TravelStream™ news feed for member pauldwade on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/pauldwade en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Thu, 05 Jan 2006 01:01:53 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1136505660/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1136505660/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1136505660/tpod.html Thu, 05 Jan 2006 01:01:53 -0500 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Sydney, Australia

NEW YEAR SPECIAL EDITION with free factor 30+ sun cream*Happy New Year...etc, etc....So 2006 has appeared on this side of the planet, a few hours before you lot. New Years Eve is a super mega big deal over here with two big ass fireworks display on the harbour. Crazy people get down to various points along the foreshore from early in the morning and sit there waiting for hours and hours and hours. Of course they do get a damn good view but frankly I couldn't be arsed. I saw the 9pm show from my rooftop with my mate Chris, my flatmate and one of his mates. The view was still pretty good. 9pm is the 'family fireworks' and is basically the cheap one, just two barges chucking up fireworks and none off the bridge. Still a good show though. Great weather for it too...still about 25C and a nice breeze, not too humid, pretty much perfect.Then me and Chris headed off to a house party thrown by a friend of King's in a harbourside suburb called Potts Point. You can see the bridge and harbour from Andy's balcony so the setting is perfect, most people attempt to locate a house party by the harbour where at all possible, much more pleasant than camping for 16 hours down by the harbour like tens of thousands do. This year the bridge featured a pulsing red heart, it started beating after the 9pm fireworks and slowly got bigger over the next 3 hours becoming the centre piece of the display at midnight. Four barges fire simultaneously at midnight so there's the exact same display travelling down the harbour so everyone gets a good view. Of course the fireworks start from the Harbour Bridge......some very clever fireworks which exploded in the shape of a red heart...awww.... The midnight show lasts about 20 mins and was absolutely amazing, hopefully you either saw my photos on Webshots, some other pics or even stuff on the news....so so amazing. The heart on the bridge got bigger and transformed with a number of spotlights shining out across the harbour....made me feel all warm inside (or was that just the alcohol).The party continued for a little while but didn't really feel like a particularly late one, had a choice of plenty of dance parties, bars etc but was in bed by 2.30am. New Years Day appeared far too quickly and with the most ridiculous heat you can imagine, the start of Sydney's second hottest day on record. Even at 9am you could feel the warm air blowing through the window, like having a hundred hairdryer blowing in. The only thing you can do in this weather is shut the windows, pull down the blinds and keep the heat out, whereas over there the first thing you do is fling open the windows. Barely felt like stepping out the door but after lunch I went to a day club for a few hours. Air con was struggling with the heat but it was still cooler than being outside.About 5pm I headed to the sanctuary of the La Perouse beach. Still ridiculously hot even then so headed for the best place....the water which felt bloody freezing considering the air temp but not too bad once you were in it for a while. Great way to finish off the day. Turns out that the top temp for the day was reached about 4pm and was 44.5C....yep that's right, 44.5C!!! Absolutely mental.Of course new year's been and gone and back to the usual 9-5 now. Generally the 10 days I had off over xmas and new year were great, plenty of trips to the beach to top up the tan, still looking a bit too pasty for my liking. Christmas Day I was at the beach in the arvo before heading off to a couple of Chris' friends out in the suburbs for Christmas dinner...tons of food and all very very nice - same sorta stuff as the UK though they're big on seafood here, big platter of king prawns and fried baby octopus - VOMIT!! - which I didn't partake in, did have some of the lamb and turkey tho.So what else is occurring in my world....well the sponsorship Visa came through over the hols so now properly sponsored for 4 years by PKF. Just gotta get the 3 month probation out of the way and I'll pretty much be here indefinitely....or until I get bored, who knows what will come first. Settling in nicely too, enjoying the work and the people are good too...though everyone in my team is coupled up in one way or another and there are no gays which is completely rubbish.Guess the next step will be to investigate permanent residency. Of course permanent doesn't mean I'll be here forever, it just means I'll have more freedom to come and go from the country and less restrictions work wise. At the mo I can't carry out any other work than that which I'm sponsored for which means I can't do the Body Combat teaching thing....which is a bugger considering I've found a gym happy to take me on, but there ya go, don't wanna cock up the visa. will also be looking for my own place when the 6 month lease runs out on the current place in May....maybe sooner if the lazy arse flatmate pisses me off much more, but that's another story...Finshed my photography course at the ACP, submitted three pics for the student show and won a Highly Commended award...yay!! Pretty chuffed with that, need to do more pics and sort out the website, even think about getting my little stall in the Paddington Markets....though whether selling photos would infringe my visa conditions who knows??? Hoping to do a portraiture course this term but waiting to hear whether I've got a place.Think that's about it......will see ya next time I've got something interesting to talk about.:O)*available free upon presentation of $15
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1128726300/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1128726300/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1128726300/tpod.html Fri, 07 Oct 2005 05:06:49 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Sydney, Australia

FIRST ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL EDITION with free block of Club Peppermint Cream*Ah so you thought you'd gotten rid of me completely....well not quite. Welcome to the first in what may end up being a series of specials...this one being my First Anniversary in Oz!!!Yes strictly speaking by now I should have left the country as my 1 year Working Holiday Visa ended on October 3rd, but instead I am holed up in a secret location trying to avoid detection by the immigration agency, while awaiting confirmation of my plastic surgery appointment and a complete change of identity...Well that's not strictly true. Since returning to Sydney in early August I've got myself a 3 month contract at Ernst & Young doing IT Helpdesk stuff which is boring as...but however it is paying actual money which is kinda nice to have. The contract runs until Nov 8 and as part of that I'm being sponsored from Oct 4th through the agency to complete the contract, that then enables me to get other jobs through the agency. Well now it's October 7th and I have no idea how the agency are progressing with the app so I could well be here illegally...but I don't know so it's not my fault!Of course I'm also looking for permanent work. Had an interview with PricewaterhouseCoopers a couple of weeks ago, they loved me but decided they were looking for someone a little more junior - not in age but skills! Clearly I knew too much. Last week I went for an interview with Klikon who are a small IT consultancy in Petersham which is an Inner West suburb in Sydney - despite asking for more money and telling them that I need sponsorship they still wanted to see me. However Petersham is about 4-5 stops out on the train, so the commute each way will be 45-60 mins which I'm not particularly excited about, to make life easier I'd probably have to get a car pretty quickly, which is an expense I haven't really budgeted for. They want to see me again on Monday so I may ask for more money and/or a home working arrangement a couple of days a week - I think I'm in a pretty good bargaining position coz they've been advertising the job for ages and haven't found anyone, plus the agency says they like me....so we'll see what occurs.Settling into the flat nicely, been there just over a month I think and loving the location and the place. The flatmate however is a complete dullard, I think he's just chalked up a fortnight without going out in the evening at all. All he does is work, come home, watch TV or sit in his room on the PC. We don't have much in common and as he does bugger all there's not much to talk about. It's a pity coz I was really hoping to find a flatmate that I got on really well with, could go out for a drink with, who wasn't in all the time...you know, but guess you can't have everything. Plus I was a bit pissed off with him coz he advertised himself as non-smoking on the ad for the flat and turns out he smokes out of his bedroom window - which for some reason makes him a non smoker in his eyes!! Caught him smoking out of the lounge window and it was blowing into my room - we had to have words! And the lease on the tenancy stipulates no smoking in the building....so if he pisses me off big time then may have to have a word with the agency, I'll go all Single White (Fe)male on him.Bought myself a super shiny bargain laptop so I don't have to use net cafes anymore, you'd think that I'd have got pics of the flat and stuff online by now wouldn't you - yes well they'll appear soon I'm sure, probably in a Hello spread so keep an eye out at your newsagent....."Paul lounges on his large bed listening to tunes on his Megapod, Paul is wearing a t-shirt from Abercrombie & Finch and jeans from Diesel and is looking and feeling fabulous after a recent move to Sydney".... Also got superfast ADSL wireless at home so I can surf while on the toilet but that pic won't be in Hello - go on, you know you want that image to come into your head! Also started a photography course at the Australian Centre for Photography, it's more a creative thing than a 'how-to' thing so it's giving me some creative inspiration and challenging what I do - goes all arty, grows a goatee and muses over the impact of reportage in the modern age... - either way I'm enjoying it loads and hoping that I'll meet some new friends from it. Only the 2nd week last night but most of them seem pretty cool in varying degrees.My first afternoon back at the beach occurred last Sunday as the weather starts warming up. It would appear that with the warm weather a plague of moths also enters the city. The area I work in is called World Square, it's an office/apartment/shopping type complex and has lots of lights. Monday night I was out taking pics around World Square and it was like a scene from some 'Attack of the Killer Moths' style movie. There were literally millions all over the building, walls and floors. I had to walk through these bloody things and they'd start flapping around me - I resisted the temptation to flap my arms around and scream like a girl, maintaining manly composure at all times. Well that was until a wind suddenly appeared from nowhere whipping the moths into a frenzy of flapping and going crazy, had to leave coz they kept flying into me, landing on me....eurgh it was hideous! Apparently it happens every year as they migrate south and they'll soon have buggered off...thank god.Travelling for a few months took it's toll on me adding a few kilos on, so I'm now going through my 'healthy during the week' phase, no crap, chocolate, biscuits, cake, bad things during the week....and no I don't pig out a the weekend, just allow myself a couple of little treats. It's working so far having lost about 3Kgs (6-7lbs) since starting with a plan to lose 10Kg (22lbs or over a stone-and-a-half) by the end of the year, which will take me to my lowest weight in the history of me ever....well probably since I was about 8 or something. I'll just be melting away...of course some of the impetus is the fact that summer is round the corner and the sleeveless tops and beach days will be coming out so you know you gotta look good for all that ain't ya!Went to the doctor's a few weeks ago too coz I'd had neckache, headaches and swollen glands, also mentioned that I'd had a cough since I'd been in Brisbane which was a good couple of months. So he tested me for all and sundry - turns out I'd had Whooping Cough so got some drugs for that and the cough disappeared. Thought I'd been inoculated for that but after a conversation with mother it was discovered that I never was....bloody marvellous! Also had some other viral thing which thank god has now disappeared...though as I sit here a cough seems to have returned which is marvellous. It's working that's what it is....it's very very bad for the health.Right...special over! I'm trying to get round to emailing people but be good to hear from you first too so gimme a shout if you haven't sent anything for a while ey!*This offer is only available if you get your arse over to Sydney. And if you don't know what Club Peppermint Cream is it's a block of dark chocolate with peppermint cream in it....mmmmmm....chocolate....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1124640900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1124640900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1124640900/tpod.html Mon, 22 Aug 2005 06:46:14 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Sydney, Australia

So I sat down and realised that I hadn't filled this in all week, then I thought...I can't be arsed to write a whole weeks worth of stuff again, and then I thought....I haven't really done much of interest, and then I thought....so why bother with the diary anymore....and lo it came to pass....I've been doing this now since September of last year, that's almost a year which isn't bad going, and yes I guess I should just keep it up and hit that anniversary, but there really isn't much to tell, so from now on it'll be the occasional email. Should much change over here I'll let you know, but that also means that you need to email me and say hi every now and again too coz although you may think you don't have much to tell me I still want to hear from my friends every now and again.So it's been a bloody good 11 months, something I didn't think I'd ever do and something that I have no regrets doing, in fact I'm bloody glad I did. Now I'm hoping to make a life for myself over here, for a little while at least, and fingers crossed the 3 month contract will turn into a something a little more permanent. If it doesn't work out then que sera sera, these things happen for a reason and I'll start the diary up again as I make my way home...until then....adios!THE END.:O)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1124075100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1124075100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1124075100/tpod.html Mon, 15 Aug 2005 06:14:06 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Sydney, Australia

Monday 08/08/05:Interview day. Done some prep and revision and headed into the city - business clothes still fit which is good. 2pm interview, 2 guys grilling me but I done pretty well, answering all the tech questions, suitably cheesy, pointing out how damn good I am. Seemed to have worked, had a job offer within half an hour! It's a 3 month contract initially - but who knows what could happen when you're in such a big company could be a really good starting point....not gonna get too excited until I know the money and I've seen stuff in writing.Met up with Chris for a celebratory bevvy, he's not long back from his travels so we had a catch up. Went back to Erskineville so I could get changed then had a couple of drinks in the area. Quiet night in afterwards watching TV, Nadia went into the Big Brother house - all of a sudden she's got long blonde hair and is thinner - doesn't suit really. Next few days should be interesting.....Tuesday 09/08/05:Couple of hours at Bond St in the morning, doing the weights thing, weighed myself and have lost .02 of a kilo...woohoo!!...not :O( Hoping that it's coz I'm adding muscle mass..well better be anyway, not eating so much crap or drinking so much plus exercise much more so it should be coming off a bit quicker than that! Met Scott (English bloke working over here) for lunch. No more job updates so far...the other finger in the pie has gone quiet and didn't hear anymore about the job offer, though they're still sorting stuff out.Went over to Coogee to see Sven later in the afternoon. He cooked up some pasta for dinner and then we headed over to South Juniors Rugby League Club to watch some amateur boxing...his idea of course. Never been to a live boxing match so thought it would make a nice change to the usual. The club is like a private members thing, it's a supporters club but it's in a huge building with various bars, function rooms and auditoriums. There were about 10 fights in all ranging from kids...and we're talking 10-12 yrs old, up to adults, tho the fights were categorised by weight. Some of the bouts were quite dull but a couple where they gave each other a good pounding. For some reason in this bouts they wore vests...I mean what's the point of having a fit body if you're gonna cover it up?? Sven wasn't as bothered.Wednesday 10/08/05:Phone call this morning re the job, want me start tomorrow.....aaaaaarrrgh!! Of course that's very good, tho I'm enjoying doing nothing...still, earning money will be nice of course. Turns out I'll be working on my WHV for a month, then the agency will start the sponsorship process, guess a little bit of me is wondering if there's a reason why they're not doing it now. There's an element of trepidation coz it's not a Notes job and it's not permanent, but I'm about 80% confident that it'll all work out ok. Watched Kath & Kim DVD after brekkie, v funny.Got a call in the afternoon, "They want you to start tomorrow, that ok"...er, yeah that's fine! lol....so back in the land of the workers from tomorrow....nooooooooo!!! I like doing nothing, it's good for you. Thursday 11/08/05:Up at the crack...well 7am which is about as crack as I like. 8.45am start but dunno what the trains are like at rush hour. Actually made it all in good time, arriving with enough spare time to go and have a coffee before starting. Met by my direct Manager in the foyer. It's all very fancy, Ernst and Young recently moved into a brand spanking new 51 level building on George St so it's all very new and modern. I'm on the 43rd floor and the views are fantastic...you can't see out to the harbour bridge and opera house coz there are too many buildings in the way, but you can see for miles to the south and west, you can see the sea, Botany Bay, the airport....loads, very cool place to work.Went around doing all the usual introductions, 200 people, 200 names I won't remember. Basically most of the day was spent buddying up, listening to a guy take calls and learning the systems. Interestingly I was introduced to the Notes boss and he said that they're really short at the mo but they aren't aloud to poach people which is a bugger. Also discovered that one of the guys I worked with at the Attorney General's earlier in the year is starting on Monday, another Paul, so that'll be a nice surprise for him. We get on well too that's cool. So far they don't seem a very exciting overly friendly bunch but we'll see how we fare. Obviously after a full days work I was shattered so went home and done bugger all.Friday 12/08/05:Work...gym....nothing....oh dear, working life is so dull :O(Saturday 13/08/05:Well what a terribly productive day. When I bought my business trousers last time I turned them up myself with that iron on hemming stuff, well this has proceeded to start falling apart and they're flapping around a bit, plus they were turned up a bit too high in the first place so taken them to be done properly. From there I bought myself a scarf - yes it is that bloody cold sometimes! Went and viewed a room in a flat to share with one other, right near Oxford St, location is perfect. It's a little expensive and I wasn't too excited or impressed so that might have to come off the list....accommodation day in the paper so we'll see what's around.Into the city, met a bloke I've been chatting with for an hour or so, Tony, had lunch at Sushi Train, wandered for a bit then I buggered off to get my hair done for pre-birthday drinks tonight. Had the rankest fish & chips I've ever had from a place near me, chips greasy and soft, fish batter was wet rather than crunchy....eurgh! Pommie Scott, Chris, Nick and king joined me for drinks. Sven had previous arrangements and Carlos was ill. Started in the Clock, busy coz of some rugby on the telly. Eventually ended up on Oxford in the usual haunts, copious amounts of vodka, etc, etc. Crashed at Scott's as he lives in the city rather than attempt to get home.Sunday 14/08/05:Lazy lazy morning, minor hangover and knackered. Scott prepared brunch of ham and cheese croissants...v nice. Rang round a couple of accommodation ads in Surry Hills in the afternoon, gonna go take a look tomorrow night. Went for a lovely stroll in Newtown beautiful afternoon, sun was nice and warm. Picked up the trousers, sat and read the paper in the park, went for a cup of tea...nice chilled Sunday arvo. Watched BB in the evening, grand final tomorrow and I'm gonna miss it coz I'm house hunting...bugger! Tried to start watching Pret-a-Porter but by 10pm I could hardly keep my eyes open, last night finally caught up with me....So it'll be my birthday on Tuesday...what was that? Birthday? Yes...birthday...just thought I'd mention ;O)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1123420740/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1123420740/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1123420740/tpod.html Sun, 07 Aug 2005 22:59:26 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Sydney, Australia

Monday 01/08/05:Well if it isn't August already, what a very very special month it is. On the 16th I will continue to defy nature by looking far younger than my 31 years on this Earth....hurrah! Much celebration, fireworks...etc. Gym this morning, back to Body Combat, Gabby woman still taking the class tho she's buggering off to London for 5 weeks - didn't even acknowledge me - bitch! Got a call re Helpdesk job with the NSW Police, been put forward for it, will hear more tomorrow hopefully.Met Graham, an Irish bloke I've been chatting to online, very nice, quick drink on Crown. Works for an ad agency, mentioned I wanted a new casting and he's gonna contact their preferred agent and see if I can get on their books...cool. Quiet night in, only 2 others left in the dorm, both German, they buggered off out so chilled and watched TV. Managed to get it tuned in to Ten so could watch Big Brother...woohoo!Tuesday 02/08/05:Was gonna just lay in bed this morning as I should rest with the cold, but being thin and gorgeous is more important so went to the gym, Bond St this time...and OH...MY...GOD!!! Broom Cupboard 'Super'star Andi Peters was there, what's that all about?? Quite possibly the bizarrest thing to happen here so far. Done the job thing, chased a few and applied for some more. Got another call about the Helpdesk job, putting me forward today...what happened to yesterday, oh well, at least they're putting me forward for something. Have applied for 10 jobs since getting back....just a big numbers game.Wednesday 03/08/05:Day off from the gym, still harbouring a cold. New German bloke in the dorm and new Asian girl, where are all the people from English speaking countries???? Was doing job stuff at the net cafe when an agency called, wanted me to go see them today. Job sounds real good; 2 month contract doing Lotus Support from Ernst and Young right in the city. Jumped on the train and went to see them, agency woman loves me, best thing since sliced bread, etc. Just depends if the company feel the same way, she's putting the CV forward and hopefully I'll hear something soon - so that's 2 jobs where the companies have my CV.Went to Coogee in the afternoon to hang out with Sven. Chat, drinks food. Had an almost proper kind of date in the evening with a bloke called Simon. Met on the net but also seen him out at the Oxford, been chatting online for a bit and tonight met for dinner. Lovely bloke, went really well. So well in fact that he wants me to house sit for him while he's on the US for the next 3ish weeks. Said that he should sleep on it and make sure that he's happy for me to do that....but it would be fantastic, a place to myself! Woohoo!Thursday 04/08/05:Laid in bed most of the morning, gonna get some drugs for the cold, getting on my nerves now. Gym over lunch. Simon called, still wants me to look after his place, gonna pick up the keys tonight, he leaves for US tomorrow. Introduced me to one of his friends, well actually he directed me to him on the phone...think he kinda wanted the friend to meet me, score out of 10 and all that...lol. No call backs on the job front, chased a few jobs, unsurprisingly they were all 'on the phone' or 'away from their desk', god knows how these agencies get anything done coz there never there...bastards!Picked up some stuff that I had in storage with Aaron, needed my business wear in case I get an interview, and another set of gym kit, been using the same vest and shorts for 5 months - they're getting holes. Whilst there got a call from an agency, really positive about my CV, putting me forward for a job at Ernst & Young....big big big company - very cool. Went round Simon's to pick up the keys and we went and had some food. Great apartment, gonna have a fridge, TV, stereo, bed, washing machine, shower, toilet and space to myself for 2 weeks!! Think the last time I wasn't sharing with someone was when Niki went away for a few days for Christmas, but this is the first time I've lived on my own for 2 weeks since leaving the UK....how weird.Friday 05/08/05:Well what an eventful day, agency called again today - got an interview at Ernst & Young Monday at 2pm. Another agency called, got a job at Price Waterhouse Coopers, want to put me forward, went to meet the guy and he thinks I'm great....which of course is accurate. Of course it's all very complicated with visas and stuff, can't be arsed to explain, either way they seem to get the impression that it won't be a problem if I get a job. Loads more Germans checked in today, thank god I leave tomorrow. Went to the net cafe, thought I'd just check my Oz bank account...and there's $850 in it which I didn't know about, must have got another payment from the job earlier in the year...woohoo!Out with Sven in the evening, went to see Downfall at the Chauvel, excellent excellent movie. German movie so Sven had kinda seen it, but makes a change for him to be able to understand a film over here. Dragged him to the Oxford for a drink, pointed out that he always takes me to straight bars so only fair we go to a gay one occasionally - he managed 2 drinks. Even got some bloke trying to chat him up...within 10 mins of being there!! Bastard. Never happens to me...but he is a 6'2" chunky bloke. Wandered to a couple of straight bars including a trashy oirish bar on George St, think the only thing that made it oirish was that fact it was called 'St Patrick's Tavern'. Escaped leaving Sven to it and just had a couple on Oxford.Saturday 06/08/05:Checked out and moved over to Simon's place this morning. Took bloody ages on the trains but so worth it. Defrosted his fridge for him as that's part of the bargain and that's all I had to do....washed his sheets too as he didn't change them...lazy bugger! His place is a 10 min walk from the train station and it's only a couple of train stops into the city, so not too difficult to get around.Was planning on having a quiet one in the evening, Simon's got plenty of DVDs I can work my way through whilst I'm there....however by 10pm I had a desire to go for a wander. Started in the Newtown which had the most bizarre 'drag' show - based on The Muppets, not very funny and seemed completely out of place. Newtown closes at midnight which is ridiculously early, so walked to the Imperial which is on the way home anyway. Bumped into Allen from choir, watched a couple of the shows, danced a bit, drank a bit and ended up getting home about 4am.Sunday 07/08/05:Knackered! Chris called this morning, about bloody time too - sent him a text a couple of days ago as he should have been back from his round world trip but no reply. Then Allen goes and texts him last night and he replies straight away....outraged! Wasn't really in a state to hold a conversation so spoke to him later in the afternoon. Vegged out watching Little Britain, finally seeing all the first series. Intended to go to the gym today and by mid-afternoon felt like I could make it without dying.Done some prep work for tomorrow's interview, some Notes revision and reading up a little about Ernst & Young. Night in tonight, definitely, watched Big Brother which is coming to an end over here soon, only 3 people left. They have evictions on Sundays over here so someone went last night and to shake up the final 3 they're putting someone new in the house tomorrow....and guess who it is...Nadia!!!..lol...should be fun. Interview tomorrow so early night....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1122424800/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1122424800/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1122424800/tpod.html Tue, 02 Aug 2005 02:18:37 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Coffs Harbour > Newcastle > Sydney, Australia

Monday 25/07/05:Bright and breezy start, looked out the window and looked perfect, no clouds, slight breeze. Checked out and wandered over to the dive centre. Got kitted up in the lovely, flattering, show-all-the-lumps-and-bumps wetsuit. About 8 diving altogether and a few dive masters around too which made me feel a little more confident. Jumped in the bus and went down to the marina. Headed out toward South Solitary Island for the first dive which was gonna be a deep one...wasn't too keen on that idea but I'd been buddied up with an instructor and another guy so felt more comfortable. Descent went ok this time, felt good, we ended up going down to 26 metres which is much deeper than I've been before...and as an Open Water Diver I'm only allowed to go down to 30. We went underneath an archway built from coral, very cool - I had trouble equalising the pressure in my ears tho so had to go up a few metres, sorted it out and went back down. The area is known for it's Grey Nurse Sharks and they've been known to see up to 14. Think we saw about 4-5, one of them was a female who was huge so they said she must have been pregnant, she swam directly toward me for a bit, very cool. Loads of other stuff swimming around but frankly no clue what it all was, but it was an excellent dive, down for about 30 mins as I was sucking in air like crazy as usual. Back on the boat for cup-a-soup and biccies....all very nice. Moved to a new dive site for the 2nd dive. Bit shallower this time but the best dive I've ever had...all went really well and sooo much wildlife around, massive shoals of fish just hanging out around the reef, not much big stuff but just amazing to see so many of these things. Unfortunately my bloody underwater camera stopped working during the last dive, probably coz of the depth...bollocks!...so no pics :O( - must get the underwater cover for my new Sony!!Headed back to Coffs feeling really confident about diving and looking forward to the next one, big change from when I was learning. Got back on land about half 12. Was gonna get the late bus to Newcastle in the evening, but the stingy bastards at the YHA charge $5 to use the facilities up to midnight after you've checked out, then I'd have had to pay $10 for a taxi to the bus, so thought I might as well get the afternoon bus and pay an extra $10 for another nights accom. Unfortunately the 14.10 didn't turn up until about quarter to 4, but still arrived in Newcastle late evening. Short walk to the YHA, checked in, stuff on the bed and sleep.Tuesday 26/07/05:Went for a jog this morning to explore the sights of Newcastle, seems I've hit a run of good weather at the mo, another sunny day. Checked the map and found a route along the beach to a park...what the map didn't show was that Newcastle is on a big bastard hill! Didn't die tho, managed to still do the usual 30 mins, coming back of course was much easier. Wandered around the city for the rest of the day, much much smaller than I thought it was gonna be considering it's supposed to be Australia's 6th largest city. Main shopping street was tiny and dead, walked up to the Obelisk which is on the hill and looks out to the ocean and across the city. Also went to Nobby's Beach - cue sniggering - where I got well and truly sandblasted as the wind whipped the sand across the beach.Nice enough place to wander around but pretty much doable in a day. In the evening I signed up for the free meal at MJ Finnegans genuine 'Oirish' bar. Bizarrely we all had to walk to the bar together in a big clump, little bit like a school trip to get fed. Of course being free the food wasn't amazing, but edible. Got chatting to 3 guys from Scotland who'd been over here for a student rugby tournament in Brisbane....now why didn't I get to hear about that, I'd have cheered them on....assisted with any physio, etc, etc....er, anyway...nice bunch of lads, they were sitting with 2 Canadian girls and German bloke - don't know any of their names but will never see them again I'm sure. We formed a team for the trivia night and came 3rd...which meant no prize whatsoever...marvellous. Hung out in the pub until closing and headed back.Wednesday 27/07/05:Last day in Newcastle but nothing in particular planned, bummed around the city for most of the day walking to places I hadn't visited yet, another good day too. Have the hostel room to myself now as the other two moved out. Newcastle has managed to retain a large number of it's original buildings so wandered around taking piccies of buildings I liked...yes, very geeky. Had to do a 40 min round trip just to get some bloody mincemeat...no butchers in the city centre or big supermarkets...what's that all about?? In the evening cooked up a mean spag bol, was gonna go see a movie but by the time I'd done dinner it was too late and couldn't be arsed. Someone had stuck Ice Age on the DVD player in the hostel lounge so watched that and then listened to some tunes in the room...which I still have to myself, think it'll be the first time I've slept alone for months!Thursday 28/07/05:So the day has arrived, finally I return to Sydney after almost 4 months away. Strange feeling to think I've been travelling that long but looking forward to being back. Got the 9.45 bus, only took two and a half hours and we were arriving in the city, we drove in over the Harbour Bridge which as to be the best way to arrive, driving over the harbour with the Opera House below....put a big grin on my face. Got a taxi to the Hotel Altamont in Darlinghurst. Stumbled across this place on the Bug website, it's a hotel but they've turned a couple of rooms into dorms and they're only charging $20 a night which is v cheap for Sydney. Plus it's only a couple of streets down from where I used to live so it's handy for everything.Checked in, it's a bit of a weird set up, turns out it used to be a suite, so you walk in and the first room has a huge king bed and the TV, off that room is what would have been the bedroom but now has 3 bunks in it and fitted wardrobes, also off the TV room is the bathroom which is pretty big, even has a bath! From the TV room you can walk onto the roof terrace and off that is a tiny kitchen/laundry room. It's a bit scuzzy in places and the layout feels weird, but for location and price it's pretty good, will give it a couple of days and see what it's like staying there before deciding how long to stick around. The room holds a total of 8, 2 in the King bed and the 3 bunks, turns out there's 7 altogether at the mo, everyone else being German!!! What's that all about - how come all the Germans know about the place??? Thought there might be some gays considering the location but there aren't, just me as usual.First job of the afternoon was to get down to Fitness First and sign up again. Cheeky buggers now charge fortnightly, which of course means you pay slightly more a month, plus they charged me a $60 admin fee....to do bugger all really, but there ya go, they wouldn't budge and I need to get back into the gym, of course not working I can't really justify it but hey, it's my health and wellbeing so it's very very important. Wandered around the city a bit, not a lot has changed tho a few buildings which were almost finished are now done, new shops and stuff, etc....Went to a net cafe I used to use and the credit I'd left in the account was still there, excellent. Applied for about 5 jobs while online, also spoke to the agency that gave me the last job so got the ball rolling on the job hunt. While online a bloke that I met ages ago in The Stonewall started chatting, Jason, local bloke, remembered him even tho it was a brief chat we had last time. Arranged to meet up for a drink.Got in touch with Carlos too who now has a boyfriend of 9 weeks which he's very excited about. Invited me along to join him and the boyf for ten pin bowling out at Randwick. The boyfriend is called Carl....Carlos and Carl....honestly! Really nice bloke, they met at City Gym where Carlos was working, walking around flexing his muscles, obviously done the trick anyway. Had 3 games...Carlos won them all, bastard. Then we headed back to Victoria St near me to have some food at the Tropicana, of course being a poor traveller I really shouldn't have been going bowling and eating out but very important to be sociable. After C&C buggered off I met up with Jason and went for a drink to the Green Park which is just at the end of the road I'm staying on. Sat and chatted for a couple of hours before heading back.Friday 29/07/05:Went to the gym this morning, jogged there, done the treadmill thing, cycled, then spent over an hour on the weight machines. Wasn't too difficult but I know I'll pay for it in a day or two....but that's a good thing. Didn't hear anything back from the job apps yet, will have to chase next week. Late afternoon I caught up with Jason again, getting on really well, don't think it will amount to more than friendship but we'll see how it goes. He's not working at the mo, does various stuff like cheffing and running bars but hasn't done anything for a few weeks, now thinking about setting up his own cafe. Hung out round his for a couple of hours before heading back to get some stuff in for dinner.Wanted to watch Big Brother tonight but discovered that the TV doesn't have channel Ten which was most distressing....so ended up watching it round Jason's, always good to know someone with a decent telly! Went out for a couple of drinks after but he headed home around midnight, I headed out for my first night on Oxford for a while, didn't stay out too long, had a drink each in The Oxford, Midnight Shift and Manacle.....good night out.Saturday 30/07/05:Had a little lye in, doing bugger all most of the morning....must do some washing, but the weather's too good to be stuck in doing that. Two people moved out this morning so only 5 of us, hope it'll stay that way for a little while, tho would be nice to have some non-Germans. They all seem friendly enough, tho I haven't really been in enough to get to know them that well. One bloke has been staying there two months!!! Don't think I could do that, would be nice to find my own room soon, trouble is many people won't be interested in having a room mate who's only gonna be here for a couple of months, of course if I get a job then I could definitely start looking for something...oh well, will have to wait and see what happens.Went out for a read of the papers in the afternoon, chilling in the sun in Hyde Park. Got in touch with Sven in the afternoon, the German guy I've bumped into a couple of times, he's going to the Three Monkeys on George St tonight so gonna join him for that. Caught up on washing in the evening which actually made me late, finally got my arse out to the bar at about 9.30. Sven had got chatting to an English bloke who's also living in Coogee, nice to have an English bloke to speak to. We stayed in the Monkeys for a few hours, there was a live band on and they were pretty good. As usual the conversation turned to women and shags, and finally I told Sven that I was gay....and as usual there was no problem, really should do it sooner!After the Monkeys we went to C Bar but pretty quiet, Sven and ? were gonna head back to Coogee so I went up Oxford St stopping off at the Shift and Oxford but no much happening so headed back.Sunday 31/07/05:Had a fantastic lazy arse morning laying on the sofa watching Simpsons and Will & Grace, no one else around so had the TV to myself so just laid there till lunchtime. Popped round Jason's in the afternoon to say ello, he's only just round the corner. He was off to help a mate move house, I jumped on the bus and headed to Bondi for a wander. Killed a few hours there laying in the sun.....tho not on the beach, all that sand everywhere and not quite hot enough for that. Read the papers as usual and had a cup of tea...as usual.Jason very kindly offered to cook me dinner tonight, how sweet! So got round his about 7 and hung out there for the rest of the night eating and watching movies....saw Connie and Carla which was funny in places, and for some reason the 30th Anniversary Edition of Jaws was on telly and we say the last half hour of that.So what now....Well now that the main travels are over my life is likely to become increasingly dull, pretty much all I'm doing in Sydney is job hunting and catching up with friends. I'll probably keep the weekly updates going just so you know how the job hunt is going, but expect them to get smaller and less detailed so you don't need to put aside half a day to read it and I probably won't tell you what I had for lunch - "Hurrah!" I hear you cry. You're not getting rid of me altogether of course but it'll just be travelpod lite from now on.Oh, and if you want to send anything in the post....say, er, birthday cards or something like that (16TH AUGUST!!!!!) then you can get me at this address until I have a permanent one:Paul Wadec/- Poste RestanteGPOSydneyNSW 2001Australia:O)
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1122255900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1122255900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1122255900/tpod.html Tue, 26 Jul 2005 20:39:11 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Surfers Paradise > Byron Bay > Coffs Harbour, Australia

Monday 18/07/05:Scott dropped me off at the hostel about 9, enough time to pack up, have brekkie and check out. Getting the 1.15 bus so time to kill, went into the city and used up as much net time as possible before heading back to the hostel to get the shuttle bus to the Transit Centre ready for the coach. Journey to Surfers was only 90 mins. The Islander Resort and Hostel was right next door to the bus station so a nice short walk. It's part hotel part hostel, with backpackers scum having their own reception in the basement of course....wouldn't want the 'proper' guests to see us. Checked into a 4 bed which again was full so top bunk for me :O( No one in the room when I arrived but worked out that they were japanese/asian based on the stuff lying around.Weather was good with the sun out, but being right on the ocean the wind was pretty nippy. Got my bearings and took a few pics of the beach and the skyline. The shoreline is just crammed with towers and apartment blocks, some of which is looking pretty dated. Was pretty quite out and about too, but it was late afternoon and it was pretty cool. Just wandered around aimlessly getting my bearings and working out what's where.In the evening went for food at the Down Under bar next door. They have a 'free' meal deal - well free in the sense that you get the food free when you buy a $5 drink...still a pretty good deal. Bangers and Mash tonight which actually was pretty good, wasn't totally full but won't do me any harm to reduce portion size! Carried on wandering the streets in the evening and then went back to the room. Wanted to watch TV - yes there's a TV!!! - but the other blokes were in the room listening to a crap radio station. I was right, well sort of, they're Koreans....didn't really talk much as their English wasn't great.Tuesday 19/07/05:Wanted to have an early start but after having a crap night sleep, waking every couple of hours thanks to noisy Koreans getting up in the middle of the night for a drink and a piss, snoring, murmuring and then getting up at 7am. So ended up sleeping till about half 9. Dragged my arse into my jogging kit and went for a jog along the beach. Jeez it was hard work! Killed my shins for some reason, dunno what was different about today but was real hard work, ran back on the beach which was a little easier on the shins but running into the wind this time. Great location for a jog tho, along the beach, sun out, but a nice cool breeze. Just chilled on the beach after the jog for a bit watching the surfies and the stupid people swimming...far too cold and windy for that.Cleaned up at the hostel and had late late brekkie...someone had left 1 english muffin in a back on the free food shelf so had that, don't worry, not that poor that I don't have any food, just saw it and fancied, bloody lovely especially with some free butter too...mmmmm. Walked back to the beach area to sit and read for a little while. Afternoon was spent bumming around, did want to hire a bike but the hire shop at the hotel only hired bikes with no gears (!?@?) and couldn't find another bike hire place in town...well not a cheap one anyway. The weather was starting to cloud up and the forecast showers looked like they were on their way anyway.In the evening I went for the $5 meal again, fish and chips tonight. Plus tonight was karaoke night and I simply couldn't resist after getting a taster for singing again on Scott's Singstar game. Ended up singing four tracks during the night; Blinded By The Sun - Seahorses, Your Song - Elton John, Need You Tonight - INXS, and Common People - Pulp. Place wasn't that busy but got the odd ripple after each song...and got one whole free drink for singing...woohoo!Wednesday 20/07/05:10.30 bus to Byron Bay...started raining on the way there, hope it doesn't do it for the next 3 days. Plumped for J's Bay YHA as recommended by Paul the Manc. Apparently the weekend is gonna be real busy for the Splendour In The Grass music festival....was gonna leave Saturday anyway so not really a problem. Booked in for 3 nights and got to the dorm...the usual crap strewn all over the place and another top bunk. Went for a wander once I'd settled but started to rain so nipped into Travelbugs to use some of the 10 hours free net I've got with them.Explored Byron which took all of about 15 mins, much smaller place than I thought it would be. Guess it probably has a real cool vibe in summer when the sun's out but in Winter when it's cloudy and raining on and off it's not quite so cool. Walked up to the bay which is pretty and then went for an afternoon cup of tea, succumbing to a double chocolate muffin...must go for that jog tomorrow.Back at the hostel met the messy bastard sleeping underneath me, German bloke who's been here for a week or so, learning to surf hence the board under the bed and the wetsuit hanging off the bunk....seemed a nice enough bloke, just needs to be tidier. Also met another dorm-mate, Enrico an Italian bloke. There's one other, Dan, an America but haven't seen him around. The hostel is spitting distance from a Woolies and the kitchen is big and clean which is all marvellous and meant I could finally buy some groceries and cook for myself.Evening was pretty quiet, other than a little drama whilst cooking dinner when a flourescent tube exploded. Don't really know whether it just dropped out of the fitting on the floor, or exploded coz of the heat in the kitchen. Either way it was because it didn't have a plastic cover over the fitting....a lawsuit waiting to happen. Luckily no one got hit and no glass ended up in my curry! Watched some telly and due to extreme boredom went to bed just before 11.Thursday 21/07/05:Bloody rubbish nights sleep thanks to the American snoring almost constantly, and German boy under me was a fidgety bugger. Could see the sun peeking through the curtains so looked like it might be an ok day, but once I went out for a jog there was a lot of cloud around. Jogged out to the bay and along the beach, getting back only a few minutes before it started bucketing down. American had checked out by the time I got back...excellent! Moved into his bunk so I didn't have to clamber over the German's crap just to get to bed. Hung around wandering what the hell to do in the weather, was thinking of cycling but the showers kept coming in...killed some time on the net. Brightened up slightly in the afternoon.Headed back to the hostel to hire a bike, they're free of charge and as you'd expect you get what you pay for, no gears and rusty as hell but hey, two wheels and it moves so it'll do the job. By the time I'd headed out it was much nicer, sun was out and warmish. Cycled over to Belongil Beach and walked along there as far as you can before the creek cuts the beach in two, got some good piccies. Then cycled across town to Tallow Beach which is on the opposite side of the Cape, another ridiculously long stretch of sand, but because it's on the opposite side it was now in shade so a bit chilly to hand around. There were a couple of hangliders making the most of the wind floating around in the sky.The contrast once you got over the hill was amazing, still in the sun it was lovely and warm so stopped off at the far end of Main Beach to just chill and watch the sun go down. The whole feel of the place changes completely when the weather's good, sitting on the beach with the sun warming you up, listening to the waves crashing and watching people go by....that's the way to waste some time. Got some amazing pics of the sun going down, some great cloudscapes in the sky.When I got back to the room there was a couple laying in the bed left by the American, turns out that they've got seperate beds supposedly, tho of course I'd bet my life on both of them sleeping in this dorm. Didn't do anything in the evening other than sit on the net for a bit, sat and read my Lotus Notes book too....very exciting - tho the one good thing is it seems to be coming back to me quite quickly. Fell asleep for an hour or so before being woken by the couple coming back and attempting to have a shag, it's just delightful listening to the slurping noises eminating from the room. I was almost about to tell them to fuck off when the German came back to the room and put them off, then they gave up and went to sleep.Friday 22/07/05:Yay, suns out and not many clouds in the sky. Was supposed to move to a 12 bed dorm today as there wasn't any 4 beds left, all booked out coz of the Splendour In The Grass music festival this weekend, tho when I went down to move they said I could stay in the room, guess they did some shuffling around. Bonus tho coz I'd paid for a 12 bed for the last night so ended up getting a whole $2 off tonight....what will I do with it???? Went for a walk this morning around the walking tracks which take you to the Lighthouse, to the most eastern point of mainland Australia, along a couple of beaches and through some rainforest. Took about 3 hours in all and the weather was great. Found the platform where they launch the hangliders from, great view from there so just sat and chilled for a while.Timed it pretty well, by the time I'd gotten back to the hostel the cloud had started rolling in, and by the time I'd had lunch it was raining again. You could definately see the difference in the town as the weekend gets closer, much much busier, this weekend being busier than normal coz of the music festival. Got chatting to a couple in the kitchen, they'd just come from Coffs Harbour, said that you can go Whale Watching there for only $28 which is ridiculously cheap, and they stayed in the YHA there and said it was great....very tempted to stop off there now for a couple of days before hitting Newcastle. Stayed out of the rain in the net cafe for the rest of the afternoon.Got chatting to an American guy in the evening, Brian from LA, only in Oz for 2 weeks!! I mean how on earth can you fit stuff in that short amount of time. We hung out for the evening, watched Pirates of the Caribbean on the TV, love that film and that's about it.Saturday 23/07/05:Had to check out this morning, then got picked up for the Nimbin Tour I'd booked. Nimbin for those that don't know is the hash capital of Australia. Reason being that in the 70s there was a music festival, but being a very very small town there were only a couple of police officers. Being full of hippies there was a lot of pot smoking going on, the police realised that they simply didn't have the man power to arrest everyone who was doing it, so they turned a blind eye. Trouble is they set a precedent which could be used in court to defend pot smoking in Nimbin, so basically, although it's not strictly legal, on the streets of Nimbin you can possess and use Cannabis without getting arrested. It's still illegal to deal but again that seems to go unnoticed. Hence since then Nimbin has been a popular place for a short trip....about an hour from Byron.However our first stop was to a 'farm' run by some bonkers eccentric New Yorker called Dr Paul Recher. He came over to Oz in the 70s with the other hippies and decided to stay, bought a load of land and spent the next 30 odd years planting thousands of plants and trees on the land. His farm - which has no animals other than the wildlife - is now listed and protected by the Botanical Garden Society (or something like that). He came to say hi wielding a large kitchen knife which was mildly disturbing, tho we later discovered that this was so he could cut some fruit up for us. Dressed in a lumberjack shirt, pink shellsuit bottoms and with long straggly hair - but no beard - he led us around part of his farm. We stopped off at the 'pond house' which was this cool little shack right on the front of a swimming pond, complete with internet, music, tv...etc. So although he's a hippy he still likes the creature comforts. Despite being slightly bonkers he was a really interesting bloke to talk to.Next stop was Nimbin....and it is tiny, just one street really with a few shops and cafes on each side. Went with a couple of others for some food at the Nimbin Hotel (ie pub) as it was way past lunch and we were starving, 3 lads on the bus with us went straight off on pursuit of some pot. Being a bit of a lightweight I decided not to buy anything to smoke...plus the driver had warned us that the stuff up here is VERY strong, however you can buy cookies which are supposed to be strong, but you can eat as much or as little as you like. After lunch we took a stroll up the street - which took about 30 seconds...well not quite but not long anyway - it was very bizarre to be openely offered weed and cookies on the street.....everyone was pretty chilled about it. It was $5 for one cookie or $10 for 3...so went with the 3 option. Having been warned about the potency I just had half first....felt bugger all after 30 mins so had another half....still nothing after over an hour...so another half....oh dear.....Things started getting a little strange on the bus home, massive paranoia, shakes, felt like every muscle in my body was tensing up, started worrying about the fact then when I get back to Byron i'm gonna be on my own, no room to go to coz I've checked out, plus a 3 hour bus trip to Coffs Harbour!!!! Occasionally for a few seconds I got a chilled happy feeling but generally it was all intense paranoia. Had no clue what to do when I got back to Byron so went and sat on the net for an hour....typing was interesting! Drinking plenty of water and slowly the effects were wearing off, but very slowly. Still felt a bit weird when I got on the Greyhound down to Coffs. Arrived there just before 11, no hostel pickup at that time so had to bung out $10 on a taxi. Luckily feeling much better now. Put my sheets on the bed and went straight to sleep!...a very interesting day....by the way, chucked the other one and a half cookies in the bin...Sunday 24/07/05:Woke around 8ish...nights sleep wasn't great but felt much better this morning. Checked if there was a whale watching tour this morning and there was so booked up and rushed round to get ready. Reception blokes directions were shite so ended up having to run back to the hostel to find out where the hell to go, was a little late, hot and bothered but made it on time. Only $28 but the boat was pretty big so loads of people. Weather was fantastic, calm and blue skies, perfect for being out on a boat. We were on the water for a couple of hours, in that time we saw about 6-8 whales, in one area there was about 4 of them and there was a pod of dolphins with em too....sooo cool! They were a little way out but you could still see them playing around, then a couple of dolphins came over to the bow of the boat and swam along side...amazing! Well worth $28.Hired a bike for the rest of the day, only $5...bargain...and brand new too. So explored the sights of Coffs, there's a few nice places to see, good lookouts and a nice beach...bit too chilly for sunbathing tho. Spotted a dive place so went in and had a chat, only $115 for a couple of dives, the weather is supposed to be good tomorrow so as it'll possibly be my last opportunity to dive for a while thought i'd give it a whirl...need to keep practicing. Cycled into town (as the hostel is a nearer the beach than the town centre) and sat and chilled with a tea & scone...how very very English!...and the Sunday paper. Love just sitting outside in the sun watching the world go by.Evening was pretty quiet, hostel doesn't seem that busy and typical YHA there's some oldies and bonkers people around. Prepared myself for tomorrow's dive, gotta be at the dive centre at 8 and gotta check out too....went to sleep feeling a little nervous....
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1121611380/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1121611380/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1121611380/tpod.html Sun, 17 Jul 2005 21:43:37 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Brisbane, Australia

Monday 11/07/05:Other hostels, cross River...Pauls factory, southbank, Had a lay in after last night, pretty much buggering up the morning. Had a whinge to reception coz the shower is never hot, it ranges from lukewarm to cool, they claimed they'd get the maintenance guy to take a look. Walked over to Roma St to do some net stuff at the cheap place, then wandered around a couple of hostels just to see what they were like as my prepaid week at Bunk finished tomorrow night. Wasn't particularly taken with any of them, plus location wise it would be best to stay in the Valley for the weekend. Crossed the river over to Southbank to head to the Museums and Galleries there. Noticed on the way that there's a big milk factory near the river so popped in to see if they had any casual stuff. Unfortunately they go through an agency so gave them a call and got an email address.Started off at the Queensland Museum which was frankly rubbish and took all of half an hour...I guess it's good for kids as the number of school trips would indicate. There's also a science museum in the same building called ScienceWorks but they charge and it's probably aimed at kids too. So went to the Queensland Art Gallery next which was much more interesting, cool building too so took some piccies of the inside. Had some bizarre video art, eg a film of people trashing a supermarket, slowly ripping up loo roll and trashing food - and the general rule is if you don't understand it it must be art. Last stop in the complex was the State Library but it was far too complicated to try and find just today's paper to read so left.Nipped into a net cafe to try and email my CV to the factory agency and the stupid bint must have got it wrong coz it kept getting returned. Went to their website and there was no email addresses or way to send in CVs....and just couldn't be arsed with it all so didn't bother trying to get in touch. Ended up meeting a bloke called Jimmy for a drink after chatting for a bit. He's near South Bank so we went to the trendy street along there for a couple of drinks. First time I'd ventured that far so at least I got to see a different part of Brisbane. Bloody miles from where I'm staying tho so got the train back in the end, just couldn't face the walk home.Tuesday 12/07/05:Today was a day for doing bugger all and spending as little money as possible. Started off with a jog in the morning tho didn't get up until half ten. Got a kinda minor cold/cough thing which is giving me crappy sleep. Jogged back via the supermarche to get some brekkie stuff, tho it was just before lunch by the time I ate it. Tonight is the last night of my pre-paid week at the hostel and I wanna try and avoid paying for anymore accommodation whilst in Brisbane. So checked with reception to see if they had any work for accom and they said to go back at 2pm as there might be something. Killed a couple of hours showering and reading another Dan Brown book that a roommate gave me. I'd finished Angels and Demons and he'd just finished Digital Fortress so he gave me that. Didn't think I'd be able to read it before I left Brissy but started it anyway. Put up a couple of For Sale notices for the book I've finished too, might as well get me money back.2pm came and there was a couple of hours work to be done. Had to help clean one of the apartments on the top floor which is being let out from tomorrow, had one other guy helping and the cleaners had already started so there wasn't a whole lot to do but eeked it out a bit. Then there was some boxes to break up and that was pretty much it, not a particularly difficult 2 hours work and that's tomorrow night for free. Read some more of the book afterwards, only leaving the room to go over to the supermarket and get some stuff for dinner. Trying to cook in that bloody shite kitchen is a nightmare, I had to do a pasta meal in a frying pan....tho it worked out okish in the end. More reading after dinner, but just had to get out of the room to headed out for an evening stroll into the city. Spent a couple of hours on the net before heading home. Tony from Friday night was online so we chatted briefly, arranged to meet up tomorrow night and go get something to eat.Wednesday 13/07/05:Didn't wanna waste another morning so was up about 9am, tho had nothing in particular to do today. Enquired about work for accom (WFA) and they said there was nothing so far but to try again later. Read more, read lots actually, almost finished the book from Monday, went to a park and sat reading the book there for a bit before heading off for cup of tea and a read of the paper at Gloria Jeans. Had a late lunch and checked again for work for accom and nothing today, luckily yesterday's work with pay for tonight....tho I had a note on the door saying that they noticed I hadn't paid for tonight or checked out....idiots!Grabbed the big camera and went for a walk around the city and a late afternoon/dusk photo shoot. Started at the Story Bridge, walking down along the river to South Bank, then back over the footbridge and into the city. Took a good couple of hours, sunset was pretty cool but just wasn't in the right place dammit - why can't the sun set where I want it to set??? Walked back to the hostel early evening, had a call from a bloke who was interested in the book and he might be around to collect this evening, and expecting Tony to phone later too to sort dinner.Laid on the bed and finished the last few chapters of Digital Fortress, first time I think I've ever read a book in 3 days, pretty good actually. Got Micheal Moore's Stupid White Men the other day so will start that tomorrow. Finished the book about 8pm...by that time no call from Tony, so much for dinner! And book boy couldn't collect tonight so probably tomorrow. Obviously I hadn't had dinner yet so walked into town to get something, on the way Tony calls...all a bit weird really, he seemed to think the dinner conversation was a joke and was surprised that I thought we were gonna go out tonight, long story about the whys and possible misunderstandings....anyway, was a little pissed off and as he wasn't expecting that he didn't have much else to say and the conversation ended. All a bit surreal, I mean I don't wanna be a couple but jesus a little bit of consideration wouldn't go amiss....men!So instead of a nice meal out with company had a subway on me own...joy! Killing the rest of the evening on the net, god what would I do without the net....???Thursday 14/07/05:Went for another jog in the morning, a new route this time along the river to New Farm and back along Brunswick St to Fortitude Valley. For some reason I seem to be waking up around 9-9.30, which is too late coz it takes me ages to get to sleep, must try and get my arse out of bed earlier. No WFA today so had to pay for a night :O( In the afternoon I got the bus to Mount Coot-Tha Lookout which is only a $5 15 min journey from the city, managed to miss the first bus I was trying to get coz I couldn't find the bloody bus stop. SO that gave me an hour to wander around the Roma St Parklands which is a really chilled park to just wander around, lots of watery stuff and plantage as you may expect.Finally got the bus at half 1, which slowly wound it's way up the hill dropping off right at the top. All very organised with a cafe, restaurant and obligatory gift shop. View is really cool, it's 7km west of the city so it overlooks the suburbs, the CBD and you can also see out to Moreton Bay and Island so you can see quite a long way. Good weather too tho bloody freezing when the sun went behind the odd cloud. Had to hang around for an hour for the next bus so had a cup of cha and a Kit Kat - simple pleasures. Got the bus down but jumped off at the Planetarium which is in the 2nd of Brisbane's Botanic Gardens....what's the obsession with Botanic Gardens??? was too late to see a show plus it was too expensive so paid $1.50 to wander around the tiny exhibition which consisted of a doco about space missions and some models and photos, tho some of it was pretty interesting in a space geek kinda way.Killed another hour there and got the last bus back down the mountain into the city. Evening was pretty quiet, swallowed my pride or whatever and called Tony to see if he wanted to still do a drink and dinner sometime, arranged to go out tomorrow night. All I did in the evening was go for a wander down Brunswick St stopping off at Gloria Jeans for a cworfee, had an earlier than usual night.Friday 15/07/05:Woke up around 8, couldn't be arsed to drag myself out of bed so gave it another half hour. Checked WFA and there was something going at 11am so killed a bit of time. Got a message from Tony saying that he's got to do a double shift tomorrow starting at 5am so he won't be able to do tonight as he needs to get to sleep early....hmmmmm, was I stupid calling him again, ah well, don't matter, I'll be buggering off Monday anyway. As you'd expect the WFA was pretty crappy, the stuff no one else wanted to do. Had to clean out a cage which housed part of the fire system, this was outside on the street so you can imagine plenty of crap had been chucked in there, tho most of it was just dirt and leaves. Didn't take long to do that, then another lovely job of tidying up the bin cage, only took 50 mins to do the two jobs and then they said there was nothing else....so I'm guessing I'll get the free night for that, not gonna ask and not gonna give em any money so that's the way it'll have to be. And they finally got a plumber in to look at our shoddy shower....so I can have a hot shower on the last 3 days here.Bummed around in the arvo, spent a couple of hours reading in Borders and wandered the streets looking for cigarette butts in bins....well not quite. Thought that as I'm going to be looking for a Notes job when I get to Sydney I should kinda do some revision to remember what the hell it is I do. I haven't done any Notes programming since Aug 04 and can barely remember a thing, of course once I get back into the job it'll all come flooding back but if they give me a code test at an interview I'd be buggered. So searched for a Notes book in a couple of shops, nothing in the 2nd hand place unfortunately. Tried a shop which specialises in technical stuff but they only had 2 Notes books, spotted the sale stand on the way out and low and behold a revision book for Notes 6 Development - and half price too, excellent! Bunged out the $30 and will have to get cracking soon - can also use it to help get another professional qualification so that'd be handy.Net stuff then food. Hung out in my room for most of the evening reading and listening to tunes on the Megapod going out about 11pm. Went straight to the Wickham which was pretty busy, the usual affair really. Got chatting to a bloke called Scott, originally from Brissy, has been living in Sydney for about 8 years and has only been back here for a few days. Used to be a professional tennis player and now is a kind of Insurance Manager of some description, really nice interesting bloke.Saturday 16/07/05:Lazy morning doing bugger all, Scott has a PS2 and the Singstar game, I'd never tried it before but sounded like a laugh so had a go.....managed to get to Superstar level which of course is highly appropriate - Scott was a little pissed off as I managed to beat him, he hasn't got a great voice but he gives it all he's got and ain't afraid to have a go which is cool. Turns out tho that we were playing on the easy setting, as soon as we ramped it up I don't think I got higher than 'Hopeful' which is outrageous and inaccurate!! Went for a drive and got some lunch before Scott dropped me off in the Valley around 2pm. Needed to pay for tonight at Bunk too, they'd disabled my room card so couldn't get in to the room anyway.Went for a walk into the city, beautiful beautiful day, hardly a cloud in the sky. So got a paper and went to the Botanic Gardens to have a snooze in the sun. Got really chilly as soon as the sun sunk behind the buildings so read the paper at a cafe over a pot of tea. In the evening Scott picked me up and we hung out at his place, he cooked some Chinese thing which I can't remember the name of but was very very nice. Played a bit more Singstar, this time in career mode so I was eventually playing a stadium and going on a world tour....how prophetic. Late in the evening we went out to the Sportsman hotel which had a Bears night on down in the Mineshaft....OH....MY....GOD!!! Quite possibly the scariest selection of freaks I've ever seen in my life, didn't last long down there. Stayed in the main bar for the rest of the evening. The night ended in some drama when Scott bumped into some ex of his who he always argues with even tho he's been away from Brisbane for 8 years. Long story short....we had to have a 'chat' outside, I ended up staying at Bunk and he went home - honestly, gay men and their dramas.Sunday 17/07/05:Bloody knackered in the morning, had a lay in after sticking the ear plugs in. Had a lazy breakfast and finally wandered into the city just before 12. Went to the net cafe as I've got 6 hours of prepaid time to use before I bugger off tomorrow morning. Scott got in touch, apologised for the night before, wanted to know if I wanted to go for a drive up the coast....well of course never turn down and offer from someone with a car, and of course I like his company too which is an added bonus. He picked me up in the city and we headed up to Maroochydore which was about an hour and a half away, easy drive and another blue sky day. Arrived not long before 3, by which time we were starving, ended up going to a Pig and Whistle "Traditional English Pub"....hmmmm. Treated myself to a Steak and Guiness pie thing, way above my backpacker budget but after eating discounted food court food for the last couple of weeks I deemed it necessary. We potted around for a bit before heading back, traffic was a bit worse coz being late Sunday arvo everyone else was heading back to Brisbane after the weekend. Spent the evening at Scott's place which is a lovely apartment in New Farm, really cool coz it's designed to open out into a big entertaining space. He bought a couple of PS2 games whilst we were out - Tekken 4 and Athens 2004 - so we sat and played them for a couple of hours. Watched the Kylie episode of Kath and Kim which I really wanted to see....very funny. ....great way to spend an evening.Heading off to Surfers Paradise tomorrow, think Scott and me will def keep in touch, pity he's just moved up here, but at least if I stay in Oz I'll have a friend to visit in Brissy.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1121049900/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1121049900/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1121049900/tpod.html Sun, 10 Jul 2005 22:13:23 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Brisbane, Australia

Monday 04/07/05:Job hunt starts today, got some agency numbers from Bunk and called them in the morning. Paul went off to do some sightseeing for the day as he's off to Byron Bay tomorrow. Didn't get very far with the agencies, doesn't look like there's much around for such a short timescale. Gotta send in the CV to a couple of them and see what happens. Wandered around till 12 which is when a cheap net cafe opens, $10 all day and I had a shitload to catch up on so knew I'd be on for a while. Spent the afternoon doing emails and diary....took bloody ages. Late in the afternoon met up with a bloke from Newcastle who I'd got talking to on the net. Had a couple of drinks and went to the Sportsman which is a homo bar, mildly scary, looked like a working men's club, hadn't been decorated since 1983 I think. A few of his friends joined us and got a good lead for getting sponsored in Sydney, one of the girls had a number for an agency who are really good at getting that sorta thing so will get in touch with them.Got back to the hostel not long after 6pm, Paul was already back and in the dorm after wandering around Brissy for the day. As it was our last night together we went out for a meal to one of the chinky restaurants round the corner. Got some BYO and had a great meal, sat chatting for a couple of hours. Finished off the BYO on a bench near the restaurant and finally told him that I was gay, mentioned that I'd met a bloke for a drink later in the afternoon so kinda explained why. As usual he'd had an idea but didn't want to offend me by asking in case I wasn't. Good bloke tho and wasn't bothered at all, kinda wish I told him earlier as I might have been able to be more myself around him at times. Either way it's been real good to have someone to travel with for the last couple of weeks and he's been real good company, I'm sure we'll keep in touch. Went for a drink to the Elephant and Wheelbarrow till about midnight before heading back to the hostel.Tuesday 05/07/05:Paul was up around 7am to get ready to go get the bus, said our goodbyes and I went back to sleep....will miss the guy but I'm sure we'll meet up at some point in the future. Got up about 9 and thought I really should go for a jog coz I haven't been for one since Cairns which is ages ago....so hauled myself out of bed and got my arse into gear. Wasn't too difficult, ran down to the river and along the river and back for the usual 30 mins. Moved rooms today too, as Paul as gone I've booked a 4 bed instead. The room I ended up in was really good, clean, only a couple of other blokes at the mo, and as big as the 6 bed with no bunks so loads of room. Around lunchtime headed out to search for a cheap net cafe where I can get the pics burned to CD, and still got loads of emails to do and a whole weeks worth of diary. Found a $2 an hour one...bargain, bloody card reader wouldn't work tho but managed to finish the diary and do the emails. Spent forever there.Got the pics burnt to CD on the way back to the hostel. Had to have a cold shower when I got home coz the bloody hot water was off, and the aircon wasn't on in the room...rubbish! Went out for a wander around the area in the evening, met up with a bloke called Ryan for a couple of drinks, which turned into a few. Went to The Beat club which was dead but drinks were dirt cheap, plus there was Disco Bingo...hmmmm, however there was a bar tab prize so joined. Won a $10 tab but you could only use it at the weekend...boooo. Wasn't late in, about midnight I guess.Wednesday 06/07/05:The bright mornings seem to be waking me around 8...which isn't a bad thing coz I don't really wanna be laying in bed all day. Caught the shuttle to the transit centre to go back to the net cafe again....still need to send more emails for jobs and to visa agencies to get the ball rolling for sponsorship, spent the morning there. In the afternoon wandered around the city centre, went to the City Hall where you can go up the clock tower for free to get a view of the city. It's not very high but it's the only place you can get off the ground, there's no tower or observation deck like in many other cities. Spent a good couple of hours reading loads of magazines for free in Borders...don't ya just love Borders.Headed into a food court on the way back to get some food and also in the hope that as it was near the end of the day there'd be some bargains to be had...and there were, had some chinky before wandering home. 'State of Origin' decider on the TV tonight....big big thing over here, it's a serious of 3 rugby matches between NSW and Queensland held each year. The decider is being held in Brisbane and it'll be on in every bar with a TV screen. Watched the first half at the hostel before heading back to the room to read for a while. Not that excited about rugby other than for the obvious reasons ;O)Thursday 07/07/05:Bright and breezy for another jog this morning. Went over the Story Bridge this time and ran along the otherside of the riverbank, bloody difficult on the way back with a slow incline. Checked the test results from the other day and all ok now, a picture of health and good looks apparently. Called another agency who again said I wasn't here long enough for temp office work, so decided to go to the factory temps place and register with them. You have to do it in person tho and there god knows where in South Brisbane. Managed to find out how to get to them on a couple of buses. Left just after lunch and only took half an hour to get there...some suburb called Underwood, luckily the bus stopped right outside the place.Just had to fill in a few forms and watch a safety video and that's it. Took about an hour in total, bloke said they didn't have anything at the mo but would call me if anything suitable came along...won't hold my breath for fear of suffocating. Had to sit around waiting for a bus coz in these parts they don't run very often. Stopped at a Garden City shopping centre for the afternoon to kill time and buy a padlock...yes this travelling malarkey is a whirlwind of excitement. Spotted a rather bargainous Sony digicam which took my fancy - a Sony DSC-P100 for the camera geeks - originally sold for $799, then $549 and now $399. It's a smaller and better version of mine...very tempting.Back to the city for dinner....guess I should really get some groceries and cook at the hostel sometime considering I'm trying to save money. The kitchen is such a shitehole tho. More net cafe action and whilst there started hearing stuff about explosions in London, listened to BBC Five Live on the net hearing it all unfolding. Reminded me of when I was at Virgin Money watching the Trade Centre stuff on TV, sat there for a couple of hours checking news sites and listening to the radio before the cafe shut at 8.30pm.Back the hostel BBC World was on in the bar with a few people milling around watching it, watched it for a little while before going out to the Wickham for the evening. Chatting to a local guy for a little while but generally the place was pretty quiet.Friday 08/07/05:Gorgeous morning, blue sky and all that. Walked through the Botanic Gardens.....every place in the country has a botanic gardens. But with the weather it was a lovely stroll...then over the Goodwill Bridge - which is the only pedestrian bridge over the river - to South Bank. It's a kind of outdoorsy, artsy, beachy, sandy, walky kind of area. It's got Brisbane's city beach in it, ie a fake beach....not as big as I was expecting but nice in the hot weather, tho bit too cool for that at the mo, plenty of people out in cossies tho, probably poms. Some random Nepalese Temple in the gardens too, something to do with the World Expo of 1988, amazing building considering it was hand carved from wood.Pondering over buying that camera, torn between being a poor backpacker looking for work and really wanting a new shiny camera which is smaller and better than what I've got, and of course it's such a bargain it's too hard to resist. When I saw it yesterday there were only 3 left so called the store to see if any left...and there were, which is kind of a good/bad thing. So jumped on a bus to the shopping centre, continuing to ponder on whether I really should spend $400....and I did. Once I got it in my hands it was like holding a new born baby, I simply couldn't let it go. And I further justified the purchase to myself when I realised I could sell the other camera for at least $100. Headed home with new toy shining in a bag.Went out to the Wickham again in the evening tho not till about 10pm. Much busier thank god, actual people around. Obligatory drag show happening at midnight, then I got chatting to a bloke called Tony, all tall and beardy, very cute. Danced, chatted and drank till about 3.30am before we buggered off and er well....the rest is none of your business.Saturday 09/07/05:Was gonna go to a gym this morning but with a mouth like a sewer and not many hours sleep that was highly highly unlikely. In fact not much happened until I finally stepped out the door about half two in the afternoon and had some breakfast, well a roll. Did consider taking the old camera to Cash Converters to see how much money they'd give me for it, then thought I could eBay it, then thought but not till Sydney, then thought bollocks I do it another day. Bought a Sydney Morning Herald...yes they sell them interstate....and went to a nearby food court thing to sit and read, loads of coverage about the bombings so caught up on that.Tried to snooze in the evening but couldn't fall asleep. Went for a wander out and about, it's Valley Fiesta this weekend - the valley being Fortitude Valley which is where I'm staying. Live bands in the mall all day, and various things happening in bars. Generally not the sorta music I'm into so I stayed clear though the whole area was rammed. Wandered around for an hour or so but an overwhelming desire to save money and not drink meant I just went back to the hostel, read a bit and went to sleep.Sunday 10/07/05:Weather looked great when I looked out the window, blue sky, etc....that was until I walked outside to go for a jog and felt the freezing cold wind which was blowing around...feck it was cold. Jog warmed me up and if you managed to find sun without wind it was lovely. After the jog and late breakfast wandered into town down to the Pier St market, usual arts and crafts with food fare. Rest of the day was aimless wandering, reading the paper, reading mags for free in Borders and some net stuff. Also bought a cheapy $20 watch until I find a way of replacing the dearly departed and sadly missed Storm.In the evening went to see Madagascar which was very good indeed. Bloody freezing on the walk home, getting back about half 9. Changed and buggered off out to the Wickham for a bit before going to Family which is a nightclub which has a gay night on Sunday. It's one of the best clubs in Brisbane and considering it was a Sunday it was pretty busy. Music was cool and the place itself is pretty funky, lasted there until about half 2.
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1120445100/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1120445100/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pauldwade/oz2004/1120445100/tpod.html Tue, 05 Jul 2005 01:41:13 -0400 He lived in the same city for 30 years, he needed to go somewhere else....

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Fraser Island > Noosa > Brisbane, Australia

Playing catch up the mo so it'll be short and sweet this week you'll be glad to hear....Monday 27/06/05:7am start and the car was already at the hostel. We had to check the supplies, make sure it was all there, as we were doing so it started to rain...a taste of things to come I suspect. The car itself was a bit of a state, which I guess is to be expected considering it's been driven god knows how many times off road by backpackers. 3 seats in the front and to bench seats running along the sides in the back, good job there was only 9 of us otherwise it would have been too much of a squeeze. Drove to the car company to do some paperwork, only 5 of us were old enough and had a credit card which meant we could drive. Then we got our camping permits and drove to the barge. Denis the German was driving initially, and from the way he was driving at 120 in an 80 limit I kinda got the impression that he might be a bit of a twat.Barge trip was short and then we were on Fraser Island, took the inland road initially as the tide was too high to go on the beach. Started off as a smoothish sand track, eventually turned into a potholed dirt track, Denis driving like an arse meant we were jumping up and down in the back holding on for dear life as we careered through holes and puddles. Eventually we got onto the beach where Denis managed to get us stuck in the sand attempting to do a u-turn, so we dug the car out in the pissing rain, I noted that the 2 girls remained in the car. He also managed to drive through some seawater which supposedly gets us a $1500 bill for salt damage. Was not a happy bunny at this point, most people didn't seem to care too much but really didn't feel safe with that idiot driving. First main stop of the day was Lake Mackenzie, known for it's beautiful blue water and white sands, unfortunately the cloud and rain detracted slight, tho a couple of the lads went in for a dip.We went back to the beach to have lunch and the clouds broke for a bit so we made the most of it. I was being pretty quiet coz I was so pissed off I thought it best not to say anything rather than have a go on the first day. Next stop was Eli Creek in the late afternoon, a shallow creek which runs out to the sea and you can swim down with the current, tho it's only a couple of foot deep. When we stopped there I asked Denis if he could drive a bit more sensibly and it didn't really sink in, he said "Don't you take risks?" and I pointed out that I don't when there are 8 other people in the car, he didn't give a shit really. Last stop before camp was the wreck of the Maheno which has been slowly rusting away since 1935.We arrived at the campsite just before dusk. It's aboriginal run and was recommended by the 4WD guy. It's a permanent site so we got a massive to tent to sleep all of us which was cool coz it meant we didn't have to set up our 2 man tents. The evening was dry so we spent the night cooking in the kinda kitchen thing where I done the burgers and sausages, then we chatted around the camp fire. The nights get dark real early so they seem to drag so much, so by 9 you feel like it's time for bed.Tuesday 28/06/05:Bit windy during the night and the tent flaps were flapping away and flaps always disturb me....had breakfast with the dingoes that hand around the camp, luckily there were no babies in the area. Today I took control of the wheel and felt a bajillion times better, Denis sat in the back with a face like a slapped arse. Cloudy weather again, tho dry so far. Drove up the beach to Indian Head where you're supposed to be able to see sharks, whales, dolphins, rays, mermaids, etc. However the wind was kinda churning up the sea so you could see bugger all expect sand and water. Great view tho. Back onto the beach and a drive down to The Pinnacles - there's a lot of Pinnacles in Oz but these are 'multi-coloured' sand cliffs....not v exciting.Lake Wabby was next, had to park on the beach and walk for 45 mins inland to reach it. Started to piss down as we arrived...joy! Wabby has a massive sandblow which has cut the lake into two and will eventually fill it. This one is green tho I can't remember why...it just is. A few of the lads went for a swim and pissing around with the boogie board we hired, couldn't be arsed to go in coz of the rain. As we walked back to the car the heavens opened when we were a couple of minutes away so there was a quick sprint to get some shelter. Had lunch in the car creating a very efficient sandwich production line. We drove to Eurong despite being high tide, but it wasn't far up the beach and we didn't get stranded so all good. Still raining so went to the small cafe for a cup of tea and a donut. A couple of people investigated staying in a cabin tonight, but in the end the group decided to go back to the aboriginal camp in the hope that we can get a tent again so we don't have to put ours up in the rain.Driving up the beach was a nightmare, driving rain, sea mist, wind and sand made visibility awful at times, plus you're always trying not to smack into a bump or sand shelf. We made it there alive tho thanks to my skillful and considerate driving. Evening was pretty much the same as last night, tho we spent most of the night in the camp directors house coz the electricity was out in the kitchen area. Chatting, eating, drinking then sleeping...simple.Wednesday 29/06/05:Roger the German drove today, the other 2 who could drive weren't really interested. First lake of the day was Birrabeen, best know for having sulphur mud on the bottom that you're supposed to cover yourself in to make your skin silky soft, so I finally made it into a lake as for a change it wasn't raining and done the obligatory mud pic. However the dry spell didn't last long and with a little shower while we were there. Next and last stop of the trip late morning was Lake Boomanjin, this is a tea tree lake apparently and has a sort of brownish tinge, couldn't be arsed to go in coz it was windy, freezing and raining occasionally, however the die hards went in for their final dip. Had lunch at Dilli Village which actually isn't a village but a camp site which we couldn't even get into. Then the trip back down to the barge which took about an hour or so. We started on the beach but the tide was coming in fast so back on to the high tide track with it's giant pot holes and puddles so it was a crawl for most of the journey before the decent sand track finally appeared.Of course as the trip was coming to an end the clouds slowly disappeared and the sun arrived....there's some force greater than I know of which is really trying to stuff up the east coast for me. Got on the barge and finally made it back onto normal roads....lovely. Filled the tank up, dumped stuff off at the hostel, then took the car back to the rental place. Luckily they didn't charge me for the rear view mirror which I managed to snap off the day I was driving, nor the boogie board which was covered in melted red wax after someone didn't quite understand how to wax a board up. Me and Paul were gonna have our free meal tonight but the YHA kitchen was closed so got $10 back each and went out for food. Had the free beer at the YHA and a game of darts which I won - finally something I can win - then we went next door to Dingo's for a few other drinks.Thursday 30/06/05:10am bus to Noosa. Cloudy again but at least not pissing down....however that's what it did on the way to Noosa, more torrential rain. Plumped for Noosa Backpackers Resort when we arrived coz they had free kayaks and boards. Weird place, our dorm was a converted apartment with 6 beds in what was probably the lounge, there was still a kitchen and bathroom, but the bedroom was locked....bizarre, kinda good to have ensuite tho. The weather was pissing Paul off a little so we went for a wander around town and along the beach, windy and wet but loads of surfers out making the most of the swell...listen to me and my surfer speak! Dried up later thank god, walked for ages and stopped off to get some food at Woolies, finally getting back to the hostel after dusk.In the evening we jumped on the courtesy bus into town which dropped us off near the cinema, went to see War of the Worlds, - SPOILER FOLLOWS.... - which was pretty good but the fact that the aliens were defeated by getting a bloody cold was a bit of an anticlimax. Taxi back coz it was far too far to walk, simply couldn't be arsedFriday 01/07/05:Joy of joys!!!! The sun was out and the sky was blue...woohoo!! Noosa really is the kinda place where you need good weather considering the place is based around a river and it's inlets and canals and the sea. Caught the bus into town and walked along the Coastal Track in Noosa National Park. Beautiful views out to sea and the forest comes up right to the cliffs. The 2.4km walk took us to Hell's Gate which isn't actually a direct portal into hell but a rocky outcrop with the sea crashing into a v-shaped inlet. Took a short detour down to Alexandria Beach where we chilled of a little while, turned out the southern end was a nudist beach, but we didn't investigate. Then took the Tanglewood Track back which was a 4.6km path which meandered through the rainforest where we heard lots of stuff but only saw one brush turkey. Ended up walking around for 3 hours and jumped back on the bus to the hostel early arvo.Still great weather so got a couple of the free kayaks and headed out onto the Noosa River spending a couple of hours meandering around the inlets finally watching the sunset as we bobbed up and down on the water....very cool way to spend a couple of hours. Took a load of pics of the adventure on the underwater camera so looking forward to seeing them when I finish the camera off...just need to do some more water based stuff. Stayed in the hostel in the evening, cooked dinner, had a game of pool with a yank and a Scottish bloke, played cards then Paul got into watching Wimbledon so I read for a bit and buggered off to bed.Saturday 02/07/05:Wow....two sunny blue sky days in a row. Tho we're off to Brisbane today so glad we made the most of the good weather yesterday. 10.15 bus to Brissy. So many hostels to choose from in Brissy, too many of them are 'party' hostels too, a couple told us yesterday that they stayed in Palace for one night and had to move coz they just didn't get any sleep - so avoided that. Ended up plumping for Bunk who picked us up from the Transit Centre. Got a messy 6 bed with a load of oirish lads, seems like there's Irish everywhere in this hostel, gives me a chance to use my excellent genuine Dublin accent. They were playing some bizarre Irish rock/opera/plinky plonky hybrid on their CD player...very strange.Walked into the city to go to the information centre which was manned by one woman and had loads of people waiting, so we grabbed some leaflets and left. Paul needed to get another book so we went to a secondhand place which boasted over 1 million books, was pretty big but would have to take their word for it coz I got bored after I'd counted to 125,563. Late in the afternoon we got the bus to the Gabba coz the whole point of getting into Brissy today was to watch the Brisbane Lions vs Melbourne Demons. Paul hasn't watched an AFL match yet so was well excited about it. He's more a rugby boy, plays it and watches it. Got to the ground and the cheap seats had sold out...bollocks! Ended up paying $44 a head, which is still cheap really at less than 20 quid each, but the cheap ones were $20 so it was a little depressing.Got the tickets and found a pub nearby which was showing the British Lions game...so it was a very sporty evening, not that I was that interested in the rugby game. The AFL match started at 7pm, seats were pretty good, lower stand and not too far from the field. Got to walk on the pitch after the match and attempt to not get smacked by a ball in the head as hundreds were flying around. Got the bus back and just went for a wander around the Valley area which Bunk is in, being a Saturday night it was all a bit lairy. Ended up near the Story Bridge which looked really cool all lit up at night. Being a Saturday night and feeling a little wild we bought some milk and went to bed....crazy!Sunday 03/07/05:Woke with the sun streaming through the window directly on my bed slowly heating my up into a sweaty mass....shouldn't complain about the sun tho. Early start to get to the train to head off to Australia Zoo - home of Steve Irwin, god knows if many of you have heard of him but he's the Crocodile Hunter. Anyway the website will fill ya in. Took an hour and a half to get to the zoo coz it's a little way outside Brissy. Went straight to the Crocoseum when we got there to watch the shows; a tiger show, bird show, snake show and croc show. All a little cheesy but the birds and tigers were cool. Steve Irwin wasn't actually there and the croc show was a little disappointing, one croc who couldn't really be arsed to do very much other than swim a little....yawn.Wandered around for another couple of hours, usual zoo fare; roos, emus, koalas, crocs, birds, lizards, snakes...etc. Got the train back about 3pm so we weren't too late into Brissy. Cost $44 to do the zoo thing and not really worth it to be honest. Straight back to the hostel via the supermarche where sausages and potatoes were purchased for a good old meal of bangers and mash. Had a couple of bevvies and watched the Sumo suit 'fun' in the outside bar, got chatting to a couple of locals who come to the hostel bar regularly, they done the sumo thing, got a free jug of beer and then gave it to Paul. Kitchen in the hostel is an absolute shithole, I've never known so many lazy feckers, stuff left everywhere, nothing washed up...bastards. Fought our way through the crap to make what was a rather marvellous dinner. Nothing else of note that evening, watched the end of Goodfellas in the TV room before bed. The search for a job starts tomorrow.....
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