sydney suckerpunch
the idea was to embark on an adventure without a plan, and let the winds guide us along. brilliant. how courageous we are, how carefree! well, i’ve spent the last two and a half weeks in a state of quasi-panic with my stomach in knots, dreading the not knowing. brilliant, indeed. the number one stress-inducer is the question, “where are we sleeping tonight?” we spent our first few nights in a backpacker’s hostel in bondi beach, which was great for its proximity to the sea but a black hole for our budget: a week’s rent could afford a month’s travel in india. there was also the inconvenience of being woken up every morning by the sounds of excruciatingly loud, brain-jarring jack-hammering and even louder workmen shouting at each other in russian. we were fortunate enough to find a couchsurfing host who has graciously accommodated us since, plying us with french cheese, strong coffee, and a wonderfully sarcastic humour. he has kindly offered sound advice on our campervan project, which has been the second-most stress-inducer consuming us since our arrival. despite dom’s comedic spin on the whole affair (read his blog!), our avid hunt has been quite un-hilarious. we made the mistake of becoming emotionally involved with the vans, and when the deals fell through, it felt like we were losing the promise of an idyllic life on the road. we’ve recuperated, however, and realized (with the help of our wise host) that there are hundreds of campervans with high traveler turn-over rates, so it’s just a matter of time before we find the right one and hit the road with our house-on-wheels. so…we bought a tent instead! (you see? i’m getting better at this whole door-closing/window-opening thing). the third biggest stress-inducer has been the obnoxiously loud, aggravatingly bustling, exceedingly unfriendly, ridiculously expensive, consumption-obsessed metropolis (i’ll say it loud and clear, and i don’t care who hears: sydney sucks*!). the nicest people we’ve met were from elsewhere, and every single person we’ve asked for directions seems to have their head up their ass and has no clue where anything is in their own friggin’ city, especially if it’s how to get there by foot (we’ve preferred walking, and have gravely offended people who’ve thought us preposterous and inexcusable for not taking the bus). though we’ve spent a few glorious days at the beaches here, the weather has been iffy at best and our sleep has had to compete with the endless traffic and all-morning demolition racket (a construction crew is tearing down the neighboring building, starting at 7am sharp, just our luck)…so we are planning our joyous escape with a rideshare up to byron bay (on the coast just before brisbane), where we can plant our new tent for a while and enjoy some warmer waters. despite our intended m.o., i am a shameless sucker for planning (i can’t help it dammit!), and have been in touch with quite a few couchsurfing hosts in various towns on the coast, which at the very least will give us some structure along the way.
so, to recap the trip so far: bloody long bumpy plane ride, buy-a-van attempt #1, stress, stress, turn-brain-off day at the beach, buy-a-van attempt #2, stress, self-medicate with calm walk in the park, day at the beach, check out some more vans, stress, visit the aquarium (stress about sharks and crocs and jellyfish), wake up and say “screw this noise!”, buy a tent, get out of town.
sound like we’re having a good time? well, we are, in doses that balance out the crap we have to deal with. everyone promises us that the beginning is always the roughest (i mean, who wants to bother with bank accounts and tax file numbers and learning the ins and outs of every state’s car registration/insurance policies? this is supposed to be fun!); so, we have solemnly paid our dues to the gods of western civilization and are gearing up to break free of our sydney shackles and tackle the wilder side of this immense and forbidding land. let the real adventure begin!
*disclaimer: this opinion is not shared by my more easy-going companion
mr. miyagi says: "Lesson not just karate only. Lesson for whole life. Whole life have a balance. Everything be better. Understand?"
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