Byron Bay

Dutchies...
One day after i got robbed in Sydney i met up with two dutch guys. To let them remain anonymous I`ll call them Bans and Fras. (don`t scroll down too much...) Unlike some other people who contacted me about the lift I offered to Byron Bay they had the same ideas of traveling; moving slowly from Sydney to Byron Bay and make a lots of stops, seeing lots of things on the way. Bans and me took turns driving which went waaay better then expected.

NIMMMBBEEEEEEEEENNNNN!!!!!

Driving...
The roads so far are excellent and we only travelled 200 km max per day. It is more fun to drive in Australia then it is in the Netherlands. Lots of steep hills, small mountains and curvy roads and the environment you ride in helps as well.

Gosford...
Our first stop was Gosford. a not so big town with for us as only attraction its chinese restaurant which gave us a really good meal. We got the tip to go to a camping at The Entrance; we arrived here quite late; around 9 o`clock in the evening when all was dark, so setting up the tent in the dark. The first time we set up the tent, luckily everything was in there and the tent is very easy to get up.

So, there you are, as only people with a tent which we could plant anywhere we wanted on a place where its get dark at 17:00 and everything looks deserted... After playing some card games and drinking a small load of beer going to bed.

NIIIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!

In the morning it looked quite good; we had a view on the Tuggerah lake which is connected to the sea, very shallow for the first 100 meters and mountains against the background. Not perfect for swimming or other water activities (except for fishing, but i wouldnt call that an activity...), but at least it looked good.

Newcastle...
After breaking down the tent and loading everything in, we drove to Newcastle. Gosford and Newcastle are quite big for Australian city`s, but instead of Sydney where there are a lot of high buidlings, making a city skyline, every other place we`ve been so far only has low buildings and no skyscrapers. Big as the city`s may be in the space they take, you still get the feeling you walk in a village because everything is 3 stores high at maximum.

NIIIMMMMMMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBBBEEEENNNNNN!!!

I like it that the city is really surrounded by water. We walked to the most North East point of Newcastle, had a look around in the city for some food and then continued...

Port Stephens...
We stayed at a camping, cant remember the name... on the other side of the road of 1 mile beach.
That night we went to the new Indiana Jones (and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) movie: which is really really horrible; dont watch it!! DONT. It really should have had more

NIIIMMMMMMMBBBEEEEEEEEEENNNN!!!!!!!!!

in it for example. But also a bad (no) storyline, events happening for no reason and a no-making-sense ending. Dont Watch It.

On the next day we went to the 1 mile beach, probaply walking about 2 miles there and after that went to the most North East end of Shaol Bay where there is a viewing point. (after of course climbing about 500 metres upwards on bare feet... fun)

NIMMMMMBEEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Forster...
After reading some positive reviews about the national parks here we decided to travel to these lakes. It was a damn fun ride to get there; allmost rally driving in the mountains. We saw a camping sign and decided to check it out. After driving for 5 km on a grind road (with a speed of 15km per hour...) we came to the "camping". Total darkness and the total of 1 other van, nothing else. The first thing we discovered was the barbeque... They say everyone in Australia bbg`s a Lot, I expected like neigbourhood bbq`s, but what we encountered most so far are public barbequeues. You just press a button for 5 seconds and your BBQ is on. Perfect!
NNNNNNNNNIIIIIMMMMMMMMBBBBBBBBBEEEEEEENNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So after driving that road again, buying meat, driving that road again... we started up the barbequeue with a candle as only light. Lot of fun to make food this way. For breakfast, most of us had 2 sausages. Fras had only one... against his will he shared it with a big bird who got it off the bbq when it was "well done".

Port Mcguire...
Not much to say about it.

Hat Head...
Meh,

Woody Head / Iluka...
...

Ballina...
The only reason we went through it is to get a meat pie

Nimbin...
We arrived at Nimbin at 18:00 and... Everything, Every shop whatsoever was closed. So much for our expectations. So after buying a hot chocolate and walking to the the YHA hostel we went to bed... The YHA hostel though, it looked like it had only locals in it, lots of old people with worn faces smoking and drinking everything.

The next day we went through the street again, Nimben is just one street, we saw lots of souvenir shop with cannabis as only marketing strategy. Every 10 meter you get the question: "want to buy some weeeeeeeed"? After seeing a small music "studio" asked if i could play there. The keyboard had 4 broken keys and baaaaad sounds, but still fun to play after 2 weeks of non-playing.

Since none of us smoked we bought space cookies. (seriously) 3 cookies for 10 dollars. But for some reason i thing they pranked us... I took 1 cookie: felt nothing. I took 2 cookies... nothing.

NIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMMMMMBEEEEEEEEEEEEENNNN!!!!!!!

kinda sucks...

Byron Bay...
The day we arrived the weather wasnt too good, the waves werent too big and the camping was 41 dollars with a cold water shower... Since I wanted to stay here for some time not a good start. The next day Bans and Fras started looking for a tour to get them further north. So after being together one last night they left me all alone in Byron Bay. Luckily i bought two new friends: a board and a guitar. Trying to practise both the last days; but the weather isnt good for surfing and the fingers of my left hand are a little soar of holding those snares...

Also i got my first fine... for not parking at a 135 angle with the back of the car to the pavement. I parked a 135 angle allready, but with the front of the car... and that costed me 79 bucks. Zzzzzzzzzing! Thank you!

Hope to find some job soon to earn some money back.

More later.

Good and bad news

Good news
I allways was interested in traveling with less.
Less clothes, less tech gear, less papers and overall less weight.
Well; this week that finally happened!
Thats the good news...

Bad news
The bad news is that instead of me planning it someone else planned it for me.
My stuff got stolen.
I was couchsurfing for 4 days; that is a community on the internet where backpackers and houseowners meet; you can stay for some time at local people for no costs. What i like about this is that you avoid all the tourist places and really get to know the people who live where you are on holiday. On the last day i met the people i am traveling with now; Frank and Bas, and we decided to start traveling in 2 days. The night before we started traveling some gear was stolen from my car; photocamera with all my photos, GPS system, wallet with everything, a small book where i wrote everything in what i`d done so far and some more small things... I dont even mind losing all the "expensive" stuff. The annoying thing is that it takes a lot of time to get it all back and that you lost your personal things.

Where we are now...
We left Sydney on wednesday, the first day we arrived at Gosford. Here we stayed for 1 night and had a very good meal, but not much to do... plus the weather is getting a little bit bad lately.
Thursday we went to Port Stephen (Nelson Bay - zoom out to see the amount of water...) where we setted up our tent and took a look around. Today we went to a viewing point near Nelson Bay and strollend around the beach and after this internet session we are on our way north again.

My new home,

Location: Sydney, eva`s backpackers (The house in the middle, with dark blue parasols)

The last day`s i`ve been pondering to go with the bus or travel by car. Both definately have their advantages. With bus you meet lots of people, dont have to worry if you`re driving in the right direction and in the end might be a little cheaper. But the downside is you sit in a stinking bus, need to carry all your stuff around, need to plan your hostels in advance and cant go where you want to go. With a car it might take a little longer and more effort to get to your destination, but you can take all your shit with you, travel with who you want, go where and when you want and dont have to rely on hostels... I`m going for the car...

Just as in the Netherlands there are multiple ways to get one, licensed dealers, resellers, auto-barns and private adds. After looking around at different places; i saw an add for a `94 Ford Falcon station wagon for $1500 including some camping gear. I called the guy, Nils, and said i would like to make a testdrive. We would meet the next day at Kissing Poin, a ferry stop.

The next day... I needed to find out how to get to Kissing Point, so I ended up waiting an hour on a bench at wharf 5. Just when I took my lonely planet out someone sat next to me and said: "aaah, the bible for Australia, looks live you just arrived since mine is all worn out". Looking aside i see an old hag, waaaaaay over 60... why doesnt a younger version, a 40 year younger version sit next to me instead? I muffled something about just being here for 2 weeks, but she continued to herass me with here questions. OKAY... I`ll be nice and have a talk. We talked about where i was going and that she went back to England this thursday. Just when she wanted to unpack her bag to show me the presents she bought for her grand children (dear god no...) her boat arrived... SAVED!!

So i picked up my lonely planet again and not before a minute has passed i hear some shuffling besides me and a cracked voice: "I like waiting in the sun, why would i wait in the shadow when i can wait in the sun?". Looking aside but fearing the worst...

Zoh My God,

Go wait in your grave you fossile.

Thinking he would leave me alone if i stared interestingly enough into my book, but ofcourse no... old people Do know how to terrorise the young ones. Talking is like their revenge for walking past them 3 times as fast, or laughing when they fall the stairs with their rollator... I guess we call it even then. So again I play along.

So he talked about living in Perth (WA) and going to Sydney with friends on holiday. He moved to Perth 50 years ago. (50 years ago??? In which era were you born then?) I didnt ask that, but instead: "Where are you going to now"?

He: "The Netherlands". I dont think he actually heard what i asked, but the conversation just went 10 times as interesting.
"WHAT"?

"I lived in The Netherlads".\

"Ik kom ook uit Nederland, spreek je nog Nederlands"?

He: "Ja, dat vergeet je niet meer" in very correct and articulate Dutch.

So after that he told how he emigrated to Australia. He was sent away to Indonesia for 5 years, when he came back he was asked what he wanted to do. He wanted to be a photographer. But since the army didnt need any of those; he was offered an office job. After 6 months he quitted and went traveling, arriving in Perth he thought it was a nice city and got of the ship (de tegelberg)

At the australian he got asked the same questing as in the Netherlands: what do you want to do? Again he answered photographer. But since Australia didnt needed those as well he had to work 3 years in the industry before he got his Australian nationality, after that he started as photographer and did that for the next 47 years...

Moral of the story: dont laugh at old people when they fall with their rollator...

Anyway, i bought the car for $1400. That is cheap but I`ll need to have some repairs on it soon and extend the registration at the start of july.

At the moment i cant keep up with the writing...

- Nils

- Mining business.

- Traveling with.
- First Sydney drive...

Ill fill those in later

Trekken

Het surfen was Goed!
Door al het windsurfen had ik verwacht goldsurfen zo op te pakken, maar het was toch moeilijker dan verwacht. Wel hartstikke gaaf.
Binnenkort een board en een wetsuit kopen en dan een tijdje surfen. En rondkijken wat voor werk daarmee valt te combineren.

2 dagen geleden van hostel veranderd. Ik zit nog steeds in Sydney, maar nu in Bondi beach, vlak aan de kust. Gelijk een paar tips voor mezelf:
- Neem niet 4 boeken van 500blz+ mee...
- Eet eten en drinken op voordat je weggaat...
- Spullen goed inpakken scheelt een hoop...

In de zon heuvels op en af lopen was zwaar. Maar, de kust ziet er goed uit, mooi water, ruige golven en veel zon. Morgen terug naar de stad om wat info te krijgen hoe verder te reizen. Over 2 of 3 dagen wil ik Sydney uit en op weg naar het noorden.