Updates abound!
I'm not even sure where to begin.
It is currently 8:20pm Gold Coast Time and I am sitting at the FREE-TO-ANYONE-WHO-WANTS-TO-USE-IT-EVEN-IF-YOU'RE-NOT-A-GUEST-HERE laptop with internet at the Greenland Guesthouse and Resort in Byron Bay, NSW, Australia.
I arrived 2 days ago with pretty much everything to my name here in the land of Men at Work and decided to really wing it with this trip; I booked no accomodation.
On my other jaunts, pre-booking a room turned out to be sort of silly.
Plus, there are always* day-of booking deals.
So, I decided not to book anything. Whatsoever. At all.
*except on this trip.
As it's peak season in Byron (school vacation for the children/bratty teens and summer for everyone else), not pre-booking was a very bad idea.
After my 12 hour-turned-18-hour bus ride from Sydney, I arrived on Jonson Street and had nowhere to go.
But first, that bus ride.
Oh, that bus ride.
It was scheduled to leave at 10:30pm, and it did.
It was not scheduled to break down at 3am in the middle of the road somewhere along the eastern coast of Australia, but it also did.
The driver noticed I was the only one awake so he recruited me to help as his mechanic.
[It should be noted that the extent of my mechanics experience was when I was about 8 or 9 years old and would re-chain the bikes for the other kids in my neighborhood. It was a successful if short-lived career, and some of my neighbors still bring it up.]
Anyway, the bus broke down for 2 hours.
When we got to Byron, it was 1pm, about 30 degrees Celcius, and I realized I had nowhere to put my stuff.
So I jumped on a computer and tried to book a hostel but had no luck because there were no vacancies ANYWHERE. [Not an exaggeration. Read that LITERALLY.]
I refreshed my search and found one called the Greenland Guesthouse and Resort that had 1 room available for $45 and I jumped on it.
I got a taxi over to the "resort" and the girl at the desk gave me a very unhappy smile and told me there was a mistake and that the website didn't update and that there was indeed no room available.
Then I panicked, internally.
Then I asked her if I could work for accomodation.
She went to ask her boss, who I met and spoke to.
He noticed my Israeli flag sandals, I noticed his Hebrew accent, and voila.
I've been living in an abandonded campervan in the back lot for the past 2 nights and so far, so great. (Pictures will be posted soon)
The work part of my job isn't too bad; mostly turning beds down and cleaning bathrooms.
But really, I don't mind cleaning and it's nice to see that even at budget hostels, the towels and sheets are actually laundered and clean.*
Usually I'm done by noon, and the rest of my day is miiiiiine.
*Not the comforters though. Not at all.
So far, I've been to the beach, to the town, and to Minyon Falls.
I recommend all 3.
Only thing about the falls is, there are leeches EVERYWHERE. [Not an exaggeration. Read that LITERALLY.]
I thought I had a bug bite and when I went to look it was in fact 4 leeches stuck to my ankle.
I also went to a rodeo that Byron hosted last night.
That was an experience.
One of the British girls called it "special." I would agree.
I tried to explain the concept of the rodeo to the Israelis, but it was lost on them.
Instead, I asked how you say "pointless" and "animal abuse" in Hebrew.
Pretty sure they get it now.
I've also met some of the other "guests" at the "resort," most of whom are working here as well.
One girl, from Oklahoma, is nice if a bit...not-up-to-date-with-"The Office" which makes her a disappointing find.
There's also a Brazilian guy here named Jorge who is the most Brazilian Brazilian I've ever met. Cocky, gorgeous, tan, barefoot, laughing, and generally unintelligible.
There are also those 2 Israelis staying in the tent next to mine, friends of the owner. They're both named Shay and are both pretty hilarious.
They invited me to the falls today and it reminded me just how out of shape I am and how great at hiking Israelis are.
But it was a beautiful hike and it felt great to be covered in sweat [and leeches] after being pretty sedentary in Sydney post-dive.
That was a lot of information.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Sunday, January 3, 2010
And Away She Keeps Going
Byron Bay, here I come.
"Look, I don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully."
-Mel Brooks
"Look, I don't want to wax philosophic, but I will say that if you're alive you've got to flap your arms and legs, you've got to jump around a lot, for life is the very opposite of death, and therefore you must at very least think noisy and colorfully."
-Mel Brooks
Friday, January 1, 2010
The Earliest New Year
10 years ago, I was 14.
2010, you already intimidate me.
But I will not be intimidated.
Instead, I will resolve-
To be more active;
To be more present;
To look around and notice the little things;
To worry about those little things less;
To use less and give more;
And finally,
To enjoy.
Happy New Year.
2010, you already intimidate me.
But I will not be intimidated.
Instead, I will resolve-
To be more active;
To be more present;
To look around and notice the little things;
To worry about those little things less;
To use less and give more;
And finally,
To enjoy.
Happy New Year.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
A Year and a Month and a Half's Worth of Reflections
It just occurred to me today (the 26th of December) that I've been in transit in some way or another for the past 6 weeks. And also for the past 12 months.
Along with that realization came a bunch of different feelings:
First, I felt accomplished.
Then, I felt impressive.
Then, I felt 24.
Then, I felt excited.
And then, I felt pangs of homesickness and doubt.
These are pangs I'm familiar with.
I've gone away for a while before, I've been in new and strange places.
I know where to put that doubt.
I brought cards (the USS Enterprise is always nearby, Bridey) and pictures (that 20th birthday present is still the best I've ever gotten, Abby) to make home seem less far away;
I sporadically Skype with Grampa and he tells me jokes that come through so clearly it's like we're sitting next to each other at the diner.
And then, I felt so, so fortunate.
But somehow, I can't seem to wrap my head around this experience I'm having.
Lately, I'm not as present as I'd planned to be.
I'm not as aware as I'd hoped.
It's as if this trip, this adventure, this whatever you want to call it, is happening to me as opposed to something I've made happen.
I keep having to take a step back and remind myself that I'm the main character here, that I'm not just reading this story.
It's as if my perspective inverted as soon as I got down under.
Part of me (60%) doesn't want to make any plans.
That part wants to just let things happen as they happen, go so entirely with the flow that I become a fly on the wall of the world.
"After all, that was the original idea," that part reminds me.
"Quit the 9-5, see the world, figure it out as it you go. So, go."
But now that I'm here and going with the flow, that other part of me is starting to wonder whether it might make for a better all-around experience if I thought ahead just a bit.
"Maybe map out the year and figure out some sort of route, so that you have things to plan for and look forward to," says the other part of me.
"Maybe it's a good idea to book some things and print out some reference numbers, just for old time's sake?"
It sounds ridiculous, but all this freedom is paralyzing.
It's overwhelming.
It's like being at the beach and not having a towel.
But then, who really needs a towel?
(By which I mean, I've been so programmed for so long to have a plan that now that I don't have a plan, I don't know how to proceed. But then, who really needs a plan?)
I went with Amanda (Tom's cousin Justin's wife...phew) to her yoga class a few weeks back, and upon re-reading this post, I think I've solved all of my problems. Wait for it, this isn't a tangent.
The yoga instructor was this super chilled out, lean-not-skinny Australian surfer who philosophized and lectured as we stretched and sweated through the various poses he called out.
At first, I couldn't get into the whole thing.
I like to think I'm open minded but telling me to "put all my thoughts in a proverbial paper bag" and then to "take that bag, and physically throw it away" and then watch each of us, one at a time, literally throw out a pretend paper bag is just a bit much, even for me.
And I went to camp.
But as the class went on, the instructor made some very good points.
Most of them were about being as mindful as possible, so as to keep things in constant balance and perspective.
One of the things he said is resonating with me now:
He was telling a story about one of his students who was distressed and seemingly unable to let things go. Something about work being stressful and a divorce, you know the story.
So the instructor tells the guy first to put his issues in that paper bag.
Doesn't work. Shocker.
Then the instructor says, "You know how to make things better? It's easy. It's so simple. You just stop worrying. You just stop."
That's it. You just stop. Once you free your mind up from worrying so much, you can pay attention to what actually matters, what's actually happening, what's actually in front of you.
Recap:
Life is good.
I'm half who I am and half who I'm dying to be.
I'm looking forward to 2010.
Along with that realization came a bunch of different feelings:
First, I felt accomplished.
Then, I felt impressive.
Then, I felt 24.
Then, I felt excited.
And then, I felt pangs of homesickness and doubt.
These are pangs I'm familiar with.
I've gone away for a while before, I've been in new and strange places.
I know where to put that doubt.
I brought cards (the USS Enterprise is always nearby, Bridey) and pictures (that 20th birthday present is still the best I've ever gotten, Abby) to make home seem less far away;
I sporadically Skype with Grampa and he tells me jokes that come through so clearly it's like we're sitting next to each other at the diner.
And then, I felt so, so fortunate.
But somehow, I can't seem to wrap my head around this experience I'm having.
Lately, I'm not as present as I'd planned to be.
I'm not as aware as I'd hoped.
It's as if this trip, this adventure, this whatever you want to call it, is happening to me as opposed to something I've made happen.
I keep having to take a step back and remind myself that I'm the main character here, that I'm not just reading this story.
It's as if my perspective inverted as soon as I got down under.
Part of me (60%) doesn't want to make any plans.
That part wants to just let things happen as they happen, go so entirely with the flow that I become a fly on the wall of the world.
"After all, that was the original idea," that part reminds me.
"Quit the 9-5, see the world, figure it out as it you go. So, go."
But now that I'm here and going with the flow, that other part of me is starting to wonder whether it might make for a better all-around experience if I thought ahead just a bit.
"Maybe map out the year and figure out some sort of route, so that you have things to plan for and look forward to," says the other part of me.
"Maybe it's a good idea to book some things and print out some reference numbers, just for old time's sake?"
It sounds ridiculous, but all this freedom is paralyzing.
It's overwhelming.
It's like being at the beach and not having a towel.
But then, who really needs a towel?
(By which I mean, I've been so programmed for so long to have a plan that now that I don't have a plan, I don't know how to proceed. But then, who really needs a plan?)
I went with Amanda (Tom's cousin Justin's wife...phew) to her yoga class a few weeks back, and upon re-reading this post, I think I've solved all of my problems. Wait for it, this isn't a tangent.
The yoga instructor was this super chilled out, lean-not-skinny Australian surfer who philosophized and lectured as we stretched and sweated through the various poses he called out.
At first, I couldn't get into the whole thing.
I like to think I'm open minded but telling me to "put all my thoughts in a proverbial paper bag" and then to "take that bag, and physically throw it away" and then watch each of us, one at a time, literally throw out a pretend paper bag is just a bit much, even for me.
And I went to camp.
But as the class went on, the instructor made some very good points.
Most of them were about being as mindful as possible, so as to keep things in constant balance and perspective.
One of the things he said is resonating with me now:
He was telling a story about one of his students who was distressed and seemingly unable to let things go. Something about work being stressful and a divorce, you know the story.
So the instructor tells the guy first to put his issues in that paper bag.
Doesn't work. Shocker.
Then the instructor says, "You know how to make things better? It's easy. It's so simple. You just stop worrying. You just stop."
That's it. You just stop. Once you free your mind up from worrying so much, you can pay attention to what actually matters, what's actually happening, what's actually in front of you.
Recap:
Life is good.
I'm half who I am and half who I'm dying to be.
I'm looking forward to 2010.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Sunburnt Christmas
I'm back in Sydney at Tom's cousins' place and have been since last Thursday.
I've done a lot of nothing and while I feel pretty useless, I didn't realize how much I needed a lot of nothing since the dive.
Illustration: I went for a walk and after 20 minutes, I felt like I climbed Machu Picchu. Again.
That said.
I'm eager to get on the road again.
Having a comfy place to stay is amazing, but not necessarily what I came here for.
So, I'm onto Byron Bay after the new year.
[Of course, actual plans are not actually made yet]
I'm planning to Couchsurf my first two or three nights and then find a hostel to "live" at for a bit.
Though I haven't been there yet, I have a good feeling about Byron and I think I'll probably like to spend a good amount of time there.
And, since my hospital bills suck so much, I think getting a job sounds like a pretty good idea as well, so I'll be looking into that.
For a change of pace, I'll be bus-ing it there instead of flying---it's also about $100 cheaper and though it'll be a lot longer of a trip, I'm looking forward.
I love me some transcontinental road time.
It's amazing how the Real World can find you, even in Australia.
Happy Holidays/Happy New Year.
I've done a lot of nothing and while I feel pretty useless, I didn't realize how much I needed a lot of nothing since the dive.
Illustration: I went for a walk and after 20 minutes, I felt like I climbed Machu Picchu. Again.
That said.
I'm eager to get on the road again.
Having a comfy place to stay is amazing, but not necessarily what I came here for.
So, I'm onto Byron Bay after the new year.
[Of course, actual plans are not actually made yet]
I'm planning to Couchsurf my first two or three nights and then find a hostel to "live" at for a bit.
Though I haven't been there yet, I have a good feeling about Byron and I think I'll probably like to spend a good amount of time there.
And, since my hospital bills suck so much, I think getting a job sounds like a pretty good idea as well, so I'll be looking into that.
For a change of pace, I'll be bus-ing it there instead of flying---it's also about $100 cheaper and though it'll be a lot longer of a trip, I'm looking forward.
I love me some transcontinental road time.
It's amazing how the Real World can find you, even in Australia.
Happy Holidays/Happy New Year.
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