Backpacking

(I wrote this first part yesterday, when I arrived)
I'm in christchurch!
got here at about 2 in the afternoon. I don't think they do the daylight savings time thing here... or maybe it's a different date.. I don't know.. so I'm still 18 hours ahead of Alberta time.. even though I crossed 3 timezones and DST set us two hours closer before I left Sydney.
I allllmost missed my flight to Nz. I must have turned off my alarm (had only slept 2.5 hours beforehand) woke up and it was 6:30. half hour past when I wanted to be up by... my wakup call (chrysi) had slept in too... I was only woken up by my roomie who thought I had already left because I had everyhing of mine in my room, set out ready to go.. so he was checkjing to see if I left. I snapped awake and was out of the door in less than 3 minutes. missed my bus, the next bus (20min later) had a mechanical problem and could go anyhwere, the next bus hit a car pulling out and got held up (another 20 minutes) I got to the airpot 1h20m before my flight departed. big check-in line (I was second last at final call for check-in) and then a huuuge line at customs. I got to the termianl and waited 5 minutes because the flight was a little late. Ironically enough, I was 3rd or 4th person to walk onto the plane... anyhow.. that worked out...
It's Bloody beautiful here... the leaves are changing colours, it's actually fairly warm (22c today) and the people are really friendly... people giving me directions.. already been invited out to dinner by an elderly lady I met outside of the airport and roadf on the bus with.. aschool teacher. has seen the world. was rich and lost her wealth when she married a young fijian boy after her husband left and he took her money and so forth. I found a wicked hostel in an old style building for cheap. Met a british guy and we've been hanging out, he's on the computer next to me.. Interesting experiances in transport too... got sniffed out by the canine unit (the dog was looking for veggies, not drugs), got a random passport check (had to wait in some little rooma and such) and had my tent cleaned by the ag-quarintine... you know...
but yeah. so far I love it. beautiful city, friendly people, good vibes. I'm gonna like it here! my hostel is right in between the art gallery, the art museum, a climbing wall and the botanical gardens. I think I'm set for a couple of days... and the hostel room has it's own balcony. and it's almost half the price of a Sydney hostel.
(ok - it's day two now, at night)
Went out last night with the boys... just hung out in the park.. with the british guy and a couple of germans. had some beers and talked it up. good times. Got woken up this moring by the guy from the hostel saying that I had to get up. I was like "I'm checking in again" he tells me that my bed is taken already and they're full... eugh. so I got up and checked into the YMCA, 1 block away. nice facility. really good showers, nice bunks, lockups and clean rooms. they've got a gym and a climbing wqall that are reasonably priced. Think I'm going to do the climbing wall tomarrow with Nick.
Spent the day today shopping for climbing gear. found a nice harness for less than $100, marked down from $160. Think I'm going to pick it up... even though I can tell I'm going to blow a few times that getting myself set to clim and abseil... but I really want to get into it here. met some good peope today.. climbers that gavbe me lots of reccomendations. got some gear books, business cards and reccomendations.
Wandered about a little bit of the botanical gardens today. beautiful here... all of the fall colours are coming out here really nice. some of the trees starting to drop their leaves and such. Looks very similar to mirror lake in camrose.. but a nicer city surrounding it and replace the lake with a nice shallow river swiming with ducks and some kind of weird birds that make me laugh when I see them. was a little cooler today, and a fair bit cooler tonight. got some nice fish and chips today... read about a lateral thinker, Edward de Bono and his 6 thinking hats (that one is actually a note for me...copied off my arm.. the felt tip marker I wrote it in is fading fast)
But yeah.. this place is much more similar to canada than it is to Australia.. so far as what I have seen... the tree life and most of the birds are more simalr to back home... the people are much different but are really nice. The pay phones here are really weird. the don't take money. they take smart cards and cost 70 cents per call. so I need two calling cards to dial home... and the dial tone is really weird... really high pitched actually makes my head hurt a little... very bizzare. Still don't have my celphone hooked up. have to find that shop that deals in sims. would be a good thing to have with me... but I'm not paying an arm and a leg for it because it's not 1000% neccesary at this point. would just be nice.
I like the archetecture in Christchurch. I am definetly looking forward to getting around this country... lots to see... lots of crazy extream sports here. the kiwis are crazy about it. lots of wool products.. sheep rugs, merino everyhting.... kiw-fruit chocolate (I'm sick off the half a bar that has left the package and made it's way into my mouth as I've been typing)
what else to say about my initial impressions? I like it. there is a distictly different energy about this place. it's definetly got a certain zing that australia didn't have... the people are aware but relaxed... and I can sense a certain technologial presence.. might just be the blue neon and high power LED lights and environmental awareness or somehting.. but I think these Kiwis are on to somehting.. I'll have to report my future findings.
shite.. that's abit of an entry. I'll leave you with that for now.. and I'll write again as things unravel (or reravel) here!
oh - and perfect timing. they close in 10 minutes... suppose it's just about time.. 2am!
ok. write again soon!

ok guys. To whomever figured I was going to be stuck in Sydney forever: I'm leaving in the morning! in 6 hours or so, as a matter of fact.
Flying into Christchurch.
Been really enjoying myself here, much more than anticipated... kind of sad to go... but the journey must go on!
Life here has consisted of spending as much time with Chrysi as possible... She had her birthday party a couple of weeks ago.. we rented big hotel suite. 9 people crashed on almost every sleepable surface in the place... worked out really well. Good times with Chrysia and Laura. eating pizza in the rain and other such fun. Life has been very real lately. Have thourally enjoyed my time here.. and Chrysi.. I'm really gonna miss her... She is travelling to Greece for about a year, leaves on the 11th of April.
Been hanging out with Brandon and his housemates every day or every other day. Good times with Brandon. We're experts at doing nothing in particular. Quite fun, really. (We're planning on meeting up in Thailand!)
What else to say? been growing all the time... experiancing heaps of new things... eating really good food (really good kabab tonight!)
and I'm bloody exausted. I've got to finalize all of my packing here and touch my head to the pillow before I have to be up and going again!
Love you guys heaps... hope everyhitng is well.. and you'll be hearing from me plenty more with much more exciting news and photos and things..
oh and I've got a bunch of Sydney photos to post of here yet... soon!

Yeah. hey.
I grabbed the place here in Bexley/Rockdale.
half a two bedroom town house. Roomate named Nathan. Pretty decent place, actually... my roomate works at the Volkswagen parts depot and does a litle horticulture on the side (not that kind) so we have a nicely planted little backyard... lots of big spiders and cockroaches here (nabbed a cockroach the size of a box of matches on my bedroom windowsill last night). been living here for a week now.
Went back to the blue mountains (my last entry rants alot about the blue mountains) this last weekend with by friend Brandon. Just went for one night... Two pretty full days of hiking. Explored Wentworth falls (valley of the waters) and Leura this time. Excellent hikes, beautiful scenery and some amazing waterfalls. One of the best parts, however, was Brandons reaction to all of this. He had never been out hiking - and I brought him mout to one of the best hiking spots I've found here. He loved it! we had a realy great time... met some people on the trails... and it was absolutely perfect weather the entire time we were out there... which is quite rare for that area.
Been really enjoying myself here in Sydney. it's a quick ride to the city... 8 minute walk to the station, 17 minute train ride to the city. It's really not bad at all... Been eating out alot... sampling some of the Sydney cusine... lots of thai. can never get ewnough thai.
Went out with Chrysi and Laura last night to an artist talk. Mike Parr. was an interesting experiance. He's a self portrait artist... and does some really messed up performance art... the art talk allowed a few little glimpses into this man...

• *a break of several days takes place here - this entry is completed and lost, the authour frustrated. Another day passes and the authour is ready for another attempt**

ok. Yeah. good times here in Sydney. Went back to the blue mountains yet again... for Chrysi's birhtday. Went to visit the Norman Lindsay Gallery near Springwood/Faulcon bridge area with Chrysi, Laura and Ness. The gallery is at his home. He passed away in the late 60's mind you... but his gallery, painting and etching studios are open to the public. His yard is also open for roaming... The yard was probably the coolest part for me... he made paths all over with statues and fountains and a swimming pool. loved the yard... His etchings of satanic nude women were pretty cool too.. hahah which makes up the majority of his work.. that and kids books and cartoons and things. This guy produced alot of artwork in his 90 years... crazy story too. Champagne, blue cheese, and calmatta olives in the woods afterward... all in all, nice pleasant day..
Aside form little blue mountains escapades.... it has just been fine dining (AKA blowing my budget), cold rock icecream, beaches, hanging out with Brandon, spending time with Chrysi... just relaxing and enjoying life here in Sydney...
Planning my jump to New Zealand here for near the end of March. I found cheap tickets to Christchurch... the only hard part is going to be tearing myself out of my comfort zone. I could live here... but I've got to keep on trekkin. It'll be nice ot be back in the forest on a daily basis... and the German and Japanese couple I met in Adelaide, Henning and Maki, have contacted me from Kiwi-land already. They're looking forward to hooking up in a few weeks. I can't wait to see them!
This weekend is Chrysi's birthday party... people coming up from Canberra, aswell as her friends here in the city. gonna be a pretty crazy weekend. Should be lots of fun.
On that note.. I've got some grocery shopping to do before things get going for tonight.
Happy St. Patricks day everybody!
oh and I updated my Photos section again. some more shots some of them with people in them! hahaha click here
oh and I think I solved the celphone dialing number issue... if anybody does need/want to call me here in Australia, my phone number is, as you would dial it, 01161 40674 3939. That is it for sure. but it'll probably be changing when I get to New Zealand, as I will likely be changing my sim.. ok. over and out

Haven't wrote much lately...
Have just been enjoying life. Enjoying spending time with people here in Sydney.
Since Ballina... came back to Sydney, been staying in various backpackers. Staying out really late with Chrysi some nights... she works lots but we still find time to spend together. and me, being a freerange backpacker and noctournal by nature - yeah...
been hanging out lots with my new mate, Brandon. He came to Sydney at the same time I did, from New Zealand. We met our second night here... lots of good fun. His birthday is a day before mine, same age... we had a great weekend this weekend. Was also Mardi Gras - Sydney's over-the-top huge gay and lesbian festival. Never seen anything like it.. the whole CBD was trashed... like a warzone... where the only dead soldiers are the empties of the drunken mob. Thing that amazed me is the amount of liqor consumed on the streets... and the really low number of police and complete absence of violence... if that were to happen in Alberta, the headlines would read "17 people killed in booze-fueled fag fest" ok - maybe not quite that... but it was really cool to see everyone being so open and happy on the streets and that they didn't have to get out the mace and riot patrols. This was something entirely new to me. very cool experiance.
bah. I can't write this morning.. I haven't eaten hardly a thing yet today. my brain juice is low...
ok. where that story was going... Brandon, Chrysi and I partied it up good at Mardi Gras... had a great time. Chrysi had to work in the morn to Brandon and I continued on and did the guy thing until 4:30 in the morning. good times.
Spent the next day, my birthday on this side of the world, lounging, telling stories and laughing... all around great day in the park.. Met up with Chrysi after work... She's such a sweetheart... spoils me... (can't say that I don't love it) We got a hotel room and had a romantic midnight picnic. (in all reality... we picnic'ed on a patch of grass behind a KFC, buit it sounds more glamourous if I leave that descriptor out) Yeah. best birthday weekend ever. Had a great time. Thanks out to Brandon and Chrysi for good times.
Oh yeah... spent 5 days in the Blue Mountains this past week. Blue mountains National Park is inland, west of Sydney... There is a rail line hooked into the city transit that travels all the way out there... I went out to Blackheath the first couple nights, 2.5 hours out of Sydney. I went with the intentions of sitting/working at the Vipassana meditation center near Blackheath, but when I got there it was too beautiful to stay indoors. I set up camp at a local campground and based myself from there. the locals were very friendly and helpful, everyhting was insanely over priced and the weather was completely different than anticipated. I thought it wouod be hot and dry, with patches of lush forests.... what I didn't bring into account was the increace in altitude. The weather while I was there was chilly to cold if there was no sun, but the sun was hot when it came out - which was rarely. It was very humid, quite often foggy, misty and drizzly.... The forests were lush and filled with all kinds of new trees and smells. The first couple of days didn't rain very much and were excellent hiking weather. I hiked the grand canyon trail... about 15km or so. Probably the most beautiful trail I have hiked in Austalia/anywhere so far. The trail leading to the grand canyon was several km of clif views, ascending and decending stairs, beautiful forests and a group of school childeren who really love dreadlocks (funny story) The grand canyon trail starts by decending don inot this narrow canyon... down probaly 100-200 feet into it... varying width... from a couple hundered feet, to caves with intact rock above your head. The whole crevice/canyon was very densely forested... with water falls pouring in every so often to feet the creek in the bottom of the canyon. this place was magic. I had to stop very often to just be and be inspired by this micro eco system... and to stop and listen to the accoustics of the water dripping echoing off all of the surfaces... to walk slowly and silently to percive the dynamic of the sound forms. unbelivable. didn't see a soul down there either. Just me. and you know what? My camera didn't work at all down there. My batteries died. So that one is just for me. I want to take poeple there someday. It's a magical spot. truely is.
Blackheath was beautiful... spent two nights there then off to Katoomba which is the majot tourist attraction of the blue mountains. Camped in the rain for two nights there.... bloody poured at night... proably at least a couple of inches the first night. pools of water all over in the morning. I made out alright though. good ol' tent. Did some really great hikes in that area too. One of the coolest things is that they light up the three sisters (THE blue mountains tourist attraction), Katoomba falls and Katoomba Cascades at night, as wells at the paths too them... So I went out in the fog and rain. bloody amazing... the views from the lookouts on a clear day are some of the most amazing I've ever seen, huuuuuuuge space. drop of about 500metres and a view of many, many km... a huge valley down below.. unbelivable... and to go there when it's foggy and misty.. with the lights on at night... to see them shining out into the abyss, illuminating the swirls of this misty ocean - to imagine that this vast, vast space you saw in the daylight is a swirling sea of raindrops with a misty fog swarming between... honestly... I've seen mist and rain... but I have NEVER seen it behave in the way it does there. The drops falling freestyle, eventually going the way gravity goes... but taking a very scenic route... the thick mist moving independently of the drops, as a separate system all of it's own, filling the space between the drops. The weather clearing as quickly as it sets in... an ocean in the sky. On some of the hikes it was raining up. you'd be at a lookout with a cloud down below and an updraft. clear skys above but the gusts of wind would carry percipitation from the clouds below up the cliff face and they would wet the underside of your chin and arms as you per out over the valley... waterfalls that are dry at the bottom, watering the trees on the valley walls through a sky creek of sorts...
I could ramble on about the beauty of this place for ages... never ceased to amaze. all operating within the same framwork, the same laws of nature... but a new way to play. a manifestation which bends the laws about as far as they can be bent and still be laws..
ok. I'm in the clouds. had a great time. goes on the must see list.
On my last day I hiked from Faulcon-ridge to Springwood, carrying my 45lb pack, which I normally leave at basecamp for these hikes... insane hike. gorgeous forst. had been burned out about 25 years ago or so, I'd estimate... very interesting ecosystem... found a wild peacock (a pleasure to watch as it skitted down the track just ahead of me for some time.. stopping to fan its tail and scratch at the earth here and there) neon red mushrooms and a large lizzard bathing in a creek, (which I took some really close photos of) yeah. sweated more than I've sweated in my whole life. was hot in this area, which was much lower altitude than Blackheath/Katoomba... down and up a couple of gullies... beautiful hike... I was high as a kite by the time I was finished that one.... detox through my sweatglands, I tell you what.
ok. tyime is nearly up here...
I'm plannign on hanging out in the Sydney area... been having a great time with people here. and I think I can manage the city life for a while, knowing that I'm off to New Zealand afterward... to go live out in a whole new ecosystem.... so I'm going to hire a flat (rent an apartment) for couple of weeks. (all rentals are by the week here) really hard to find places right now.. but I'm going to check out a place this evening. $125/week, which is about as low as it goes... 2 bedroom town house. It's a ways out of the CBD... but Its got perks. See how that works out this evening. do that for 2-3 weeks then I'm off.
This journey has been amazing. soooo much has change... and contnues to change. the only constant is change.
on that note. my time is up. I'll write again when I'm able to express somehting meaningful.
much love.

Here are my newest photos. There are a whole shwack of them... 70 or so.
I JPG'd the shit out of them... so they might not be the best quality... but there are lots, Enjoy!
PHOTOS!