November 1st – 30th
Weather: Amazing / Exchange Rate: Appalling
This section of the trip has probably been the most challenging to document – not because I don't have anything to say but because the travels are a little more low key and I'm not quite sure how far to delve into the thinking side of it. But why start planning now? Let's just see how it goes.
Firstly, Australia is a beautiful country and so huge that even third time round I've only just scratched the surface. Secondly, there's also pretty much everything here - gorgeous beaches, cosmopolitan cities and subdued country towns thrown in with stunning landmarks, thrill seekers adventure sports, awesome road trips and even a huge mind blowing desert. But thirdly, even with all this, over half a year in Asia (and I'm not counting the Phuket side of things in this) has left it harder than expected to settle back into the Western culture full of rules and money. So when the buzz of that first week and the novelty of having time on my own wore off, I started desiring the part of the trip based in far-fetched places but I have no desire to wish my life away so that didn't last. Realistically, I'm happy to fit into this lifestyle and there are endless prospects for me in a place like this so let's face it, I'll never be the type to swap Western for Eastern. I'm endlessly grateful that I've been there and had enough experiences to open my eyes a little but spending time here with old mates, picking up with some where we left off and getting to know some better, makes up for every second that I spend missing the Asian side of things. That was over month ago, I've been here 5 weeks today and am now so settled that on my last day in Sydney, I couldn't even bring myself to say bye and instead decided to reroute the ticket and head back within a couple of weeks. Ticket change no 8? Something like that. But it's only money, you can't take it with you and it's all worth it.
Although I said the travels have been lower key, I have spent about 2 weeks by the beach in Coogee (and that's not including every Sunday at the Coogee Bay Hotel) and the rest of the time in Merrylands with a few days in Canberra, Balmain and the City in between. And all in good company, I've crashed a 1 year old's party, been in a car when the wheel fell off, visited friend's mums and grandmas, slept everywhere from couches to 5 star hotels to 5 people between 3 mattresses with no electricity, made friends with some queens in Oxford Street and been stunned by some Brazilian acrobatics. It's also gorgeously sunny almost every single day and I have laughed more than I can even describe. All in all, never a dull moment.
I suppose the only concerns are whether or not the cash is going to last (and mostly thanks to friends; I'm not living excessively so I'll deal with that when I get there) and the fact that there are a lot of goodbyes involved in a place that holds the greatest portion of people from the last 4 years of my life. It isn't nice to think I might not see them all again but we can thank facebook for making goodbyes a little easier and who wouldn't choose an emotional goodbye or two over giving up the time that got you there? One thing you realise when you're the one moving around is that you're the one who should take initiative and even when travelling, it's so easy to find a comfort zone and just stay in it but I've yet to wish I'd sat in the garden with a book over catching up with a friend who I haven't spoken to in a couple of years and may have nothing in common with. Every single day is good when you push yourself a bit and things surprise you – some people are exactly as I love and remember, some who I thought were a sure thing to rely on turned out to be not such a good catch and some that I hardly knew turned out to the most rewarding.
Of course there are already people I want to thank for making this part of the trip so amazing and you know who you are. As Jewel says, hey man, this is a beautiful life.
