Perth v2

The last two weeks have been both good and bad. As I mentioned in my previous blog post we wanted to find work in Perth. The process has been long and disappointing. We thought we had a possibility at the Caltex petrol station where Krista works, but it ultimately didn't work out. We also got close on an apple packing job, but we where unlucky there as well. It has been very frustrating. In the end we have decided to keep traveling with the little money we have left and hope to find something along the west coast as we head north.

We have been doing other things than just looking for work. We have visited the Art Gallery and Kings Park again and a few new beaches just north of Perth city. Scarborough beach looked like a good surfing beach although not the best for swimming, we preferred city beach just a few minutes south by car. Personally the beaches on the east coast are still much better than the ones around Perth. But I have been told that there are some amazing beaches further north and south!

On the way back from Scarborough beach we drove past IKEA and decided to stop and have lunch. We had Swedish meatballs (kjøttboller), brown sauce, and lingonberry jam. It was amazing! I had no idea I missed Nordic food this much. Especially the sauce and the lingonberry jam. After the lunch we walked through the display hall. On the way out I had to buy some more food from the retail section. Candy shoelaces, DAIM chocolate, fried onions and crackers. This is items I haven't been able to find anywhere else and it was awesome to eat it again!

About an hour north of Perth is a place called "The Maze". It's an "amusement park" with mazes, animals and minigolf. I have always loved mazes and this is what attracted me. They have one huge maze, and many smaller mazes. The big one was especially good. You can really get stuck inside. At the end of the maze there is an observation tower that you can climb and watch everybody else that is stuck. We also played minigolf and disc golf (basically a Frisbee that you throw towards a "hole"). In the end we played a match of gigantic chess! The Maze is not really an amusement park, but it's still good fun and worth the money. We both had a fun day!

As I mentioned in my previous blog post Karsten, one of Krista's sons, plays in a band. It so happened that they had a community concert one of the days we were here, so we grabbed the opportunity to go and watch them. The concert consisted of several different local bands from the Armadale suburb of Perth (where the concert was held as well) with people ageing from ca. 12 to 20. His band plays happy hardcore and is called "Boris kills Hugo". A mix of punk, metal and heavy metal. It was nice to get the opportunity to watch him play.

On the 16th of April Navarre turned 17. We celebrated by going to Tony's house and having a BBQ. Tony and his wife owns the Caltex station where Krista works and is also a close family friend. They have a gorgeous house in the Perth hills with an amazing view of the city. We spent the day swimming in their pool, drinking beer and eating BBQ and cake.

In our spare time me and Annina have been playing a new game I gave her, Sims 3. I remember playing the first Sims a long time ago and it was easy to get into the third installment. Annina is a big fan of the Sims games like so many others. We have also been watching a show called FlashForward. I don't know if it's known in Norway yet but it should be familiar to my American readers that watch TV. Anyways, we are both addicted to it and watched all the available episodes in about 3 days.

At the time of writing this I am sitting in the Top family house for the last time. Today we will start traveling again and my next update will be from the road most likely. I don't know how often I will have the opportunity to post, but expect a two week period like it has been for a while now. Hope everyone at home is well and doing good. I miss you all.

Days Like This!

Just as in Norway, with summer comes the festival season and Australia is no different. There are several music festivals to choose from, from one day events too weekly ones. The problem is that they are fairly expensive. However after looking on eBay I found some tickets for the "Days Like This!" festival that were cheaper than normal. "Days Like This!" is a one day event from 12:00 to 22:00. Me and Annina both wanted to go because she wanted to see one of her favorite bands called "The Cat Empire" and I wanted to see "Method Man and Redman". In addition there was a ton of other bands that are lesser known that we could explore.

Sadly I had to work the same day, so I could not go to the beginning of the festival. Luckily the artists I wanted to see and hear were playing in the end anyways so it was not a big problem. When I got there Annina had already been there a while and she showed me around the different stages. We listened to some of the different bands, DJ's and solo artists while waiting for the main events. From everything I heard so far I liked a hip hop group called "Ugly Duckling" the most.

At 19:10 "The Cat Empire" entered the main stage. I am a little bit familiar with them from before because Annina had played it for me in advance and I also copied it from her iPod and listened to it. They are very interesting to listen too because the style of music changes from song to song and I was looking forward to seeing  if they were good live as well. After they were finished I was very happy with what I had seen and heard. They played a great selection of songs and what was even more impressive was that it seemed like every member of the band knew how to play at least 3-4 different instruments. They even switched main singers! All in all it was a great concert and a band I think will become very big in the future.

After "The Cat Empire" it was time for the main event, which was "Method Man and Redman". My only connection to them from before is from the movie How High and listening to a few of their songs. I was wondering what kind of show it would be and if it would be really good, really bad or somewhere in between. My experience was very unique. Their style is interesting, from the clothes to the music and the talking in between. One thing was certain, they knew how to get the crowd to respond. It was a fair mix between tracks I had never heard about and well known songs, tributes to dead rappers and random weed jokes. All in all a very different experience, but not negative in any way.

Here are some more photos :)

Polish Christmas Festival

Last Sunday our Polish flatmate invited us (me and Matthias) to join him at the Polish Christmas Festival. It was a free event celebrating polish people and culture in Sydney. They had booths with different polish food, handcrafts and a bar with polish beers. There was also a stage where different polish musicians performed and danced with traditional cloths on.

Matthias tried polish sausage and I had dumplings. It was very tasty and different from the food we normally eat here in Australia. I normally meet very few polish people here in Australia, but this day it seemed as if everyone was gathered together, young and old.

The Ultimate Surf (Camp)

It's been a while since my last blog post and I apologize, but I have been incredibly busy plus the lack of internet makes it harder to keep you all updated. Anyways, here is a post about my latest adventure, the Ultimate Surf Camp, a 10 day extended surf camp.

Yamba

Our first destination was a small town called Yamba, about 10 hours north of Sydney. We took the overnight buss from Sydney and arrived early in the morning. As soon as we had settled into our rooms, we went out surfing. Yamba is a great place to surf, with four beaches to choose from you can always find a wave.

The hostel we where staying in was the only on in town and incredibly friendly and nice. It was a family run business and the people that worked there came with us to surf. The place had a reputation for backpackers coming to stay for a week, but ending up staying for 5-6 months.

Another great thing about Yamba was the fantastic food. We got free lunch and dinner every night. I tried Kangaroo which was different, but tasty. But the best food they had was the "Works Burger", a burger with everything including eggs. Around the corner from the hostel there was two pie shops as well, with delicious pies.

The first two night there we went partying. I had a great time including a Singstar competition and dancing to a band I have never heard about. The last day we went on a tour of Yamba. We went to some cliffs where you could jump off into the water. The first cliff was about 5 meters and the second was 12 meters. It was scary but a lot of fun! We also fed crazy fish with toast and pelicans with fish. Overall a great last day!

Byron Bay

After Yamba we traveled up the coast another two hours to Byron Bay. Byron Bay is known as one of the best surfing places in Australia, but sadly the weather was not on our side. The last day we did get some waves, but the first two was almost flat. We spent the days lying on the beach trying to catch some color and I got a bad sunburn on the back of my legs where I forgot to put sunscreen.

The hostel in Byron was not as nice as the one in Yamba, but it was still decent. It had a nice pool with very warm water which we used to play in. We trough in money and went diving for it.

Food in Byron Bay was more up and down. One of the night we got free dinner at a pub called Cheeky Monkeys. The food was crap and very small portions. I had to buy another meal to feel full. However, as a nightclub the place was crazy. It was packed every night with backpackers dancing on tables and generally having a good time. They also held competitions every day.

The last day in Byron Bay we went to a concert with an Australian band playing psychedelic rock, it felt like being back in the 60's. Our Surf guide was a big fan of them and predicts that they will be well known in a few years. Sadly I can't remember the name of the band :(

Coolangatta

After Byron Bay we got on another buss and traveled another two hours up the coast to the Gold Coast and more precisely Coolangatta. The hostel in Coolangatta reminded me more of a hotel than a hostel. The rooms had a big balcony with sleeping couches which I spent a fair amount of time in.

It was very windy the first two days which made the waves very choppy and hard to surf on, but the last 2 days we got better weather and some good surfing conditions. I can now do turns on the waves, move up and down on the board while standing up and keep my balance. I can really feel that I have become better over the last 10 days. Paddling is still the hardest part, because my muscles are not trained in paddling.

We did not party as much in Coolangatta, in stead we chilled on the balcony in the evenings. Just having a good time. Now I am heading up to Brisbane to find work. I am not sure how long I will stay there, but I will keep everyone updated. I am traveling with a group of Germans from the surf camp. Lastly I would like to say thanks for a great surf experience and to all the people in my group: Anja, Anna, Alice, Chris, Markus, Mathias, Phil, Mike, Tony and Lock Dog!

Sydney v2 and reflecting on my first weeks here

Returning to Sydney was both a welcoming and new experience. It was nice to return to a place I knew my way around, to have the Work and Travel company's office close by and to see some old faces again (although some of those old faces where just people I had seen the first time here). However this time around I was staying in a new hostel, with a bit different standard than the YHA Central I slept in my first four night in Australia. The cool thing about Sydney is that whenever you pick a new hostel the place and it surroundings feels like a new city. It only took about 25 minutes to walk between the two, but it still felt like I was in a totally new place. Every time I walk into a new hostel I think to myself: How am I going to get to know this place! And every time I leave it is as if I am leaving my home.

As I posted on my facebook profile I was not feeling all that well when I arrived back, probably due to four days in cold water during the surf camp and the change in climate from Melbourne. The Defqon.1 festival did not help ether and the day after I had a bad cold. I had a runny nose and my throat was sore. Therefore the next days where pretty uneventful. I went to the store and bought food, sat in the park (Sydney has an amazing park that is very beautiful),looked at the cathedral located right next to the park and watched movies and TV in the common rooms at the hostel. It was nice to just relax and let my body heal. One day while sitting in the sofa I though about what things come to mind when I think about my first two weeks in Australia, and I though I'd share some of those thought with you.

Music

There are two songs I heard the first two days in Australia while dancing and drinking at "The Gaff" nightclub. One of them is Black Eyed Peas: I Gotta Feeling (I am sure you have all heard it on the radio back home as well) and the other is Guy Sebastian: Like It Like That. Guy Sebastian is an Australian musician and I am not sure if he is popular in Europe or the States. Whenever I hear these songs it reminds me of my first days in Australia!

Food 

Being a backpacker and especially one that knows very little about cooking results in eating out. Since I am also on a budget I try to find cheap food and for some reason I always end up at a fast food place. Fast food is pretty cheap down here (but probably not very healthy). So far I have tried McDonald (which also has something called McCafé), Hungry Jack's (that's Burger King just with another name), Pizza Hut, KFC, Subway and Starbucks Coffee. As soon as I get a job and maybe an apartment I will try and make some real food, but the fast food will always remind me of my first weeks in Australia.

People

Australia is a place filled with different people from all over the world. So far I have met crazy drinking Australians and Englishmen, A couple of very nice people from New Zealand. A ton of Germans and some random Swedish, Dutch and Norwegian people. I have still to meet tons of more people but I will always remember those first ones; Michael, Nick, Tuan and all the others I can't remember the name of.

The 24. I am going up the east cost on a 10 day surf adventure and after that I am going to start looking for work. (Unless I am caught in a new adventure). I will look back on my first two weeks in Australia (Sydney and Melbourne) and think about the music, food and the people that started my adventure.

Defqon.1

Saturday I got up early and took the Sydney subway to Penrith, a suburb in the outskirts of Sydney. In Penrith lies the Sydney International Regatta Centre, which this day was turned into a festival for the Hardstyle music genre. The one day festival started at 11 AM and ended 10 PM with over 15000 people attending.

It is hard to describe the festival in words. The Hardstyle genre attracts a very special kind of people, mostly young adults. There where all sorts of outfits, some very different from anything you will find anywhere else. The music itself is also unique, but something I like more and more.

The Regatta Centre is located on an island in a lake. The festival had 5 stages spread around, each featuring different kinds of music. The stages all had different designs and when the night came, different light, laser and smoke effects.

At these kind of events there tends to be a large amount of drugs. There was an impressive amount of security and police presence, but I still noticed that very many people where doing ecstasy. You could see the ground littered with the small plastic bags and a few people being carried of too the medical tent due too overdoses.

Non the less, the people where very friendly and there where no violence that I could see. I had a great time just walking around from stage to stage, taking pictures and listening to the music. I was thoroughly exhausted when I got back home at midnight, with my ears ringing and my head filled with memories.

I have included some pictures and videos I took, including the lineup for those interested. Sorry for the bad audio, my phone's video recording capability is limited.