So after Pitt overreacting about all the 原発 business (genpatsu = nuclear power plant), I was pretty much forced to get out of Japan. But instead of going all the way home, I took up my school’s offer to pay for my flight somewhere and took a two-week vacation to Australia!
It wasn’t all fun and games though. Being on low budget in Australia doesn’t mean much. It is EXPENSIVE. Even after going to the supermarket and preparing most of our own meals, charging our electronics in McDonalds and using their free wifi, I still managed to spend over 1000 dollars when it was all said and done. (My wallet is crying)
I arrived in a small airport in Gold Coast to meet my three friends who had gone to the land down under three days before me. They were about half an hour late but they collected me and showed me to our “mobile hotel.” They had rented a van that came equipped with a gas stove, eating/cooking utensils, pots, pans, a pump water sink, a tent that expands on top of the car, pillows, and blankets. All and all, it was a pretty good deal. Thank you Jucy Car!
So after changing some money to AUD (they’re so colorful with windows on them~ <3), we went straight to the beach! It was a beautiful day and it was so nice to be away from all the people back home pestering me about an earthquake and tsunami that had nothing to do with me. Just a warm beach and an endless ocean. ^^ We climbed over rocks and had an amazing time staring out at the sparkling sea. We stayed until sunset and then found a camping site for the night. Camping sites made up the majority of where we spent our nights because for a small fee we were given access to showers, BBQs and electrical outlets. All very important. So we cooked up some sausages and made a delicious salad for the night. It was extremely rewarding.
The next day, we drove through town to do some shopping and we found a shop selling Australian souvenirs… well how could I resist? I bought a flimsy boomerang just in case we didn’t find another shop selling them. After resupplying, we drove through Budjalung national park listening to this funky Australian music Tim had bought. I felt like Steve Irwin haha.
We spent the rest of the day on a beach that had a giant stretch of rocks. The waves were so big that every time they rolled in they would crash against the rocks hard and send a huge splash upwards. We hung out there for a long time.
We slept in a bit the next day and then drove back to the beach. We spent a good deal of the day hiking up to a pretty lighthouse, a journey involving a long trail through the forest. On the way, we passed the “most easterly point of the Australian mainland,” which was pretty cool. The weather was beautiful of course so it was the perfect day for picture taking. =) On the way to our next campsite we discovered a pretty trail to the beach and decided to stop off for sunset. But instead, Shogo and I discovered a bunch of sand dunes that were untouched by humans. They were so white and pretty! We must have spent an hour jumping around and playing in the sand, though I cannot get near the jumps that Shogo manages. The kid is crazy!
We drove most of the next day down Waterfall Way, named for the abundant waterfalls you can see along the way… or so the brochure said but we only actually saw a couple. One of them was right next to the road and it’s said when there’s been rain for a while the waterfall actually goes OVER the road and you can drive through it. We ended up in camp site near a waterfall in the woods. We walked all the way to where the waterfall was, following the sound. It was a good half hour walk but it was pretty. When we got back to the campsite, we made a fire and the warmth felt so good against our chilled bodies. We had tea and chatted until it was so dark we couldn’t see each other anymore. Then we laid on the dirt road and stared up at the clear night sky before going to sleep. The stars were endless and beautiful and I was once again reminded how small we are in this vast universe.
The next morning, we woke up early to leave for our next destination. But before we left, Shogo discovered several wild kangaroo roaming the surrounding forest. It was amazing. We were able to get pretty close to them and we watched them play and hop. So cute~^^
We traveled to Port Macquerie next, and went to a zoo that had a bunch of Australian species! Before we went in though I went to go take a picture of the front sign because it had giant koalas climbing and it looked cute. And then before I know it, I walked through a HUGE, nasty spider web and it was absolutely disgusting. Uhg. It stuck all over me. >< We spent all morning feeding wallabees, petting koalas, and taking a walk up a mysterious path the led us to a stunning view of the ocean. That night we made pudding and tea in back of the car and we slept on the beach with a sky full of stars staring back at us.
It started raining in the middle of the night though so we went back to the car and woke up to see the sunrise. Then we took a hike through beaches and rainforest for 2 km to reach another lighthouse. It took so long but it was really nice. I reached the top before the others and spent about 20 minutes looking out at the amazing view as I waited for them. When we got back to the beach, I took a cold shower in the beach shower room, which felt amazing. Then we drove off to Port Stephens, which gave promise of many fun activities. We stopped along the way and had lunch at a picnic table next to a lake. Our next stop was at Nelson Bay so we could slide down sand dunes. Haha which ended in a giant fail and pants full of sand. xD But it was still tons of fun. =)
We traveled to Port Macquerie next, and went to a zoo that had a bunch of Australian species! Before we went in though I went to go take a picture of the front sign because it had giant koalas climbing and it looked cute. And then before I know it, I walked through a HUGE, nasty spider web and it was absolutely disgusting. Uhg. It stuck all over me. >< We spent all morning feeding wallabees, petting koalas, and taking a walk up a mysterious path the led us to a stunning view of the ocean. That night we made pudding and tea in back of the car and we slept on the beach with a sky full of stars staring back at us.
It started raining in the middle of the night though so we went back to the car and woke up to see the sunrise. Then we took a hike through beaches and rainforest for 2 km to reach another lighthouse. It took so long but it was really nice. I reached the top before the others and spent about 20 minutes looking out at the amazing view as I waited for them. When we got back to the beach, I took a cold shower in the beach shower room, which felt amazing. Then we drove off to Port Stephens, which gave promise of many fun activities. We stopped along the way and had lunch at a picnic table next to a lake. Our next stop was at Nelson Bay so we could slide down sand dunes. Haha which ended in a giant fail and pants full of sand. xD But it was still tons of fun. =)
After a full day of driving, we finally arrived in Syndey around midnight. We had to park the car (extremely difficult in the city, let alone in the dark), find a hostel and pack up all of our belongings (just in case the car got stolen, you never know). Once again, Mcdonalds was our best friend with its free wifi. I can’t tell you how many Mcdonalds we stopped at during our trip. We used it almost every day to find out where to stay. Either that or the handy information centers set up all over Australia. The people who work there were so nice, giving us recommendations on where to stay and fun things to do in the area. So we finally found a hostel with a 24 hour reception: MAZE backpackers. It was totally crappy but what can you expect from 28 dollars a night? *lol* At least we got our own beds! Even if they were crappy bunk beds in a room that smelled of sweaty socks. xD
We got only a few hours sleep because we needed to go really early to the opera house to get the sale tickets to Carmen for that night. We walked about 20 minutes to the Opera House and sat in line with the early risers. While we sat there, we met a nice old couple in line who told us about “point seats,” basically seats which are the best for viewing when buying them so late. They had six of these point seats written down and told us they would go for two and then they’d let us ask for the other four. We got them at 44 dollars a ticket!! *^^* We waited for Aurore and Shogo who had gone to move the car because the place we parked it in the night before was only good until morning. They were ecstatic we got the tickets. And as exhausted as we all were, we had a scheduled guided tour of the Opera House which was really cool. By the time we made it back to the hostel I almost collapsed, but I stayed up to take advantage of the laundry facilities, which we hadn’t encountered for a few days. 4 dollars per wash and per dry but the dryer didn’t work! I stayed up an extra hour waiting for them to finish but when I went to collect them, the clothes were still completely damp! I then had to spend the next hour or so hanging them all around our tiny room in the hope they would dry. I slept for two hours and then got up to see Carmen, which was absolutely amazing! We had pretty good seats considering we had gotten them just that morning for so cheap. There was a small part of the stage that I couldn’t see but the show was so great it didn’t matter so much.
We slept in until 9 the next day and packed a bit. We traveled to “the Rocks,” a part of town that had much older and traditional buildings, where the info center was to find out what there was to do. We ended up walking down to the bay and hopping a ferry to Darling Harbor- the ferry had free wifi on it! After walking around a bit, we split up to pursue different interests. While Tim went to the science museum, I found a really nice shopping mall with a bunch of good Australian souvenirs for super cheap. I collapsed at the hostel for a while and then left again at 530 to go downtown. It was a side of Australia we hadn’t seen so far. It had heaps of neat shops but the food was expensive so we went back to the area around our hostel for dinner. We found ourselves at a bar (it’s cheap, what can I say?) We got a pitcher of “Australian beer,” (it’s watery and doesn’t taste good, don’t do it!) but we got some deliciously cheap food and had a good time.
On the first of April, we separated from Aurore and Shogo because they wanted to spend more time in Sydney - a miscommunication. Otherwise we would have done the same. So I was stuck alone with Tim for an extra 3 days. Goody. We walked the half hour to where our car was parked with all of our stuff. We attempted to drive out of Sydney but our maps weren’t great and I suck at directions in general so it took forever. When we finally made it out (alive thank god) we continued west to Katoomba where the Blue Mountains were. They were beautiful. As we looked out on the gorge, an old Polish photographer told us we should take more pictures of the beautiful sunset. "Every moment in life is different, always changing. A different shape,” he reminded us.
We slept in until 9 the next day and packed a bit. We traveled to “the Rocks,” a part of town that had much older and traditional buildings, where the info center was to find out what there was to do. We ended up walking down to the bay and hopping a ferry to Darling Harbor- the ferry had free wifi on it! After walking around a bit, we split up to pursue different interests. While Tim went to the science museum, I found a really nice shopping mall with a bunch of good Australian souvenirs for super cheap. I collapsed at the hostel for a while and then left again at 530 to go downtown. It was a side of Australia we hadn’t seen so far. It had heaps of neat shops but the food was expensive so we went back to the area around our hostel for dinner. We found ourselves at a bar (it’s cheap, what can I say?) We got a pitcher of “Australian beer,” (it’s watery and doesn’t taste good, don’t do it!) but we got some deliciously cheap food and had a good time.
On the first of April, we separated from Aurore and Shogo because they wanted to spend more time in Sydney - a miscommunication. Otherwise we would have done the same. So I was stuck alone with Tim for an extra 3 days. Goody. We walked the half hour to where our car was parked with all of our stuff. We attempted to drive out of Sydney but our maps weren’t great and I suck at directions in general so it took forever. When we finally made it out (alive thank god) we continued west to Katoomba where the Blue Mountains were. They were beautiful. As we looked out on the gorge, an old Polish photographer told us we should take more pictures of the beautiful sunset. "Every moment in life is different, always changing. A different shape,” he reminded us.
We saw the legendary “Three sisters,” a group of rocks and took a trip down to them where I met a cool Japanese girl who was there with her friend. They were surprised to run across someone who knew Japanese but she was completely fluent in English so it wasn’t really necessary lol. We stopped in town to stock up on groceries and then headed for a free camping area we had heard of. But man was this place far! We drove for more than half an hour down a windy road in the dark with barely any civilization around. We thought it would never end or that we had taken a wrong turn but we finally made it after what seemed like ages. We made spaghetti with sausages for dinner but Tim forgot that when you slam the back door, the bowls filled with spaghetti sauce on our rickety table would probably not stay put, especially as we were parked on a hill. So yeah, you guessed it: sauce all over me and the car. I tried to get it out with dishwasher soap but it was pretty much a lost cause and I went to bed in a huff.
We spent the next couple of days going around to various lookouts and exploring several areas, the greatest of which was a huge trek through the mountainous rocks that led us to a gorgeous waterfall. We took an offbeat path because we still had some adventurous bug in us that ended up taking us through the brush where even the slim path disappeared. I wished I had a machete But we finally made it to where we had originally set out for and found the waterfall. The way down wasn’t too difficult but the hike back up was exhausting! It was definitely worth it though.
Then we headed out for Canberra, the capital of Australia. (Who else has never heard of this??) We had plans to pick up Aurore and Shogo from their bus at 7pm. I ended up driving part of the way because Tim was so tired. We arrived on time but then spent about a half hour looking for the place they were supposed to be dropped off at and then parking around that area. But the stupid center was nowhere to be found! We finally decided to just park and walk to it. The sign for the center was so small, it was no wonder why we didn’t find it! Arg! We arrived there about 15 minutes late but when we went in, we couldn’t find them. Then we saw a sign on the window saying that their bus was delayed by about an hour due to technical issues. So we thought, alright, can’t be helped. Let’s just go to McDonalds and wait for them. So we went back to the car and got our computers and then walked down to McDonalds where we discovered an email from them. Aurore had sprained her ankle the day before and they weren’t even on the bus! Uhggg stuck with Tim for another THREE days. Someone save meee! We were already fighting every day as it was. ;_;
So we went to find a free campsite for the night but it was far away and we didn't really feel like driving that far. So we decided to just take a side road to somewhere off the main highway, pop the tent, and sleep on the road. But every time I tried to say, let’s stay here! How bout this? This isn’t too bad! Tim would go, no it’s too visible, no it’s not far enough, no no NO. UHG! We ended up just on the side of the highway in a “rest area.” Australia has this “stop, revive, survive” slogan that allows you to rest every couple of hours if necessary. But we weren’t sure if this was one of the designated spots so we set the alarm for super early the next day to get out and go into town.
We were debating just going back to Sydney to meet Aurore and Shogo but we decided since we had come all the way down to Canberra we might as well spend at least one day exploring. We walked for over an hour to get to the parliament house and had a free tour through their Senate and House buildings. The Australian government system is surprisingly alike that of America’s. They said that Australia was established so much later than other countries that they kind of picked which governmental systems they liked from others. It was really neat to walk through actually.
The next day we set out for Sydney again, (the sooner to get back to Shogo and Aurore). When we finally got there we searched again for a decent hostel to stay in and decided maybe MAZE wasn’t the best option, although it was the cheapest. We found another place nearby for 4 dollars more a night but it was definitely worth it. It even included breakfast! So we found a convenient free parking area that was right nearby, set our stuff in the hostel and then went to go visit Aurore who had been bound inside for the last three days on account of her ankle. Poor thing! But they had managed to find an actual hotel for only 37 dollars a night! So jealous! The place was usually 100+ per night but Shogo once again worked his magic. It was so nice to see them again I almost cried with joy!
The next morning we had to get up early to move the car from the freeloading zone because the parking spots changed policies once it became 7:30am. So we got up early, got breakfast, packed all of our things, but guess what? Tim had forgotten the car keys at Aurore and Shogo’s hotel the night before, at least 20 minutes away by walk. *Facepalm* Yup, hello 143 dollar parking ticket. The last day with the car and we get a frickin’ parking ticket. Go figure.
So we packed up the car, picked up Shogo and Aurore and went to the Sydney airport to get our plane back to the Gold Coast. It was only a short hop and we had booked a hostel right across the airport. We didn’t realize how literal they meant when they said “RIGHT across.” We ended up taking an extremely long detour thinking it was on the other side of the highway. *WRONG* But when we got there it was really awesome! The staff was really nice and they had a game room and a pool and it was right near the ocean! Not bad for 30 bucks a night!
On the last day, we had a free day in Gold Coast. I wanted to go skydiving but my mom talked me out of it. "Your sister will kill you if you hurt yourself and ruin the wedding!" So instead, I went to the beach and read for the day. I took a subway sandwich with me and immediately had a seagull after my food. I spent 5 min shooing it away as it squawked vigorously at me. I was relieved it finally left me alone. But not 10 minutes later, I was minding my own business reading my book when a huge rock (rock or giant poo? I’m not sure) fell from the sky and hit right next to my head and the seagull from before flew down. It had returned with a gang of its seagull friends who literally SURROUNDED me in a circle and all started squawking their heads off! Like they were getting revenge for me eating in front of their comrade and not sharing! Well excuse me! They were so annoying that I grabbed all my things and went about 50 yards down the beach. Oy.
On the last day, we had a free day in Gold Coast. I wanted to go skydiving but my mom talked me out of it. "Your sister will kill you if you hurt yourself and ruin the wedding!" So instead, I went to the beach and read for the day. I took a subway sandwich with me and immediately had a seagull after my food. I spent 5 min shooing it away as it squawked vigorously at me. I was relieved it finally left me alone. But not 10 minutes later, I was minding my own business reading my book when a huge rock (rock or giant poo? I’m not sure) fell from the sky and hit right next to my head and the seagull from before flew down. It had returned with a gang of its seagull friends who literally SURROUNDED me in a circle and all started squawking their heads off! Like they were getting revenge for me eating in front of their comrade and not sharing! Well excuse me! They were so annoying that I grabbed all my things and went about 50 yards down the beach. Oy.
I hopped the hostel’s free shuttle service, which was awesome to have by the way, and went back to get my things from the back room. I had checked out earlier that day, intending to sleep at the airport but decided to not spend the extra money. Instead I freeloaded in their common room, which was equipped with a big TV and a bunch of comfy couches. I planned to stay there until they kicked me out but they never did so I stayed there all night. But around midnight this Australian kid was doing the same thing and he offered to share some wine and I thought, “sure, why not? Making international friends is cool” But I only drank a little bit. I wasn’t really in the mood and I had a plane ride the next morning. Then this Japanese kid showed up too and he was so excited to meet someone in Australia that could speak Japanese that we started chatting and meanwhile the Aussie was getting drunker and drunker and he started pulling moves on me and I was like, woah dude, I didn’t have any intentions of anything like that. So he started getting jealous that someone else was talking to me. (God forbid!) And since he couldn't understand what we were talking about he assumed that we were bad mouthing him and his bad attempts (which were pretty hilarious) but was totally not true. And then he started getting really angry that the Japanese kid was there and “What was he thinking coming up to us when clearly he saw me first” (what am I here?). And I got so pissed that I told him to get the hell out. But on his way out he punched the poor Japanese kid in the face! What a complete asshole. I couldn’t believe it. What an ending to the trip. ARG!
All in all it was an awesome trip but I kind of wish it had been a week shorter as I was getting more pissed every day and missing all my friends back in Japan. But still a great experience and I don’t regret going in the slightest.
I'll get back to my life in Japan in the next post!
それではまた次回！^^
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