Kokoda!

Quick update that I've finally gotten my senses together and boughten the plane ticket to Papua New Guinea! Will be embarking on the 9 day Kokoda Trek through the jungle with 9 other Aussies. Should be quite the adventure. Between my own research and talking with others, sounds like I'm in for quite a hard hike. I can't wait :) 

Have been picking up more shifts at the bar in town, which is good b/c its cash in hand that goes right towards my Kokoda fund. I've been waitressing in the bistro but will have my first go behind the bar tomorrow night after the bistro closes. 

Also bought some plane tickets for myself and Bobert to fly down to Adelaide end of the month, looking forward to catch up with him and hear all about his recent African travels! Always nice to check out new areas too as I haven't been to Southern Australia yet. 

All for now, just really excited about Kokoda and want to share with the world!

Cheers

Hey all, haven't written in awhile b/c nothing too exciting to report. Have been trying to work as much as I can to save up money for travels. Aside from the Pet Shop, I've picked up a few shifts at a pub but haven't been told if I'm officially on the roster yet. I want to bring in some extra cash so I can afford to hike the Kokoda Trail in July. Every day is a different battle in my head on whether to spend $3000 on a 9 day hike or use the money to see more of Oz and even go spend a month in SE Asia. 

Other than working have just been spending time with friends, going to Knights Rugby games, beach runs, hiking around local national parks, eating yummy kangaroo steaks, drinking some aussie red, and researching all places/trips I want to do while here. Newcastle has been a great first stop to work and see old mates, but I'm getting antsy to get back on the road. Think I'll stay here for about 2 more months which should set me up to travel for a bit without worrying about how to pay for it. Really want to explore more of Queensland and get over to the Western Australia too. 

Good friend Bobert (worked with him on the boat) is coming to visit next week so really excited to see him and go adventure off for a couple weeks. 

All for now, hope this finds you well and happy. 

Cheers

Aussie Slang

Hey all, here's some translation from Down Unda....

Arvo- afternoon

Ace!- excellent

Middy- sm beer

Schooner- lg beer

Bludger- slacker, relies on others

Mozzie- mosquito

Swimmas- swimsuit

Sunnies- sunglasses

Billy- teapot

Pash- kiss

Pissed- drunk

Sanger- sandwich

Sheila- woman

Bloke- man

Shout- turn to buy the round of drinks "my/your shout"

Swag- rolled up bedding for camping

True Blue- patriotic for Oz

Fairy Floss- cotton candy

Esky- cooler

Dunny or Loo- bathroom

Ute- pickup truck

Brekkie- breakfast

She'll be right!- everything will turn out okay

Stuffed- tired

Footy- Australian Rules Football 

Digger- soldier

Chook- chickens

Barbie- BBQ

Skull- down your beer in one take

Paddock- pasture land

Lollies- candy

Jackaroo/Jillaroo- cowboy/cowgirl

Servo- gas station

Heaps- lots of 

Grog- liquor, beer

There are SO MANY more slang terms. They really do have their own language, these are just a few I can think of now. 

ANZAC Day and Caves Beach

Last Saturday the 25th was ANZAC day celebrating the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. It is a day of remembrance for those soldiers who fought at Gallipoli in Turkey during WW1. It's now also celebrated as an overall salute to all veterans and those currently serving in active duty. Similar to our Veterans Day. I went to a sunrise service at Knobby's Beach in town with Tegan and Kez to show respect for the Anzac's. It was an early start to the day but really glad I was able to attend and experience such an important  day in this country. Most of the service was conducted while it was still dark, but as the sun came up it started to wrap up. The ocean was churning and the waves were massive and very loud the entire time. At the end they shot off 4 cannons and I about jumped out of my skin everytime since I was so close to it. Afterwards we went out for brekkie, I went to work for the afternoon, then went out that night with friends for some Anzac beers. Great day all in all!

Sunday took a trip about 30 min south to Caves Beach. Before going to the beach we stopped in town at a fresh seafood stand and had a great meal of fish and chips. It was a great lunch to soak up the beers from the previous night celebrating Anzac day. Have been wanting to go for the past month so excited to finally get down there. Only have to time the tides right so you can get to the caves from the beach explore for a bit and then be out before the tide comes back in. Kez and I have been doing random training sessions for Kokoda that incorporate some sort of hiking with our packs on in hopes that they become second nature to us. So the idea was to hike around the caves with our packs but didn't end up that way. You enter through this large cave opening that gradually gets smaller and smaller until you have to crawl through this small section to get onto the other side of the beach. So we left our packs at the entrance. We spent a couple hours I would guess going in and out of different caverns and walking out onto all the rocks in the sea to sit and watch the ocean swell. Crawled back through the way we came, put our packs on and walked about a mile down the beach in the opposite direction going up and down the sand dunes to get some hills in. I'm sure Kez and I looked pretty out of place lugging around loaded packs while going down the beach. After awhile we again dropped the packs, sat down on the dunes, and this time watched a pod of dolphins play in the surf out in front of us. We just talked, I dozed in and out of a nap, and enjoyed the sun and solitude before walking back to the car. There were about 150 stairs up to the car so while Tegs waited at the top for us, Kez and I did 5 trips up and down the stairs since Kokoda is either downhill or up hill.  

Next weekend we're going to try and get up to Nelson's Bay about an hour north of Newy, will write more then. 

Cheers

My Aussie Info

Newy Address: 

1/26 Werribi St

Mayfield West, NSW 2304

Australia

Hm: 0249674247

Mobile: 02432844669

In case anyone ever needs to send a letter or give a call :) 

Blue Mountains- 6 Foot Track

During the first night I met Kerryn not only did we talk about hanging out over the blues festival but she also invited me on a trek to the blue mtns straight after getting back from Byron. I jumped on the opportunity to get out into the wild for a few days and get some needed hiking and exploring in. After the long drive back down to Newy on Tuesday, I was dropped off at home to switch out my backpack, take a quick shower and then head down to Sydney that same night with just Kerryn. The purpose of the 3 day hike on the 6 foot track was to train for the Kokoda Trek her and 8 others are planing to do in July. Its a 9 day hike across Papua New Guinea that is filled with history of the war between Australia and Japan. We stayed the night at one of the guys' house along with the other 4 hikers and got up early the next morning to arrange the cars and get to the trailhead in Katoomba. Our group was comprised of Simon, Jason, JT, Bindy, Kerryn, and myself. Of course, everyone here has nicknames so in the same order its Simo, Jase, Bindo/Bin, JT, and Kazza. I was also appointed a new Aussie nickname of Shazza. Some others who are going on the Kokoda Trek were unable to make it for the Blue Mtn training. We stayed up pretty late when in Sydney and it was great to finally meet a group of people who I have so much in common with. They are all so laid back and thoroughly enjoy the outdoors. They were very welcoming to me and already started to try and convince me to join them for the Kokoda trip. I started considering it straight away after hearing them talk and plan for it. 

The next 3 days were fantastic. It was such a breath of fresh air (literally and figuratively) to have met these new friends and get out into the wild. In total the hike was 45 Km, but the longest day was day 2 and it was straight up hill nearly the entire day. Good training for Kokoda as the entire track is up or down as well. Over the course of the 3 days we hiked through a rainforest, dense forest, rolling hills, pastures, and had amazing views of the mountains in between it all. 

Our first nights camp was on a river and we had it all to ourselves. Had to cross this very long but narrow suspension bridge to cross the river one at a time. Set up camp and then we all had a swim in the cold water. The second night was a more proper camp site with a few other trekkers but still fun nonetheless. We ate really well, much better than I would have expected. All the food added some significant weight to my pack but man it tasted good each night after a long day. 

We ended our hike at Jenolan Caves which is only reachable by driving through part of the caves that have been blown up to get cars through or hike like we did. We got in just before noon, had lunch and a much deserved beer. Simo and Jas drove back to Katoomba to get the other car so Kerryn, Bindo, JT and I had time to explore the caves. Was quite a site, something I don't know how to explain so will just have to post pics. 

I'm nearly certain that I will try and do the Kokoda trip in July. The only hold up, as always, is the financial aspect. The trip costs nearly $3000AU which is an expense I didn't anticipate. Sometimes though life presents opportunities and with all the factors I don't think I can let this one pass me up. It would be the trip of a lifetime with a great group of Aussies. 

Other than an epic last week I've been keeping busy working at the pet shop and now I'm going to start looking for another job to help me afford the Kokoda Trek. This Saturday is ANZAC day which is similar to US Veterans day. I'm going to a dawn memorial service at Knobby's Beach Saturday morning, work a few hours in the afternoon then hit up the pub to catch up with most everyone else who doesn't have to work. 

Well, that should catch you up! Hope everyone is doing well back home. Mom tell Cam I wish her a happy belated 40th birthday, I thought of her all day on the 11th. She's the most amazing horse :) 

Cheers

Byron Bay Blues Music Festival

Since my last post not much exciting has happened other than work until Easter weekend rolled around. Every year Byron Bay hosts the East Coast Blues Festival which attracts some great musicians; such as my personal favorite the John Butler Trio. It's a 5 day festival, I bought a 3 day pass and headed up on Friday night. Took an overnight Greyhound bus which was anything but enjoyable. It's cheaper than flying though so just have to suck it up and look forward to the live music and friends. Soon after I moved to Newcastle I was having some drinks on a friends balcony and met my now new friend Kerryn. She grew up in Ballina about 20 min south of Byron Bay and we got to talking about the festival. She offered me a place to stay over the Easter weekend and since my previous accommodation fell through I took her up on it. She drove up with her 3 roommates a few days before me to go the full 5 days. So between them and some other friends from IH there was plenty of good company. 

Most of the festival it rained making some serious muddy conditions. It only added to the great vibe though. Everyone was covered in mud and walking around in gum boots or simply going barefoot making their way through ankle, sometimes calf deep, in mud. It was a massive festival with 5 different stages constantly changing out shows from noon to midnight. Not only was the music great but enjoyed some amazing food and BEER! 

I was able to catch some bands who I already listen to and also learn about some new artists which is always great to hear new tunes. To name a few, I saw Ben Harper, Ayo, JBT, Eric Bibb, That 1 Guy, Seasick Steve, Paul Kelly, Blue King Brown, Jeff Lang, Angelique Kidjo, Tim Finn, Jason Mraz, Missy Higgins, Xavier Rudd, Augie March, Toni Childs, Dallas Frasca.... the list goes on...it was just phenomenal. 

Scored a ride back to Newy with Kerryn and roommates on Tuesday. The 8 hour car ride was heaps better than the 13 hr overnight bus ride.