So I've now been at the job for about a week and a half and I'm still enjoying it (despite still not being fully used to the 4am starts every day!) and he's given me the job on a full basis now, rather than just the month trial shift I was originally on, so I've obviously been doing pretty well.
I've also discovered that I live directly opposite the only other guy at the yard that works basically every shift (it's a small world!) - who has a car, so I'm getting free lifts to and from work every day, which is amazing. So I've given up on looking for a car, at least until I get a bit more money, but I did buy a bike the other day ($60 for a little single-gear thing that's pretty good, except for the fact that the chain keeps coming off!) I'm earning a decent amount too, as I'm on $15/h (just over 10 quid) and working a good 50 hours or so every week. My boss has also said that, in a couple of weeks, he'll put my pay up a bit and start training me up more in the handling/husbandry aspects of the job, which'll be cool. Most of the horses on the yard are reasonably sane, at least for racehorses! I'm still spending too much, but hopefully that'll stop soon as it's just stuff I need to get me settled in the new house and the area - food, a few new clothes, etc.
I also spent half of my first day off at the near(ish)by Dreamworld Theme Park on Sunday, getting a yearly ticket (just $110 compared to $80 for a single-entry ticket), which also covers me for the waterpark next door! So I expect I'll be spending plenty of time there, now that it'll be a LOT cheaper since I've already got my ticket! The park's really good too. Probably not quite the size of Alton Towers, but it does have plenty of great rides (and, as I say, the waterpark next door) - the best of which was probably the Giant Drop - the tallest free-fall ride in the world, at 119 metres tall! Although I was gutted that I didn't get round to riding the (from the sounds of it at least) rocket-powered Tower of Terror II, which builds up its speed on the flat in a dark tunnel before suddenly launching about halfway up the Giant Drop tower and falling back down. All facing backwards! There were several other really good coasters there too that I did get on, but still plenty more to see next time (as I only got there at about 1.30pm, and the park closes at 5pm!)
At least I didn't have to spend any money (except losing a $20 bet to my boss!) on the 3-course meal, ringside seats and beers all night at the local boxing - as my boss paid for all of it! He's pretty loaded and very generous with his money. In all, a pretty good boss to work for! I was very annoyed though, that I managed to sleep through half of the last fight, which was an epic title bout, as it was about 11pm by that point (well past my bedtime out here!) and I'd had a fair few beers! But I did see some other good fights, and at least half of the amazing final fight. The guy that eventually won (after a 12th round KO I think) had been profusely bleeding from above his eye since about the 2nd round, which goes some way to show how good a fight it was!
Since I'm still enjoying it, and my boss is happy with me, I've discussed it with him and decided I'll stay for the 6 months that my visa allows (as I mentioned last time), then spend what I've saved up on seeing the rest of Australia for a couple of months. I'm also hoping to do fruit-picking work wherever I go (there are companies that set you up for doing exactly that), just to fund my travels a bit more and to hopefully ensure I come back to the UK with a bit of money still in my pocket. Although this might get blown on a trip to New Zealand before I come back, as I've been told it's an unmissable country, so it'd be a waste not to see it while I'm down here! But that's a decision I can easily put off for a good few months after a little research into how much extra it'd cost for flights etc. Basically though, it's looking like Easter time or something before I'm back I reckon - possibly a bit later.
As always though, keep reading the new posts and I'll keep people updated! (For those that are interested anyways, the rest of you can piss off!)
'Til next time, Andy xx
Monday, 27 August 2012
Friday, 17 August 2012
I Now Have a (Kind Of) Life in Australia!
Well! Again, I've been very busy in the last few days. I've got an Australian mobile number (which I'll post on my Facebook profile for anyone desperate to hear my voice!), sorted myself somewhere to live, got in contact with various people about cars, started a job and got an Australian bank account! Presumably, somewhere in the ethos, there is also a tax file number trying to find its way to me, although it's not yet found its way to either my email address or my hostel!
As always, I'll start my story from the start! Which, I'll pretend, is when I arrived in Brisbane - although a lot of this had already happened when I wrote my last update! After a long a boring coach journey, at least made far more tolerable by the fact that Frolicking (a nickname based on her German surname, which I won't reveal for some kind of privacy reason, as that seems to be what people do on the internet!) was with me for most of it, so I had someone to chat to. It was also made more interesting, although probably more infuriating, when an old Aussie guy (in his mid-late 60s I'd guess) started chatting to me from across the aisle (completely ignoring the fact that I conspicuously got out my book and kept trying to read it instead of giving him proper replies). At least he was nice and quite knowledgeable about racehorses, and wished me good luck with it (as did a random woman that'd been sitting behind him, as we got off the bus, which was nice - she'd obviously just overheard the conversation!) The frustrating part though, apart from not being allowed to read, was that he somehow (I'm still not sure how) got onto the subject of: racism (he was against it, although he sounded less convincing when he started talking about muslims), the Chinese/Indians and rich/poor people! Apparently, although global warming is a myth (sigh), we will - within 30 years or so - all be forced to wear gas masks permanently, due to the pollution caused by China and India who (combined I think), in the last 10 years, have caused 'more pollution' than the rest of the world did, put together, in the last 100 years. Although the Chinese government will be found out for the dictators and liars that they are and overthrown by its people within the next 10 years (possible, but I think it'll take longer!) The muslims are also going to cause world war 3, I'm guessing through the terrorist acts that all muslims perform as part of their religious duties. I think what he was most passionate about though, was his idea that the poor (i.e. not rich) people of the world will rise up as one (I think he was saying within my lifetime) and overthrow the world's governments, because the distribution of wealth is unfair. Kind of like in the new Batman film, which I have FINALLY been able to watch! I do kind of wish I'd probed further into who and how this would come about, but I finally got a chance to read my book, while he fell asleep!
I got to Brisbane fine though, and on time after my 9 hour coach journey, and found my hostel (Brisbane Base Central - which was booked for me by OutBackPackers). Once I'd checked in and walked up to the 3rd floor, as the (presumably oldest in Brisbane - it even still had a manually opening grille) lift wasn't working, I dumped my stuff and went for a nice meal ($19 for a nice pizza and beer from somewhere in the centre, don't remember the name - but it's got about 15 different stalls serving one restaurant, a strange set up!) before going to bed and, for once, managing not to slip into a coma for half the next day, after doing some washing and getting some overpriced internet. I would NOT recommend this hostel, to anyone! It's overpriced ($28 for an 8-person dorm), the laundry's standard ($3 wash, $3 dry, although quite old machines), the internet's overpriced ($4p/h, although that is the same as my current hostel), the aforementioned lift barely works and the toilets were literally a few minute's walk from my room (annoying, after attempting to rehydrate that day by downing loads of water). The toilets and showers were also very dingy/dirty, I think I may have caught AIDS when I went in without shoes on. So I booked another hostel (Bunk, in the Fortitude Valley area, right next to Chinatown) - which is much, much better! Not without its faults, but it's cheaper (for a 6-person dorm), the lift works, the rooms are nicer (with clean, modern toilets & showers ensuite) and you get a (small) free meal from the bar 4 nights a week and $1 spit roast on Sundays, along with a free cocktail on arrival! That's where I've been based since Sunday night (tonight being Friday) and I would definitely recommend Bunk - as would many others, as it's been voted Queensland's hostel of the year 4 times I think, and named Australia's 4th best hostel! Oh, it also has a small, free swimming pool/jacuzzi for guests!
From that base of operations, I've successfully managed to sort my life out over here - sorting out accommodation (I'm to be a lodger, close to my work, with someone else my kind of age coming in soon hopefully, in a nice, modern little townhouse with a pool, $160 + around $20 utilities, double room and a lovely resident dog!), I've listed it as my address for both my SIM card activation and for my new bank account (they don't mind passing on post) and have also been searching Gumtree for a 2nd hand car (for less than about $700, which is difficult if you want it to work!) I have also looked round Brisbane and seen some of the main sights, although it's not really a sightseeing city, including chilling on the city beach a couple of days (nice, but only just warm enough to sunbathe a bit), seeing the botanic gardens (meh, not that impressive actually!) and the Roma St Parklands (much nicer!) But I shall be moving into the house tomorrow afternoon, so I'll actually be a little sad to leave the hostel!
Yesterday, I also started my job - although that was just a little trial shift, I only did an hour and a half - and had my first real shift today, working from 6am to about 12.30pm (half of that I was the only one on the yard with all these expensive racehorses, so my criminal record check must have been clean!), which was absolutely fucking knackering, as I basically mucked out 6 large beds of shavings, half of which hadn't been done properly in a few weeks, meaning I removed and re-made the best part of 6 hot beds (where the pissy bedding is allowed to build up to the point of decomposition to provide more heat). This, as I'm sure anyone who's done it before, is not an easy task to do in 20 degree sun on not a lot of sleep (I got up at 4.30am) on your first day at a job! But, I did it, and I've earned about $90 today, cash-in-hand for the first month, which is a trial period for us to see if it's working out. I did though, spend an hour's wages on travel (almost anyway, it's $7 each way!) and another hour and a half's wages on food when I got back (a massive KFC bucket with a banana nutella crepe for desert at the local food court). I've also spent about half an hour's wages today on other food and a book, and my hostel last night cost $29 (as I just renewed the night before I was due to check out). So, really, I've only come away with about an hour's profit for the day, which is rather depressing! But it'll be much cheaper once I'm living in the house, as I'll spend less on travel (hopefully nothing if I get lifts/a bike, very little if I get a car) and food (not eating out helps!) So I should save up a decent amount and hopefully extend my stay to go see the rest of Australia once I finish the job (although I think he wants me to work for the full year of my visa, and just transfer me to one of his other 2 companies when my full allowed 6 months with 1 employer is up, although I can't see that happening!)
I can't think of anything else I want to say, so I'll say what I always do: stay tuned for the next update! Although there probably won't be that many more after this for a while, as life will probably get a little monotonous while I'm working and saving. But I will update it when I feel I've got enough to say!
Much love to everyone,
Andy xx
As always, I'll start my story from the start! Which, I'll pretend, is when I arrived in Brisbane - although a lot of this had already happened when I wrote my last update! After a long a boring coach journey, at least made far more tolerable by the fact that Frolicking (a nickname based on her German surname, which I won't reveal for some kind of privacy reason, as that seems to be what people do on the internet!) was with me for most of it, so I had someone to chat to. It was also made more interesting, although probably more infuriating, when an old Aussie guy (in his mid-late 60s I'd guess) started chatting to me from across the aisle (completely ignoring the fact that I conspicuously got out my book and kept trying to read it instead of giving him proper replies). At least he was nice and quite knowledgeable about racehorses, and wished me good luck with it (as did a random woman that'd been sitting behind him, as we got off the bus, which was nice - she'd obviously just overheard the conversation!) The frustrating part though, apart from not being allowed to read, was that he somehow (I'm still not sure how) got onto the subject of: racism (he was against it, although he sounded less convincing when he started talking about muslims), the Chinese/Indians and rich/poor people! Apparently, although global warming is a myth (sigh), we will - within 30 years or so - all be forced to wear gas masks permanently, due to the pollution caused by China and India who (combined I think), in the last 10 years, have caused 'more pollution' than the rest of the world did, put together, in the last 100 years. Although the Chinese government will be found out for the dictators and liars that they are and overthrown by its people within the next 10 years (possible, but I think it'll take longer!) The muslims are also going to cause world war 3, I'm guessing through the terrorist acts that all muslims perform as part of their religious duties. I think what he was most passionate about though, was his idea that the poor (i.e. not rich) people of the world will rise up as one (I think he was saying within my lifetime) and overthrow the world's governments, because the distribution of wealth is unfair. Kind of like in the new Batman film, which I have FINALLY been able to watch! I do kind of wish I'd probed further into who and how this would come about, but I finally got a chance to read my book, while he fell asleep!
I got to Brisbane fine though, and on time after my 9 hour coach journey, and found my hostel (Brisbane Base Central - which was booked for me by OutBackPackers). Once I'd checked in and walked up to the 3rd floor, as the (presumably oldest in Brisbane - it even still had a manually opening grille) lift wasn't working, I dumped my stuff and went for a nice meal ($19 for a nice pizza and beer from somewhere in the centre, don't remember the name - but it's got about 15 different stalls serving one restaurant, a strange set up!) before going to bed and, for once, managing not to slip into a coma for half the next day, after doing some washing and getting some overpriced internet. I would NOT recommend this hostel, to anyone! It's overpriced ($28 for an 8-person dorm), the laundry's standard ($3 wash, $3 dry, although quite old machines), the internet's overpriced ($4p/h, although that is the same as my current hostel), the aforementioned lift barely works and the toilets were literally a few minute's walk from my room (annoying, after attempting to rehydrate that day by downing loads of water). The toilets and showers were also very dingy/dirty, I think I may have caught AIDS when I went in without shoes on. So I booked another hostel (Bunk, in the Fortitude Valley area, right next to Chinatown) - which is much, much better! Not without its faults, but it's cheaper (for a 6-person dorm), the lift works, the rooms are nicer (with clean, modern toilets & showers ensuite) and you get a (small) free meal from the bar 4 nights a week and $1 spit roast on Sundays, along with a free cocktail on arrival! That's where I've been based since Sunday night (tonight being Friday) and I would definitely recommend Bunk - as would many others, as it's been voted Queensland's hostel of the year 4 times I think, and named Australia's 4th best hostel! Oh, it also has a small, free swimming pool/jacuzzi for guests!
From that base of operations, I've successfully managed to sort my life out over here - sorting out accommodation (I'm to be a lodger, close to my work, with someone else my kind of age coming in soon hopefully, in a nice, modern little townhouse with a pool, $160 + around $20 utilities, double room and a lovely resident dog!), I've listed it as my address for both my SIM card activation and for my new bank account (they don't mind passing on post) and have also been searching Gumtree for a 2nd hand car (for less than about $700, which is difficult if you want it to work!) I have also looked round Brisbane and seen some of the main sights, although it's not really a sightseeing city, including chilling on the city beach a couple of days (nice, but only just warm enough to sunbathe a bit), seeing the botanic gardens (meh, not that impressive actually!) and the Roma St Parklands (much nicer!) But I shall be moving into the house tomorrow afternoon, so I'll actually be a little sad to leave the hostel!
Yesterday, I also started my job - although that was just a little trial shift, I only did an hour and a half - and had my first real shift today, working from 6am to about 12.30pm (half of that I was the only one on the yard with all these expensive racehorses, so my criminal record check must have been clean!), which was absolutely fucking knackering, as I basically mucked out 6 large beds of shavings, half of which hadn't been done properly in a few weeks, meaning I removed and re-made the best part of 6 hot beds (where the pissy bedding is allowed to build up to the point of decomposition to provide more heat). This, as I'm sure anyone who's done it before, is not an easy task to do in 20 degree sun on not a lot of sleep (I got up at 4.30am) on your first day at a job! But, I did it, and I've earned about $90 today, cash-in-hand for the first month, which is a trial period for us to see if it's working out. I did though, spend an hour's wages on travel (almost anyway, it's $7 each way!) and another hour and a half's wages on food when I got back (a massive KFC bucket with a banana nutella crepe for desert at the local food court). I've also spent about half an hour's wages today on other food and a book, and my hostel last night cost $29 (as I just renewed the night before I was due to check out). So, really, I've only come away with about an hour's profit for the day, which is rather depressing! But it'll be much cheaper once I'm living in the house, as I'll spend less on travel (hopefully nothing if I get lifts/a bike, very little if I get a car) and food (not eating out helps!) So I should save up a decent amount and hopefully extend my stay to go see the rest of Australia once I finish the job (although I think he wants me to work for the full year of my visa, and just transfer me to one of his other 2 companies when my full allowed 6 months with 1 employer is up, although I can't see that happening!)
I can't think of anything else I want to say, so I'll say what I always do: stay tuned for the next update! Although there probably won't be that many more after this for a while, as life will probably get a little monotonous while I'm working and saving. But I will update it when I feel I've got enough to say!
Much love to everyone,
Andy xx
Monday, 13 August 2012
Scary Times Ahead: Starting a New Job
This feels like a really overdue update, but I guess it's really only been 9 days or something since my last one! It's probably to do with the lack of contact I've had with the outside world again last week, but I should be used to that from Cambodia! I think the week also seemed longer than it was because so much stuff was crammed into it and there always seemed to be something happening (although frustratingly little sometimes!)
Another thing that makes it seem like such a long time since the last one is that I kept remembering that I'd not told you all a rather important part of my last night in Sydney in my last post (sad, I know!) I actually didn't just go straight back to my hostel for food and Braveheart after my chips and beer. When I got back to Sydney, I then walked across Harbour Bridge and back, taking plenty more photos along the way! But there's not really much to say about that, other than that it happened, I got some amazing photos (some of the best of my trip so far) and it was knackering after such a long day already! So I'll get straight onto talking about my farm course.
I got picked up from Sydney Base Hostel at 10.30am (I think) with no real trouble, actually managing to dive into a book shop on the way and pick up a new book (The Life of Pi), as I'd just finished the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and couldn't handle the thought of a week with no book if I'd have anything like as much time for reading as I did in Cambodia! The first thing I was told though, by Pheobe (the girl picking us up, who works on the course after doing it herself a few months ago) was that I look like 'a very strange human being' and that I scared her slightly; which made me think a) this could be a long week and b) I'm not going to like this girl much! She did get more tolerable as the week went on though, and she was alright by the end (possibly because she actually thought I was about the most normal person there by then!) She explained it was partly my bouncy walk and partly the fact I was wearing my Wednesday shirt, sponsored by the Children's Hospital, which obviously has a picture of Pudsey Bear on the front; she just didn't bother taking in the fact it was a sports shirt, not just a random Pudsey Bear shirt! The drive was otherwise boring and uneventful, taking about 6 hours to get out to the course, near Koonabarabran in New South Wales.
We then had barely any introduction to the surroundings etc., except for Pheobe telling us on the bus the rules for 'beer cricket' (every time you're handed an alcoholic beverage, you have to shout 'not out' before someone appeals with 'howzat', or you down it, although this game didn't get played once in the week!) and the 'game of life' (if you say the word 'mine', or 'mein' for the 9 Germans on the course, out of 12 of us, with any meaning, you had to immediately stop what you're doing and do 10 push ups), which got played far too much! Craig (the guy whose farm it is and who runs the course) told us that the only other rule for that night was that we weren't allowed to be seen without a beer in our hands! Which suited me fine, but is quite an expensive rule at $2 per can, especially when we were told that about the only money we'd need for the week was enough for the pub on Wednesday night! But it definitely made for a fun night, sitting around the campfire, playing drinking games and asking questions that some of the others felt were slightly too personal, Craig and Pheobe having one-track-minds when it comes to sex!
Monday morning was pretty easy to cope with with a hangover, except for the extreme cold (which was horrible every morning, hungover or not!) as we just had a talk from Craig about what the course would be like, then went into town with Pheobe to get some essential stuff (boots, gloves and hats for those that didn't have suitable ones) and set up bank accounts, although it turned out to be a bank holiday, so I couldn't set up an Aussie account annoyingly, so I've spent more money in card fees than I should have. I won't bother going into detail about every day, but it was mostly quite fun work - motorbike riding, horse riding, quad riding, sheep/cattle mustering and fence building took up most of the week, being about the most common/important skills to have on farms in the Outback. I did learn one or two things: I'm pretty shite at fence-building (digging holes for the posts, straining wires tight and tieing them together) and I crumble more under pressure than I thought (Craig was very harsh with his criticism sometimes and put a lot of pressure on everyone). Other things, I knew alread: I'm also shite at motorbike riding, but I'm decent on a quad and particularly good on horseback - Craig said on Friday evening that I'd restored his faith in male horse riders, being about the first good male rider he's had on the course in at least a few months, probably more!
The rest of the week after Sunday night though, saw a massive dive in the sociability of most of the other people on the course in the evenings - with half the people barely even sitting out with us, never mind staying out drinking. Which annoyed Pheobe and Craig no end - although, having talked to some of the others (all of whom I got on with), I think it's partly the fact of money (I hardly drank anything Monday night or Tuesday until I'd definitely sorted a job) and partly the German culture that prevented most of them (9 of the 12 people on the course being German!) from really being comfortable drinking etc. around their employers/teachers or whatever Pheobe and Craig classed as! Whenever those two weren't around though, everyone was much less quiet and more fun to hang around with.
I was disappointed on Tuesday night when I rang the employer they'd set up for me, as it sounded like a cool job, but the guy turned me down, I think because I didn't have enough experience. The job was mostly mustering on horseback, camping out for weeks at a time (Brokeback Mountain style, but hopefully without the gay love affair) and yard building. So he asked first whether I could ride horses - with which I was obviously able to big myself up, having ridden for over 15 years - but then went on to ask: did I have experience in fence building, welding or joinery and did I own a vehicle, all of which were basically no. So he said that for now it was a no but that, if he changed his mind, he would definitely let OutBackPackers (the company that run the course) know by the end of the week. Half an hour after I told Craig though, he'd already been on the phone to another potential employer and I talked to them and bagged myself the job, which is looking after racehorses at a professional stables just outside Brisbane (Steele Ryan Racing, if anyone wants to Google them). Not entirely sure when I'll start yet, as I've got to wait for the criminal record check to come through, but it should be late this week/early next week, by which time I hope to have bought a car and sorted out somewhere a bit closer to live (at the moment, I'm staying in Bunk Hostel in Brisbane, which is great and very good value, but too much for somewhere to live!)
I'll leave this post here though, as I'm quickly running out of pre-paid time on the internet (it takes me unnecessary amounts of time and effort to write these!) I'll probably update again sometime in the next few days to talk about Brisbane and my searches for a car/houseshare.
Until then, goodbye again,
Andy.
Another thing that makes it seem like such a long time since the last one is that I kept remembering that I'd not told you all a rather important part of my last night in Sydney in my last post (sad, I know!) I actually didn't just go straight back to my hostel for food and Braveheart after my chips and beer. When I got back to Sydney, I then walked across Harbour Bridge and back, taking plenty more photos along the way! But there's not really much to say about that, other than that it happened, I got some amazing photos (some of the best of my trip so far) and it was knackering after such a long day already! So I'll get straight onto talking about my farm course.
I got picked up from Sydney Base Hostel at 10.30am (I think) with no real trouble, actually managing to dive into a book shop on the way and pick up a new book (The Life of Pi), as I'd just finished the Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and couldn't handle the thought of a week with no book if I'd have anything like as much time for reading as I did in Cambodia! The first thing I was told though, by Pheobe (the girl picking us up, who works on the course after doing it herself a few months ago) was that I look like 'a very strange human being' and that I scared her slightly; which made me think a) this could be a long week and b) I'm not going to like this girl much! She did get more tolerable as the week went on though, and she was alright by the end (possibly because she actually thought I was about the most normal person there by then!) She explained it was partly my bouncy walk and partly the fact I was wearing my Wednesday shirt, sponsored by the Children's Hospital, which obviously has a picture of Pudsey Bear on the front; she just didn't bother taking in the fact it was a sports shirt, not just a random Pudsey Bear shirt! The drive was otherwise boring and uneventful, taking about 6 hours to get out to the course, near Koonabarabran in New South Wales.
We then had barely any introduction to the surroundings etc., except for Pheobe telling us on the bus the rules for 'beer cricket' (every time you're handed an alcoholic beverage, you have to shout 'not out' before someone appeals with 'howzat', or you down it, although this game didn't get played once in the week!) and the 'game of life' (if you say the word 'mine', or 'mein' for the 9 Germans on the course, out of 12 of us, with any meaning, you had to immediately stop what you're doing and do 10 push ups), which got played far too much! Craig (the guy whose farm it is and who runs the course) told us that the only other rule for that night was that we weren't allowed to be seen without a beer in our hands! Which suited me fine, but is quite an expensive rule at $2 per can, especially when we were told that about the only money we'd need for the week was enough for the pub on Wednesday night! But it definitely made for a fun night, sitting around the campfire, playing drinking games and asking questions that some of the others felt were slightly too personal, Craig and Pheobe having one-track-minds when it comes to sex!
Monday morning was pretty easy to cope with with a hangover, except for the extreme cold (which was horrible every morning, hungover or not!) as we just had a talk from Craig about what the course would be like, then went into town with Pheobe to get some essential stuff (boots, gloves and hats for those that didn't have suitable ones) and set up bank accounts, although it turned out to be a bank holiday, so I couldn't set up an Aussie account annoyingly, so I've spent more money in card fees than I should have. I won't bother going into detail about every day, but it was mostly quite fun work - motorbike riding, horse riding, quad riding, sheep/cattle mustering and fence building took up most of the week, being about the most common/important skills to have on farms in the Outback. I did learn one or two things: I'm pretty shite at fence-building (digging holes for the posts, straining wires tight and tieing them together) and I crumble more under pressure than I thought (Craig was very harsh with his criticism sometimes and put a lot of pressure on everyone). Other things, I knew alread: I'm also shite at motorbike riding, but I'm decent on a quad and particularly good on horseback - Craig said on Friday evening that I'd restored his faith in male horse riders, being about the first good male rider he's had on the course in at least a few months, probably more!
The rest of the week after Sunday night though, saw a massive dive in the sociability of most of the other people on the course in the evenings - with half the people barely even sitting out with us, never mind staying out drinking. Which annoyed Pheobe and Craig no end - although, having talked to some of the others (all of whom I got on with), I think it's partly the fact of money (I hardly drank anything Monday night or Tuesday until I'd definitely sorted a job) and partly the German culture that prevented most of them (9 of the 12 people on the course being German!) from really being comfortable drinking etc. around their employers/teachers or whatever Pheobe and Craig classed as! Whenever those two weren't around though, everyone was much less quiet and more fun to hang around with.
I was disappointed on Tuesday night when I rang the employer they'd set up for me, as it sounded like a cool job, but the guy turned me down, I think because I didn't have enough experience. The job was mostly mustering on horseback, camping out for weeks at a time (Brokeback Mountain style, but hopefully without the gay love affair) and yard building. So he asked first whether I could ride horses - with which I was obviously able to big myself up, having ridden for over 15 years - but then went on to ask: did I have experience in fence building, welding or joinery and did I own a vehicle, all of which were basically no. So he said that for now it was a no but that, if he changed his mind, he would definitely let OutBackPackers (the company that run the course) know by the end of the week. Half an hour after I told Craig though, he'd already been on the phone to another potential employer and I talked to them and bagged myself the job, which is looking after racehorses at a professional stables just outside Brisbane (Steele Ryan Racing, if anyone wants to Google them). Not entirely sure when I'll start yet, as I've got to wait for the criminal record check to come through, but it should be late this week/early next week, by which time I hope to have bought a car and sorted out somewhere a bit closer to live (at the moment, I'm staying in Bunk Hostel in Brisbane, which is great and very good value, but too much for somewhere to live!)
I'll leave this post here though, as I'm quickly running out of pre-paid time on the internet (it takes me unnecessary amounts of time and effort to write these!) I'll probably update again sometime in the next few days to talk about Brisbane and my searches for a car/houseshare.
Until then, goodbye again,
Andy.
Saturday, 4 August 2012
Last Days of Sydney
Well, I've been pretty fecking busy the last few days and my legs are really aching/chafing from all the walking and crouching/craning to get the best pictures! I also apologise for the fact that I'm therefore going to be writing this very sloppily, as I'm knackered, but I want to write this now as I don't know when I'll next have internet access. At least I'm going to be sitting on a coach most of tomorrow though on the way to my farm familiarisation course, which I think is about 4 hours outside Sydney, with somewhere scenic to stop off and add to the >700 photos I've taken and kept since I've been gone! That's nothing even approaching the number I've actually taken though, having deleted about half I reckon.
As I said, I went to the zoo on Thursday and, as I also said, managed to spend far too much money; but I at least managed to do a lot of stuff, and didn't spend QUITE as much as I could have! I went over to the zoo on the train/bus, paid my entrance fee (with the 15% off coupon in my free map from the airport) and began my photo-taking mission! I won't bother going into the specifics of anything much, but I think my favourite pictures are of the snow leopard, which was beautiful. The whole day was awesome and I managed to get round pretty much every single exhibit but, annoyingly, the platypus there was also hiding! As was the orang-utan (although at least I've seen orang-utans before!) It was knackering and expensive, but well worth it - I would definitely recommend it to anyone remotely interested in animals who's visiting Sydney. The spag bol I cooked at the hostel that night has also lasted me all 3 remaining nights, which has been a welcome relief to the wallet (the ingredients costing me a total of around $10, which I'd be pretty lucky to pay for a single takeaway in Sydney!)
That morning (Thursday), I'd picked up a 'free things to do in Sydney' map from the hostel reception and had, during the course of the day, decided I'd do the two free [though with a donation at the end to thank the guide, as it's her business] tours they offered for Friday (yesterday). So I set out to meet between Town Hall and St Andrew's Cathedral (both very nice buildings) for 10.30am and met up with the tour guide and the rest of the 20(ish)-strong group for the 2.5h tour round half of Sydney (all on foot), learning plenty of its history and stories. The lass was great and totally deserved the absolute killing she and her boyfriend [who did the evening tour] must make from it (two tours in the day and one in the evening, 7 days a week, with at least 20 people on each one, giving a donation of at least, I'd reckon, an average of $10 per person.....) The evening tour probably wasn't quite as good, but still really interesting - about all the murder stories and history of the area around the first landing site, where the convicts were mostly contained. Between the first one ending and the second beginning, I got the (free) ferry over to Cockatoo Island, which was a massive shipping yard during the war (along with other functions before) and has now been converted into many different art exhibits. It's all really well done - educational, entertaining and often stunning - and was yet another opportunity to walk around for several hours, taking a hell of a lot of photos!
Today, I had the least relaxing beach day ever, as I decided to visit three different beaches in a day, at opposite ends of the city! Thankfully though, I've had plenty of food today to keep me going! After a couple of slices of toast and jam at the hostel, I got a day-ticket for all the public transport around the city - train, bus and ferry - for $21, which saved me a LOT today, as the first beach is on an island which is a $15 (return) ferry ride away, every trip on the train/metro is $3.40 and the buses are even more! Before getting the ferry though, I went up to the observatory tower near Circular Quay (between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, with amazing views of both, so I could have pictures infront of them in my Sheffield Wednesday shirt! The first beach, on Manly Island, was nice, but too crowded for my liking, I also wanted to get back so I could train/bus it over to the other beaches, so I had some lunch (a steak & onions sandwich, with a dessert of a massive cheese & bacon corn puffs bag and an iced coffee) before getting the ferry back over the water to the main city. Although obviously not without taking a few photos first! Once I finally got over to the famous Bondi Beach, it was about 2pm and again crowded, but even more beautiful. So I stayed there for an hour or so of paddling, picture taking and sunbathing, before heading over to the third beach - which was another bus ride and a half-hour walk away. This one, being so inaccessible from the main city, was much more secluded - although, being a nudist beach, the few people that were there were certainly not worth taking pictures with! Eurotrip got it right - just naked, pervy old men and a group of shy teenagers that sat in a corner giggling (then me, of course, sunbathing in another corner!)
Once the sun had started to go down, I walked quickly back to the nearest village and wandered round, looking for somewhere to have some more food and a beer for the $10 I had left in my pocket, which is a difficult task around here! But, as I was looking at the menu for another place, the owner came out (who'd been behind the bar) and, after talking for a minute, said he could do me a deal for a bowl of chips and a beer for my $10. He also, seeing as I was the only customer for most of the time I was there (it was a couple of minutes away from the waterfront), sat chatting to me. The beer and the chips, apart from being very reasonable, were particularly nice and I told him I'd give as much good rep as I could! So, if anyone's ever in the area (right by where the no. 380 terminates at Watson's Bay), visit Glimpse Bar + Kitchen! After that, I came back and finished off my spag bol, sat down to write this about 2 hours ago and keep getting distracted by Facebook, Twitter, SWFC news and mostly Braveheart (which is on right behind me, with a drunk Scotsman giving loud commentary on every scene!) But I'll now sign off to concentrate on the rest of Braveheart and the Wednesday game kicking off in 10 minutes, pack for tomorrow and get some much needed sleep! Thankfully my bag now smells of fish a lot less than it did after it somehow got something spilt on it in the bottom of the night bus I got from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap! But - now that I've wiped it over, covered it in Lynx and washed all the clothes inside which had also got wet and smelly - it's almost unnoticeable!
'Til next time, Andy xx
As I said, I went to the zoo on Thursday and, as I also said, managed to spend far too much money; but I at least managed to do a lot of stuff, and didn't spend QUITE as much as I could have! I went over to the zoo on the train/bus, paid my entrance fee (with the 15% off coupon in my free map from the airport) and began my photo-taking mission! I won't bother going into the specifics of anything much, but I think my favourite pictures are of the snow leopard, which was beautiful. The whole day was awesome and I managed to get round pretty much every single exhibit but, annoyingly, the platypus there was also hiding! As was the orang-utan (although at least I've seen orang-utans before!) It was knackering and expensive, but well worth it - I would definitely recommend it to anyone remotely interested in animals who's visiting Sydney. The spag bol I cooked at the hostel that night has also lasted me all 3 remaining nights, which has been a welcome relief to the wallet (the ingredients costing me a total of around $10, which I'd be pretty lucky to pay for a single takeaway in Sydney!)
That morning (Thursday), I'd picked up a 'free things to do in Sydney' map from the hostel reception and had, during the course of the day, decided I'd do the two free [though with a donation at the end to thank the guide, as it's her business] tours they offered for Friday (yesterday). So I set out to meet between Town Hall and St Andrew's Cathedral (both very nice buildings) for 10.30am and met up with the tour guide and the rest of the 20(ish)-strong group for the 2.5h tour round half of Sydney (all on foot), learning plenty of its history and stories. The lass was great and totally deserved the absolute killing she and her boyfriend [who did the evening tour] must make from it (two tours in the day and one in the evening, 7 days a week, with at least 20 people on each one, giving a donation of at least, I'd reckon, an average of $10 per person.....) The evening tour probably wasn't quite as good, but still really interesting - about all the murder stories and history of the area around the first landing site, where the convicts were mostly contained. Between the first one ending and the second beginning, I got the (free) ferry over to Cockatoo Island, which was a massive shipping yard during the war (along with other functions before) and has now been converted into many different art exhibits. It's all really well done - educational, entertaining and often stunning - and was yet another opportunity to walk around for several hours, taking a hell of a lot of photos!
Today, I had the least relaxing beach day ever, as I decided to visit three different beaches in a day, at opposite ends of the city! Thankfully though, I've had plenty of food today to keep me going! After a couple of slices of toast and jam at the hostel, I got a day-ticket for all the public transport around the city - train, bus and ferry - for $21, which saved me a LOT today, as the first beach is on an island which is a $15 (return) ferry ride away, every trip on the train/metro is $3.40 and the buses are even more! Before getting the ferry though, I went up to the observatory tower near Circular Quay (between the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge, with amazing views of both, so I could have pictures infront of them in my Sheffield Wednesday shirt! The first beach, on Manly Island, was nice, but too crowded for my liking, I also wanted to get back so I could train/bus it over to the other beaches, so I had some lunch (a steak & onions sandwich, with a dessert of a massive cheese & bacon corn puffs bag and an iced coffee) before getting the ferry back over the water to the main city. Although obviously not without taking a few photos first! Once I finally got over to the famous Bondi Beach, it was about 2pm and again crowded, but even more beautiful. So I stayed there for an hour or so of paddling, picture taking and sunbathing, before heading over to the third beach - which was another bus ride and a half-hour walk away. This one, being so inaccessible from the main city, was much more secluded - although, being a nudist beach, the few people that were there were certainly not worth taking pictures with! Eurotrip got it right - just naked, pervy old men and a group of shy teenagers that sat in a corner giggling (then me, of course, sunbathing in another corner!)
Once the sun had started to go down, I walked quickly back to the nearest village and wandered round, looking for somewhere to have some more food and a beer for the $10 I had left in my pocket, which is a difficult task around here! But, as I was looking at the menu for another place, the owner came out (who'd been behind the bar) and, after talking for a minute, said he could do me a deal for a bowl of chips and a beer for my $10. He also, seeing as I was the only customer for most of the time I was there (it was a couple of minutes away from the waterfront), sat chatting to me. The beer and the chips, apart from being very reasonable, were particularly nice and I told him I'd give as much good rep as I could! So, if anyone's ever in the area (right by where the no. 380 terminates at Watson's Bay), visit Glimpse Bar + Kitchen! After that, I came back and finished off my spag bol, sat down to write this about 2 hours ago and keep getting distracted by Facebook, Twitter, SWFC news and mostly Braveheart (which is on right behind me, with a drunk Scotsman giving loud commentary on every scene!) But I'll now sign off to concentrate on the rest of Braveheart and the Wednesday game kicking off in 10 minutes, pack for tomorrow and get some much needed sleep! Thankfully my bag now smells of fish a lot less than it did after it somehow got something spilt on it in the bottom of the night bus I got from Sihanoukville to Siem Reap! But - now that I've wiped it over, covered it in Lynx and washed all the clothes inside which had also got wet and smelly - it's almost unnoticeable!
'Til next time, Andy xx
Wednesday, 1 August 2012
New Beginnings: The Land of Aus!
Right. I'm back. On a different site, because the first one was apparently full of spyware and horrible stuff that'll infect people's computers... But I'm pretty sure Google+ won't do that!
Again, I'll start where I left off last time - having just got back from the Temples after 4 different tuk tuk drivers! I think the most important thing to tell you all is that I did get some Angkor beer that evening, so I sat and drank that while killing time on the internet (it's an obsession!) after having been for a quick look round the Old Market. But while I was killing time, the first two tuk tuk drivers came in (obviously they knew where I was staying), asking what had happened to me etc. But they were quite nice about it, claiming that he had been waiting at the other side but obviously just hadn't spotted me coming out. So I paid them half the money we'd agreed on in the morning (a well-deserved $7.50) and explained that I was debating whether to go to Angkor Wat again in the morning for sunrise because I didn't want to pay the $20 for another entry ticket. The second brother then explained to me that there's actually another temple where a lot of people go to see the sunrise, where they don't insist on any entry fees, so I agreed to meet him at 5am outside my hostel to go there in the morning instead (for another $7).
For a while after that, I was still just killing time on the internet (creating fantasy football teams and the likes!) and was just about to go to bed, after he appeared again first saying we'd go on motorbike rather than tuk tuk (which was fine by me, although I should have haggled him down to less money, as they're always cheaper) and secondly inviting me to come drink with him and his mates just outside the hostel. At first, I tried to politely refuse so I could go to bed, but he insisted and, because of the culture I've mentioned before, I obviously had to go with him to avoid causing offence! In the end though, it was quite cool - I just stayed for a couple of beers before making my excuses, and his mates were all quite sound (most same age as me, 23.) I also wanted to get to bed as soon as I could if I was getting up at 4.30am so that I didn't leave him waiting for the 2nd time in 2 days! But I got up no trouble and met him at 5am to go to this other, lesser known temple to watch the sunrise. Which was extremely disappointing and not worth either the early start or the $7, half-hour (each way) moto ride! There were no bright, wonderful colours or anything, just a gradual brightening of the sky because it was so overcast. Obviously this was extremely frustrating, but at least I didn't pay another $20 entry fee to see it at Angkor Wat!
So I went back to the hostel and chilled there for the day before being picked up for my bus back to Phnom Penh (which I'd booked at the hostel the night before) at 12.45. I also tried to look for quick, cheapish things to do in Siem Reap for a morning, but failed to find anything that sounded feasible or good! The bus back to Phnom Penh was fine, apart from the compulsory annoying Cambodian karaoke blasting out at full volume pretty much the whole way! I also didn't want to sleep too much so that I was tired for the plane the next day and could get plenty of sleep on there. It also took rather longer than I thought - I'd been told it was like 4 hours or something, but it turned out to be more like 6 or 7! So I didn't arrive at my hostel (the Velkommen Backpackers again) until about 8pm, by which time I was famished and quite tired!
So, after quickly finding my room and dumping my stuff, I went straight back out to the 'happy herb pizza' place I'd heard about from Louis (the old intern on my project), which is exactly what it sounds like! I then got a medium pizza (happy pizza, of course) and proceeded to eat it all but without getting very stoned, which must be to do with the 10 years of hardcore drug abuse [note to parents: don't worry, that is a joke!], so I got myself a pre-rolled joint to smoke. Thankfully it wasn't the same kind of strength that they give you in Amsterdam, so it just got me nicely baked instead of being off my face! I then went back to the hostel and held barely intelligible conversations with people at the bar over a couple of pints and went to bed before I fell asleep at the bar or spent the $8 I needed for a moto to the airport on Monday!
Unfortunately, this meant I could barely sleep on the flight, so I just got a bit drunk instead for free (to the annoyance of the Singapore Airlines hostesses who had to keep bringing me whiskey!) I did get a couple of hours though and I'd mostly sobered up by the time I got to Sydney, so I just got the Shuttle Bus to my hostel and went out to explore the world-famous landmarks, first stop: the Opera House! Forgot my camera again, but it doesn't really matter because I'll be here for another 4 nights, so I can get it anytime. I then came back, knackered and in need of a good powernap, which I went for at about 6pm. Unfortunately, my powernap turned into a siesta, then a sleep and finally a coma, before I woke up 16 hours later (a new personal record for me!) at 10am.
But at least I definitely wasn't sleep deprived, and I set out in the morning to see the aquarium (which I should have booked online, as it's only $24.50 instead of the $35 I had to pay in person!) I did remember my camera, but annoyingly it ran out of battery after about 10 minutes, and I didn't see the platypus, which was half the reason I paid that much money to go in (in was apparently in its burrow or whatever and didn't come out while I was there.) Tomorrow, I'll be going to the zoo and paying the even more extortionate price to get in there (I think it's $45 usually, but I've got a 15% off coupon, so I'll at least get $7 or whatever off that.)
Don't know what I'm doing the rest of my 3 days or whatever it is I have left, but I'm sure I'll find a way to spend far too much money on doing far too little! Generally seems to be what I do when I'm travelling!
Hope everyone & everything's cool back home.
Andy x
Again, I'll start where I left off last time - having just got back from the Temples after 4 different tuk tuk drivers! I think the most important thing to tell you all is that I did get some Angkor beer that evening, so I sat and drank that while killing time on the internet (it's an obsession!) after having been for a quick look round the Old Market. But while I was killing time, the first two tuk tuk drivers came in (obviously they knew where I was staying), asking what had happened to me etc. But they were quite nice about it, claiming that he had been waiting at the other side but obviously just hadn't spotted me coming out. So I paid them half the money we'd agreed on in the morning (a well-deserved $7.50) and explained that I was debating whether to go to Angkor Wat again in the morning for sunrise because I didn't want to pay the $20 for another entry ticket. The second brother then explained to me that there's actually another temple where a lot of people go to see the sunrise, where they don't insist on any entry fees, so I agreed to meet him at 5am outside my hostel to go there in the morning instead (for another $7).
For a while after that, I was still just killing time on the internet (creating fantasy football teams and the likes!) and was just about to go to bed, after he appeared again first saying we'd go on motorbike rather than tuk tuk (which was fine by me, although I should have haggled him down to less money, as they're always cheaper) and secondly inviting me to come drink with him and his mates just outside the hostel. At first, I tried to politely refuse so I could go to bed, but he insisted and, because of the culture I've mentioned before, I obviously had to go with him to avoid causing offence! In the end though, it was quite cool - I just stayed for a couple of beers before making my excuses, and his mates were all quite sound (most same age as me, 23.) I also wanted to get to bed as soon as I could if I was getting up at 4.30am so that I didn't leave him waiting for the 2nd time in 2 days! But I got up no trouble and met him at 5am to go to this other, lesser known temple to watch the sunrise. Which was extremely disappointing and not worth either the early start or the $7, half-hour (each way) moto ride! There were no bright, wonderful colours or anything, just a gradual brightening of the sky because it was so overcast. Obviously this was extremely frustrating, but at least I didn't pay another $20 entry fee to see it at Angkor Wat!
So I went back to the hostel and chilled there for the day before being picked up for my bus back to Phnom Penh (which I'd booked at the hostel the night before) at 12.45. I also tried to look for quick, cheapish things to do in Siem Reap for a morning, but failed to find anything that sounded feasible or good! The bus back to Phnom Penh was fine, apart from the compulsory annoying Cambodian karaoke blasting out at full volume pretty much the whole way! I also didn't want to sleep too much so that I was tired for the plane the next day and could get plenty of sleep on there. It also took rather longer than I thought - I'd been told it was like 4 hours or something, but it turned out to be more like 6 or 7! So I didn't arrive at my hostel (the Velkommen Backpackers again) until about 8pm, by which time I was famished and quite tired!
So, after quickly finding my room and dumping my stuff, I went straight back out to the 'happy herb pizza' place I'd heard about from Louis (the old intern on my project), which is exactly what it sounds like! I then got a medium pizza (happy pizza, of course) and proceeded to eat it all but without getting very stoned, which must be to do with the 10 years of hardcore drug abuse [note to parents: don't worry, that is a joke!], so I got myself a pre-rolled joint to smoke. Thankfully it wasn't the same kind of strength that they give you in Amsterdam, so it just got me nicely baked instead of being off my face! I then went back to the hostel and held barely intelligible conversations with people at the bar over a couple of pints and went to bed before I fell asleep at the bar or spent the $8 I needed for a moto to the airport on Monday!
Unfortunately, this meant I could barely sleep on the flight, so I just got a bit drunk instead for free (to the annoyance of the Singapore Airlines hostesses who had to keep bringing me whiskey!) I did get a couple of hours though and I'd mostly sobered up by the time I got to Sydney, so I just got the Shuttle Bus to my hostel and went out to explore the world-famous landmarks, first stop: the Opera House! Forgot my camera again, but it doesn't really matter because I'll be here for another 4 nights, so I can get it anytime. I then came back, knackered and in need of a good powernap, which I went for at about 6pm. Unfortunately, my powernap turned into a siesta, then a sleep and finally a coma, before I woke up 16 hours later (a new personal record for me!) at 10am.
But at least I definitely wasn't sleep deprived, and I set out in the morning to see the aquarium (which I should have booked online, as it's only $24.50 instead of the $35 I had to pay in person!) I did remember my camera, but annoyingly it ran out of battery after about 10 minutes, and I didn't see the platypus, which was half the reason I paid that much money to go in (in was apparently in its burrow or whatever and didn't come out while I was there.) Tomorrow, I'll be going to the zoo and paying the even more extortionate price to get in there (I think it's $45 usually, but I've got a 15% off coupon, so I'll at least get $7 or whatever off that.)
Don't know what I'm doing the rest of my 3 days or whatever it is I have left, but I'm sure I'll find a way to spend far too much money on doing far too little! Generally seems to be what I do when I'm travelling!
Hope everyone & everything's cool back home.
Andy x
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