania. Cheerful and self-assured, enjoys the beach almost as much as I do. Stylish and ready to party, hike or enjoy the views. Not ready to go home yet to start her Masters in Art, Media and Culture, but misses her seven siblings.

We met via Couchsurfing, of course, and decided to eat, sleep and travel together for eight days in a campervan, exploring all that Tasmania has to offer. I immediately made a stupid comment upon meeting Joan: “Holland… that’s the Czech Republic, right?” For some reason, instead of the Netherlands, I had Holland in my head as that country’s other name. Oy. Great first impression, eh? We all went out for cheap pizza the night before we left on our road trip, to get to know one another a bit. Couchsurfers are a trusting lot, aren’t they?

We’re all independent travelers who have our own thoughts on how things should be done on everything, from dishes to cooking to driving to hiking. I can’t say we’re all bosom buddies but we seem to be getting along mostly pretty well. I’m too conciliatory and indecisive; Jordi’s too ready to ‘fix’ things (or direct us on how to fix it) to be the way he thinks they should be; and Joan takes her time with everything (getting ready in the morning, preparing for walks, etc) and has a comment about how to do everything better. Somehow we’re making it all work… just six more days to see Tasmania and we’re all up for it!

Yesterday we went down to Port Arthur, stopping at all the geological and natural wonders the drive there had to offer. Then we snuck into the historical penal colony area, went on a general tour and explored the horrible places, such as the sensory deprivation ward (the first instance of it’s use!). It was a long but very interesting day, after which we drove north a bit before finding a place to pull over and park where we saw other campervans. It turned out to be a free camper park!

Today we explored Wineglass Bay and the surrounding natural beauty. Wineglass bay is an amazing curved, white sand beach with sapphire blue waters lapping away at the shore. There’s a magnificent lookout that takes some huffing and puffing to reach, but it was well worth it, despite the small crowd there. When we first arrived at the beach after the descent from the lookout, we were welcomed by a small, curious wallaby. It was too windy and cool to swim there, but Joan and I continued our walk to Hazard Beach,  which was absolutely deserted and, while not curved, just as beautiful. I swam in the cold waters there, which was refreshing and made me feel like I was in paradise. There were huge shells – mostly clam, oyster and spiral shells – scattered along the beach.

After Hazard Beach, we hiked along for almost two hours back to the carpark, completing the eleven kilometer hike with Jordi having joined us near the end. He had taken on a different hike before the Wineglass Bay and Hazard Beach circuit… whew!

We made it to a free campsite that previous campervan neighbors had mentioned, the River and Rocks campsi just north of Wineglass Bay, and cooked up a yummy meal of spaghetti and a very chunky sauce with capsicum (bell pepper to us Americans), mushrooms, corn, onion and tuna. It was pretty tasty after a good day’s hike! And even though the others didn’t want to, I insisted on doing the dishes in the dark so they’d be clean the next day. Who’d think that I, of all people, would do that?!

Six more days… hopefully we’ll all still be talking and smiling at the end!

--Z

Left Behind

Note: More photos have been added from my last few days in Auckland to the album, “New Zealand: Coromandel, Auckland, Northland.”

• Thursday, 17 Feb: Got started hitchhiking late in the morning from Taipa; got a ride pretty quickly from Stanley, an airport manager headed up to do some work at the Kaitaia airport; he dropped us off and offered to take us down to a branch off of the highway where we could get a ride to Kohukohu; very low-traffic intersection had us worried until Michael picked us up, a Kiwi communications contractor taking the summer off to kayak, fish and travel the country; rode with him to Kaiwi Lakes, where Alistair, our Couchsurfing host, picked us up; he drove us up a long beach (past a seal in the waves!) to his house on a dairy farm in the hills; smoked fish pie for dinner, pastry dessert.
• Friday, 18 Feb: Hung around until after noon; hitched from Dargaville to Wharkworth with a guy who slightly creeped out both Maria and me, for no identifiable reason; then picked up by a guy visiting his brother in Auckland, who dropped us right at the corner of our next host’s street; Andy met us a few minutes later and we walked to his parent’s house, where he was housesitting; excellent dinner of ravioli and eggplant parmesan; out to Aaron’s (CSer) birthday party, out until 3am!
• Saturday, 19 Feb: Slept in; met Andy’s friends from Spain; eventually went to Piha beach and spent the day there; tried surfing again, no success; back at Andy’s we made a huge feast; Maria and I walked to Mike’s (CSer) and hung out with him and his group of Couchsurfers; home at 2am.
• Sunday, 20 Feb: Andy drove me to the bus stop at 3:15am; caught the 3:30am  bus to the airport; flew out at 6am, arrived Melbourne no problem, checked in and flew out on second flight to Hobart; caught a shuttle into town, found lunch and an internet cafe; wandered until I found “The Pickled Frog” backpacker; out for Indian food with three girls traveling together; held out until 9pm and then crashed.

The Pickled Frog backpacker is a welcoming, friendly place just off-center of Hobart’s downtown. It has several large and cozy social lounges and a couple dorms and single rooms. For the first time in over a week, I’m paying for my lodging and I couldn’t bring myself to pay double the minimum price so I’m in a dorm. Sitting here in one of the lounge-y areas, I find myself missing New Zealand.

My last day in New Zealand was spent at Piha Beach, on the west coast. It was gorgeous and completely typical of New Zealand: black sand beach, beautifully blue waters lapping up the coast, surfers off in the distance and huge rock cliffs all around to explore. I took a try on Andy’s surfboard but didn’t manage to stand. Maria and I took a short tramp up the beach, clambering over tidal pools in the rocks, enjoying the sea life we encountered – starfish, tiny fish, crustaceans of all kinds – and walking in thigh-deep water to clamber through a beautiful arch in the rocks. The blue skies overhead just made the beaches wonders stand out even more. It was a good last day.

After seven weeks in New Zealand, it’s hard to pinpoint what affected me the most: the people, the adventures, the landscapes or the general feel of the country. All I know is that it’s been a wrenching day, with the feeling of leaving something important behind ever present.

Of course, I did actually leave some things behind. Several things, really: a camera case with some Ozzie cash, a credit card and camera memory cards, my travel towel, baby powder, and a new set of shampoo and conditioner and hair goo I bought just the night before leaving the country. It feels like a piece of me was left behind too, though, as cliché as that sounds. The people and culture are fascinating and open and friendly and I think I fell a bit in love with it all. New Zealand is a place I can see myself returning to, perhaps to find a job and live for awhile. Unfortunately, working holiday visas are only for the under-thirty crowd, so I’d need to be sponsored by an employer. In any case, I hope that today was not my last glimpse of the land of kiwis.

My plan from this day forward is to try not to plan too much, but already I’ve started deviating from that plan. I have four weeks in Australia, including Tasmania, before my flight for Bali departs from Darwin. And so, I am planning (ugh!) to spend a week-ish each in Tasmania, Sydney, Cairns and Darwin. This skips so much of a massive country, but I will just have to return another time. Depending on how I feel closer to 21 March and Bali, I will either spend a month in Bali before flying to Nepal or perhaps split that time between Bali and the Philippines. It depends too on airfares and weather and who I meet along the way.

Farewell to New Zealand. I’ll be back.

Hello to Australia. Show me whatcha got!

--Z

Winging It

Note: I have updated the album titled "Australia: Melbourne and Around" with the pictures from the past few days, including the Great Ocean Road trip and a day at Phillip Island. Enjoy!

Summary:

• Friday, 24 Dec: Made breakfast; met up with Martin to search for rental car companies; eventually booked through Thrifty online; went our separate ways for lunch and to rest; took a nap; met up again with Martin to buy food at Queen Victoria Market and then head to Port Melbourne Beach to relax and then meet people for a Couchsurfing BBQ; spent several hours at the beach, watched sunset; headed back to the dorms around 10pm.
• Saturday, 25 Dec: Got up early, showered, packed and checked out of the hostel; picked up rental car and slowly drove through the city to Martin's hostel to pick him up; we realized we had no idea how to get to the Great Ocean Road so stopped at a Holiday Inn, where they printed us a packet for the whole trip; spent the entire day driving along the Great Ocean Road, ending in Warrnambool.
• Sunday, 26 Dec: Went to Tower Hill park west of Warrnambool and climbed around a bit; hit several outlooks along the Great Ocean Road on the way back towards Melbourne, as well as national parks; got in to Melbourne where Martin's couchsurfing host agreed to host me as well.
• Monday, 27 Dec: Picked up a girl Martin had met at his hostel; drove to Philip Island, about two hours away; explored the island for the day; attempted to find a Melbourne city-view from Martin's guidebook, but arrived 30 minutes too late to get in; back to Melbourne and Rachel, our couchsurfing host. 
• Tuesday, 28 Dec: Up early to return car to rental company; walked around Melbourne Central Business District (CBD); watched street performers at Federation Square, visited information center, used internet cafe; headed back to host's house, eating Middle Eastern for a late lunch; played on computer, did my laundry and chatted with host and other surfers.

On Thursday, December 23rd, I met Martin. Martin is a student in Germany who recently finished university and is taking some time to travel before starting up his studies again. On Friday, we searched around for car rental companies, having no luck until we tried online. Even then we paid quite a lot for our car, but decided that we really wanted to do the Great Ocean Road trip, so we went ahead with it. And on Saturday, we were off! It was the beginning of a trip with a stranger, with no plans for accommodation or meals or road maps past the basic tourist maps.

The coastline was beautiful and the weather, while ever-changing, was nice enough to allow short walks on beaches and trails. We jumped in and out of the car fairly often, wowing over the views. We got along pretty well and even the highway driving was fun, if adventurous at times, since driving on the left is a bit strange to me. We did some basic grocery shopping so that we could minimize what we spent on meals. In the evening, we decided to drive another hour past the 12 Apostles, which was the last thing we saw for the day, to Warrnambool. Martin was able to get online on his laptop and found that there was a backpacker (hostel) in that town.


We found one, although not the one he'd found online, and they had dorm beds for $24AUD apiece. It was actually a really nice hostel, with a kitchen and dishes, pool table, free tea and coffee, games, maps, brochures and big tv's. The walls were fairly thin, but otherwise it was a great place.


The next day, we headed to a place I'd found in one of the hostel brochures, Tower Hill. It was a pretty mixture of wetlands and forest, just behind a crest of hills from the ocean. Then we headed back along the Great Ocean Road, taking the whole day to hit different viewpoints that we hadn't seen the day before. The weather wasn't quite as nice, but there were moments of blue sky that were stunning. We got back into Melbourne fairly late, arriving just before midnight at Martin's couchsurfing host's house.

There, we met Rachel, our host, and her other surfer, Nick from Belgium. And soon after that, I was asleep!

The whole trip was one of "winging it." It was a completely comfortable experience, but everything worked out just fine in the end. Rachel has agreed to host me for a couple nights (along with Martin and Nick) and so my last few days in Melbourne will be easy and cheap! Plus, Rachel is an extremely friendly, talkative and lively hostess. It's just too bad that she works nights at her job, because we don't get to hang out as much as I'd like.


Being a bit more "foot loose" was one of my goals for my travels. I tend to over plan, so I've been working on doing minimal planning and seeing what comes up. Usually, things turn out pretty good, or even great!
But it's a hard habit to cultivate, since there's always the sense that by doing this, I'll miss seeing something that I shouldn't miss.


I'm really enjoying Australia. Although the weather is cold so far, it's still beautiful outside. The people are friendly and engaging. And the city of Melbourne is engaging and full of personality that you can feel and see.  

--Z

I’m Getting Too Old for This

Photos: Australia: Melbourne and Around

Note: I’ve added a link to Martin’s blog to the right. Take a look, he’s got a fabulous camera and is a pretty good photographer! To find out who Martin is, read this blog post. :)

• Monday, 20 Dec: Wandered around Khao San Road area, visiting bookshops and trying to barter a good deal to sell or trade my old books (SE Asia guidebook, Millenium book #2, and a language book for SE Asian countries) so that I could get a good price on Millenium #3 and a guidebook for Oz and/or NZ. I ended up paying about $10 for Millenium and $8 for a 2010 NZ guidebook. Woo! Otherwise, puttered around, played on computers and peoplewatched; at dinner, an older woman named Ingrid asked me to sit with her, then help her on the computer, then walk her back to her hotel; she was a trip! Resisted urge to cut my hair super short and dye the stubble bright blue. Also attempted to sink wash clothes to get the stench out.
• Tuesday, 21 Dec: Slept in; street food breakfast; read book; did last computer chores; bought an airport minivan ticket; at a huge late lunch; left for airport at 5pm, arrived at 7:00pm due to traffic; bought some treats and water, the latter which was not allowed on the plane due to Australian restrictions; boarded flight, finished my book after two hours, went to sleep. Annoyed that JetStar charges $3 for a cup of tea, $8 for a blanket and $12 for meals, and keep the cabin ice cold.
• Wednesday, 22 Dec: Arrived Melbourne feeling groggy and dehydrated; spent an hour and a half at the airport clearing customs (had to declare my food, which consisted of a bag of dried mango chips and some herbs) and then hanging out at the information desk to figure out a place to lodge; finally decided on Melbourne International Backpackers (MIB) and bought SkyBus ticket to city; made transfer to a free bus to my hostel; arrived, checked into a 6-bed dorm, ate at a Malaysian place for lunch and then took a three hour nap; went to Queen Victoria Night Market with some dorm-mates and had Middle-Eastern for dinner; fell asleep at 11pm.
• Thursday, 23 Dec: Slept very well! Availed myself of free breakfast – cereal for the first time in almost three months! Then set out to explore local Melbourne area: free City CIrcle Tram, saw Dockside and some cool city streets; meandered around for most of the day; met a Couchsurfer interested in renting a car to explore the Great Ocean Road; bought food to cook for dinner/lunch; ate at hostel; developed a major headache and went to bed.

 

No, I’m not too old for traveling. I’m too old for dorms. I’m too old for the girls hooking up with guys in the top bunks, pretending to be asleep when you walk in unexpectedly. Too old for the girls whose best friends are insanely jealous and shoot adoring looks at the guy with whom their friend is hooking up. Too old for clambering into the top bunk and waiting for the lower-bunk girl to stop squirming around.

I never thought I’d feel too old for this!

It’s not all bad. I don’t mind the laundry that is currently hanging on jury-rigged clothesline across the room. And the guy causing all the trouble is actually a fairly nice-seeming guy from London. It’s just the drama that seems a bit much, is all. Girls who haven’t outgrown high school and college level emotional turmoil and tendencies get a bit annoying, but hey – they are just out of “uni” as they call it, so I suppose I should give them leeway.

Melbourne is a hoppin’ place! It’s so modern and clean and lively! It must be said that I’m suffering severe stickershock, and it’s well justified. Not only is it difficult coming from Asia to Australia in the first place; Australia is also just really friggin’ expensive! A big bottle of water cost me $3.20 today (and AUD=USD at the moment). In Cambodia it would be $0.50. Oy. Internet at my hostel? $3 an hour. In Bangkok, it was about $1 an hour. And my half a bunk bed here costs $26 per night. An ensuite double, by myself, cost at most $10 per night in Asia. Ouch!

The weather is quite cool but also very sunny. From what I understand, I seem to have brought the good weather with me; it was apparently rain and even cooler temps before. The streets are paved evenly and the sidewalks are good for walking upon. It’s quite the contrast from Cambodia’s dirt roads and decimated sidewalks when they even existed. Oh, and the showers! Sure, I’m using shared bathrooms, but the showers are hot and have great pressure! I’ll admit I was not eco-friendly this morning as I reveled for twenty minutes in the fabulous heat.

There are many beautiful parks in Melbourne, which I fully intend on taking advantage of by reading, napping or wandering through them. There are a few free things to do, although the things that cost seem to cost a lot (like $20 for entry to the aquarium). I found a couple of streets that were filled with beautiful graffiti, which was fun to peruse like an art gallery. I found two places so far with free wi-fi: the state library and Foundation Square. I love the feeling of a clean, smoothly running city.

My plans for my time in Melbourne include attending a Christmas Eve BBQ on the beach with the local couchsurfers here; a three-day trip with a German couchsurfer named Martin, up the Great Ocean Road and back, to include Phillip’s Island; and that’s about it so far. Tomorrow I will explore the area some more, particularly to buy some gifts and souvenirs and maybe some warm clothes, if I can find anything affordable.

Oh! And I love how friendly Australians are, and that they call me “love” or “darling” as a matter of course and not in a weird way.

Sticker shock? Yes. Culture shock? Of course. Still happily traveling? Absolutely!

--Z