Today I packed and rode to the shuttle for the Tongariro Crossing. During the hike down from Mt Doom (Mount Ngauruhoe) I lost my camera in an avalanche but later found it after climbing halfway back up!
On the way back out I stopped at Soda Springs for a shower and to do my washing a bit.
Back in Turangi I had a drink with some CSers then rode to Vinegar Hill Campground.
Today I met up with some camping friends from last week and later I bought some soda so some Swedish guys (Victor and Robin) and I could make mixed drinks around the campfire.
01/18/2013
Today I hit the thermal spas with a couple fellas I met yesterday, Paul (English) and Matt (Welsh). After hiking to Huka falls and swimming in the spas a bit we eventually headed back. Later after playing with the ducks a bit I had drinks with Victor and Robin again around the campfire while listening to music and learning French.
01/19/2013
Today I spoke with Paul and Matt about naming my bike. We played with "Trusty Steed" and "The Dream Machine" but, since the bike is a Suzuki, we settled on the name "Suzy."
I then took Suzy to buy a new sleeping bag at the warehouse. We have all been freezing at night lately so it seemed a necessary expense. Fortunately I found a $59 sleeping bag that was marked down to $35! After checking out I went to the library to skype and met a German named Rick who supports a movement called Zeitgeist. It's a very strange movement where nobody has to work and somehow everything is expected to just keep going. I let him try and explain but, alas, it just wasn't for me so we headed back to camp where we both happened to be staying.
01/20/2013
This morning I bathed in the river, played some guitar and listened to music a bit with the French campers and a sketchy fella with a swastika on his arm... Later we all had some drinks by the fire and listened to music from my ipod until some annoying drunken teens showed up. One of them was alright but the other one was just stupid. He tried throwing punches at the Toggy and, after that confrontation, continued to spit all over everything around him for the rest of the night...
01/21/2013
Today I applied for some ski resort jobs and swam for golf balls out at the Lake Taupo "Hole in One" Challenge. I found 250 balls and made $10... after a couple hours of diving. At least it was something to do and it was kinda fun, at least until I lost feeling in my extremities... Later I ate croissants and BBQ around the fire with the French campers.
01/22/2013
Today I woke up, put on my pants and, to the astonishment of a few, dove straight into the river - washing (laundry) done!
01/23/2013
Today I dove into the river again before going to the library. Back at camp I watched some of the French guys cooking up some crayfish they caught in the river.
Then some kiwi guys floating the river showed up and gave me a couple drinks as we talked. Finally, I cooked up some pasta while the other French group prepared a trout that they caught earlier that day.
01/24/2013
Today I continued the habit of jumping into the river every morning and went to the library to apply for jobs at ski resorts, lodges, etc. Back at camp the Paul and Matt caught a large trout and we all sat around the campfire.
01/25/2013
Today I bathed in the river again and went to the library where I applied for a job teaching English in China next year. Back at camp I met a kiwi named Kev who gave me some drinks as we talked and then Brendan and Daniel, the kiwis floating the river the other day, showed up and were arrested for disturbing the peace. Apparently they had been yelling at some tourists up the river and when they arrived Brendan was arrested on national telly. Soon the police returned for Daniel because he refused to leave. Before Daniel left he had me watch his stuff in exchange for a couple drinks in his chilly bin (cooler). Later the French group prepared a couple fish that they caught that day. One was more cooked than the other so we had a bit of variety in the flavour.
01/26/2013
Today I dove in the river one last time before packing up and heading to the library. After the library I made my way down to Turangi for camping where I met some more French campers and had a couple drinks.
I went to bed early so I could get up and arrive in time the next morning for the Tongariro Crossing hike with others from Couchsurfing.
Today I woke up, got ready and hit the road to Hastings. About 130km later I arrived and started sussing out fruit picking work. Unfortunately that doesn't start for a couple weeks so I took a hint from some fellas on the road and stopped in at a local public house for some more info. When I entered I took off my bag and noticed my arm was in serious pain - it seemed I had pulled a muscle. After helping me with some picking info, one of the girls who ran the place for her parents gave me some water and had me sit down in the rest area while they made me some soup and homemade bread - on the house! After downing homemade goodness that brought me back to my childhood, we had a talk about some of the local spots for picking and camping and they sent me on my way. I stopped in at some spots along the way but found that the picking really just wasn't happening yet so I went for the camping area at Cape Kidnappers.
As nice as that spot was it just wasn't suitable for me and my bike so I continued on my way to Taupo as I had originally planned. On the way I took in some of the most beautiful scenery which made me wish I had a helmet camera and, at one point, I pulled off and checked out some really nice waterfalls.
About 160km from Hastings I arrived at the thermal spas in Taupo and soaked for a while. The gates were closing in a half hour but so many cars and people were there that I figured I'd be fine, but soon I realized that everyone had left and made my way up to my bike. Unfortunately I had dropped my glasses so I went back looking but just couldn't find them. I do have a spare pair so it's not so bad. Back at the bike I found that the gates were closed but luckily my bike fit down the pedestrian passage out of the park. Back at the campsite from last week (Reid's Farm) I set up my tent in the same spot and started cooking tea. While I was boiling up the noodles the rain started pouring down and suddenly the tarp let up and a small spout of water poured into my burner, soaking the flint starter.
Today I caught a ride into Palmy with Fiona's neighbor, Austin. I took the road code test for my license about five times (extra $200) but I finally got my license... Why did it take me five times? You can miss three but I always seemed to miss four or five until the last time where I got 100% - I reckon it's rigged. I've spoken to many since and they all laugh until I give them some examples, ie: what do you do at the yellow line? If you said stop, you're wrong! You only stop on the white line... there is no yellow line. Another question is about parking on dashed yellow lines to which you are given two valid answers. The correct answer is that none may pass, but I put that I may not pass because I reckon many of those spots are kept clear for emergency vehicles. The other questions I got wrong were mainly about distances which I mostly knew but, again, found the question to be phrased in a way which prompted me to choose the wrong answer... After walking out with my temporary motorcycle license, and a massive dent in my budget, I visited Cherie at the backpacker hostel to ask about her receiving some mail for me then took a bus to Fielding. When I arrived I bought some beans and walked 2.5 km to the campsite there. After I set up my tent I watched TV till late then tried sleeping in my tent till about 2a... but it got so cold/damp that I had no choice but to sneak back into the lounge and sleep on the couch.
01/15/2013
The next morning the manager saw me lying there and, while he seemed a bit perturbed, he left me alone. On the way back to Fielding I took a wrong turn but eventually arrived and bought a helmet and tie downs for the bike. They also gave me a learners plate that they had lying in the display, for free! Mike called me at this time and we talked about the conditions of our agreement as well as the fact that they still hadn't found the key for the bike... Next I went to apply for my tax number then spent the rest of the time hanging out waiting at Maccas. Later Mike's mum called me to say that she was still having trouble finding the key but that she would pick me up at 5p. At about 5:15p she called me to say that she had found the key and was on her way! Ten minutes later we were on our way to pickup the bike. We pulled it out of the shed and I took a minute getting oriented with the bike. At first it wouldn't start but then I remembered riding dirt bikes and how we sometimes had to pull the choke to start them up. Sure enough I was on my way and 50km later I arrived in Woodville to sort out my stuff at Fiona's. After I somehow managed to pack everything I needed into one bag I went down the road and camped for the night.
Turns out the "Lahar drill" last night was just the fire brigade - we're right down the street from them. Today I went with Ashley to the shearing sheds and saw sheep being sheared.
After we returned I went with Fiona to see the cows being milked which was interesting but at the end it was a bit crappy... back at the house I cleaned all the poo off me and then we had a roast for tea.
Finally, I spent some time on the internet studying for the road code test tomorrow.
Today I talked to the people at AA about getting my license. I just need to take a motorcycle course then I have to get an address to use to get a bank account and with all of that I can finally take the test and get my learners license. After running to the store for a new camping stove I grabbed my stuff and headed to the main road to hitchhike to Woodville. After waiting a while I wandered a bit down to the Caltex where I talked a dude and his girlfriend into taking me to Woodville. We passed through a gorge and soon I was setting up camp at the $5 campground.
Later I went to the shops and met a guy named Carl. He wanted to hang out later but then I met a local named Fiona who took me in at her place. I was just planning to borrow some cardboard for a hitching sign but ended up with full accommodation including bed, internet, shower and even laundry.
01/10/2013
Today Fiona gave me a ride to Palmy so I could set up my bank account then we stopped at the wind mill lookout on the way back.
Back at the house I used the internet a bit and we had a BBQ.
01/12/2013
Yesterday was easy and in the evening we had another BBQ. Today I took my motorcycle handling course and passed... just barely. It took me a bit to learn some of the finer details such as keeping my arms straight and not pulling the clutch while braking. After the course we headed back and visited another one of Fiona's neighbors, Ashley. While we were visiting Ashley invited me to go to the shearing sheds tomorrow and see how it's all done. Later at night I heard a strangely familiar siren go off, same as the lahar drills back home in Puyallup... but it soon deactivated so I figured it was just a false alarm or something.
Today I checked out of my room then waited for French CSers Camille and Guillaume to pick me up for our ride-share South. Later in the afternoon, after they sorted out fines and other pre-trip things, we were off. Our first stop was Warehouse Extra where I bought a camping stove and other gear. We then drove to Taupo where we found a beautiful spot on the river called Reid's Farm where we camped out for the night. That night I caught a prawn aka crayfish while washing my dishes in the river.
01/08/2013
Today after brekky we packed up and went to the thermal spas. It was an amazing place with boiling hot water meeting the cold water of the river. After hanging out in the super hot water of the springs for a while I did a "polar plunge" into the river. After the spas we hiked to Huka Falls then went to Countdown (Woolworths) for food. We then took our food and ate at a bench overlooking Lake Taupo.
Finally, we drove to Palmerston North where I stayed at the Peppertree Hostel while the others continued on to Wellington. Upon arrival at the hostel I was happy to find that it was the kind of hostel that takes people well into the night. Although, if I had arrived yesterday I wouldn't have been so lucky due to the large group of American backpackers that had checked in then.
This morning I moved to Base hostel where my new friend from last night (Alex) had been. Its $20 so I save $5 which I can use for the unlimited high speed internet here. At 9:30 am I took the bus to the Auckland church meeting. After we all ate I went site seeing with Ben and Gino. First, they took me to Mission Bay where we had Kiwiyo aka Froyo aka frozen yogurt.
Next we went to One Tree Hill for a view over the city before having tea at Gino's.
This morning Robbie and I were up at 5:30 am. At the airport I had heaps of time so I grabbed some goodies for the flight and a burger then watched a time travel movie on my laptop. Time on my computer was an hour behind Melbourne though so I arrived just in time for my flight thinking I was an hour early. After arriving in Auckland, New Zealand I took the airbus to the hostel and dropped off my stuff. No sooner did I leave my room before a guy came up to me and had me sign up for a $5 pub crawl. I was tired but for four free drinks this was too good to pass up! That night I met heaps of Americans as well as the usual French, German, etc. It's probably safe to say that I met more Americans in one night here than I did in my whole year in Australia. One of the guys, Johnathan from LA, suggested that this might be due to the smaller sample size in New Zealand. Hard to say.
01/04/2013
Today I bought a SIM card for my phone and did some planning.
01/05/2013
Today I went to the library for Skype then tried using the WiFi at Maccas to finish some things but found myself out of free internet options. Later I went to meet a friend of a friend for a drink. We ended up hanging out at the hostel watching a Star Wars marathon.
Today the Aussie dollar sky-rocketed which means I missed out on about $100 in increased value... oh well. After brekky we left to see the Grampians - the start of the Great Dividing Range. When we arrived in the town near the mountain we had some chips then drove the rest of the way to the "trail head" - a road closed to traffic.
After hiking to the top and back we went to Halls Pass to see the Venus Pools but, unfortunately, they were closed so we just checked out the local roos and emus. On the way back we grabbed tea and stopped in historic Ballarat where Robbie went to primary school.
Back at the house I at the last steak from the night before then got ready to fly out in the morning.
Today I sorted out my stuff, checked out of the hostel and spent the day at the bike shed. Halfway through a movie I realized I needed to get moving so I called a taxi and rushed to the airport. Upon landing back in Melbourne the pilot slammed on the brakes in a very jarring fashion and commented over the intercom, "...good brakes."
I barely caught the skybus as it was leaving then, after arriving at Southern Cross Station, I only just caught the train to Geelong as it was leaving. Also nice is that, as it turns out, its free at night! Unfortunately I still only caught the very end of the fireworks as I arrived in Geelong. Then Robbie came with his girlfriend Julie and they picked me up in the Dingodyne. We went to Julie's place in Leopold and rang in the New Year with some meat pies and a couple drinks.
01/01/2013
This morning I had some Vegemite on toast and another meat pie for brekky then Robbie took me on a cruise in his Caddy. We met up with Rod, had a couple drinks and went back for Julie who was just getting off work. Then we all went to Queenscliff(e) and on the way back we grabbed some steaks, marinade and curly fries. After sitting down for tea we watched a few movies and I sent $3933 back to the states ($4020 USD).
Today some of us went to the lagoon to relax and swim a bit then went for lunch at PJ O'Briens. I had a delicious chicken schnitzel burger which cost $12... but, again, it was very good. Back at the hostel I did some odds and ends and talked to Tae Sun at the front desk about cleaning for the next couple weeks one hour a day for free accommodation. If all goes well I will start training tomorrow and get free accommodation starting the day after! Later we all went to the Woolshed for tea again and I met another couchsurfer named Pascal, from Germany. After eating we all had a few drinks which ended up being free after "ladies night" began because the girls we met just kept getting free ones and giving them to us. A while later we all went back to the hostel for some goon in the room which resulted in broken glass and some complaints. After that we ended the night with a visit to Gilligan's.
12/17/2012
Today I woke up to one of the girls from last night asking about going to the Kuranda today. I checked it out but the bus had already left so we made other plans to go to the Botanical Gardens. It was so hot though so we went to the lagoon instead. Before going to the lagoon I booked my flight to Melbourne through Flight Centre - a New Year's trip to Sydney was just too expensive. When I arrived at the lagoon I only found Pascal (Germany) so we swam a bit and bought some Egg Nog at Bi-Lo. After work cleaning the hostel (only 25 minutes!) I went to take a nap. At 8 pm I woke up and went to the Woolshed for tea with some others and, on the way back, I found a job for the next couple weeks. One of the pedicab (aka tuk-tuk, rickshaw or bicycle cab) guys told me how I could do that during the next couple weeks and make some money so I'll probably start doing that tomorrow.
12/18/2012
Today some of us went to the Botanic Gardens (Flecker Gardens, Tanks Arts Centre, Mt Whitfield, Centenary Lakes). After returning to the hostel and cleaning I headed out to check on my prospective new job as a pedicab rider.
After a $150 deposit I grabbed a bike and started riding around. As the night went on I picked up all kinds of people who paid me from $5 to $20 for rides around the locality. By the end of the night I had exceeded the capacity of the cart, gone out of our service area and been the victim of both serious flirting and insults. I rode for four hours and probably sat around chatting with other riders for three but still made $105 - not bad for a first night out.
12/19/2012
Today I spent time with some friends at the hostel and went to the Woolshed with my Norwegian roommate for Nachos ($5 upgrade from free meal). Later I went to work as a rickshaw again and during my shift I met some interesting people. One guy named Joe works on a fishing trawler and he gave me $55 to get him 3k to his boat where he gave me another $10 and brought me on to have a drink and check out the command centre. Later I brought his buddies over as well and they gave me $25.
Another customer owned one of the clubs and in the end he wanted to pay $35 but when he found out I didn't take credit cards only gave me $10...
12/20/2012
Tonight was a slow night so I only broke even. At one point I took two guys on the scenic route, through a car wash and dropped them off separately for which they paid me $20 each - a decent end to the night.
12/21/2012
Tonight I had a guy pay me $50 after I gave him and his kids a wild ride up the road. Later some screaming drunks gave me $20 for one block and some locals paid me to do a mono (wheelie). After that a drunk guy promised me $50 but wanted to ride so I let him ride us to his place. He crashed a couple times but nothing serious and as I was leaving I thought I had dodged the bullet... then I realized my ipod was missing. As I was riding back I started stressing out thinking it was all over (since I need my music to be a successful rider) but then I saw it - my ipod was just a couple blocks out of town sitting on the side! Another couple guys gave me $30 to take them up the road but it turned out they lived up by the airport... Yet another couple gave me $20 to take them up the road where they were having a gathering. They invited me in for some food and ended up treating me to free maccas, drinks and other food! Finally, as I was heading back into town to call it a night I got one more customer who I offered a ride. He decided to hop in and asked to just be taken a few blocks down the way. When we arrived he gave me $50, offered hospitality and a job as well!
12/22/2012
Today we had a BBQ at the bike shed for which I was late due to my job at the hostel. When I arrived I still got food and some extra for later as well. It was a pretty lame night overall - I picked up some girls who wanted to go shopping on a Saturday night but swore that they had no money between the three of them to even tip me... After that I picked up a bunch of guys and split them between me and Marcus. At first they paid us $10 each then, after taking them around for over and hour we asked for a little more money for our services and one of the guys threatened to beat us to death... Later I had some fun racing Kiwi David to Maccas for which we each made $15 ($5/person). Then I raced Dean to the other Maccas during which he got stopped in plaza by cops and at light. At that point I went through with my momentum passing him laughing the rest of the way. One guy tried to stop me by dragging behind me but hurt himself and I still won and got $10. At 6 am I finally broke even when I met some nice kiwi girls who bought me pies and paid me $10 - I broke even when you consider the pie costs. Back at the shed all the riders sat and talked into the morning having done a very difficult night.
12/23/2012
Tonight was great night. I got early money and continued while everyone else went home early due to the rain. It actually stopped raining and I met a guy with pit bulls that loved me but bit into all the other males that they had met. After we had a few drinks and talked for a bit he gave me some money and I continued what had already been a very profitable night. I met a group of funny people on the way back and they gave me $40 for taking them around a bit. I ended the night with $320 profit!
12/24/2012
Today I deposited $600 cash and another $100 exactly in shrapnel. Later I had the free meal at Woolshed for the first time in days. At work a girl directed me the wrong way, promised me pizza but when I finally checked my sat nav and got us going the right way she got nasty. She was only offering $5 for a ride that had already taken half the night so I stopped for pizza at the only place that was open and when she said no I simply told her to get out. She would't leave the cab so I turned up the music which made her mad but she still wouldn't get out. When she tried calling her friends to come to where we were that made me a bit nervous so I decided to start riding again. She got mad and started kicking me so I got off the bike and she tried stealing it. I wouldn't let her so she tried fighting me. As she kicked me and started punching me in the head she dropped the $5 she owed me so I grabbed it. Security moved her on but before they could she tried to convince them that I had stolen a bunch of money from her. They explained that this being the case it was only fair as payment for my services. Considering she tried to get me to drive her to Sydney this was actually a good price! She tried to say she gave me $10, $15, $20, etc. but couldn't make up her mind so I said, "no, don't you remember? You gave me $50, no wait $100!" The whole thing was just a huge joke at this point. I went to get another customer after this and this guy paid me to bring him to his boat where he was having a party. After a few drinks and some guitar I headed back.
12/25/2012
Today we had the day off for Christmas so I spent it playing pool with coworkers and eating lots of food that was being provided at the shed.
12/26/2012
Today was an easy day. I had the free dinner at 8 pm and got $40 from first customer in the first 20 minutes. Things closed early for boxing day and rent was high but I still managed $110 profit.
12/27/2012
Today while I was cleaning at the hostel some friends from work showed up and gave me my ticket for seeing "The Hobbit" so I rushed through it and met them just in time before they went into the movie. After the movie I had my free dinner then went to work. It was another high rent, low earning day but I gave a ride to some UW graduates and they gave me extra cash for being a fellow alumni. Later in the night I had a couple good rides with decent tips which put me in the positive. I only made $40 profit but, then again, I was pretty lazy and didn't work much so it's okay.
12/28/2012
Today was a bit strange. I had some interesting customers including a bloke who fell off and rolled a bit while I was taking a corner... I warned him to sit down. Later some cyclists grabbed on for a ride while flirting with some old ladies I had in the back. I made -$100 + $30 from the guys but was still -$70... oh and Kiwi David was given a prostitute by a customer.
12/29/2012
Today German David's bike was taken while he was receiving payment so I chased after and, as they came back, they crashed into my front tyre bending it out of shape. Then the big guy we had with us scared them away but scraped up against a car while retrieving the bike... I was at -$50 for the night and after all the police stuff I just went to the shed where I caught a ride back to my hostel with Kostya (Russian).
12/30/2012
Today I went to Rustys market with the guys and Kiwi David made smoothies at the shed. Rick dropped $70 from the $270 rent last night for me and gave me free rent tonight. Observation: heaps of people in Cairns are on drugs. Kiwi David tried Cocaine and Exctacy tonight because someone offered it to him for free... I had a massive night, took guys back and forth just a couple blocks each time for $30-50 a go. Some guys bet at a casino on number some woman told them and won $400. They decided to spend most of that money on me throughout the night. At one point one of the guys told me not to pick up his buddy but I ran into the guy while trying for the tenth time to go home and gave him a quick $10 ride. I told him to tell his buddy that he tried flagging me down but, for some reason, I just wouldn't stop. As I was finally heading home the cops stopped me for taking notes on my phone at a red light. It could have been a $100 fine but instead we just had a conversation about how much they hate us riders in their town. One of them said he hates us getting in his way and that we need to stick to the road rules better. He told me, "tell your tourist friends we're sick of this." In deciding whether or not to fine me one of them told the other, "your call fuzz." Thankfully they couldn't be bothered and I kept all $480 of profit from the night! I also learned what to say for the most profit - "how much? whatever you guys think is fair, its all good, a couple of coins." Usually I'm weary about giving them that much leeway but when it pays, it really pays!
Today we went to the reef, saw some fish/coral, ate lunch, broke my camera, went to a new spot, saw more fish/coral, and returned. Back at the hostel I found that my camera was working again and we met Ola and Isabel from Norway. We all went to the Woolshed for free tea again and ended up having a few jugs. Back at the hostel Sam and I declined a visit to Gilligans because it was $10 cover. Instead we sat back and had some goon while talking politics.
Today I saw a giant moth in the toilet before we headed over to the Babinda Bounders. Next we backtracked a bit to Josephine Falls which were pretty awesome. I slid down a natural water slide and jumped off a cliff into the waterfall pool (lost my goggles).
After Josephine we headed to a car wash then over to our hostel in Cairns. At the hostel we dropped off our stuff then went to turn in the van. On the way we fueled up for the last time - final petrol costs were: $63, $78, $69, $81, $29 for a total of $320 split three ways ($105 each)... not bad for over 2000km! No problems with the van we took the bus back to the hostel and settled in. I immediately met new friends and booked a trip to the reef tomorrow then went out for free tea at a place called the Woolshed.
Today I woke up and grabbed some coconuts from the beach with Giac. We juiced them and scraped out the soft coconut which I actually enjoyed despite my usual aversion to coconut. After brekky we spoke with some English girls and then headed out to Paluma where we navigated treacherous twisting roads with some near misses as we passed others coming back down. Up in Paluma we swam in a rock pool, went to the lookout, visited the village and made our way back down in the rain with some more close calls.
Our next stop was Jourama Falls where we stopped for lunch, watched some Germans in a "hippie camper" back into a fence (destroying their left bumper and tail light), hiked up to the falls, swam in a rock pool then returned.
Finally we moved on to a very tropically photogenic place called Mission Beach, took in the view and headed out to a free campsite in Babinda for the night.
There we set up, had some drinks, cooked with some South Africans, who have been traveling around Australia for the last couple years, and socialized with some Germans.
Today we drove for the day, stopping here and there, and arrived in a place called Saunders Beach. As with many random travel detours, it ended up being a real gem. This small community has a wonderful beach with toilets, shower, BBQ, free camping, coconuts laying on the beach, free mangoes hanging off the trees, bonfire on the beach, etc. I found out about all of this from a local named Warren. Warren took me around in his truck showing me all of these things during which his 11 year old pit bull notably slid off the back going around a corner... he showed me the boat launch into the creek leading out to the ocean, a creek that a 6 meter croc calls home. He also showed me the local grog shop around the corner where they serve food (note: this is a neighborhood). He also commented that a lot of local French/German visitors hang out on the nude beach up the way.
Today we met with our travel agent, and fellow couchsurfer, Carolina at Tribal Travel. Most of the trips to Whitsundays were booked but she managed to find us one for about $95 which she reduced (couchsurfer discount) to $85. Next we hopped a bus to the docks then grabbed a boat over to Daydream Island, Hamilton Island followed by Whitehaven Beach on Whitsunday Island. There we spent almost two hours swimming in our sting suits and playing on the beach. After sighting a decent sized transparent white fish we ran up the beach a bit to check out some helicopters that were there for a wedding.
On the way I saw a dark figure in the water which turned out to be a full on Manta Ray! Our new friend Eric from Canada chased it with his camera then ran as it chased him. After it finished with Eric it chased me out of the water then swam away.
On the way back on the boat I caught up with an Aussie named Reece. Reece is from South of Brissy and got a real kick out of my Aussie slang repertoire Back at the van we went to a local forest with Eric and set up camp. Giac and Robert then went to do some stuff in town while Eric and I had a couple drinks, played guitar and even sang a few songs that we could remember the lyrics to. Later in the night while we were all sleeping the police showed up and kicked us out. They gave us 15 minutes so we quickly threw my tent in the van and went on our way down the road looking for a rest stop. When we finally found one a guy told me that he had to put his tent up because of the ranger ten minutes ago so that I should probably try and hide mine. Just then the ranger showed up and made me put my tent away. That night Giac and I slept in the back while Robert slept sitting up in the front.
Today Giac and I headed to pick up the camper where we found out that we would pay an extra $50 or so for insurances against windscreen damage and such. We paid to protect the vehicle because they practically guaranteed that the construction on the way up would lose us our $1000 deposit... so we paid to lower the prospective damage cost to $250. We also paid to insure the windscreen because passing trucks will almost certainly damage it. Back at the house we picked up Robert and all our stuff then launched it for Cairns... first stop, Whitsundays! Out on the road we stopped to try and retrieve my Go Card money but they wouldn't do the refund because my account was active with "autotopup" so now I have to send in for it. After Giac drove a ways I began driving for the next 400km or so. Eventually my GPS brought us down some crazy back roads that were unsealed (against our rental agreement) but we eventually made it back out to normal roads and I continued driving till about 10 pm. After that Giac took over for a while and later I took over again for another 300km or so. At about 4 am I finally slept for the next couple hours while Giac took us the rest of the way.
Today I finally finished my job. I trained up Jay and, after we got him some gas for the buffer, he took me home. I slept a bit and around 1:30p Robert and I went to the forest for a swim in the quarry.
While there I swam across and jumped off the cliff again. Some of the blokes up there thought I was Irish... that's a first! Back at the house I realized Robert's disposition is that of a quirky British hypochondriac, "is it safe to camp with all the venomous wildlife? Won't we be bitten by the snakes in the forest? Will we burn on the way back after swimming? Am I in any danger of burning in the shade?"
12/04/2012
Today I went to the shops and when I returned I made rice pudding. While that was cooking I went out into the garden and dug up some potatoes with which I made another loaf of potato bread. Later in the evening I finally went to the fortnightly CS meeting at Greystone Bar where I met a Latvian, Belgian, many Germans, a couple Aussies, even another American and I ran into Giac as well. While we ate some free snacks we all discussed our lives here in Australia - places we've been, jobs we've had, plans for the future, etc. I didn't manage to suss out any upcoming activities as I had hoped but I did make some new friends.
12/05/2012
Today Anita and I went to Parkinson's Forest where I got a distressed call from Jeff saying that the new cleaner had quit... so he needs me to train some new people. This cancels my plans for the night and makes tomorrow's plans very difficult. Anita and I still managed to go swimming at the artificial beach in South Bank and get $6 steak & chips in Fortitude Valley before returning.
At work the new guys didn't even show up and, since Jeff had me waiting for them, I didn't have time to finish my job. This made me very upset considering that I shouldn't even be there anymore. Hopefully I can truly be finished after tomorrow morning... and get paid. I'm still a bit weary for a few reasons. The job is illegal - no taxes, no payslips and I'm not supposed to be working seven days a week either. This makes it harder for me to contact the authorities if things go wrong. I do have witnesses at the store to say I've been working there and the store is responsible for employee payment, even for third party employees, but it just wont be easy to sort out any problems since pay day is Monday - the day I leave Brisbane.
12/06/2012
After work today Anita and I went with some CSers to Surfers Paradise to do some surfing. When we arrived we ate fish and chips then hired some boards. After some surfing, body surfing, someone losing their top in a wave, and general mucking around in the sun, we went to get pizza. During this walk we sussed out many places but eventually settled on one with a large $20 meat lovers which I split with Jacquie. We spoke about a lot of random things throughout the evening including rubbers that Anita had in her purse (Aussies refer to pencil erasers as rubbers!) and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gilliard's gratuitous speech on the impending doom resulting from the ending of the Mayan calendar. No one is sure if she is serious but apparently many are very concerned with the possibility of the world ending.
12/07/2012
Today I got a call at 6:30a from Jeff about another new guy. Apparently he had shown up just then and didn't have time to do everything. Of course I was expected to come down and help but the first bus wasn't until 7:25a and the store opens at 8a. Jeff still asked me to catch that bus down so I did. After helping out for about an hour (even after the store opened) Jeff was very happy with me and assured me that he would pay for everything by Monday. Tonight and tomorrow I will train a new guy then hopefully I will be done. Back at the house I made Portugese Flat Bread again followed by some more rice pudding then took a nap before work.
12/08/2012
Today I trained the new guy for the morning. He is experienced (worked at Woolies for one year) but still couldn't believe I could finish the morning shift in four hours... this morning they were polishing the floors so we had to wait a bit but then didn't have to do as much. After work I went home and started packing. Ben tried getting me to deal with his car tyre again but I was simply too busy and sick of dealing with him anyways... with the regular threats and negative attitude I don't really get the whole "friend" vibe anymore and this so-called friendship is the only reason I've paid out over TWO THOUSAND dollars fixing his car since the accident. After going for the shampoo machine I quickly did the shampoo in my room then left for dinner with the Engs.
After the dinner I met up with some couchsurfers in the city: Stephan (German), Jeff (American transplant), Kev (Aussie) and one American guy, Dave.
12/09/2012
Today I went to the church meeting with Anita. Before leaving I had to finish packing, tell Robert how to return the shampoo machine that I had hired and go to Salvos which had moved. At the meeting we had Mexican food in honor of my leaving Brisbane and then headed to Queen St where I met Robert. We then went to Giac's and over to a pool party/BBQ. After several hours of fun eating, swimming and meeting couchsurfers, we headed back to Giac's where we attempted to do some planning, but fell asleep.
Today I went to a BBQ for some CSers that were leaving. I brought potato bread that I made yesterday and oatmeal biscuits (cookies) which were a hit.
I ended up having a few drinks and speaking some Spanish. After eating and hanging out a bit I unfortunately had to leave early to go to work. After work I found out the store now opens at 3a.
11/16/2012
This morning I woke up a couple of times startled by hallucinations. Due to my sleep deprivation I am now seeing things. I saw several spiders that weren't actually there including one bird sized one hovering over my face... I only managed about an hour of sleep then had to get up at 2a. I dragged myself through the morning during which I saw a shifting shadow - probably another hallucination.
Back home I slept for a couple hours then organized a trip to the forest with Couchsurfing friends Giacomo, Anne-Sophie and Mike. It turns out I actually met the other two before during the park crawl. After we all had some pasta I had a little run in with Jenny. She decided to call me a liar in front of my friends because I said the pasta in the bin wasn't mine. We all knew that it wasn't mine but I wasn't about to argue about it with company over. Her timing could have been better but at least now I know where I stand - all the angry whinging over the last weeks has been because she thinks I'm lying to and stealing from her... After Jenny stormed off we all launched it for the quarry where we met a lot of really interesting people including a 20 year old entrepreneur with four interconnected companies. We got some video of us jumping off the cliffs and even did a sequential jump where I almost got skewered on an underwater tree. What happened was Anne-sophie was supposed to jump left (because I assumed she would hesitate and, therefore, would be better off going first), Mike in the middle and me to the right. Instead Anne-sophie jumped right, Mike jumped far right and I, not wanting to be a hypocrite by hesitating but also not wanting to jump on my friends, jumped so that I was to the far right, out of the safe area. As I fell I didn't have much time to think and, when I saw rocks and the tree just below me, I leaned so that I landed with just my toe nicked by the tree. Of course, the saying, "look before you jump" comes to mind here.
Today Jenny went off on me again about stuff in the bin.. started calling me a liar again. I told her the facts - I haven't lied to her once since I moved in here. She flipped out like that was some kind of blasphemy and I simply pointed out that she was being rude. I've never really confronted her like that but it was about time. She tried to pick a fight about it but I just told her I wasn't going to argue so she stormed off calling me a lazy &*$% and saying that this is why I'm getting complaints at work. Of course, none of this makes any sense coming from someone who lives on the dole and makes excuses to avoid undesirable jobs. My job isn't real flash but at least I make an effort...
11/18/2012
Today Jenny had another go at me while I was talking to Anita... I don't know how much longer fuse is on this powder keg but I figure it's best to just lay low. Later I made my potato bread again then went to work where I had to do the Sunday clean in the back bay - took up till the last possible minute and I almost had to leave it unfinished. By the time I got out at 9p the rain had already started to dry from an earlier shower which was nice. Unfortunately I had another run in with some brain damaged Australians... these little punks pulled up behind me at a light and started yelling at me to get off the road. I gave them the usual confused glare and they opened their car door to yell at me. I told them the facts - you have to share the road with cyclists, its the law. The kid yelled at me about my push bike not being registered to which I simply replied, "what is wrong with you?"
They inched toward me as the light changed and I continued on my way... ignorant children should not be allowed behind the wheel.
11/19/2012
My boss was pretty happy about my work today so it looks like I won't be having any problems, hopefully. With only a couple weeks left I've been eating everything in my cupboard in an attempt to use what I have and live as thrifty as possible for the upcoming period of unemployment.
11/24/2012
Over the last five days I've made Shortbread, Honey Oatmeal Bread and more Potato Bread. I also found that some nights I can just work through till 5a and not have to ride back, which is nice. Today I went to the shops, post office and then the bike shop to replace my front tyre tube this time. Back at the house I gave landlord Jenny two weeks notice and slept. On the way back to work my front tyre went flat again so I had to replace the tube for the second time in one day. Turns out the tyre had some sharp objects in it - probably should have checked that before putting in the new tube. Fortunately the attendant took pity on me and gave me the new tube for free since they're only $8.
11/25/2012
Today I got off work at 7:20a due to all my extra preparation after finishing the night shift last night. I received my $1400 pay today and it just so happens that I have two weeks left so I called Jeff to tell him and he found two guys for me to train.
11/26/2012
Today my bike finally fell apart so I had to ride the little one.
At work I trained three Indian guys to do my job - Navi, Sukh, and Hamet. Afterward I hid the bike and they gave me a ride home. After a bit I met up with some friends from CS, including Mike from last time, and we all went to the quarry for a swim and a hike. While we were there Mike and I spoke about politics and Maori culture in NZ. Back at the house again I took my second nap of the day then Sukh picked me up for work. At work I trained the guys in the bakery, deli and tea room. While we were cleaning the bakery the guys were referring to Hamet, the eldest, as the "perfect cleaner" so I said, "hey 'perfect cleaner,' come over here for a sec."
As he approached I threw a bucket of water on an area that slopes into the store (as is necessary) and we all laughed as he frantically tried to help me pull the water back into the bakery. In the deli I was trying to tell Sukh, a guy who likes to look away while I'm explaining things, about the hose leak. When I got his attention he started holding the leak up to his face... so I decided the easiest way to explain would be to show him. I blasted the water and we both had a good laugh. Finally, after finishing work, we grabbed my bike and the guys dropped me off at home again.
11/27/2012
Today I caught a ride to work with the guys at 5a - which is late considering I usually go in at 3a. The store staff had a bit of a problem with this but I assured them it was a one-time thing. The only reason we came in late was because the four of us easily finish in half the time and we really had planned on coming in on time at 4a. After work I introduced them to the store manager and, since Hamed had to go to another job, the rest of us took the bus back.
I realized today that Jeff was actually replacing me a week earlier than we had agreed on and this would reduce my budget considerably... but it just so happens that the guys decided the job didn't pay enough to split three ways anyways. They called and asked Jeff for more money and now my job is secured for another week.
11/28/2012
Today the tyre on the little bike went flat on the way back from work... fortunately I was almost home but this complicates things... I now have to walk to work or find a new bike.
Later in the evening I found that Giac has plans to do a rental relocation, something I was really keen on doing. So, come December 10th, Robert and I will be leaving with Giac on a 4.5 day road trip to Cairns!
11/29/2012
Today Vicky gave me a ride to work - I will only have to walk to work tomorrow and Saturday... or maybe I could stay there at night and just hang out at McDonalds. Back home I made Portuguese Fried Bread and did more planning with Giac.
11/30/2012
Today I had an inspection... I worked really hard and got some key areas looking perfect. Jeff was really happy and only had a couple things to point out in the toilets which, considering that I only get $50/week for cleaning the whole staff area, aren't really a major concern anyways... or so I thought. The toilets were apparently such a concern that they cancelled our contract. At home I got a distressed call from Jeff which left me wondering what would happen next. A cancelled contract is a big deal and could even result in me not getting paid. Well, I explained my extensive efforts (coming in early, consistently fixing any problems brought to my attention, etc.) and Jeff conferred with his superior, Helen. Later he called me back to say that the contract is no longer cancelled and that I will be training a replacement tonight and in the morning - plus, I get to finish as early as tomorrow!.. of course, the guys that showed up had other jobs and, upon hearing the prospective agreement, didn't even stay long enough to suss out the details. So, back to square one...
12/02/2012
Yesterday I bought Ben some globes (indicator lights) for his car and Robert from England showed up. Today I went to the meeting hall with Anita for the church meeting then came back, slept, did Ben's cleaning (in exchange for pizza he bought me the other night), and went to work where I trained a Korean guy who calls himself Mr. Won or, for me, Jay. He used to work as a cleaner at a pub, has no other job right now, and was pretty capable which makes me happy - he may actually succeed and set me free!
Turns out the "Lahar drill" last night was just the fire brigade - we're right down the street from them. Today I went with Ashley to the shearing sheds and saw sheep being sheared.
This morning I moved to Base hostel where my new friend from last night (Alex) had been. Its $20 so I save $5 which I can use for the unlimited high speed internet here. At 9:30 am I took the bus to the Auckland church meeting. After we all ate I went site seeing with Ben and Gino. First, they took me to Mission Bay where we had Kiwiyo aka Froyo aka frozen yogurt.
01/03/2013
Our next stop was Jourama Falls where we stopped for lunch, watched some Germans in a "hippie camper" back into a fence (destroying their left bumper and tail light), hiked up to the falls, swam in a rock pool then returned.
