Perth & Fremantle
After my unplanned arrival at the airport in Perth at three o'clock in the morning I was lucky to find Internet so I could search hostels. I wrote down a couples of addresses and found a bus to the domestic airport where I was able to get a shuttle into the city. I asked the bus driver if he knew of any hostels that were close to any of the set stops. I got off at a stop right in front of the YHA hostel with a map of the city and a couple of other hostels marked by the driver. Unfortunately, the YHA did not have 24hr reception and no one answered the door so it was time to put my map to use. I took a minute to gain my bearings and then walked around in search of a bed to sleep in. I was lucky that the second hostel I found had 24hr reception and an available bed! I stayed there for two nights before heading to Fremantle for Christmas week.
I discovered that with the exception of a handful of people in hostel everyone was working and had been there for at least a month. This was not ideal because no one really wanted to venture out of their routines. However, overall I found Fremantle to be a quaint and enjoyable town. It was quite small but had a nice Main Street and city center with several parks and beaches in walking distance which is where I spent most of my time. When I was not at a park or at the beach I was usually hanging out in the hostel common area.
On Christmas Eve I skyped my mom and brother and on Christmas Day skyped my dad and brother.
At the hostel there was a Christmas Eve party, a Christmas Day brunch and relaxing at the beach.
These were all very nice festivities and although it did not feel like Christmas it was nice to have things going on. While in Fremantle I decided to apply for a working visa in New Zealand because just traveling at this point was not fulfilling me. I felt like I needed to do more and be productive so it seemed like a good idea.
On the 26th I had a flight to Adelaide at 6am. I had to leave especially early because the last tram was at 10pm since the 26th is Boxing Day in Australia which is an observed holiday. Once I got into the city I went to the place where I was dropped off but the shuttle in the hopes that I would get the same shuttle back to the airport. I stood by there looking for a bus timetable or a sigh but there wasn't anything so I decided to just wait and see what happened. I couple minutes after I was standing there a car drove by on the other side of the road and a guy asked if I was okay and what I was after. I said I was fine and just waiting for a shuttle. He told me that they were not running because of the holiday but a car pulled up behind him so he told me he'd drive around. He went up to the nearest stoplight and did a U turn and then offered me a ride. I got to the airport with no problem and for free! Since I was at the airport about 5 hours before I needed to board I found a place in the baggage claim to take a nap. It surprised me that there were so many people with the same idea. When I arrived in Adelaide I stayed at a hostel for one night and the next morning took a 6:30am bus to the ferry which would take me to kangaroo island.
Adelaide & Kangaroo Island
My first day on kangaroo island was fairly pleasant compared to the rest of my stay. I took a bus directly to the ferry and then transferred to a shuttle where I was dropped off at The Gallery in Kingscote where I was to be picked up by my work away hosts. Another guy about my age was also dropped off at the same place and looked like he might be doing the same thing so I started a conversation with him and it turned out that he was doing help x for a guy named Graham who made honey and jam. It turned out that my host and his host had carpooled and we would be sharing a ride. Before we headed out of the city we had to run a couple of aaronds. I went with Uzi who was the owner of Seal Bay Cafe where I was going to work. We had to pick up a referidgirator, grocers and alcohol. It was a very unique shopping experience. We had about ten items on the shopping list but we were wandering around the store for a good 50 minutes while his kids ran around the store like it was a playground. Uzi then left me in a cafe with his two kids while he went to pick up alcohol. The cafe was quiet and peaceful until we came in. I did not enjoy looking after his kids especially since I had no control over them and everyone was looking at me like I should do something to make them quiet. Half the time I did not even know what they were saying because they mainly spoke Hebrew because they were from Israel. Finally, Uzi returned and we got in a car to head to seal bay. When we arrived I was very unclear about what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go. Uzi said I could have any food I wanted or take a shower but there were three different buildings and I wasn't sure which one I was staying in. He told me that Janet would come and explain everything shortly. She didn't come for several hours and it was other woofers that showed me around and explained things to me which was very much appreciated. After figuring out how things worked and had a snack I sat down to watch tv and was lucky enough to see that the UW bowl game was on. It was really nice to watch since I had not been able to see any of their games during the season and it was even better because they walked away with a victory of 31 to 16 against BYU in the Fight Hunger Bowl. As I was watching the game Janet came and told me that whenever I was ready to come to the kitchen and I would be shown what I was going to do. I waited until the game was over to head to the kitchen where I was shown their extremely complicated system.
The next morning a group of French people that had been there for several weeks left which meant that there were only four of us to do the work that had to bee done. Cosima and Jellis were the only ones who had experience with how things were run since they had been there for about two weeks. Kate had arrived the day before me and knew as little as I did. When we were thrown into work it was a bit overwhelming because the kitchen was very fast paced and the slightest mess up could cause a lot of problems. After two days of work Uzi, his wife and two kids decided to move into the hostel accommodation that was specifically for woofers and people doing work away. This is when things started to get frustrating. When they moved in they also brought a family of snails that took over the kitchen, smells of bad body odor would overpower rooms, and the kids would pee on the bathroom floor. At this point if had been traveling for about four and a half months and felt like I could handle almost any type of accommodation but this was too much. My standards are not very high but they put me over the edge and Kate and I decided to leave. There were a few other things that contributed to us wanting to leave. For example, Cosima and Jellis were offered cash in hand for extra hours and after they put in extra hours were not paid. I heard about this and then was offered extra hours for cash in hand but decided against it. Cosima and Jellis left the day before New Year's Eve which left Kate and myself alone to help in the kitchen for an event that they had planned. I was stuck in the kitchen and Kate was waitressing. It was an exhausting evening and the work didn't stop until quarter till midnight when we closed the kitchen. At that point Kate and I went to the cafe to watch some of the live music and countdown to midnight. Dominic Guida was a musician from Adelaide who had come to play. He and his family were also staying in the hostel with us and we got to know them and enjoyed each others company. I had two songs dedicated to me which was nice. Ring of fire was one because we had a conversation about Johnny Cash previously and also a Nirvana song because I'm from Seattle. After the countdown I headed back to the hostel because I was very ready to go to bed.
Before going to sleep Kate and I chatted with Dominic and he gave us both one of his original CDs. I have not been able to listen to it because I have no access to a CD player but I can't wait to hear it. On the 2nd Kate and I were planning on leaving. We made arrangements with Graham to get picked up in the morning, drive around the island a bit to check on his bee hives and then drop Kate off in Kingscote and I would work for him for a couple of days. We told Janet and William (the managers who we had mostly been working with) on the 1st that we would be leaving and when Uzi found out about this he was far from happy and we heard him yelling on the phone to Graham soon after. The morning of the second Kate and I got up early and packed our bags, had breakfast and waited for Graham. I went to check my email in the cafe while we waited and to my surprise I had an email from Graham saying he couldn't pick us up because Uzi had banned him from coming on the property. We were at a loss of what to do. We thought about hitchhiking into town but only saw two cars drive by and they were both going the wrong direction. We had to wait until Uzi got up to get a ride from him which was the least desired option. I was very upset and told him I would have appreciated knowing the night before that Kate and I would not be able to get a ride into town because of his conversation with Graham. He said he didn't think about that and avoided accepting blame. He also tried to get us to work more and stalled for about an hour before he took us into town. We finally got to Kingscote where we checked into a hostel for the night. When we arrived we were so happy and within the first couple of minutes talking to the guy that worked there found out that we were not the first people to seek refuge in the hostel after working at seal bay. He commonly had woofers stay in the hostel after a bad experience volunteering which is quite sad because it makes people remember an unpleasant experience in a beautiful place. That night I enjoyed my first beer of the new year with a group of French people while listening to them play the trombone, guitar, and accordion. Kate and I decided to do a day tour of the island the next day before returning to Adelaide so we could leave having positive experience. Big tours are not something I generally tend to do or enjoy but there was no other way of seeing everything or getting around the island. It turned out to be a decent tour and I got to see the main attractions on the island. On the plus side, with the exception of the tour I didn't spend any money that week!
We got to see:
Emu Ridge Eucalyptus Oil Distillery, Flinders Chase National Park,
Parndana Wildlife Park & Hanson Bay Wildlife Sanctuary
Remarkable Rocks
Cape du Couedic Lighthouse
Admirals Arch
After the tour I returned to Adelaide for 3 nights. When I arrived I found my hostel but the reception was closed. I asked a couple of people in the hostel if there was anyone working and a guy staying there lent me his phone to call the night manager but no one answered. A girl that was cleaning for accommodation told me there was an empty bed in her room I could use and she would lend me her key to get in although I would not have any sheets. In the morning I went to reception to check in and they already knew the situation. I was able to get that night for free because I was to give any sheets which I was quite pleased with. I would have slept without sheets for another night if it meant it was free! I met up with Cosima and Jellis on the 4th; we walked around the city, made dinner and played drinking games in their hostel before going to a bar. In the afternoon on the 5th I caught a flight to Melbourne.
As I continued to travel through Australia the sight seeing and activities available in the cities which I had been to were not exciting me or motivating my passion for travel; I was also lacking a sense of productivity and was not accomplishing anything meaningful.
Melbourne
When I arrived In Melbourne it was the same old thing. I found my hostel, went to the grocery store, made dinner, found wifi, and went to bed. I know it sounds so thrilling and makes you want to jump off the couch and buy a plane ticket to Australia! Australia is an amazing country but traveling in it is not the easiest thing without a car. There are some areas that I could not get to because I did not have a car and refused to do a big tour. If I were to come back to Australia to travel more I would want to do it with someone I knew and buy a van that could fit a mattress and kitchen. However, when I really think about it the main thing that I wanted to see that I was unable to was Uluru and I probably won't return to Australia just to see it.
In my earlier travels I met many Australians and Ended up contacting Nathan and Chris who lived in Melbourne.
On the 9th I met up with Nathan who I met in Zagreb Croatia. We walked around the city, had chicken parma for dinner, and then watched a 20/20 cricket game at the MCG. It was fairly easy to understand the rules and it was not nearly as complicated as people made it out to be.
Mitchell River & Wilson's Prom
From the 10th to the 13th I joined Chris, who I met trekking in Nepal, and his friend Dion for camping at Mitchell river & Wilson's prom.
The first two nights we camped at Mitchell river. We had an initial camping spot in mind, however, couldn't find it after driving for a while on roads required 4WD which we did not have. After our failed search we settled for a camp ground that we just stumbled upon. It was really nice, we had green grass, a tree for shade, and a table. After a long days drive and setting up camp we heated up the BBQ and enjoyed cold beers. That night we all had a bit too much to drink and paid for it the next morning. We had a refreshing swim in the river that afternoon.
The next day we did a couple of hikes before heading to Wilson's Prom. We got really lucky to get a camping spot even though it was not in the park because it is extremely busy and people generally book ahead. On our final day wen went into the park and did a hike to a lookout, had another BBQ, and swam in the beach. Normally, this kind of thing is amazing and I enjoy every minute of it. However, I was still in my weird travel mode and did not appreciate it as much as I should have or normally would while I was there. However, looking back at it I was really glad I got to go camping and see more national parks in Australia because that is what I find to be the main beauty of Australia, it's parks and landscape.
Torquay & Great Ocean Road
On the 15th I went to Torquay where I booked next level surf lessons with Go Surf Tours. I was very hesitant when I was initially thinking of booking it because I knew it would be more commercial and not live up to the amazing time I had at surf camp Lombok. After calculating out my budget and comparing it to staying in Melbourne I decide it would be worth it because it would give me something scheduled to do and would not cost much more than if I were to stay in Melbourne. I booked 10 days with them, 6 of the days I had surfs lessons. I think in the end I surfed 8 days total by going out on my own one day and joining the tour on the other day. The first day I was there I took a bus to Lorne where I met up with Haggie who I met as surf camp Lombok. We went swimming in a crystal clear white sand beach, had Mexican food for lunch, and jumped off the pier. It was a very refreshing day and a good kick start to my experience along the great ocean road. Over the next 9 days surfing and I had a love hate relationship. I have surfed beach breaks before when I lived in California but at that time I didn't really know what I was doing and when I was in Indonesia I was surfing reef breaks which I find easier to read and more consistent. While I was surfing along the great ocean road the waves were not always good and I found them hard to read because they would move around and I would move around and never seemed to be in the right place at the right time. Although, thinking about it and talking to my coach this would help me become a better surfer because the conditions are not always going to be as perfect or consistent as they are in Indonesia and it is good to be able to read the waves, position yourself, and just go for it. I had two really good days that made up for all the mediocre days but within each session I had at least one wave that made it all worth it. I also gained tools to continue progressing in my surfing. The main thing I need to do to get better is practice more and continue going for any wave so I can get better at reading the waves as well as riding waves that initially did not appear good.
Along with surfing I got to explore the great ocean road and the highlights were:
Bells Beach--with some swell
The 12 apostles
Although they seem like they might be sandstone they are actually limestone.
I returned to Melbourne on the 24th refreshed and energized from the ocean.
On the 25th I went to federation square where I watched several street performers, a couple musicians, and then watched women's tennis finals for the Australian open. Li Na from china won against Dominika Cibulkova from Slovakia.
Geelong
Sunday the 26th-Australia Day!!
Nathan invited me to Geelong for four days and three nights. I had no other plans and it sounded like fun so I decided to go.
On Australia Day we arrived in Geelong at around 10:30 and cracked open a beer when we arrived. We then had a barbecue and played backyard cricket. Later that evening we drove to Torquay (one town over) for a party. When we got there we all just hung out and drank beer. I asked if there were any Australian drinking games and I was introduced to goon of fortune.
You hang bags of goon also known as cheep wine out of a box from a clothes hanger that spins and you spin it like a wheel and when the goon bag lands on you you have to drink. Simple, fun and Australian! The next couple of days we just hung out, barbecued, went to the beach, played cricket and avoided the sun on a 43*C day.
I also learned that Australia has a completely different type of patriotic spirit than what I'm used to in the states. The only people that I saw wearing Australian colors or something spirited were foreigners. I was also told there is commonly talk about changing the Australian flag. And finally the most surprising thing was half the Australians I talked to did not know the words to their national anthem and don't always stand up or remove hats when it plays. I was completely shocked by this because of how patriotic people are I'm the US.
On my last day in Australia I met up with Brandon who I met in Tessoliniki, Greece and hiked Mt Olympus with. He had recently arrived in Melbourne and was planning on finding work. We wandered around the city, had lunch in a park, went to the Melbourne museum (which was free because we were there for the last 20min it was open), and finished it all off with the most amazing juice consisting of at least 10 different fruits and vegetables. This juice has inspired me to buy a juicer when I return to Seattle!
I took the skybus form southern cross station to the airport. While everyone boarded the bus I noticed a backpacker who appeared to be starting his journey. He was accompanied by a group of his friends and had a very emotional departure. As he said goodbye and hugged all of his friends he began to cry and once he got on the bus had a hard time holding it all in. He found a seat and gradually regained his composure. Also, the day before I met a girl from Sweden who was moving to Melbourne and had just arrived in Australia that day. It was nice seeing people begin their journey and It reminded me of when I started my trip.
The night before I left I went to the ave to have a couple of drinks & said goodbye to everyone. I was hit by a rush of emotion that night and the next day as I boarded the plane. I was very excited to begin my trip, however, jumping into the unknown where I wouldn't see anyone I knew for an undetermined amount of time made me sad and like the guy on the skybus I had to regain my own composure.
Now I'm a little over 5 months into my travels and am amazed by some of the things I have done, people I have met, and the world as a whole. The past several days my motivation for travel has kicked back in and my inspiration and passion have resurfaced. I have also been able to process some of the things I have done and the amazing opportunity I have had.
The world is an unbelievable place full of good and kind people. I have three full months left and I am going to take advantage of every moment by exploring, learning, meeting people and challenging myself.
I have mixed feelings about returning to the states but will hopefully be able to learn from my travels and convert my passion into positive energy that translates into other aspects of my life.
