Happy Halloween!

halloween is one of my favorite holidays, and even though it isnt very widely celebrated in australia, i still managed to find a few friends and places that were celebrating it, american style! i got a 2 day gig doing face painting at one of the restaurant/bars here that even turned itself into a fairly decent haunted house! i am dressing up this evening as an Australian flag - cant wait!

on the schedule for next week is great fun - i am getting my open water dive certification! it is a 4 day process that involves 2 days of classroom lessons and trials in the pool, and 2 days doing a total of 4 dives around byron bay! i am so excited, i think this is going to be a really amazing experience. once i am certified i can dive on my own (will still need to rent equipment) anywhere in the world for the rest of my life! the only exceptions is wreck dives - for that i will need to do an additional quick half day course for deep dive experience. i really want to dive the shipwreck Yongala off of magnetic island (in between cairns and the whitsundays) so will be looking into that soon.

the dive course is monday-thursday, and then on friday i head to brisbane for a day (hanging out with chris, my friend from duke who is currently studying in brisbane), and then off to cairns!

hippeville

yesterday i moved into my new hostel - the arts factory. its definitely unlike any other hostels ive been too! its a byron bay institution, was started in the 70s by hippies as a place for artists and in the 80s became an venue for rock n roll. its set on 5 acres of subtropical rainforest a few blocks from the center of town, with a pool, sauna, beach volleyball court, recording studio, and hammocks sprinkled around the complex. the accommodations ranges from campsites to tee-pees to 'the surf shack' dorm - im staying in the all female 'lakeside cottage' which has our own little kitchen and bathroom and wrap around porch which faces out to the lake. neighbors include iguanas, bush turkeys, and possums which hang out on the porch and have breakfast with us occasionally. the arts factory is a little old and run down but makes up for it in atmosphere - there's always the sound of drumming or someone playing guitar in the background and everyone staying there is really nice.

very cool!

musical chairs

last night i entered a musicals chair competition and won a free bus pass with Oz Experience from Cairns to Brisbane/Byron Bay! amazing because i was just about to book my transportation today! Oz Experience is a little different from the Greyhound or Premier bus (which are just plain simple transportation). Oz Experience is kinda half tour, half bus - only backpackers travel with them and they promote a fun, social atmosphere in addition to providing historical commentary on the journey. its also less flexible than standard transportation, there arnt buses from each stop every day, let alone several times a day - you have to work your schedule around their schedule. there are also a few mandatory overnight stops i wasnt planning on. however, since my plans are so flexible as they are, i figure this could be a really fun addition to my trip down the east coast! the additions i put into my travels are 2 nights in townsville, which is the launching point for this really cool dive sight of a sunken ship that has turned into an artificial reef. also added on is a mandatory overnight in the 'outback' (not far from the coast in actuality) which includes staying at a ranch, eating a 'bush dinner' by the fire, and helping round up the sheep in the evening. should be a very cool experience! and all for free because of my previously undiscovered talent in playing musical chairs :)

as for the next decision - where and when to get my dive certification...

today in byron bay...

...nothing happened! same as yesterday and the day before that - its a glorious thing! if its sunny, i go to the beach. if it cools off, i go hiking. if its rainy (like today), i read and bum around town. as wonderful of a holiday (vacation) as it is, i can see how it might get a tad boring after awhile - i think my 3 weeks here is going to be perfect!

a few fun facts for you though:
on friday i learned how to play cricket! i ran into a melbourne footie team (footie = Australian rules football) who were here on their end of season holiday and they were playing cricket on the beach. cricket is a cool game similar to baseball - the 'bowler' throws a ball and the hitter tries to hit it. if they miss 3 times theyre out, or if they hit it and someone in the outfield catches it, theyre out. the other nuances of the game may have been lost on me but still exciting to learn a new aussie sport!

yesterday i hiked up to the most eastern point of australia - nothing much there but a sign and miles upon miles of clear blue water, but a great hike - byron bay is unique in that the rain forest comes right up to the coast. the coastal hiking trails here remind me so much of cinque terra (italy) with cliff side walks looking down to the beach on one side, and dense forest on the other.

halloween is approaching, and as my second favorite holiday im wondering how to celebrate it in a country that doesnt traditionally recognize it. i think i may have to fashion some sort of makeshift costume and buy a bag of my favorite aussie candy (Starburst gummies) at the very least! any ideas?

aussie word of the day
lollies = candy (all sorts, not just hard candies)

East Coast Travel

you cant be in byron bay for 5 minutes without someone asking you if youre on your way up (the coast) and hearing about all the amazing adventures to be had... diving in Cairns, sailing in the Whitsundays, 4x4 and camping on Frasier Island. so i finally got my butt off the beach and made my plans! i decided to fly up to Cairns and then travel back down so i can end up in byron bay again (and closer to new zealand, my next adventure stop)

nov 6 - take bus up to brisbane, hang out with chris (duke friend studying in brisbane)
nov 7 - fly to cairns (take day trip up to the Daintree National Forest... try out tree surfing!)
nov 13 - take bus from cairns to airlie beach (the jumping off point for whitsundays sailing)
nov 17 - take bus from airlie beach to yappoon (the jumping off point for great keppel island - still off the radar for most backpackers)
nov 21 - take bus from yeppoon to the town of 1770 (a surfers mecca and seriously, any town with a name thats a date has to be awesome)
nov 23 - take bus from 1770 to rainbow beach/hervey bay (jumping off point for frasier island)
nov 27 - take bus from rainbow beach/hervey bay to noosa (similar town to byron bay)
nov 29 - take bus from noosa back to bribane!

so far nothing is booked after the whitsundays, but figured this might be what i end up doing. i will be buying a hop on, hop off bus ticket that will take me all the way down the coast and back to where i started! at this point i will likely want (and need) to settle someplace for a couple months and get a job. it will also be nice to be settled for christmas so i have friends to hang out with to slightly distract me from missing christmas with my family and the birth of baby jane.

Byron Bay Cont...

had another great day in byron! this morning i hiked up to the lighthouse (also the most easternly point in australia) and then went to the beach for the rest of the day. i could stay here forever! though, it does seem like its not the type of place where you can settle down... its a tourist town through and through. also there is SO much i want to do up the east coast (fraiser island 4x4ing, whitsundays sailing, great barrier reef diving) that i should do in the next 2-3 months before the rainy season ('the wet') begins. also on another good note, last night i won a trivia competition and won a free sailing trip in the whitsundays! its tough to even consider leaving this heaven but theres so much waiting for me as well! -rough life, i know :)

Byron Bay~

i made it to Paradise! its confirmed - byron bay IS what everyone says it is. a bohemian beach heaven (more boho than hippie, i would say) thats beautiful and relaxed and carefree. basically everything that i have been looking for! its a small town, with weather worn houses and quirky shops and cafes and palm trees everywhere you look. the beach is stunning (and ive only seen the main beach - cleverly named 'main beach') and it is definitely, positively, 100% a beach town. from the music to the food to the people, beach town through and through. im so happy im here! the only problem encountered so far is that the library requires your first born in order to get a membership/free internet, so will be reporting from internet cafes while im here (if i can manage to tear myself away from the beach!)

mom - no worries i just picked up a super size bottle of spf 30 :)
beasta - happy belated birthday!

aussie word of the day
knackered: tired/worn out

Flashpacking

in my month in Oz i have come across the term 'flashpackers' more times than i can count and never knew exactly what it meant... finally today i decided to look it up and discovered the following definition from wikipedia. very interesting, i thought i would share!

"Flashpacking
Flashpacking is a neologism used to refer to an affluent backpacker. Whereas backpacking is traditionally associated with budget travel and destinations that are relatively cheap, flashpacking has an association of more disposable income while traveling and has been defined simply as backpacking with a bigger budget.[11]
A simple definition of the term Flashpacker can be thought of as backpacking with flash, or style. One school of thought defines the flashpacker as a rapidly growing segment of travelers who adhere to a modest accommodation and meal budget, while spending freely, even excessively, for activities at their chosen destination. Another school of thought defines flashpacking as an incongruous mix of 'slumming it' and luxury; of adventurous travel with those on a budget by day and sedate dining and comfortable accommodation by night.[12] Flashpackers have been further defined as tech-savvy adventurers who often prefer to travel with a cell phone, digital camera, iPod and a laptop,[13] although none of these is required in order to be a flashpacker. As with other forms of travel, the term flashpacker is mainly one of self-identification. The origin of the term itself is obscure.
The term also reflects a growing demographic of travelers who are forsaking traditional organized travel, venturing to destinations once the reserve of more adventurous backpackers, and the increasing number of individuals who leave well paid jobs or take 'career breaks', using the time to travel independently, but with greater comfort and many of the gadgets they are accustomed to at home. As a result, hostels are evolving and offering more up-market accommodation to those still traveling on a budget[14] in order to obtain their business. The hostels have realized a need to evolve in order to meet the changing demands of travelers.[15]"
-Wikipedia

next step

its official - next wednesday i am flying out to byron bay!! place ticket it bought, hostel booked, and notice given at my job. byron bay is the essence of what i came to australia for - small little surfing beach town, beautiful weather, semi-hippie vibe about the town... what convinced me to go (besides the absolutely gloooowing lonely planet description - see below) is the fact that everyone ive talked to the past week hasnt been able to stop talking/raving about it.

"OK, you’ve made it to the promised land. God’s own earth, Byron is the region’s most celebrated haunt, a gorgeous town where the high green moguls of the northern rivers hinterland meet the coast in spectacular fashion. The aesthetics spin the mind, but it’s the town’s escapism that has become the honey to roving bees. Deflated swarms of them bumble in to get drunk on the trademark New Age, laid-back, organic-fusion lifestyle. They stay for a weekend, a week or for good (often in that order) to tune in, tune out, tone up and tan up."
-Lonely Planet

Go Blue Devils!

On a note entirely unrelated to Australia....

Duke won a football game yesterday against NC State 49-28!

Wooooo go Devils!

(Sorry Powell clan :)

Aussie words of the day

Stonkered : beaten, defeated

Skite : boast, brag

out of the hostel!

as of tomorrow i will be out of hostels for the moment and into a spare room of the family of one of the guys i work with! i have never lived with a family before (besides my own, of course) so it will definitely be an interesting and educational experience. on the upside, i will have my own room (yay!), will be very very close to work, and the mom of the house is a really wonderful almost-hippie flight attendant who i get along with very well. also great is that there is no sort of lease at all so as soon as i head out of melbourne i wont have any loose ends. i am looking forward to getting out of my bunk bed, dorm room, and sloppy kitchen for a few weeks, though the nice thing about staying at a business instead of a home is that the expectations are very clear and its never personal. should be an interesting (and good) change!

last night was my second full shift at work - since it was a tuesday night it was very slow and things went very smoothly, i think im starting to get the hang of things! i am realizing though how very odd the waitstaff dynamic becomes when people arnt working for tips nor keeping tips separate. for example, concrete sections of tables and customers you are responsible for suddenly becomes very blurry. if someone else 'helps' you out by taking their order or food out to them without telling you it puts you in the odd (to me) position of not knowing where your tables are at. conversely, if you help someone out by doing the same to theirs, its tough to know how much then you should be following up with their service.

in so many ways (professionally and personally) it is clear that the states (USA) are so much more fiercely independent (some say selfish, i prefer independent) than other countries, even the so americanized Australia. will a year be enough to de-independant me? we will see!


aussie word of the day
Chuck a sickie : take the day off sick from work when you're perfectly healthy

Melbourne continues...

first full shift at work last night! it was for sure the best first day of work ive ever had... its amazing how much a restaurant culture can change once people arnt working for tips anymore. people at hoo haa work just as hard, but as a team instead of individuals. at first i thought that it was just because i was new that everyone was helping me bring my food to tables and being looked out for - but then i realized everyone was doing that to everyone! very nice atmosphere to work and the management actually encourages everyone to hang out and goof off - at one point i got a piggy back ride around the restaurant by my supervisor in order to show me the cash registers. and the customers absolutely love it too! waitressing is tougher here than im used to (more intense clean up work after close) and pays less well (tips are very minimal) but its still a great job. i think i fit in well too - the GM took me aside after the dinner rush died down and told me that two of my three tables that night had gone up to him to tell him i was a great waitress (could be sympathy out of my first day but still glad to have the team thinking im doing well!) it will definitely take some getting used to getting home at 6am (work finished at 4am but then everyone hangs out for awhile waiting for the morning trains to start running again) but its a great first aussie job!

also today i checked out the melbourne aquarium and tonight im going to the final night of the Salvador Dali exhibit here

aussie word for the day
tip: as in, dont eat yellow snow - not 15-20% :)