I've made it to the opposite side of this vast country, via a 3,446 kilometer (2,141 miles) flight from Cairns, Queensland to Perth, Western Australia. It's very hot here. Over 100* F each day so far, and expected to be above at least 90* for the next week. However, I've noticed the pleasant lack of humidity. Tropical North Queensland, however, boasted a stifling 70% humidity or more nearly every day. Perth is much bigger than Cairns (which means much more to explore), and much more like Sydney. Plenty of skyscrapers and expensive penthouses. Anyway, it's story time.
On Christmas day I checked out of the hostel in Cairns and took a shuttle to the airport. Check-out was at 10am and my flight was at 6pm, so I had plenty of time to kill. Unfortunately, I had no book to read. A week before, I had searched every known bookstore in Cairns within biking distance of the hostel for a certain book. Having no luck there, I had hoped to find the book I was looking for, which happened to be book 3, part 2 of The Game of Thrones series, at the airport's bookstore. Again, no luck. They had every book in the six book series except the one I needed. So I spent my time at the airport and on the airplane using the last of my mp3's battery, doodling in my notebook, and staring blankly into nothingness.
Soon enough (5 hours later), I landed in Perth. I nearly walked right by Perth Airport's bookstore without giving it a thought, but at the last moment I decided I might as well walk in and check. Despite being an exact replica of the store in Cairns, I was finally able to find the book. I then made my way outside to choose my mode of transportation to the city. Taxi, city bus, or 'Connect' bus were my options. I sat on the bench and waited ten minutes for the Connect bus. I didn't have any accommodation booked in Perth yet, so when my turn to get on the bus came, I handed the driver the $15 dollar toll, and told here I just needed a hostel. There are a number of hostels to choose from in this city, just the same as any other city of respectable size, so I just chose to get off at one with a name I recognized; the YHA hostel. By then it was near midnight.
The next day I set out to explore the city. I strolled through the Queen's gardens, walked along the Swan River, browsed a hobby shop, and by noon was thoroughly lost. No worries, that was more or less my goal for the day. As long as I knew what general direction my hostel was, and as long as my feet still worked, I would be able to get back. All together nothing too exciting. Perth is a big city similar enough to Sydney or Seattle.
I've been trying to find a helpx host, but to no avail. I've had a couple people respond saying they would be able to host me, but they have all fallen through for one reason or another. I do have one host that can take me on the 10th, but I'd rather not wait that long. It kinda sucks being here in the (very hot) city waiting for something to happen, but I really shouldn't complain. I've been lucky with my hosts thus far. I've been able to find someone to take me in without any delay, and they have all been excellent hosts. Should I have stayed in Cairns, where I had a bed and meals? Probably. But it's too late now, and I did save $300 on my ticket by moving on when I did.
And now, the bad news...
I've come to realize the harsh reality of my situation. I think I've always sort of realized it, but only now am I accepting the actuality of it. That reality is the fact that I will not make it, financially, a whole year here, as I had originally planned. I overestimated how cheaply I would be able to live and travel through Aus. I have made it one third of the way so far, and managed to do so by spending a little over half of my allowed budget for the year. Now, in my opinion, I've done pretty well so far. Very well even. It's cost me about two and a half thousand dollars, not counting the plane ticket here, to get this far. That includes transport, accommodation, food, entertainment, etc. That's pretty good, I think. $2500 to live very happily for over four months, travel over 2,700 kilometers so far (yes, I mapped it out), and experience countless new things, including animals, plants, and foods that I had no idea existed. I'd consider my trip so far a roaring success.
So, options? With this lack of funds in mind, I researched ticket prices for what it would take to get back home. I would want to make a stop back in Sydney, to spend another few days with Mike and Fee, then to Seattle, to visit my grandparents, Aunt, Uncle, and cousins, and finally back to Detroit. The plane tickets to do so would cost me approximately half of what I have left. This leaves me with less than two thousand dollars to stretch over as long a period as I can, hopefully another four months at least, landing me back home sometime in April or maybe May.
OR
I can sit tight in one spot for a while and find a paying job to re-fuel my ever-draining money tank. Which, to be honest, I'd rather not do. I'd rather keep moving and keep experiencing for as long as I can. On top of that I would, of course, really like to get back and see my family... and sleep in my own bed... and drive my JEEP! I'm not saying that I want to cut my trip short, but there would be pleasant side effects of running out of money prematurely. Well, we'll see how it goes in Western Australia from here.
Brian also brought up a good point when we were skype-ing. He said: "Did you think you'd get it exactly right the first time? It's a miracle you haven't gotten lost or something yet."
Which is true, when you think about it. *Knock on wood* Nothing has gone horribly wrong for me so far; I haven't lost anything (other than one pair of undies, still don't know where they went), I haven't gotten injured, I haven't gotten (very) sick, everything has been positive and smooth sailing. Yes, it's a shame I won't be able to stay the whole year, but it's been an excellent trip so far, and I am very much looking forward to the next few months.
Happy new year everyone!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Monday, December 17, 2012
See the vegetable man, in the vegetable van
With a horn that's honkin' like a mariachi band! -Beck
Well here I am in Cairns, working at the Nomad's hostel. I get three seven hour shifts a week driving a thirteen passenger van between the hostel, airport, and city center. In between routes I have a simple cleaning list to go through, like sweeping the lobby, washing dishes in the kitchen, etc. In return I get a two person room (currently to myself), breakfast, and dinner. I have ample amounts of free time and I'm having a bit of trouble finding ways to use it all. So far I've walked into the city everyday, which is about a 20 minute walk, and explored the shops and markets and such. Today I bought a cheap bike from a pawn shop so that I can explore a much larger area. It's got really squeaky breaks and shifts a bit rough, but it was only 50 bucks, and it works for me! Hopefully I'll be able to sell it back at the end of my stay here to recoup my loss.
Something I meant to add to the Bloomfield post: I tried a new fruit called a Soursop. Hands down the most delicious fruit I've ever eaten, and the texture was something entirely new to me. I also ate whats called a Miracle fruit. It's more like a berry, about the size of a thumbnail, with a reddish pinkish color. They call it miracle fruit because after eating one, everything you eat afterwards tastes like miracle fruit. The more miracle fruit you eat, the stronger the reminiscent flavor. This lasts for a good three or four hours, or more depending on how many you eat.
Sorry, no pics for this one!
Well here I am in Cairns, working at the Nomad's hostel. I get three seven hour shifts a week driving a thirteen passenger van between the hostel, airport, and city center. In between routes I have a simple cleaning list to go through, like sweeping the lobby, washing dishes in the kitchen, etc. In return I get a two person room (currently to myself), breakfast, and dinner. I have ample amounts of free time and I'm having a bit of trouble finding ways to use it all. So far I've walked into the city everyday, which is about a 20 minute walk, and explored the shops and markets and such. Today I bought a cheap bike from a pawn shop so that I can explore a much larger area. It's got really squeaky breaks and shifts a bit rough, but it was only 50 bucks, and it works for me! Hopefully I'll be able to sell it back at the end of my stay here to recoup my loss.
Something I meant to add to the Bloomfield post: I tried a new fruit called a Soursop. Hands down the most delicious fruit I've ever eaten, and the texture was something entirely new to me. I also ate whats called a Miracle fruit. It's more like a berry, about the size of a thumbnail, with a reddish pinkish color. They call it miracle fruit because after eating one, everything you eat afterwards tastes like miracle fruit. The more miracle fruit you eat, the stronger the reminiscent flavor. This lasts for a good three or four hours, or more depending on how many you eat.
Sorry, no pics for this one!
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Bloomfield wrap-up
I'm getting a little behind myself in my posts. Too much is happening too fast for me to write about it all. I'm back in Cairns now, working in a hostel. More on that later.
The weekend I mentioned in my last post was a very exciting one. Brad and I went to visit his girlfriend Kerry, also a helpx host, in Rossville, which is about a 45 minute drive north. I got to drive the whole way there; my first time driving a left-hand drive vehicle on public roads. Despite my habit of wanting to drive on the right side of the road, it went rather well.
In Rossville I was introduced to two new species of beetles. A Rhinoceros Beetle, who's large pincers look menacing and painful but can hardly grip hard enough to cause discomfort.
And the Cane Beetle. They are a plague to sugar cane farmers. Cane Toads were introduced into Aus to try and rid the fields of the beetles, but since the beetles usually stay at the top of the canes, the toads were of no use. Now Cane Toads are a problem, and new species have been introduced to kill them off as well.
That Saturday morning was moving rather slowly for everyone, so Kerry suggested I take her dog for a walk and check out the local river up the street. I happily agreed.
Little Brother, a Rodesian Ridgeback crossed with... bull mastiff? Maybe not, can't remember. Anyway he's very friendly, and despite knowing me less than 24 hours, followed on my heels all the way to the river and back home.
The strip of fur on his back growing in the opposite direction is where the breed gets the name 'ridgeback'.
We rock-hopped up the river for a few hundred meters, and I tried my hand at some long exposure photography (2nd and 3rd pics).
Later that day the three of us went up to Cooktown, the town where Captain Cook crashed in 1770. He actually crashed on the reef just off the coast, then eventually got his ship to the beach to repair. On the way there we passed Black Mountain; a large hill of black granite boulders that used to be one solid structure. Over the years, Mother Nature has split the one huge rock into many many Smart Car sized boulders. There is a lookout on the side of the road there, and we stopped for a looky and a picture.
A rose compass was set in the ground at the top of the lookout hill. Each line pointed to major cities around the world, as well as some local ones, though it's a bit hard to distinguish in the picture. Just for reference, that's Tokyo and North at the top.
I also got to visit the local waterfall, which was deserted, save for myself. I'm horrible at estimating distances (especially in metric), but I'd say from where I stood to the top of the falls was at least 50 meters (~150 feet). The way the cliff was shaped and formed made almost like steps, and the river was 'stepping' down, forming a pool on each one. The rock face made for good climbing, and the pools for good swimming. However, I was feeling extra cautious that day, thinking about recent comments from my brother about climbing without gear, and only climbed to the third one up.
I can only imagine how amazing this sight would be in the wet season, when the water would really be flowing.
That'll do it for Bloomfield. This morning I took the bus back to Cairns, where I'll be for about a month. I'm driving a bus 21 hours at a hostel a week in exchange for room and board. Right now I have a two-bunk room to myself, but we'll see how long that lasts.
I'm going to go check if the supermarket carries Egg Nog...
The weekend I mentioned in my last post was a very exciting one. Brad and I went to visit his girlfriend Kerry, also a helpx host, in Rossville, which is about a 45 minute drive north. I got to drive the whole way there; my first time driving a left-hand drive vehicle on public roads. Despite my habit of wanting to drive on the right side of the road, it went rather well.
In Rossville I was introduced to two new species of beetles. A Rhinoceros Beetle, who's large pincers look menacing and painful but can hardly grip hard enough to cause discomfort.
No, I don't wear that shirt every day. It's just a coincidence.
And the Cane Beetle. They are a plague to sugar cane farmers. Cane Toads were introduced into Aus to try and rid the fields of the beetles, but since the beetles usually stay at the top of the canes, the toads were of no use. Now Cane Toads are a problem, and new species have been introduced to kill them off as well.
That Saturday morning was moving rather slowly for everyone, so Kerry suggested I take her dog for a walk and check out the local river up the street. I happily agreed.
Little Brother, a Rodesian Ridgeback crossed with... bull mastiff? Maybe not, can't remember. Anyway he's very friendly, and despite knowing me less than 24 hours, followed on my heels all the way to the river and back home.
The strip of fur on his back growing in the opposite direction is where the breed gets the name 'ridgeback'.
We rock-hopped up the river for a few hundred meters, and I tried my hand at some long exposure photography (2nd and 3rd pics).
It's hard to do it right without a tripod...
Later that day the three of us went up to Cooktown, the town where Captain Cook crashed in 1770. He actually crashed on the reef just off the coast, then eventually got his ship to the beach to repair. On the way there we passed Black Mountain; a large hill of black granite boulders that used to be one solid structure. Over the years, Mother Nature has split the one huge rock into many many Smart Car sized boulders. There is a lookout on the side of the road there, and we stopped for a looky and a picture.
Someone had drawn a four-foot member on the rock I was standing on. Classy.
When we got to Cooktown, we went up to... well I forget the name of it, but it was a big hill looking out over the town and the ocean. I didn't realize how small the town was until we got up there. This is basically the extent of it.
Found a Cooktown Gecko running around Kerry's house.
I can only imagine how amazing this sight would be in the wet season, when the water would really be flowing.
That'll do it for Bloomfield. This morning I took the bus back to Cairns, where I'll be for about a month. I'm driving a bus 21 hours at a hostel a week in exchange for room and board. Right now I have a two-bunk room to myself, but we'll see how long that lasts.
I'm going to go check if the supermarket carries Egg Nog...
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