I had Tom from Switzerland working with me today as Chris went to go and work on a farm. Another really hot day and a bit easier work wise. We had to put up the new ceiling and take care doing it so we didn’t break or mark the plaster board tiles. Another different coloured Mercedes was driven by the boss man, he must have used the others for bank jobs, who knows. The day went quickly again and the boss said he may have work for me next week which will be good.
Tonight was my birthday celebration evening. I was heading over to my Ozzie mate Sarah’s as she was cooking me dinner which was very nice of her. Kangaroo sausages was on the menu and some other bits and bobs. I stopped off at a surf shop on the way and saw a really nice board but I shouldn’t get greedy so on I went. The food and beer was amazing and I didn’t end up meeting the others until about half 10. A few people were drinking at the hostel before heading out on Bondi beach. We went to Ravesei’s first then on to Bondi Hotel. After Daragh not getting in for being too pissed, I met up with him and we headed home, well tried to anyway. We chilled out on the beach front talking bollox to a busker who I filmed playing guitar and singing, he was actually very good. We moved on and then started talking to random people including a very attractive Italian girl. She was over here like most travellers; checking out different parts of the country and looking for work. After more bullshit coming out of our mouths, we got her number and staggered home.
At the hostel there were a few people from the night out who we lost along the way. Daragh passed out shortly after arriving so putting cheesy puff crisps in his mouth seemed like a great idea when her was snoring. 4am and it was time to hit the sack as they say. Which was difficult due to the fact that Daragh was not moving one bit but I couldn’t leave him there as a fellow traveller may nick something from him like his clothes (there are strange things that go missing in hostels!).
Monday, 27 July 2009
27/02/09
It was difficult to get up but when I was up, I was ready to go. The builder dude was early so off to work I went. Mick was a middle ages Russian who came over to Australia 30 years ago but his accent was still very strong. Me and Chris had to help out with all the odd job at an office that was having partitioned rooms being installed. We were mainly moving supplies from deliveries into the office and then take the ceiling tiles down ready for a new one that’s to be put up tomorrow so guess what I will be doing tomorrow?!
The people in the office were still working so we had to put dust sheets around them, set a 12 ft plank over their desks and slowly take down each ceiling tile. As we did this, another Russian (Leon) worked on installing the partitioning for the walls. He was taking ages to get each partition exactly straight using his spirit level. The day went quite quickly and it saved me going to the gym due to all the lifting and moving around all day. Just about to take down the last few tiles near when Leon was working. Lifting the plank into place, “clonk” sounded as it swung into to one of the perfectly placed partitions. I look around and no one saw so on I went with a little chuckle. I was going to say to him that I probably just put it out of line but knew he would be pissed off so didn’t bother. I’m sure he’ll find out later on or tomorrow. Plus they could be part of a Russian Mafia so I want to stay in their good books.
Ended up going to the Shack for a couple of jugs, but didn’t stay out too late as I needed to get up at 10 to 6.
The people in the office were still working so we had to put dust sheets around them, set a 12 ft plank over their desks and slowly take down each ceiling tile. As we did this, another Russian (Leon) worked on installing the partitioning for the walls. He was taking ages to get each partition exactly straight using his spirit level. The day went quite quickly and it saved me going to the gym due to all the lifting and moving around all day. Just about to take down the last few tiles near when Leon was working. Lifting the plank into place, “clonk” sounded as it swung into to one of the perfectly placed partitions. I look around and no one saw so on I went with a little chuckle. I was going to say to him that I probably just put it out of line but knew he would be pissed off so didn’t bother. I’m sure he’ll find out later on or tomorrow. Plus they could be part of a Russian Mafia so I want to stay in their good books.
Ended up going to the Shack for a couple of jugs, but didn’t stay out too late as I needed to get up at 10 to 6.
26/02/09
Went Job hunting today, took my CV to all the surf shops in Bondi. No luck though as they all said they were starting to sack their workers due to the high season on the way out. Just chillin in the lounge with the lads and I saw a couple of guys that just moved into my room. I’ve been in the same room for 19 days and I’ve had Italian, English, German, Dutch and American people come and go and they’re all really cool people. Its weird becoming friends with someone then the next day they’re off on their travels again and you’ll probably never see them again. I saw my mate Thomas from Switzerland in the lounge and he was with his mate Chris from Germany. “Have you got a job?” Chris asked me. “I wish” I replied. “Come and work with me tomorrow then if you like?” Chris was offered labouring work in Coogee. 06:30 start, 8 hours work and good money so I was well up for it. I also heard from Daragh that a dude on the site he works on is leaving so there may be an opening for me there which would be cool as its even more money than the job tomorrow, let’s see what happens.
25/02/09
Went surfing with Mark, a guy from Denmark. We went to Bondi and the waves were good. Not too big but not too small. First night of chilling tonight. Off to record some frogs and crickets down at Tamarama beach for use in a track. Me and Dan (who’s in London) came up with the idea of me sending him music ideas via descriptions and video clips. He would then put his input into it and make a tune from my ideas and see what we come up with. From the ideas, I will be messing about with them and then when I get back to the UK, we’re going to compare the outcomes which should be interesting.
23/02/09
Went to go surfing at Tamarama beach today. Weather was amazing and from my window, the waves looked good. I met up with Phil at reception, walked around the corner when you can see the surf. From what I could see, the waves were massive, “Fuck that!” I said in shock. We were quite far away and the waves looked huge. As we got closer, they got bigger (funnily enough). We watched some of the locals having trouble surfing so I thought not best risk it on my 3 day of surfing so we just played some ball games instead.
Was meant to stay in but Big Tom said he was heading into Kings Cross. He twisted my arm by saying he was in an Irish pub called O’Mallys where they sell jugs of beer for $6 and he’s with 8 girls. Me and Phil got ready to go out quicker than usual for some reason.
Big Tom was not lying and it ended up being was a great night of dancing (trying), drinking and playing twister in a club called Empire which was a bit random. Silly o’clock in the morning I got a cab with a couple of the girls that Big Tom started the night with. They said they live in Bondi so the cab fair would work out cheaper. I woke up in a random house next to one of the girls. Where the hell was I, who the hell is that and how am I going to get back to the hostel? The beauty of alcohol! After trying to speak some sort of sense, I tried to remember the given directions and off I went. A lot easier than I thought to get back to Bondi beach which was good because the sun definitely had his hat on and I was very hung over. Watching the surfers was very therapeutic and the fresh Tasman breeze sorted my hang over out.
Was meant to stay in but Big Tom said he was heading into Kings Cross. He twisted my arm by saying he was in an Irish pub called O’Mallys where they sell jugs of beer for $6 and he’s with 8 girls. Me and Phil got ready to go out quicker than usual for some reason.
Big Tom was not lying and it ended up being was a great night of dancing (trying), drinking and playing twister in a club called Empire which was a bit random. Silly o’clock in the morning I got a cab with a couple of the girls that Big Tom started the night with. They said they live in Bondi so the cab fair would work out cheaper. I woke up in a random house next to one of the girls. Where the hell was I, who the hell is that and how am I going to get back to the hostel? The beauty of alcohol! After trying to speak some sort of sense, I tried to remember the given directions and off I went. A lot easier than I thought to get back to Bondi beach which was good because the sun definitely had his hat on and I was very hung over. Watching the surfers was very therapeutic and the fresh Tasman breeze sorted my hang over out.
Saturday, 16 May 2009
20/02/09
I met up with Elodie today and went surfing at Tamarama Beach. Elodie is from a town near Biarritz in France and is a keen body boarder. The waves were pretty big (about 6ft which is big in my beginners eyes) and being hung over didn’t help. I was absolutely buggered once I had got through the break and waited about for the waves. They were about 10 to 20 other surfers out and the sun was beaming down. I caught a couple of waves but got wiped out on all of them. Practice makes perfect. On my way back to out, I tried to dip under a massive waves but I didn’t go down far enough so it crashed on me pushing and rolling me underwater. I started to swim which I thought was upwards (lucky it was) and thought I was near the surface but it took another 3 or 4 breast strokes before I got there. Its not a good idea to go surfing with a hang over. Especially with strong currents and big waves!
I got out of the water after that and cooked myself up in the sun. Elodie was a lot better at body boarding than I was at surfing so she stayed out a little longer.
Fabrizio, an Italian who stays in the same room as me got a job on an olive grove in Perth. He leaves in 2 days so tonight he’s having a good bye BBQ on Bronte Beach. He said just to bring beer so that’s what I did.
Massive steaks and loads of Italian salads were on the menu and it was pretty much all you can eat so of course I had a good time. There were loads of other Italians and some Germans too. We all went and chilled in the sand after we’d finished with the BBQ and had a Dutch guy playing well know rock, reggae and blues songs on an acoustic guitar which was very relaxing with the Tasman Sea breeze. Lovely Jubbly.
I got out of the water after that and cooked myself up in the sun. Elodie was a lot better at body boarding than I was at surfing so she stayed out a little longer.
Fabrizio, an Italian who stays in the same room as me got a job on an olive grove in Perth. He leaves in 2 days so tonight he’s having a good bye BBQ on Bronte Beach. He said just to bring beer so that’s what I did.
Massive steaks and loads of Italian salads were on the menu and it was pretty much all you can eat so of course I had a good time. There were loads of other Italians and some Germans too. We all went and chilled in the sand after we’d finished with the BBQ and had a Dutch guy playing well know rock, reggae and blues songs on an acoustic guitar which was very relaxing with the Tasman Sea breeze. Lovely Jubbly.
18/02/09
So today was my first surfing day. It was a lot harder than I thought. I surfed a little years ago and can snowboard and skateboard so thought I’d pick it up quite quickly. The waves were fairly big so the hardest part was getting out beyond the break. Very tiring indeed! I caught a wave but could only get up onto my knees. Slowly but surely.
On the way back from Bondi Junction, me and Phil get on the bus. “Hello mate” says Phil. Daragh was on the bus too and I didn’t recognise him even though he was wearing an ultra violet construction worker t-shirt which made us laugh.
On the way back from Bondi Junction, me and Phil get on the bus. “Hello mate” says Phil. Daragh was on the bus too and I didn’t recognise him even though he was wearing an ultra violet construction worker t-shirt which made us laugh.
17/02/09
I’m writing this entry (like a lot of these entries) a week in front as I either forgot to write down what I’ve been up to or I didn’t not have time. The past few days were spent well just like every other day (when it doesn’t rain) , chilling on the beach during the day then off for a few beers (or many) in the evening. On the way back from the beach, Jimi had his board under his arm. “Going for a surf Jimi? I asked. “No, Im off to sell it.” He replied. Jokingly I said I’ll give you a tenner for it and he burst out laughing. “How about $20?” I asked and he just carried on walking and laughing. Well if you don’t ask you don’t get so it was worth a try. Me and Phil went back to the hostel and chilled out in the lounge. About 30 mins after, Jimi walked in with his board, “Gimme $20 and you can have it.” He said. I was amazed. He had no luck trying to sell it down the beach so he was left with the options of leaving it for someone to take or sell it to me for $20, we settled on $25 and that was that. He was flying out that day so he had to get rid of it. It was advertised for $200 in the hostel lounge but he had no buyers so I got a pukka deal :-D
15/02/09
In The Shack again for a few jugs. Talking about how its difficult to see the difference between Thai lady boys and genuine Thai girls, Phil said that its because of their build and their facial features; “must be something in their genes” he said and then burst out laughing along with all of us due. We met up with a dutch guy from the hostel, his name is Hendrik but I thought Jimi was an appropriate nickname so it stayed. As the Shack started to close, we headed down the beach front to find somewhere else that would be open, but due to the fact it was a Sunday it was proving to be difficult. A taxi driver mentioned the Tea Gardens, which is an Irish pub in Bondi Junction. As we arrived it was packed so in we went. Only place that is open, you gotta love the Irish.
14/02/09
Wow! I managed to wake up on time! I got everything together and headed along the coast to Clovelly. “No need to rush over dude” Mickey text me when I was about half way to his. Never mind I thought then it started to rain which was not very welcomed, I might as well be back home in England.
Mickey and I went to the bottle shop for some vodka to take into the festival with us. At about 11am, we got back to his and Mickey cracked opened the Vodka, bad idea I think. We headed over to the festival with our discretely hidden vodka that made us look very endowed (not that we aren’t already)!
We luckily smuggled the booze in no problem and the party started. It started to rain heavily so flash backs of Glastonbury came flooding in (excuse the pun). We saw some amazing acts; Sam Sparrow, Kid Kanobe, Roni Size, Stanton Worriors, Pharcyde, Q-Tip and finished off with Deadmau5. Lots of booze, lots of music and lots of fun. The only bad part of the event was the weather. There were constant showers for most of the afternoon and didn’t stop until the morning. We were staying at Mickey’s mate Amy’s house which was in Double Bay so we were soaked through by the time we got there but we had an amazing day!
Mickey and I went to the bottle shop for some vodka to take into the festival with us. At about 11am, we got back to his and Mickey cracked opened the Vodka, bad idea I think. We headed over to the festival with our discretely hidden vodka that made us look very endowed (not that we aren’t already)!
We luckily smuggled the booze in no problem and the party started. It started to rain heavily so flash backs of Glastonbury came flooding in (excuse the pun). We saw some amazing acts; Sam Sparrow, Kid Kanobe, Roni Size, Stanton Worriors, Pharcyde, Q-Tip and finished off with Deadmau5. Lots of booze, lots of music and lots of fun. The only bad part of the event was the weather. There were constant showers for most of the afternoon and didn’t stop until the morning. We were staying at Mickey’s mate Amy’s house which was in Double Bay so we were soaked through by the time we got there but we had an amazing day!
13/02/09
Very hung over, we had a lovely steak at Icebergs. I’m off to the festival tomorrow so best to have an early night. I need to be at Mickey’s at 9:30am so I have to leave the hostel at about 9am. A few jugs later in the shack, I ended up getting back to the hostel at about 1am, so much for an early night!
12/02/09
We went to The Shack again which was great fun. The American chicks from the pool competition were there and when the Shack closed we went to find somewhere else that sold beer. I still hadn’t washed off TWAT from my forehead so we were refused entry to many fine establishments. We got a cab to The Gaff on Oxford street. I can’t remember what music was playing but know they served beer as I drank lots of it. There were men dressed as women which was funny. A friend told me later that you get free beer if you dress up as a woman; looks like I’m going to the charity shop to get myself a new dress!
11/02/09
Today I sorted some bits and bobs out in Bondi Junction which was harder with a hang over for some reason. My mate Tom from Uni was in Perth and flew to Sydney today so I went to meet him in Bondi as he couldn’t find the hostel. He was with his mate Tom in a bar called Ravesi’s. After showing Tom the hostel, we met up with Paul and an Irish geeza he had met (Daragh) and headed to The Eastern which is a club in Bondi Junction. It was meant to be good on a Wednesday but we were turned away due to the “ratio” not being good. The doorman said for us to go to the bar downstairs and try again in 10 minutes or so. We found out that he probably didn’t like the look of us as the “ratio” was never good when we got to the front of the queue. Either that or I had TWAT written on my forehead. We got a taxi and headed to good old Side Bar. Many beers and Yager Bombs later we were all over the place. We had a good night.
Wednesday, 29 April 2009
10/02/09
I was chilling in the Internet room of the hostel and met Paul from Blackburn. In my room I met two Italians in my room called Antonio and Fabrizio plus a 50 year old Englishman called Paul. Me Paul and Paul headed to the Shack and drank beer, played in a pool competition where I found that beer doesn’t help you win. We chatted to some American chicks then headed to the Tea Gardens (Irish bar in Bondi Junction) with a couple of Swedish chicks and a Norwegian.
08/02/09
The flight went quickly and I headed over to Mickey’s after I locked my bags away at the hostel (my room wasn’t ready until 2pm).
I went to a bar on the Bondi beachfront and met an Argentinean as well as a guy from Palestine. The bar was playing great House music and we had a great night. Its weird having a great night with people then maybe never seeing them again.
I went to a bar on the Bondi beachfront and met an Argentinean as well as a guy from Palestine. The bar was playing great House music and we had a great night. Its weird having a great night with people then maybe never seeing them again.
06/02/09
So after nearly 4 weeks of spending time with my family and friends it was time to go back to Oz. It was really good to be there at my Grandad’s funeral and walk his coffin on my shoulder to his crave along with my Dad and sister’s finace.
Luckily the snow wasn’t too bad so the plane could take off. There was an Ozzie guy on there that had been waiting since Monday (it was now Friday) due to the snow being so bad.
Luckily the snow wasn’t too bad so the plane could take off. There was an Ozzie guy on there that had been waiting since Monday (it was now Friday) due to the snow being so bad.
13/01/09
I landed in England and my very good friend Faye picked me up from the airport. It was very nice of her to go out of her way to do that and it was weird to see her. It seemed like I hadn’t been away. This was the same when I arrived home. My mum greeted me with a huge hug and tears. It was very good to be home, I was so glad I came back even though my mind was all over the place.
12/01/09
After checking out the surf at Bronte Beach with Mickey, he gave me a lift to the airport with his sister Elle which was very nice of them. I said my good byes and off I went to get the plane back to the UK. I had only been in Oz for 2 weeks and set my mind up for not going home for about 12 months of more. Now I was on my way back which was surreal but good. I was looking forward to seeing my family and friends but even more to pay my respects to my Grandad.
Friday, 3 April 2009
11/01/09
Very hung over and tired we got back to Mick’s and chilled in the living room watching planet earth with Sarah. David Attenborough is the best person to listen to when needing to recover.
We decided to go snorkelling to sort ourselves out plus Sarah and Mickey wanted to show me Gordon’s Bay. We got some goggles and fins and 10 minutes drive later we had arrived. A couple of Sarah’s mates met us there at the sea side cafe and we were good to go. Along the path lead us to a rocky area with many locals sunbathing swimming and snorkelling. It was another great sunny day and the water looked amazing. We went straight in after we put our towels down and snorkelling equipment on. I forgot how hard it was to walk in fins and how stupid I looked, especially as the rocks we had to climb over were very slippery. After Sarah and Mickey laughed at me trying to balance on a rock as Sarah took a photo, we were ready for action. It was nice to know that I had the short straw with the leaking goggles but after 5 minutes of working out breathing through the snorkel, it was amazing. The water was pretty clear and the marine like was the sort you would get in tropical fish tanks. The colours of some of the fish were beautiful; bright blue, green, purple, yellow, pearl. Most of the fish were small but there were a couple of large ones that would swim further underneath the rocks when you get too close.
There were a couple of shark attacks yesterday in Tasmania and further up the East Coast so I had slight paranoia when I was in deeper waters. Watching Great White Sharks on Planet Earth jumping in and out of the water after seals didn’t help and knowing that one of the attacks was by a Great White!
It seemed like the locals weren’t bothered about the knowledge of sharks swimming around in the same water as they swam in. There were some people swimming really far out from shore too. I guess because the possibilities of being attacked by a shark are very slim, they must just not think about it much. It is more likely that you would get knocked down by a car on you’re way back from swimming/snorkelling/surfing in the sea than getting attacked by a shark.
We stopped at Coles supermarket on the way back from the beach. Kangaroo on the BBQ and beers were on the menu tonight. I think I’ve had Kangaroo once before but fresh steaks and sausages on the BBQ were amazing. We had good old Frank Sinatra’s real early stuff playing in the background; the weather was still really good with warm temperatures as the sun started to set. My Grandad loved Frank Sinatra so we raised our glasses and made a toast to him. It was a really good evening.
We decided to go snorkelling to sort ourselves out plus Sarah and Mickey wanted to show me Gordon’s Bay. We got some goggles and fins and 10 minutes drive later we had arrived. A couple of Sarah’s mates met us there at the sea side cafe and we were good to go. Along the path lead us to a rocky area with many locals sunbathing swimming and snorkelling. It was another great sunny day and the water looked amazing. We went straight in after we put our towels down and snorkelling equipment on. I forgot how hard it was to walk in fins and how stupid I looked, especially as the rocks we had to climb over were very slippery. After Sarah and Mickey laughed at me trying to balance on a rock as Sarah took a photo, we were ready for action. It was nice to know that I had the short straw with the leaking goggles but after 5 minutes of working out breathing through the snorkel, it was amazing. The water was pretty clear and the marine like was the sort you would get in tropical fish tanks. The colours of some of the fish were beautiful; bright blue, green, purple, yellow, pearl. Most of the fish were small but there were a couple of large ones that would swim further underneath the rocks when you get too close.
There were a couple of shark attacks yesterday in Tasmania and further up the East Coast so I had slight paranoia when I was in deeper waters. Watching Great White Sharks on Planet Earth jumping in and out of the water after seals didn’t help and knowing that one of the attacks was by a Great White!
It seemed like the locals weren’t bothered about the knowledge of sharks swimming around in the same water as they swam in. There were some people swimming really far out from shore too. I guess because the possibilities of being attacked by a shark are very slim, they must just not think about it much. It is more likely that you would get knocked down by a car on you’re way back from swimming/snorkelling/surfing in the sea than getting attacked by a shark.
We stopped at Coles supermarket on the way back from the beach. Kangaroo on the BBQ and beers were on the menu tonight. I think I’ve had Kangaroo once before but fresh steaks and sausages on the BBQ were amazing. We had good old Frank Sinatra’s real early stuff playing in the background; the weather was still really good with warm temperatures as the sun started to set. My Grandad loved Frank Sinatra so we raised our glasses and made a toast to him. It was a really good evening.
10/01/09
Today was festival day. A free festival had been organized in the centre of Sydney expecting 250,000 people. I was to meet Mickey and his mates at the Shark Hotel for a $2 steak (they’re getting cheaper by the day) then off to the Domain Park for DJ Mr Scruff followed by Grace Jones!
I met Mike and Andy for lunch and watched a movie at they’re hostel. They were also going to the festival tonight so it should be a good one. After the movie I organized myself and packed my stuff ready to take to Mickey’s. 17:30 and I was in the Shark Hotel waiting for everyone. Two beers later, Mickey shows up followed by his mates followed by the rest of the party people. We picked up a carton (crate) of beer and off we went. We heard through the grapevine that security and police weren’t allowing alcohol to be taken into the festival so we split the beers and hid them by any means such as in pants or pockets. Mickey just put a jumper over his carton and held it in front of him, good effort! When we got in the festival, everyone had their own alcohol so we were probably laughed at by security and police.
We met up with Mickey’s other mates who had been there all day and they had a good spot. An Aussie band were playing and were really good. They were playing Ska/Funk/Jazz music with brilliant musicians. With trees shielding us to the left and skyscrapers to the right, it was amazing being at a free festival in the middle of a great city. With massive fruit bats coming out of the trees as the sun starts to set, people of all ages mixing together and partying together I was loving it and dedicated more drinks to my Grandad.
Mr Scruff came on and he played some good tunes but his set was a bit boring. Grace Jones put on a fantastic show afterwards. I’ve always wanted to see her live and she lived up to my expectations. She’s a great performer and artist plus I’ve never seen a 60 year old where a G-string before and look good! At the end of her set, she got loads of random people from the crowd up on stage which I thought made her show even better.
Walking the streets of Sydney at the end, everyone was on a high. We met up with Mickey’s sister Elle and some others before heading to Bondi. Elle was dancing on a wall then slipped and sprained her ankle. She was in a lot of pain and passed out because of it. Mickey ran off to get medical help. As we waited, I quickly popped to the porta-loos. As I was relieving myself from all the beer I had consumed, a black spider the size of my palm was on the wall in front of me. I was literally pissing myself, he didn’t look very friendly and if he jumped, his landing strip would be my man hood! Telling myself “Quick, quick, quick!” I really didn’t want to run out weeing down my leg screaming like a little girl due to a possible life threatening spider crawling around my genitals. I left the porta-loo more relieved than I have ever done in my life. I’m not afraid of spiders but one’s that could kill definitely scare me.
Elle was strapped to a stretcher and was taken to hospital. The rest of us when to Townhall station to get the train to Bondi Junction. We got a cab from there to Coogee rather than Bondi Beach. We couldn’t get into the Palace so off to Coogee Bay Hotel. It took about 2 hours to get form the festival to Coogee so after a couple of beers me, Sarah and Mickey’s mate Richo went back to hers. It was a nice walk back at about 2am with the fresh coastal breeze. Mickey wasn’t with us as he was working his magic with a girl in the bar we were at. We got to sleep at about 4/5am and up early to get to my hostel to check out by 10am. Mickey kindly offered to give me a lift to get my stuff which was very welcomed.
I met Mike and Andy for lunch and watched a movie at they’re hostel. They were also going to the festival tonight so it should be a good one. After the movie I organized myself and packed my stuff ready to take to Mickey’s. 17:30 and I was in the Shark Hotel waiting for everyone. Two beers later, Mickey shows up followed by his mates followed by the rest of the party people. We picked up a carton (crate) of beer and off we went. We heard through the grapevine that security and police weren’t allowing alcohol to be taken into the festival so we split the beers and hid them by any means such as in pants or pockets. Mickey just put a jumper over his carton and held it in front of him, good effort! When we got in the festival, everyone had their own alcohol so we were probably laughed at by security and police.
We met up with Mickey’s other mates who had been there all day and they had a good spot. An Aussie band were playing and were really good. They were playing Ska/Funk/Jazz music with brilliant musicians. With trees shielding us to the left and skyscrapers to the right, it was amazing being at a free festival in the middle of a great city. With massive fruit bats coming out of the trees as the sun starts to set, people of all ages mixing together and partying together I was loving it and dedicated more drinks to my Grandad.
Mr Scruff came on and he played some good tunes but his set was a bit boring. Grace Jones put on a fantastic show afterwards. I’ve always wanted to see her live and she lived up to my expectations. She’s a great performer and artist plus I’ve never seen a 60 year old where a G-string before and look good! At the end of her set, she got loads of random people from the crowd up on stage which I thought made her show even better.
Walking the streets of Sydney at the end, everyone was on a high. We met up with Mickey’s sister Elle and some others before heading to Bondi. Elle was dancing on a wall then slipped and sprained her ankle. She was in a lot of pain and passed out because of it. Mickey ran off to get medical help. As we waited, I quickly popped to the porta-loos. As I was relieving myself from all the beer I had consumed, a black spider the size of my palm was on the wall in front of me. I was literally pissing myself, he didn’t look very friendly and if he jumped, his landing strip would be my man hood! Telling myself “Quick, quick, quick!” I really didn’t want to run out weeing down my leg screaming like a little girl due to a possible life threatening spider crawling around my genitals. I left the porta-loo more relieved than I have ever done in my life. I’m not afraid of spiders but one’s that could kill definitely scare me.
Elle was strapped to a stretcher and was taken to hospital. The rest of us when to Townhall station to get the train to Bondi Junction. We got a cab from there to Coogee rather than Bondi Beach. We couldn’t get into the Palace so off to Coogee Bay Hotel. It took about 2 hours to get form the festival to Coogee so after a couple of beers me, Sarah and Mickey’s mate Richo went back to hers. It was a nice walk back at about 2am with the fresh coastal breeze. Mickey wasn’t with us as he was working his magic with a girl in the bar we were at. We got to sleep at about 4/5am and up early to get to my hostel to check out by 10am. Mickey kindly offered to give me a lift to get my stuff which was very welcomed.
Friday, 27 March 2009
09/01/09
Like most days, I caught some rays in Hyde Park having some lunch, went to the gym then got ready to go out. But today was different. After the gym, I had a few missed calls from a withheld number and some voicemail messages which could only mean one thing, bad news.
The voicemails were from my mum trying to get hold of me. She sounded very upset on the phone explaining that my Grandad (her dad) had passed away. She didn’t want to let me know via voicemail but I’ve always said to let me know by any means as I’d get the next possible flight home. Felling very upset as I was close to Cliff but I knew he was in the best place now because he was slowly becoming very ill. Straight to the pay phone, I called home. My mum answered and it very emotional to talk to her, we both knew Cliff would pass away soon but obviously didn’t know when. The plans then started as to when I should come home and how long for etc. I didn’t want to leave straight after the funeral so I thought a month would be a good idea. Looking at the Internet, British Airways seemed the cheapest and I wasn’t in the mood to shop around. Monday 12th at 16:35 was my flight on BA16. I was moving out of my current hostel to Bondi so I wondered if I could crash at someone else’s instead to safe me the hassel. I asked Mickey and he was more than happy to help me out. I managed to cancel YHA at Bondi without a charge too.
I thought I would celebrate Grandad’s life tonight taking advantage of happy hour (£3.50 a beer) and having lots of fun. We were waiting for Andy until about half 10 when we could see a blonde, smiling Mohawk walking our way. Let the party start!
Many toasts were made to Clifford Randall with the lads and lass’s in Side Bar. Everyone was sad to hear that I was leaving but totally understood. We had a laughs while Andy tried joining in with couples groping each other on sofa’s/beds on the side of Side Bar. The night ended late after trying to start and win dance competitions which I’m sure were terrible to watch but great to participate in.
On the way back to the hostel I reminisced Grandad’s life and spending time with him. He was a very happy laid back man who was very caring. Although old fashioned, he had his head screwed on and loved to joke around. He will be sadly missed and remembered for as long as I live!
The voicemails were from my mum trying to get hold of me. She sounded very upset on the phone explaining that my Grandad (her dad) had passed away. She didn’t want to let me know via voicemail but I’ve always said to let me know by any means as I’d get the next possible flight home. Felling very upset as I was close to Cliff but I knew he was in the best place now because he was slowly becoming very ill. Straight to the pay phone, I called home. My mum answered and it very emotional to talk to her, we both knew Cliff would pass away soon but obviously didn’t know when. The plans then started as to when I should come home and how long for etc. I didn’t want to leave straight after the funeral so I thought a month would be a good idea. Looking at the Internet, British Airways seemed the cheapest and I wasn’t in the mood to shop around. Monday 12th at 16:35 was my flight on BA16. I was moving out of my current hostel to Bondi so I wondered if I could crash at someone else’s instead to safe me the hassel. I asked Mickey and he was more than happy to help me out. I managed to cancel YHA at Bondi without a charge too.
I thought I would celebrate Grandad’s life tonight taking advantage of happy hour (£3.50 a beer) and having lots of fun. We were waiting for Andy until about half 10 when we could see a blonde, smiling Mohawk walking our way. Let the party start!
Many toasts were made to Clifford Randall with the lads and lass’s in Side Bar. Everyone was sad to hear that I was leaving but totally understood. We had a laughs while Andy tried joining in with couples groping each other on sofa’s/beds on the side of Side Bar. The night ended late after trying to start and win dance competitions which I’m sure were terrible to watch but great to participate in.
On the way back to the hostel I reminisced Grandad’s life and spending time with him. He was a very happy laid back man who was very caring. Although old fashioned, he had his head screwed on and loved to joke around. He will be sadly missed and remembered for as long as I live!
08/01/09
Passed couple of nights were spent chillaxing. But tonight I was off to Side Bar to meet Mike and a couple of others. It was a good night but noticed the DJ liked to play the same tunes in pretty much the same order which got annoying. I’m looking forward to tomorrow when Andy is back from his photo shoot in Victoria (He’s a body boarder sponsored by Billabong). I got home about 3am after trying some sausage rolls at an all night food establishment next to Central Station, yum yum!
06/01/09
I was in an Internet café which was part of a 24 hour convenience store burning some more mix CDs. Finally I found somewhere that was fast and cheap. Only $4 and hour which beat FedEx office services which charged $4 a minute! I was chatting to Sammie on facebook and she said she would be at Mickey’s later and pick up the mix CDs if I went over. “Hell yeah!” I said. She also said if I send her details of what I wanted on the face of the CD, she would print some labels out at her work which is amazing. My hand writing is terrible so I sent the details over to her straight away.
I got to Mickey’s about 18:30 and Sammie was already there with 6 pages of labels and logos which was fantastic. I gave her the CDs and she went. The Aussie’s are great, helpful people, I’ve only met Sammie once and she’s putting herself out for me. Me and Mickey went to Coogee Beach for some food. Five-O bar offers a $5 steak so that was all good. We ended up crashing Sarah’s date which was a bit of a laugh. Following the lovely steak we headed over to The Palace which is a three floor pub/bar/club right on the beach front.
I got to Mickey’s about 18:30 and Sammie was already there with 6 pages of labels and logos which was fantastic. I gave her the CDs and she went. The Aussie’s are great, helpful people, I’ve only met Sammie once and she’s putting herself out for me. Me and Mickey went to Coogee Beach for some food. Five-O bar offers a $5 steak so that was all good. We ended up crashing Sarah’s date which was a bit of a laugh. Following the lovely steak we headed over to The Palace which is a three floor pub/bar/club right on the beach front.
05/01/09
Another really hot day and off to my favorite Café on Campbell Street I went to meet D. As I don’t have my laptop, it was really nice of her to let me burn loads of CDs. 25 CDs later and I’m ready to rip up the dance floors when DJ work comes my way. I’ll burn some more CDs once I find a place that does it cheap. A nice chilled evening for me this evening which was much needed.
04/01/09
Mickey’s BBQ in Clovelly (eastern suburbs) was brilliant. His flat had a view of the sea and a great view of the city. I met some more Aussie’s who loved to call me “Pom” or “Pomey”. They didn’t enjoy my reply of “convicts” much though. I got talking to Sammie who’s mates with Mickey flat mate Sarah. She said she knows some people who run a bar and a club in the area and they might be able to sort me out DJ work, good job I arranged to burn some cds with D tomorrow. I was up until about 3am dressing up in stupid outfits and drinking lots of beer. I stayed at Mickey’s and got the train back to Central after I had some sleep. Best to have a chilled one this evening!
Thursday, 5 March 2009
03/01/09
I’m glad I’m keeping this diary because all the days on my trip so far are merging into one. Tonight definitely has to be a quiet one but Mike is 19 today, Miss Crazy D (Unknown FM DJ) is coming to meet me and Mickey and Dana are going to be in Side Bar at 8pm so it seems like another good night is on the cards.
It was good to meet up with D. Mike had a good birthday too. We stayed in Side Bar until the end then went to an Irish dudes apartment down the road. About 10 of us were in a posh lift and went up a few floors, probably the smoothest and nicest lift I’ve ever been in. The apartment was really big with loads of people here there and everywhere. 15 people were living there but it only had 3 rooms, I guess it brings the rent down.
I’m not too sure what time I got back to the hostel, but I know it wasn’t early. Straight to sleep for me as Mickey invited me to his BBQ this afternoon.
It was good to meet up with D. Mike had a good birthday too. We stayed in Side Bar until the end then went to an Irish dudes apartment down the road. About 10 of us were in a posh lift and went up a few floors, probably the smoothest and nicest lift I’ve ever been in. The apartment was really big with loads of people here there and everywhere. 15 people were living there but it only had 3 rooms, I guess it brings the rent down.
I’m not too sure what time I got back to the hostel, but I know it wasn’t early. Straight to sleep for me as Mickey invited me to his BBQ this afternoon.
02/01/09
Another fun day of recovery which is a lot easier than in England. Probably because of the great weather and better scenery ;-) I was just about to head out when I nearly jumped out the window. A huge orange cockroach (or something similar was trying to find a new home in my bag next to my foot. My bag is not a home for cockroaches so I asked him to leave. He started to head towards the my wedged open door and sat nicely in the door hinge. Whoops, I accidentally slammed the door and chuckled to the sound of a crushed crisps. Black blood? Very weird, it must have come from hell! Of to meet Mike and Pete in Side Bar. I also gave the heads up to Mickey (the Aussie geeza I met in Scubar a few nights previous). More beer, more Yager Bombs and meeting more people. The night ended with me, Mickey and Dana from the US. It was weird partying with people from completely different parts of the world that talked the same language and were on the same wave lengths.
01/01/09
A quiet night in as I felt terrible, oh no, I went to Side Bar again for more fun and games and Yager Bombs: a lovely concoction of a shot of what looks like car oil thrown into a glass of red bull then downed as fast as possible. Great fun!
31/12/08
Another bad hang over today even though it was meant to be a quiet one. I was meant to meet Mike and Andy (who I met last night in Side Bar) at 10am so we could start queuing to get into the Botanic Gardens. This was quite difficult because I only had about 4 hours sleep and was still pissed from last night and probably the night before. Andy was to meet us later so me, Mike, Tim and a few others headed through Hyde Park towards the gardens. Once we got to the entrance, the queue was huge. I’ve never seen anything like it. It was amazing to see how organised the queue was even though there were no markers of stewards keeping everyone in a nice regimented line. If this were in England, there would be no line and havoc everywhere.
Behind me in the queue were a couple of guys I recognized from my mates facebook photos. Saxby had been traveling for some time now and knew he was in Australia but thought he may have moved on to South America when I got there. I thought it was a long shot but worth a go and sure enough they were his mates and he was about to join them soon. It was mad seeing Saxby as I haven’t seen him since Glastonbury 2007.
New Years Eve was amazing, the weather was great and the atmosphere couldn’t have been better. Saxby and his mates were meeting more people in the gardens so there were 20 to 30 of us partying away with the rest of the 20,000 that managed to get in. The fireworks were the best I had ever seen, I suppose they should do considering they apparently cost $5m. Street parties followed the fireworks plus talking to random people and dancing to Jonny Cash that a 70 year busker was playing through a speaker that was probably older than him. I got in at about 6am and I knew New Years Day was going to be tough, what a pukka night!
Behind me in the queue were a couple of guys I recognized from my mates facebook photos. Saxby had been traveling for some time now and knew he was in Australia but thought he may have moved on to South America when I got there. I thought it was a long shot but worth a go and sure enough they were his mates and he was about to join them soon. It was mad seeing Saxby as I haven’t seen him since Glastonbury 2007.
New Years Eve was amazing, the weather was great and the atmosphere couldn’t have been better. Saxby and his mates were meeting more people in the gardens so there were 20 to 30 of us partying away with the rest of the 20,000 that managed to get in. The fireworks were the best I had ever seen, I suppose they should do considering they apparently cost $5m. Street parties followed the fireworks plus talking to random people and dancing to Jonny Cash that a 70 year busker was playing through a speaker that was probably older than him. I got in at about 6am and I knew New Years Day was going to be tough, what a pukka night!
30/12/08
It was my first night out last night at Scubar which is underneath the YHA hostel near Central station. All you can eat pizza for $10 and a jug of beer for $7.50, which I took full advantage of! I met loads of fun people and woke up with a massive hang over. Most of the people I met were travelers alike and from the UK. I also met a few Australians including Mickey. He looks a bit like the lead singer from Maroon 5 and sound as a pound. Even though he’s not a backpacker, he enjoys the talent in backpacker bars, which I understood very well. I told him what I was up to and he gave me his number so I’ll call him in the next few days.
This evening I ventured out to Side Bar (below Wake Up hostel, opposite Central station). Its a bigger bar and a bit more expensive that Scubar but more people to meet and better music.
This evening I ventured out to Side Bar (below Wake Up hostel, opposite Central station). Its a bigger bar and a bit more expensive that Scubar but more people to meet and better music.
Saturday, 21 February 2009
29/12/08
Second day in Sydney; another gorgeous day with bright blue skies, hot temperatures and a cool breeze. I thought I would venture away from the tourist areas and look for record shops. I saw on the net that Spank Records is about a mile away from my hostel so up Campbell Street I went. I needed breakfast so I stopped in a small but stylish café called Food Game. Bacon and sausage on toast, just what I needed! While I was eating, I noticed a group of girls and two lads up the street walking my way. All of them oriental with their legs on show and other areas of their body too! As they came closer I realized it was a couple of gay guys with a group of girls with very masculine faces, it could only mean one thing: lady boys! They did well until they were close up, I’m just glad I hadn’t had a load of beer.
28/12/08
Not much sleep gained on the plane, its now daytime again which is really surreal, I feel like I’m in the Back to The Future movie. Not long to go now, just under one hour and although I’m tired, the excitement is enhancing more and more. Flying right across Australia’s Great Artesian Basin, the landscape is amazing. It looks like mostly desert with trees here and there. Very sandy looking with dried up rivers and no sign of humanity for miles apart from a lonely dirt track that the pilot has been following.
I got through customs nice and easy and headed straight to the hostel. It was very hot outside even though it was about 8am. It reminded me a lot of Florida, clean streets, similar cars, similar signs and huge buildings. Even road signs look the same. Once I got to the hostel, I quickly put my bags in my rooms to head out and explore. The room was pretty good for a hostel, it even had a beer fridge, which is always good news, I must remember to fill that up at some point.
So I was off, I no idea where I was going, apart from looking for the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. Following George Street for about 10 minutes, I then ventured left as I could see the water. I finally got there and it was amazing! The bridge is much bigger than I thought it would be. There were people walking over the top of it and they looked tiny. The sun is beaming down with clear blue skies, I am finally here!
I feel a bit weird, I have nothing to do apart from explore and do whatever I like which is a shock to the system as I was always on the go when I was back home in the UK.
After I had some lunch and wondered around the Royal Botanic Gardens then back into town and looked around some shops. I headed back to the hostel at about 4pm to get some sleep for just a couple of hours that ended up being 6. Still tired so I surfed the net in the hostel and went back to sleep.
I got through customs nice and easy and headed straight to the hostel. It was very hot outside even though it was about 8am. It reminded me a lot of Florida, clean streets, similar cars, similar signs and huge buildings. Even road signs look the same. Once I got to the hostel, I quickly put my bags in my rooms to head out and explore. The room was pretty good for a hostel, it even had a beer fridge, which is always good news, I must remember to fill that up at some point.
So I was off, I no idea where I was going, apart from looking for the Sydney Harbor Bridge and the Opera House. Following George Street for about 10 minutes, I then ventured left as I could see the water. I finally got there and it was amazing! The bridge is much bigger than I thought it would be. There were people walking over the top of it and they looked tiny. The sun is beaming down with clear blue skies, I am finally here!
I feel a bit weird, I have nothing to do apart from explore and do whatever I like which is a shock to the system as I was always on the go when I was back home in the UK.
After I had some lunch and wondered around the Royal Botanic Gardens then back into town and looked around some shops. I headed back to the hostel at about 4pm to get some sleep for just a couple of hours that ended up being 6. Still tired so I surfed the net in the hostel and went back to sleep.
27/12/08
13 hours later I arrive at Singapore. Never been before but I’ve heard some good things about it. Unfortunately it was only for 30 minutes so I could only wonder around the airport. So first impressions; it smells funny, maybe a bit dirty, probably due to high humidity which can be felt even in the air conditioned airport. Loads of lovely goodies in the shops but I didn’t want to spend most of my traveling funds on a fancy watch so I wondered on. The best thing I noticed about Singapore (well the airport anyway) was the amount or gorgeous women walking around. Seems like they’re definitely not a rarity so I think I’ll be coming back here some time soon!
Wednesday, 28 January 2009
26/12/08
Welcome to my first post on this blog. Please excuse all spelling and grammar mistakes ;-) Enjoy!
Boxing Day, usually spent with a hang over and full of left over turkey but this year was very different - I was off to Australia for up to 12 months then maybe off to other countries around the world!
It was a very busy day still filled with Christmas excitement sorting out a bag I would live out of for a long time and making sure I wouldn't forget to pack the essentials (passport, visa, money, brain). A few tears started in my mums eyes every time we spoke about my trip which was about every 5 minutes.
Off to Heathrow Terminal 4 with my mum, dad, sister Sarah, sister Sami and her fiance Pete. BA0015 was my flight due to leave at 21:45, so after we chilled at the airport for a couple of hours and after a burger and chips, it was off to the departure lounge, the part of the day my mum had been dreading! It was great that my family came to see me off but very emotional at the same time. After living with my parents for the past 2 years since Uni, it was hard not to shed a few tears as I hugged them all and waved to them as I walked through to the departure lounge. Especially as they had started to cry and I was thinking this is probably the last time I will see them for the next year or so.
As I walk into the departure lounge the excitement starts to grow more and more with a bit of weirdness, who was I going to meet, what will I get up to when I arrive in Sydney?
After another couple of hours I was on the plane. They make you walk through first class to show you what you're missing for a chance to steal £5000 pounds from more people, those beds did look good though. 36K was my seat next to the window so I can take some nice photos. And what a great choice it was too with a 18 month old boy called Byron, full of life and loves to scream, shout and jump around. He also likes to hand me bits of paper along with "DERRRRR". He makes me laugh though. There was also another toddler bhind me who also likes to scream, shout and jump around so I'm glad Joey and Cat got me an iPod for my goodbye present!
To keep myself busy, I not only have my iPod but I have some new books to read, one of which is called “Yes Man” that was recommended by my mate Dan. Dan hasn’t read it yet but knows people who have and could not stop themselves from laughing out loud which I have experienced and that was only after page 9! While reading Byron would get agitated and cry as we were about to take off so his mum and dad quickly rustled in their bags and got a plastic syringe and a bottle of pink liquid. “Milky, milky, have some milky!” Said his mum as she pushed the syringe in his mouth. I didn’t know kids drank milk came from a syringe, maybe it’s a new trend? I also thought milk was white, not pink, suppose it could have been strawberry milkshake. Before I knew it the young aussie was fast asleep and I thought that’s some powerful milk, “Can I have some?”
I carry on reading, I couldn’t put the book down. Yes Man is about a guy (Dan McCall) who’s life turned boring after a relationship break up. He stopped going out and meeting up with friends etc. One evening on the way home from work, he got talking to a man on the bus who told him to “say yes more!” Dan took these words literally and apparently it changed his life, for the better.
As Dan is opening himself to every opportunity that comes his way, I thought I would give it a try. Not that I think my life is or was boring, I want to see where it takes me. Obviously this kind of thing could get you into a lot of trouble so I will proceed with care and have some limitations :-D.
Beef Lasangne for dinner cooked perfectly in a microwave. It did taste nice (must have been from M&S). “Red or white wine with your meal, sir?” Said the good looking oriental hostess, “beer please” I replied with a smile. Why does beer taste better when its free?
Boxing Day, usually spent with a hang over and full of left over turkey but this year was very different - I was off to Australia for up to 12 months then maybe off to other countries around the world!
It was a very busy day still filled with Christmas excitement sorting out a bag I would live out of for a long time and making sure I wouldn't forget to pack the essentials (passport, visa, money, brain). A few tears started in my mums eyes every time we spoke about my trip which was about every 5 minutes.
Off to Heathrow Terminal 4 with my mum, dad, sister Sarah, sister Sami and her fiance Pete. BA0015 was my flight due to leave at 21:45, so after we chilled at the airport for a couple of hours and after a burger and chips, it was off to the departure lounge, the part of the day my mum had been dreading! It was great that my family came to see me off but very emotional at the same time. After living with my parents for the past 2 years since Uni, it was hard not to shed a few tears as I hugged them all and waved to them as I walked through to the departure lounge. Especially as they had started to cry and I was thinking this is probably the last time I will see them for the next year or so.
As I walk into the departure lounge the excitement starts to grow more and more with a bit of weirdness, who was I going to meet, what will I get up to when I arrive in Sydney?
After another couple of hours I was on the plane. They make you walk through first class to show you what you're missing for a chance to steal £5000 pounds from more people, those beds did look good though. 36K was my seat next to the window so I can take some nice photos. And what a great choice it was too with a 18 month old boy called Byron, full of life and loves to scream, shout and jump around. He also likes to hand me bits of paper along with "DERRRRR". He makes me laugh though. There was also another toddler bhind me who also likes to scream, shout and jump around so I'm glad Joey and Cat got me an iPod for my goodbye present!
To keep myself busy, I not only have my iPod but I have some new books to read, one of which is called “Yes Man” that was recommended by my mate Dan. Dan hasn’t read it yet but knows people who have and could not stop themselves from laughing out loud which I have experienced and that was only after page 9! While reading Byron would get agitated and cry as we were about to take off so his mum and dad quickly rustled in their bags and got a plastic syringe and a bottle of pink liquid. “Milky, milky, have some milky!” Said his mum as she pushed the syringe in his mouth. I didn’t know kids drank milk came from a syringe, maybe it’s a new trend? I also thought milk was white, not pink, suppose it could have been strawberry milkshake. Before I knew it the young aussie was fast asleep and I thought that’s some powerful milk, “Can I have some?”
I carry on reading, I couldn’t put the book down. Yes Man is about a guy (Dan McCall) who’s life turned boring after a relationship break up. He stopped going out and meeting up with friends etc. One evening on the way home from work, he got talking to a man on the bus who told him to “say yes more!” Dan took these words literally and apparently it changed his life, for the better.
As Dan is opening himself to every opportunity that comes his way, I thought I would give it a try. Not that I think my life is or was boring, I want to see where it takes me. Obviously this kind of thing could get you into a lot of trouble so I will proceed with care and have some limitations :-D.
Beef Lasangne for dinner cooked perfectly in a microwave. It did taste nice (must have been from M&S). “Red or white wine with your meal, sir?” Said the good looking oriental hostess, “beer please” I replied with a smile. Why does beer taste better when its free?
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