"Manly, Manly station. Plattform's on the left side in the direction of travel"

I called Southern Cross (the sailing host) to confirm my booking when I was told that the course was full already. I should leave a contact telephone number in case of any late cancellations. Not that easy when you still dont know your Aussie number by heart ;-).

Not expecting any sailing this weekend I went to the agency office to collect some mail. I was sent an email telling me that I have received something. Gladly I got my new debit card including my PIN. Basically I am now set up for leaving the city. There is still an application out there for my tax file number but I dont have to wait for the physical mail and just need to get the agency's email.

While enquiring for a new couch to surf on ( maybe I am successful this time) I received a telephone call from Southern Cross telling me that there was indeed a late cancellation and that I could be on board if I get down there and pay up front.

So I withdrew some money from the bank and made my way down to Manly harbour. Shortly after leaving the train station I got controlled by the conductor. Having not been controlled in Munich for years I decided to always have a ticket from now on. Not that I didnt have one this time but I realized I shouldnt get in trouble in a foreign country over something like a ticket.

kids at a Manly elementary school playing dodge ball in theire blue school uniform

I secured my spot on the boat and went home for an extensive round of washing and packing for the trip.

This sure aint bon marché (shout out to Andi) but I havent been on a boat since Oct 4 and it is just time to get in touch with the element again.

Manly harbour (check out all the masts in the background.

There are more than 4000 boats in this harbour

Farewell my loves

Today I had to say good bye to Nadja und Kati. The girls took the train down south to visit a former co-worker (big shout out to Martina) while I stayed in Brisbane and tried to book a sailing trip. Not sure when I will see the girls again but since all of us are travelling north to Cairnes there will be a good chance that we will meet somewhere along the way.

Too late I realized that I still don’t have a pic of Nadja and her car of dreams.

So Naddel, take a picture and send it to me by mail. My readers demand that pic ;-)

In the afternoon I went east to Manly to look for a sailing trip in Moreton Bay. To my surprise there was just one company offering sail training. But I got lucky and secured the last remaining seat on the boat. It is a 3-day-trip to build up the basics of yachting. Since I only have skippered tiny 4m boats on tideless lakes, it might be a good advice to start at the bottom.

When I walked into my room I met a new roommate named Steward. I introduced myself and was wondering how Steward was doing. Instead of saying something like “allright, how ‘bout ya?” I got a 45 minutes monologue about his “mission” in Brisbane.  He was 79 years old with no teeth in his face and a real thick accent. Another real Aussie bloke and I couldn’t understand a word he was saying. After he noticed I was not a native speaker he adapted and it was manageable to get the gist. He was in Brisbane to have the doctor checked on his heart.

Cliffnotes:
- girls are gone
- Steward

Guided city tour

We went on a free tour through Brisbane today with our guide Ryan. A real Aussie bloke who travelled the world and now hosts guided tours on a tip-only-base. Wearing a Panama hat and flip flops he explained to us the history of the town, how settlement started in the early days and how the aboriginals have been oppressed over the years.

He did a great job telling the stories and answering questions and was rewarded accordingly.

Afterwards I went to the library to upload all the pics and to update this blog. It took ages but you are worth it ;-)

The day my blog became official

The girls decided to sleep a bit longer today and so we couldnt hit town until past noon.

At 14:00h there was a job training at the agency that I attended. It was basically a how-to-apply-in-OZ guide. Nathalie (yeah, bet you remember her) offered to check our résumés for typos but since she has been in Oz for only 5 months… you get the point.

Today I have discovered that there is free wireless Internet at the library. Glad to have a place where I can write this blog and keep in touch with the world. Talking about my blog, today it finally went online. Sorry again for just using the template, I just ran out of time back home.

Good news: Cell’s working again.

My mobile was not able to send any text messages although you could receive them and also make normal calls.

It bothered me a great deal and today I finally walked into the Vodafone store where I got a new SIM card. With the phone back to normal it feels a lot better. Lets see when I can put this feeling to good use and actually send my first text.

Apart from that there is actually not much to tell. It was a much more relaxed day than the ones before. I will try couchsurfing at the end of the week and try to get invited 2moro. We’ll see how that’s gonna work out.

Cliffnotes:

Cell phone is working again

Blog adress has been published

Walking, Walking,Walking

Today we ended up walking for almost 7 hours without any major breaks. It was a long and tiring day but finally everybody knows the streets by heart

By now I have also figured out the issue of the cars I was talking about a few days ago. Apparently Nadja’s favourite is a Mazda 3 hatchback in blue and Katja wants a Mazda 3 notchback in red. We’ve managed to take a pic of Kati with her fav but haven’t been lucky with the other one. Pics to come.

We went to Coles again for a little shopping and I realized for the first time how cold it is in there. Last time I was wearing my raining gear and didn’t notice. So, kinda surprised when the girls took out their jumpers in front of the store.

We went to China Town but due to its little size we were a little disappointed. It took us just a few streets to have seen it all.

Shelf at a Chinese store

Brisbane taken from Storey Bridge

The Storey Bridge is one of the most notorious “attractions” in Brisbane. On almost every postcard you can see that bridge.

Storey Bridge at Dusk

Cliffnotes:
ChinaTown
Storey Bridge

ANZAC Day

ANZAC (Australian NewZealand Armoured Corpse) Day is a public holiday here. People honour the Australian battalions, regiments and also other nations that have fought on the same side in the last wars. They seem to be quite patriotic about that. We went into town to watch the parade. Just off Ann ST we found a nice spot to watch the spectacle.

Today I am not in the mood to tell a lot of stories so its pics only.

Enjoy!!

 

2 soldiers holding a banner identifying the battalion followed by the veterans

many bands played the unofficial national anthem: Waltzing Matilda  

After the parade we decided to have a look around

  City Hall at King George Square Albert Street Uniting Church, built in 1888

 

lily pond in the Botanical Garden

You got any idea how close I need to bring my crummy cam to take a pic like that? ;-)

You can find these IBIS on every green spot in the city. A nice alternative to the pigeons in our towns.

us taking a break by the pond

 Brisbane River and the public transportation catermaran called City Cat

 South Bank: A recreational area just next to the river with pools, restaurants and BBQ.

Created for Expo ‘88

Cliffnotes:

ANZAC Day Parade

Botanica Garden

South Bank

 

LIM

9 hours of sleep really helps a lot when you are as knackered as I was. I tried to stay up as long as I could but the sandman finally won the battle at 19:30h local time. Hence, I was up at 4:00h with everybody else still sleeping.

I made some breakfast and started writing this blog. Honestly it took quite long and I doubt I will be able to dwell on every topic as long as in my first posts.

The girls approached a different and seemingly more successful sleeping strategy. They went to bed way earlier than I did, woke up sometime in between and grabbed a bite to eat. Afterwards they slept again and then woke up at 10:00h, whereas I was already tired again at 10:00h the next morning.

We went shopping for groceries at Coles where we will be shopping a lot in the months to come. In general everything seems very expensive especially milk products (yoghurt, 100g $1,10) and beverages (sparkling water, house brand, $0.66/l) and cosmetics like shower gel or shampoo. Best thing was Ferrero Rondnoir for $7.50/100g.

Also the package size is just huge here. You could really save a buck or two if you buy 1kg of grated cheese or 24l of water, but no backpacker can store or carry these immense volumes or weights.

The selection is quite large and you can get everything you want. I just didn’t expect these kinda prices and so I need to recheck my financial approach, but I will get along somehow ;-)

shopping in the rain

After a quick siesta where I was not able to sleep we went into town.

Nadja’s owned a Mazda back home and so she feels obliged to mention this whenever she sees her favourite car. Quite funny, actually and always good for a quick laugh. Luckily, there are as many Mazda 3 here as there are Golfs in Germany;-). Stay tuned for a pic of Nadja and her car of dreams.

Having seen the Sofitel Brisbane Center on our way from the airport we started out to catch a glimpse of the Australian way of LUXURY.

It is a 30 storey building with the LINK on top and was decorated with the usual dark colors. Nothing special but I liked it.

 The girls asked the (male) receptionist how much non-residents would get charged to send a letter to Germany. The gentleman at front desk was happy to make it a complimentary service. LIFE IS MAGNIFIQUE (LIM) n’est-ce pas?

Afterwards we checked out the Mall and tried to take a pic of the skyline. Unfortunately my camera evidently doesn’t get enough light in these dark conditions. Gotta read the manual again. Anyway here's the pic

We headed back home and contemplated where to spend the nights to come. After having checked the other hostels we decided to extend our stay for another 4 nights. There was a cheaper hostels nearby with a 30-bedded dorm for $21 but due to its popularity you need to book that 2 days in advance. But the YHA where we are currently staying is excellent. For $24.5 per night you stay in a 6-bedded dorm and all the facilities are clean with spacious public areas. Internet is $5 per hour that is why the blog posts are still behind schedule.

Cliffnotes:

Pricy supermarkets

Mazda 3

Sofitel Brisbane

 

Arriving in Brisbane

At least this time I was able to sleep 5 hours and so the flight was almost over when I woke up. Having had omelette for breakfast on the first flight I decided once again for the Korean alternative “Porridge”. This turned out to consist of rice instead of oatmeal and so I had a water-rice mixture with some dried herbs sprinkled on for breakfast. Didn’t taste great but as a backpacker you are not demanding. At least I have learned my lesson and now I know what meals to order on the flight back home.

 first Australian sunrise

With only a little scratch my trolley survived the trip and I was glad I had everything I planed on needing.

We were screened several times in order to make sure we are not taking any vegetables or meat into the country. Not sure why but when it was my turn to step forward the officer sent us straight to the K9 line.

 now really tired but happy to be in Oz

Feeling a little bit lost we were looking for our coach to take us to our hostel. A nice elderly Australian with a thick accent and a ribbon saying “volunteer” on it told us where to find the counter. Was a bit hard to understand him but we got the gist of it.

After receiving our tickets we stepped out to breathe Brisbane air for the first time. It was much warmer and more humid than we had experienced all spring at home and so it felt like holidays straight away.

We were driven to the hostel where we were told that check in time would be 2 pm. Having known that prior to arrival we dumped our luggage and decided to attend today’s orientation meeting. Our travel agency hosts an orientation meeting where we got some general information about Australia, how to find work and how to move within the city.

Our Tax File Number (TFN) was applied for and we received our mobile SIM-Card.

We had 2 hours to kill before the meeting would start and so we went for a walk in the Botanical Garden. 

Parrot-like birds in the Botanical Garden

Usually when you arrive in Australia the agency should have done all the preparations before you arrive so that you are just handed over an envelope. But due to the volcano issue in Europe Natalie (the girl from the agency) didn’t expect us before Monday. Instead of checking whether the flight did in fact take off she apparently preferred to listen to her guts. Well, no worries, love ;-( *grrr.

 So, after the “orientation” (basically a summery of what we already knew) she collected our passports and did the online application for our TFN.

To kill the time once again the girls took a walk to South Bank (apparently someplace nice I also need to check out) while I opened an account with Commonwealth Bank. Of course I needed my passport for verification and so I had to drop by once the agency meeting was over (no worries, Natalie *grrr)

After my account was verified I took a walk thru the Mall. Its quite a busy place with lots shops and cafes and you meet a lot of different ethnics. Seems to be great place to live.

I recharged my new SIM Card but for some reasons I cant text. Really need to figure out why cuz it bothers me like crazy. My cigarettes came to an end and so it was time to stop smoking (as of 25Apr10 08:55h when I am writing this post I am holing up fine, not great but ok)

Having done everything I was able to for the moment I headed home to finally find some rest on my pillow. It was 60 hours ago that I have last seen a decent bed and it did not take a minutes before I was gone. This really was a great extended first day with so many impressions experienced.

Closing, I would like to mention that apparently the Germans are the dominant force among the backpackers. Seems like every second guy or girl you meet is from home. I am sleeping in a 6-bedded dorm with 4 Germans and one British guy. Also, in the public areas like the kitchen you can always make out some German muttering. Basically not bad since you can have all your questions answered in your mother toungue, on the other hand I also want to improve my English that became a little rusty over the last years. This is also a reason why this Blog is written in English language.

Cliffnotes:

Arrival in Brisbane

Travel agency sux

Botanical Garden

Stopped smoking

New bank account and cell phone number

Seoul (Incheon)

Boeing 747-400, very comfy

Usually I cant sleep well on planes and once again I was just able to sleep 2 hours on this flight. Though being really tired I always suffer from insomnia on trips like these. Never mind, you are nervous, anxious and happy about the things to come. Who could sleep in this situation? Well I know many ;-)

Landing on the world’s best airport for 5 straight years (Incheon) I must say they deserve that title. Everything is new and tidy and in excellent condition. There are drinking water fountains everywhere and the toilet’s cleaning staff in charge has a photo ID just next to the sink. If you cant find him, you’ll just have to wait a minute until you see him coming round the corner filling up stuff with dedication.

For some reasons the toilets are much lower than in Germany. Havent figured out the reason why.

We thought the transit area might be a little boring after a while and so we immigrated into Korea to be able to see the entire airport. It got me my first stamp in my new passport.

Incheon International Airport

We had a 7 hour stop over in Seoul and although it sounded tempting we did not decide to go to the city. Bus takes about 90 minutes and so we just explored the airport on foot. There are lots of restaurants, all presenting their food in a little show cases. I know of pictures in menus or of pictures on the wall like McDonalds, but I have never seen the actual meal prior to the order. I also wonder how they prevent the food from getting spoilt. Probably replaced the food with plastics.

This time I made sure there was a smoking area after the security check and in fact I found one just next to our gate. The entire area is just huge with dozen of duty free shops, cafes, craft shops etc. Since I planned on stopping smoking it was kinda hard not to buy a carton of cigarettes for $17 USD. At least now that I am writing this post it gives me an incentive not to restart cuz I would have saved a buck or two. And don’t worry, Dad. I’ll put your cig money to good  use ;-)

getting a little tired at Incheon

KE123 from Seoul to Brisbane at 20:05h with Airbus 330-200.

Realizing that this flight would take almost as long as the previous one and that we lost our own entertaining system, we boarded the aircraft with some mixed feelings. I didn’t care cuz I thought I’d sleep well anyway. Having enjoyed “Western Chicken” on the first flight I decided this time to have “Korean Rice Meal”. It started with a seaweed soup. It was a surprising taste and I might be a good soup after getting used to.

Main course was a bibimbap. Meat, vegetables and mushroom in a big bowl. Additionally, you are served hot rice that you pour onto the meat. For the little extra flavour you add gochuang (a hot pepper paste) and some sesame oil.

It might be a good meal if the rice was really hot. But since I was eating the soup first the rice was not able to heat up the vegetables and so the meal was way too cold.

Anyway, I was hungry and didn’t leave a thing behind.

Cliffnotes:

Landing in Seoul with stop over of 7 hours

Flight Seoul to Brisbane in A330
Strange Korean food on plane (Bibimbap)

Day of departure

Having slept just 3 hours I start my journey by taking the train to Munich at 8:30h to meet my fellow travellers Nadja and Katja.
Unfortunately we need to split rather soon in Oz. The girls decided to get back home a bit earlier than me Both girls worked at Sofitel in F&B and that’s where I met them. Some time ago they told me they wanted go to Australia for a year of Work’n Travel and after some contemplation I joined them. I wanted to go to Canada in the first place but the girls convinced me Australia being the better deal.

Anyway, we met at 9:30h in Munich to start our trip to Australia. Apparently we picked the right date as the sky was clear, temp being around 15 and icland’s volcano stopped erupting so that our scheduled flight was able to take off in time. One week ago a volcano blasted a huge amount of smoke in the air which drifted south and resulted in a complete chaos on the airports. All planes were grounded for several days in northern and central Europe stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers. On Tuesday the first flights were able to take off on a special permission before air space was opened for all planes on Wednesday, our day of departure. Basically we started our trip to Frankfurt without knowing whether the plane would take off at all.

As there are no non-stop flights to Australia and since we booked the trip via a travel agency we had to go to Frankfurt to take our flight with Korean Air to Seoul. Kati scheduled a meeting with her sister Silke in Frankfurt where Silke would take over the car. Fortunatley for Nadja and me we got a lift and didn’t have to take the train.

Way too early we arrived in Frankfurt and after having met with Kati’s sister and niece we drove to the airport. Havent been to Germany’s biggest airport before but I experienced it not that impressive.

In some forums you can read that people started their one year backpacking trip with 12-14 kg of luggage and I really don’t know how to reduce your essentials to that weight. Ok, most backpackers don’t have a computer and don’t use a trolley. Anyhow, the three of us checked in with 60,8 kg and Nadja was a bit scared of getting charged for being over the permitted limit. To our surprise we were told that the limit was 25 kg pp although it said 20kg in our e-ticket.

(Chris, Nadja, Kati looking forward to a great trip)

I bought my alleged “last” pack of faqs as I want/will/would like to quit smoking in Australia. I wanted to quit for a long time but never found the right opportunity (maybe I didn’t search hard enough). But since there is so much to see and do in Australia I figured it would be a good distraction. (Writing these lines two days later the craving is almost unbearable ;-) )

We said good bye to Kati’s relatives and went through the security check to wait for the boarding at 19:15h. I expected there to be a smoking area after the screening but I failed miserably by not asking someone. Instead, I assumed there was a smoking area. Of course there was no such thing and I was fu…

The flight KE906 to Seoul (Incheon) was scheduled for 19:45h in a 747-400. Never before I had the pleasure of travelling with a 747 and it is really a great plane. You have your own entertainment system with on demand movies , tv series and music. Everybody has his own touch screen and so there is not just one TV program for the entire aircraft. Flicking thru the movies I was impressed with the selection. There were classics like Forrest Gump up to the lasted movies. I quickly found the greatest hits of Boston and so I was happy for the rest of the trip.

Cliffnotes:

- Nadja and Katja my fellow travellers

- Flight from Frankfurt to Seoul w/ a great 747

Introduction

Hello my name is Chris and welcome to my blog.
From April 2010 till April 2011 I am en route in Australia with a Work and Travel visa and this blog’s purpose is to tell my experiences Down Under.
Briefly ‘bout me:
I am 30 years old, born and raised in Munich and I am a master of hotel management. After having done 16 month of night shifts in Munich’s Sofitel it was time for a break and so I decided to quit the job and go Down Under.
It was quite an easy decision being not too happy with my working hours and also there were some private issues.
So, in September 2009 I decided to take the trip to the world’s end and after having been granted the visa in February it was a long time preparing for this trip while still working the night shifts up to 22 March.

I am terrible sorry for using just an ordinary, boring template. Unfortunately there was no time before leaving home und now I'd rather enjoy Down Under than working banners and stuff