im not sure how many of you are aware, but my plans have changed slightly. due to certain fiscal complications (meaning, i got no money), im calling this part of my travels short by a few weeks. im not heading home right this second as my parents have very genersouly loaned me enough money to come to melbounre for a week..thank you!
so my last few days in byron were quite quiet. spending the days playing nut-ball, ripping my hand to shreads on the old wreck and discussing the difference between a federal and unitary country with a bunch of scandinavinas..same old same old. but on the eve of 19th i said my goodbye to all those ppl who ment so much
emily- for mothering me
ryan- for all ways looking out for my best interests, and then steering me away from them.
rob- for showing me dick and fart jokes are even funnier at 24
kyle- you were like a big brother...a big brother who bought me beer, put the simpons on and made me lick pool tables
travis- im sending the medical bill to you...thanks for the last meal
jules- who brings teetree oil to byron, but thank you, you may have saved an infected hand...and no matter anyone says, you really 17
shannon- why cant all trainie nurses be as nice as you lol
there are many others like neal, sam, adam, ollie but you guys left before me.
anyway, 13hrs later i was in sydney, a place i have somewhat grownedm to loathe, even more so on my return from such a bohiemian central. so my stay was short and mainly unconsious. the next morning i was off to the airport, and after a length delay, i was winging my way to melbourne. flying into mel was rather odd, you cruise over these green mountains which stretch for miles and miles, then suddenly flight brown sheep farm country. and you start you decent, and your thinking "ah wheres the city?!". but sure enough you land at a modern airport ( i was hoping for a strip runway, with livestock to dodge to liven things up), but no sign of a city. so i jump on a bus, and out of the bule this metropolis rises. and even tho i have been here two days..i like it here. it seems to have that air of class that sydney lacked, or tried to fake. it effortlessly combines victorine building with contempory design in a working infrastructure. the main down town is simple and well set out, working on a gride system that is easily accseible by the fleet of trams that roam the street. it reminds me of sanfransico without the hills...its has culture. it also helps having some one how lives here showing your around. last night we had dinner in china town and then we met erins friends in brunswick for a bit of a pint.
this morning i took the idea of the only way to get to know a city is to get lost in the city. so bright eyed and bushy tailed i set out of my hostel and just walked, and walked, and then turned left, and walked some more. afer wasting the morning and some of the afternoon wandering down the endless side alleys, i met erin at uni and we sat and had coffee and then dinner, ill building up to 'cinema under the stars', put on by mel uni during freshers week. a great ending to a great day.
what adventure will be in store tomorrow. tune in next time, same bat time, same bat channel
first of all, i would like to say thank you to everyone to all the well wishes for your kind words and presents...esp the beer helmet, cheers sam!
anyway, due to demand ill try and fill you in on the happenings of the past few days, climaxing with last nights events.
well, feb 14th, valentines day (shame i had no one to share it with..sniff..erin lol). anyway, aquarius was throwing its red and white devils and angels party. it was kinda of wear what you want as longs as you were one of those colours. so sam and i, having no red, decided to go shopping. i now own a red sarong...and damed if i say so, but i pull it off. sam went for more of a less is more theme, and bought the smallest tight red hot pants in the world...nightmares!!! anyway, beers were $2 all night, and soon the atmosphere was pumping. skiping forward abit, we all headed out to cheeky monkeys in costume...lead by jay in a very fetcing bra and red dress. anyway, we walk in and the bouncer comes straight over to sam like hes going to kick him out, stares at him and just says "jesus, get some colour on those f@#king legs"...classic. i know this is very unparty like, and very un me, but i decided to call it a night at around 12..well it was a big day the next day.
the day of the 19!!!!..i was rudely awoken by neal singing, very offkey i might add, happy birthday mr president in my ear. it was quite a calm morning, most people were still hang over from the night before. so there was no point in going hog wild striaght away, so to the beach....hot women and large surf. thank you god for a cool present. talking of presents, when we got back from the beach, neal and packed up a small present for me...vodka choccies and hash sticks, so goood. sam bought me the forementioned beer hat, which was used frequently. but i have to say that ryan (WOJ) and robs presents were the only this that got the night going....1.5litres of white rum, 1.5litres of vodka, balieys and...more rum. we can safely say that i drank national for my combined countries. it hurt!!! the only thing that is extremely clear about last was the booze run around 12..nothing was open, and we were all wearing very little clothing. the only place that was sellin over the counter was the northern hotel which wouldnt let us in with out bein clothed..so we scraped enough clothes together to get one person in to buy for us.
what have i learnt from turning 19...drinking with canadians is FUN. you talk about hockey, herbs, get very drunk. im gonna miss you crazy canuks.
so i have enter the last year of teens...how depressing..life is just down hill from here. well i'll have to enjoy this, like the last days of summer. CHEESE!!!
So today is that most romantic of day in the calendar...the day before my birthday! so really its this small thing called valentines. anyway, this morning i started to feel like it was the begining of the end. i have just put thomas (the german) and adam on a bus to surfers paradise, where same will also be heading up to on wed/thurs. im slowly returning to that of the lone traveler.
altho i would love to stay longer in byron, im taking this as a sign to move on to points unknown..i mean even neal is leaving on wednesday, and he has been here for 7months. but before then we have a few important matters to tend. first of all, its the devils and angels party back at the hostel, which could prove to be very entertaining...and my friend jess is getting back into town today, and may come. so party over here. then we get to the 15th...my bday! i have already been told that some of the guys are going to take me out and try and kill on intoxicated fluids, but in return, i am getting VIP tickets to all the bars and stuff. and this after ryan kindly offered to break open his extremely expensive rum for my special occasion. so, the date of my depature depends souly on when i wake up...so thursday or may...which ever.
so here is might sorta of plan for the next few weeks or so (subject to serious change, based on money/time/alarm clocks). well, leave here by around thurs/fri to head back down to sydney. then fly to the north island of kiwi land to see ryan, lucy etc..and hopefully chris and james. probably hang around there for a week and a bit. then back to syd (all flights through syd) and then to melbourne, to apes a certain lady named Erin. i was going to say that you should be very priveledged that im taking time out of my busy life to come see you..but both you and i know that that is a pile of crap. i am expecting you to show me the sights tho. this should take me to around early march..and then all that is left to do is get to hk. sounds like a plan.
anyway...its that time of the, well when the smell gets bad enough, to do some washing. also its lunch time...i think ill have the fish.
may ja open you third eye
sorry all for my serious lack of contact over the past few days...its really one of those when in rome situations. "technology is the enemy, it takes away from mother earth". anyway, lets bring you all up to speed. im no longer in sydney. we left about 8 days ago on a 12hr mid night coach, which was....an experience. anyway life was made a little more interesting when i found out the my cash card expired at the end of januray!! serious problem. so after made calls to dad and the bank, we hatched a plan to get my new card out to byron (which arrived last night, to ease ppls minds). anyway so we know find me in byron bay. and i have to say that it is one of the coolest places i have every been. i really needed to get out of syd, i was just getting sick and tired of the hustel and bustel...and everything costing money. there was always this feeling of having to do something, achive something in the day. whilst here, there is none of that. this is an average day in byron.
10.30- wake up...lie in bed for about 20mins, talk with the fellow roomies, see if are population has increased during this evening (ie, if anyone got lucky).
11.00- play hackysack in our boxers to get the juices running.
11.30- move out to the balcony, sit, discuss the night before.
12.00-lunch!!! pool, play the dij for alittle while with ken.
13.00-sleep, for important
16.00- best waves, surfing time..byron has a couple great breaks
1800-1900- happy hr and the simpsons...advertising genius
19.30-KILLER POOL, try and win some money back, or least win a beer.
20.30- to the bars...heres were it gets alittle hazy, and things seem to stray.
02.00- back to the balcony jammin with bob and jack (marley and johnson)
"lather rinse repeat"
the thing is, the room that sam, tom and i are in is room 14, this 6 person two storie thing. thing is this room is kinda like the locals room. everyone hangs out here and we get the most respect as we like the aged travelers. see most other rooms have a room mate turn around of about 2 or 3days. but we are all long timer..so like management dont really care when we pay, and we seem to get away with alittle more than the rest. we have such a great vibe tho, and some really characters.
Neal- hes the resident, he been here for almost 7months. origonaly from essex, but we dont hold that against him. a cross between a big brother and a man whore. he'll be the first to ask how your feeling in the morning, but forget that name of the girl thats still in his bed.
Sam- mild mannered sam...HAHA. dance guru and all round guy who sleeps below me..nah i would say more incriminating things, but i fear his parents may read this...and they dont need to know about the incident with the pitching wedge the ice and a small sacrifical goat..woops!! sorry man.
The German- probably the scariest thing to ever to see in speedos. this tank of a man is our resident photogripher...altho most of the fotos seem to be of him..hmmm. altho is english is not great, i think due to the time he has spent with us, he can hold a convo with most ppl......he could go toe to toe with an irishman in a swearing competion now.
Ryan- the canadian eh! the only surfer i have ever met from alberta...hes alberta! how to sum up ryan..well lets just say..someone phone went off at 4am with a really bad techno ring tone, well he launches out of bed and just kicks out the jams with some hardcore moves.
Emily- the northern lass. as the only girl you would thing she would hate living with us. i mean we dont wash the clothes until you have to get a sanction from the wwf for fear of destroying eco systems...but quite the oppisite. i think she likes to mother us. its an odd arrangment but it works.
anyway...i hope this both informative and eductaitonal...im sorry if you dont hear from me that often. but the computers or wrong man...also the quite hard to use when you sampling some of the local 'herbs'
peace out you mighty mighty people