Global Traveller: April 2011

Greetings from Brisbane in Australia!

I can't quite believe we are in Oz, this part of the trip has always seemed a long way off yet here we are.

Ubud market in Bali

Considering we weren't even going to go to Bali, we ended up staying there a full month and it turned out to be an amazing place, one that I will definitely go back to. Our stay in Seminyak ended up being 3 weeks because we were waiting around for the Australian Embassy to issue Dave's visa. They wanted to know everything... how much money we had, screen prints to show that we had money, a declaration from me to say I would help him out if I needed to, chest X-rays were required... The list went on! After the second week, we were beginning to think the visa wouldn't be issued. However, being just around the corner from the party area of Seminyak meant waiting for the Australian Government to pull their finger out was no hard chore; we just got pissed!

I managed to get sunburnt in Bali, for the second time on this trip. I even had on SPF 30, you would not believe how strong the sun is near the equator. I had a shave that night and went out to party again, only to realise when looking in the mirror at the bar that I looked like a burns victim with a big white patch where I had shaved! Not a very attractive look.

Drinking in Ubud

We eventually got Dave's visa and decided to head inland to Ubud for a week before heading to Australia. Ubud is a very beautiful and authentic Balinese village. There are plenty of shops and restaurants however the only nightlife was a shisha bar open until 3am. After 3 weeks of partying in Seminyak, that was no bad thing. We also met up with our friend Eva who we met on Koh Chang all the way back in November and December.

Me, Dave and Eva all decided to head to the monkey forest which is a sacred forest for the Balinese people. The monkey's are everywhere and they are not afraid to climb up you, on you and take anything off you that is not hidden. It was pretty scary and at one point we even locked ourselves in the toilet because the monkeys were crowding around the toilet door seeing what we were up to! Lets just say we were on edge and a little jumpy walking around the forest but it was a laugh if nothing else.

Dave and Eva

As for the accommodation in Ubud, no one can say that we have not roughed it on this trip. The room was huge however the lighting was dim, I mean dim.... you could not see a thing at night! There was no air-con and huge open vents in the wall to the outside world, meaning every insect and mosquito in the land could make their way in and take a bite. We had 1 scabby little fan to cool us down so the week was hot, sweaty and smelly! The shower was a mere dribble from the wall so feeling clean was also out of the question. On the good side, the grounds were beautiful and overlooked the rice paddy fields. In the day time I just sat in the gazebo reading and generally enjoying the peace and quiet. Ronald, the owner was amazingly hospitable and gave us free reign over the ice cold beers in the fridge! I think that more than made up for everything else.

On one morning, during some American guests checking out, they left an abandoned little kitten on the desk and told us they found it in the alleyway. As they were leaving, the kitten was left for us to look after. Great, lumbered with a screaming kitten, shit scared and shivering with cold. After a few hours, we messaged the animal welfare centre in Ubud and told them to come and pick it up, but they didn't do pick ups so I decided to take the kitten there myself. The walk took forever and it was hot and humid. After traipsing all over town I couldn't find the animal centre anywhere, even the locals didnt have a clue where it was. So I marched all the way back through town, with a screaming kitten in tow and the thing was trying to climb out of the t-shirt it was wrapped in.

Me and Dave at Mount Batur

The kitten was then left with us a second night and cried all night long, keeping me and Dave awake. The following morning, one of the workers said they would take it home later that night for his sister, but something told me they were just going to 'get rid' of it as the Balinese people don't seem too interested in cats. I guess we will never know what happened to it.

We also went to Mount Batur whilst in Bali, an active volcano on the north of the island. The volcano is itself inside a huge crater, I mean huge. It was an amazing experience, the clouds were covering the top of the volcano so it was partially hidden from view and it was eerily quiet inside the crater. There were lava flows down the hillside that were only 20 years old so the plant life has not even had chance to take over yet. We also visited one of the hot springs although this was not quite what I was expecting as it was in a tiled swimming pool. I was expecting some rock pools with geezers or something along those lines! Still, Mount Batur was one of the highlights of our stay in Bali.

Monkey Forest, Ubud

The day came to leave Asia and head to Australia after 6 months. I was apprehensive about heading to Australia, I have had such an amazing 6 months in Asia and didn't know what to expect. When we boarded the plane, the stewardess said ''welcome aboard Rory''. Now that doesn't sound like much, but it was a complete shock. I was so used to not really understanding anyone and used to hearing Asian languages that someone saying my name took me aback. It was also difficult listening to everyone's conversations during the flight because again, I was used to not being able to understand anyone properly! I must add that during the flight over central Australia, the night sky was spectacular. As there was no light, you could see billions of stars and actually see the interstellar dust of the Milky Way. It was a sky you just don't get to see back home.

Me in Sydney

On arrival at Sydney, I can only describe to you what I believe to be 'culture shock'. It was strange being back in a western city and something I felt quite difficult to deal with. If any of you have spent a long time abroad in Asia, or somewhere not very westernised you will probably understand where I am coming from. Also, it was very early morning when we landed and it was cold! Still, it was exciting being there and we made the most of our time. We headed straight for the harbour and the Opera House. The weather was perfect, being quite hot and sunny. We walked around Circular Quay and walked over the Harbour Bridge. One thing I did like about Sydney, there are a lot of free things to do so you don't have to spend a lot of money. I also noticed something strange in Sydney, the sky seems a lot bluer and a lot bigger making everything look more vivid. I know that probably sounds odd but it really does! Or maybe I was just imagining it?

Me and Dave at the Imperial

We had 1 night out in Sydney, we went to the Imperial Hotel where part of Priscilla Queen of the Desert was filmed. It was a Tuesday night so it was quiet. We then found out that all the punters were playing Bingo at the back of the bar, so me and Dave had sat for an hour, on our own wondering where everyone was!

The following morning we took a 6 hour train journey to Taree on an 'Express Train'. Well the thing was 2 hours late and the trip to Taree was tediously slow. We later found out that it actually only takes 3 hours in the car to do the same journey, so where the 'express' was in this service I don't know! Taree is a small city north of Sydney and we were staying with one of Dave's old friends from 18 years ago, Barry and his partner David. This was a great home stay for us because it was like a home from home. We had Sky TV and Tia the dog and Lucy the cat. Also, Barry is a chef so the food cooked up was fantastic and a nice change from eating out all the time.

Dave on the Radio Show

David and Barry took us to Port Macquarie for the afternoon which is an Australian seaside town. It was very picturesque and a lot more 'upmarket' than the average UK seaside town. Barry and David also volunteer at a Radio Station in Taree and had booked Dave to do an exclusive mix and interview on their show. The 40 minute set that Dave made was brilliant and we had a great laugh at the station, even managing to down a few beers and getting merry along the way. All in all it was exciting being in the studio and something I never expected to do here!

We had a brilliant laugh staying with friends, but the time came to leave Taree and head to Brisbane, on another train journey, this one being 9 hours on an over night train. The train was nearly full so we had to book separate tickets, me and Dave didn't sit together once and we had to change seats 3 times. No sleep to be had on this journey! In CountryLink style, the train was 2 hours late so the 9 hour journey became 11. Still, when dawn broke the views from the train of the Australian countryside were spectacular.

Brisbane CBD

So here we are in Brisbane. The weather is hot and it is actually a very beautiful city with lots of parkland and riverbank walks. We have arrived on easter weekend so hardly any shops are open, and alcohol cannot be served on Good Friday. The city is also very quiet, I'm not sure if everyone has gone on holiday for the weekend or if they are just staying at home. A lot of the flooding you heard about in Queensland recently also occurred in Brisbane, but after walking along the riverbank I didn't see any evidence of the floods so they have done a great job in clearing up.

So next we are off to Cairns, back to tropical heat and sunshine (the tan's have nearly faded now) and after that it's back to Asia to slow down the spending. For now, our tour up the east coast continues.

Bye for now!