Noosa / Australia Zoo (May 28-30)

Eventually leaving Brisbane for good I took the coach to Noosa this morning. Getting out of the bus I was standing next to Suzi (the girl I met on the way to Nimbin) all of a sudden. Was really happy to see her again cuz we had a good time in Nimbin. We checked in at Noosa YHA which is situated in a building dating back to the 19th century. There were no power outlets in the room but it was a lively place with lots of relaxed people. I saw Alex again who I have met in Byron Bay and in Brisbane, I saw Laura who I have met in Surfers etc.

Suzi and I looked around the city and walked around some hours until we were sick of the rain. In the evening there was a meet and greet at the YHA. I haven’t seen that in any hostel I’ve been before. We figured they wanted to sell some tours but as it turned out they just explained the rules and we introduced ourselves over a complimentary glass of wine. I really liked that place and the people I’ve met.

The next day Suzi and I took the free shuttle to Australia Zoo. I wanted to visit the zoo from Brisbane but they didn’t offer free transportation back then. Of course I forgot to mention my YHA membership and so I got charged the full price. N1.

Anyway, the park was not as big as I thought and you could walk from one end to the other in about 35 minutes. Stopping to look at the animals and attending the shows the park took us about 5.5 hours to complete.

I was really excited to see the Australian animals because you usually don’t see them in the zoos back home. Petting the koalas and hand-feeding the kangaroos and wallabies was an amazing experience but then I have always been fond of animals. I have also heard some negative comments on the zoo that I wouldn’t be worth it but I just thought it was great and I would recommend the zoo to anyone. Crickey!!

 Cassowary, Suzi's fav

Surfers Paradise (May 24-26)

Off to Surfers Paradise was today's credo. I decided to take the public transportation rather than the coach to save some money. In the end I travelled for $11.20 from Brisbane to Surfers which is a fair price I'd reckon. On the otherhand it takes twice as long and so I arrived in the evening hours.

After checking in I strolled around the Mariner's Cove Marina and there are some steep boats at these wharfs. Not like Monaco but still pretty impressive. You could book a lot of tours like helicopter rides or fishing trips. I layed my eyes on a jetski safari but I got no time for that.

In the evening I met with some fellow travellers in a pub at the marina for drinks. There were just few Germans around (now that's a first) and mostly british folks. You can quickly become friends with these guys and so we ended up playing cards for hours after the pub closed at 23:00h. One of them even had a guitar with him and so I was able to play a bit too. Feels quite strange after such a long time.

Sea World

The next day I went to Sea World which was ideally located just up the road. The park was bigger than I had expected with widely spread water tanks. The highlights were:

Ray Reef: A small basin full of different rays (sting, fiddler, eagle) that you could touch and hand-feed

white-spotted eagle ray

back in Brisbane

Having enjoyed that shower and my decent meal I bought a 24h Internet voucher to update my blog at last. Sorry for the slight delay in terms of keeping you in the loop. A lot happened within the last 10 days and I had limited Internet recources ;-)

Unfortunately football sucked and I even got up at 4:00h to watch the game online. Had some money on Inter just in case our guys dont make it. I was right eventually but I'd rather have lost that bet. Anyway the double is nice too. At least there are no Italians around who could rub it in.

The exchange rate improved significantly during my sailing trip and so shopping and staying at hostels became just a bit plus bon marché (big shout out to Andi).

2moro I will check out the Gold Coast (I might visit my scuba buddy Nubia) before finally leaving Brisbane heading North. Initially, I didnt want to stay that long in Bris and rather go North but as it turned out I always had something to do around BrisVegas as the locals call it.

Also, I wanted to meet up with Suzi (the girl from the Nimbin trip). She was supposed to arrive in Bris yesterday but I havent heard from her yet. Maybe I'll see her on my way back from Surfers Paradise.

Sailing in Moreton Bay (May 18 - 21)

You guys might remember I was disappointed when I wasnt able to go sailing just before I went off to Byron Bay.

I stayed in contact with John, the skipper of the yacht and on my way to Nimbin I got the ok to start another adventurous sailing trip on Tuesday.

On Monday I travelled back to Brisbane and did some shopping for the trip.

On Tuesday I met with John (66, Aussie) and Liam (26, English) at the marina.

John, great Aussie bloke

Nimbin

Trip to hippie town Nimbin (about one hour from Byron Bay) was on today's schedule.

In 1973 the Aquarius Festival was held in Nimbin. Some hippies were arrested and the entire festival community protested. Police backed down, released the hippies and so marijuana became legal.

So when you exit the bus in Nimbin there are at least 3 weird looking guys asking you "need some weed, man"

Jessica Watson

Feeling a bit hung over from yesterday night (I didnt really drank that much alc but then again I didnt drink much water either) I didnt do much today apart from some laundry and watching Jessica Watson's homecoming.

She became the youngest person (16) to sail solo, non stop and unassisted around the world in just 7 months. The event was broadcasted by at least 5 TV stations simultaneously and there were hundreds of ships and even Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the NSW's Premier Kristina Keneally out on Sydney Harbour to welcome her.

After she had crossed the finish line customs boarded her ship "Pink Lady" to stamp her passport before the TV crew and a skipper stepped onto the boat.

Apperantly she ran out of some food and the crew brought a bag of goodies along. So you could see her sitting on deck giving an interview while enjoying some whipped cream out of the spray can.

PADI Open Water Diver (11May - 14 May)

Day 1

So finally my scuba (self contained underwater breathing aperatus) diving course started. It was a nice little group with Maria (Norway), Chantalle (Switzerland), Dave (Kiwi), Stacy (Oz), Nubia (Brazil) and Ross our great instructor also an Aussie.

I asked for the manual some days in advance so I could familiarize with the vocabulary but as it turned out Ross explained everything to us in a very understandable way. Unlike Phil (Skipper at my sailing trip) Ross doesnt have such a thick accent.

We had to watch some movies which illustrated the theoretical background of scuba diving (like buoyancy, the buddy system) and afterwards we were explained how to set up all the gear. Although I passed a CMAS certificate in 1999, I could hardly remember anything and so it was good I didnt take a refresher course but had everything taught again.

I can remember Andi telling me the most important rule of scuba diving (never dive alone) but Padi makes that "never hold your breath".

We put on our gear and went into the pool. I had some troubles equalizing during that CMAS course but after having my nose lasered last year it is now much easier. So now I can book my Fiji diving.

It felt strange again breathing under water but it is all just a matter of practice. At least I still knew how to clear my mask ;-)

Cape Byron Lighthouse

Today there was a little bit of hiking on my schedule as I wanted to see the Cape Byron Lighthouse. I started off from main beach where there is a lot of surfing going on. From a lookout platform you have a great view over Byron Bay.

Byron Bay main beach

It was quite a long walk uphill thru the great NSW subtropical rainforest. Unlike our forrests at home you really want to stay on the track since there are some strange noises coming from those woods and it was quite a steep path to climb/decend.

Subtropical rainforest in NSW

One of these noises was a clucking sound. I looked uphill and saw some weird looking bird walking up to me in the middle of this forrest. I wasnt afraid at all and checked if I had left something behind that was worth picking up. The sheer size of that bird amazed me and I was really excited seeing such an animal.

havent figured out its name yet

As it turned out the bird was used to humans and once I finished the trail there were five of them searching the trash cans for food. It was probably not the highlight of this day but at the time I spotted it the first time I really was happy having seen a rare beast. It was just like seeing an Ibis for the first time. I saw the first one in Brisbane's Botanical Garden and almost chased it to get a good pic. It is probably the size that attracts the most since we just dont have that at home.

At the start of that path there was a sign from some aboriginal elders. Dont know why they tried to write it in the native language since Aboriginal is probably not a language and more of a dialect so another Aboriginal wouldnt be able to read it. Also dont know why they didnt translate it properly

Having made my way thru that beautiful forrest I arrived at the most easterly point of the Australian Mainland.  At another lookout point I was even able to spot some Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins chasing fish into the shallow waters.

Finally I was at the lighthouse after about 3 hours. You can definately do the tour in one but I always take my time to take pics or just enjoy the view.

You can see the lighthouse from 27nm (50km) and it emits a beam of light every 15 sec.

Cape Byron Lighthouse

The museum within charges $8 for a 40 min guided tour but I skipped that and went back home.

2moro my PADI Open Water Cours starts and I cant wait to dive at Julian Rocks

Cliffnotes:

Byron Bay

Subtropical Rainforrest

most easterly point

Cape Byron Lighthouse

off to Byron Bay

Cant remember what happened on Saturday but it must have been something irrelevant. Probably watched some TV and updated this site.

As Matty comanded me to I bought a $32 ticket to travel to Byron Bay on Sunday. It was quite a nice ride to enjoy the landscape of northern NSW. Having arrived there at 15:00h I checked out the dive shop and after making sure I was on board (Open Water Diver course) for Tuesday I checked in at the YHA just next door.

The YHA is much smaller than in Bris with only 2 stoves instead of 8 in the kitchen and everything did not make such a good impression. Especially the bathrooms were not as clean and tidy and also there were no towels so you always had to bring your own. On the other hand the matresses and pillows are much better. Nowhere else I've slept this well so far. There are a lot of  little green birds like the ones in Brisbane's Botanical Garden making an incredible noise in the evening hours together with the cicadas. You gotta love it, feels just like vacation ;-)

I met a lovely couple from Tokyo in my room. He was an artist (sculptures made from titanuim) trying to set up his own business. Unfortunately I forgot her job. We stayed up long and highlighted the differences between our cultures. I really enjoyed that conversation cuz we dicussed topics beyond the usual backpacker conversation and so it gets you more fluent on other issues and you pick up a lot of new vocabulary.

Eventually I found a cheap water source. SPAR (yes, the same as we have at home) offer different variations of non-alcoholic beverages (Tonic, cola, lemonade, water) for the price of 49 cents (1,25l) which is about 1/3 off the usual price.

Worst case occurred: I didnt see Formula 1. Can you actually believe that?

I asked at several bars but they either had to close at 23:00h (one hour after the start) or they wanted to show some stupid cricket. As a matter of course the hostel's TV room closes at 23:00h, too. Bottom line: I missed it and so I hope someone recorded it for me back home.

2moro I will explore the area before my diving course commences on Tuesday.

this and that

Having done nothing today except watching UK's general election (all constituencies have yet failed to come in but it looks like the tories will make it. Not sure if this is good or bad)  I take this opportunity to note what came to my mind during the last days and weeks that never made it into my blog.

1) Neil Robertson beat Graeme Dott 18:13 in Snookers World Championship and became the first Aussie to clinch the title. It remains to be seen what impact that achievement will have on Australia's snooker but as usual a lot of young kids want to learn the game from now on. The final was even broadcasted live on Australian TV.

2) There are no 1-Cent or 2-Cent coins in Australia and so all the .99-amounts must be rounded when paying at the supermarket check out. Therefore you sometimes will have to pay more, sometimes you will be given a discount of 2 cents. Not a bad idea at all, at least your wallet stays light ;-)

3) I have seen this ad on gumtree the other day and called John straight away to see if there was still a place available. As it turned out I was first and we needed at least another 2 persons to go sailing. So far nobody else called in and John has now cancelled the trip. Real shame since this would have been a true bargain and a great chance to learn new sailing stuff.

4) Since I wont be sailing this weekend I decided to head for Byron Bay. Actually I wanted to skip that location in the first place but Matty basically insisted on me going there ;-).

There is a Padi school and so I thought I should start my dive training. Therefore I will leave Brisbane on Sunday and make my way down south.

5) Havent heard from my girls recently. Drop me a line in the comments section or write me an email. Hope you've been well.

6) It's F1time again. On Sunday the Spanish GP will take place at 22:00h local time. Just hope I will be able to see it and that it will be recorded just as promised (got that little hint, bro ;-))

I am really excited to see how they broadcast the F1here in Down Under. It's probably Webber everywhere.

Had some more on my mind but now that I am actually writing it down I just cant recall. Might complete it on next chance.

Nice to see I have six followers already. Dont hesitate to comment my posts.

The Treasury (May 4-6)

Coming back from my sailing trip I received another refusal from couchsurfing. So I booked some more nights at the YHA where I met three English guys from Cambridge. They were pretty funny and easy going. One of them was interested in learning how to solve a Rubics Cube and so I sat down with him and explained the algorythms to him. They stayed in Brisbane and went to another theme park on the Gold Cost each day. Not sure why they didnt book a dorm down there.

Steward is still in that YHA and this time I got to take a picture of him. He is a real germ.

Steward

Sailing in Moreton Bay (May 1-3)

Getting up at 6:00h is nothing out of the ordinary for me. Ever since I arrived in Oz I went to bed early and consequently got up early too. Of course, when you need to wake up early you could sleep much longer ;-). So I got up a little later than expected and checked out of the YHA. With all my gear packed in one plastic bag, one day pack and my suitcase I boarded the train and got down to Manly once again. Having arrived there I was able to store my suitecase and met my fellow sailors. Phil (skipper), James (lawyer from New York), Scot builder from Brisbane), Darryl (structural engeneer, originally from Malaysia) and Kuan (architect, also originally from Malasia). It was a great team with everyone being very polite and helping out as good as they could.

Our boat was a Jeanneau Odyssey 40 by the name of Capriccio, built in 2001 and owned by our skipper Phil. It is a great boat with a lot of space, four cabins, a nice living area, two steering wheels, a single line reefing system, a furling jib (not entirely sure this is the right word. It would be Rollrefffock in German).

Also it was equipped with a digital speed-o-meter and a gauge for depth, apparent and true wind.

Phil used to be a farmer for most of his life and after he had sold his parents farm he bought this ship for his family. Having saild more than 20k nautical miles with it there was no topic he couldnt give detailed information on. It was really dificult to understand ihs Aussie accent with all these English nautical terms but it was ok by the end of the first day.

Having not sailed for almost 7 months it was a great feeling having 25 knots of apparent wind in your face while standing on a jumping and heeling boat screaming orders to the head sail trimmer.

My body is full of cuts and bruises from tightening sheets and winching jibs.

Special highlight was 3 hours of night sailing on the first day. The helmsman ususally changed every hour and when I took over the wheel at dusk I was the lucky guy to steer until total darkness.

There are not many lights on in the Moreton Bay area and I would have been lost immediately. But Phil makes these trips for some years now and he didnt even need a map to point the right way. He just told me to follow the Southern cross.

What impressed me most was the brightness of the stars. I was warned by Andi but would have never thought it was that remarkable. You could basically see the entire milkyway with the Southern Cross up front (Southern Cross is the stars constellation that is shown on the Australian flag). There were even shooting stars to be seen.

So there I was standing at the helm in 18 knots with the boat heeling at 30 degree and calling the shots, above an absolutely amazing spectacle including shooting stars. I just wonder can it get any better? Is scuba diving in cairnes or skydiving over Fiji gonna beat this?

Me on the bow after just lowering the anchor on our first lunch break

at the helm in 20 knots

40 feet can be quite long when standing at the helm