After the c. 2 weeks I spent in Brazil and which I shared with you in my last post, I embarked on my first ever trans-pacific flight towards the Land of Oz, Oz, Aus or just simply Australia. As some of you may be aware the latter was alongside Mexico, Brazil and Japan, one of the prime destinations I was intending to visit on this world trip. As you may recall (not sure if I shared this with all of you here) these were the pillars, so to speak, of my trip, with all the intermediate destinations selected as a means of getting from one of these “pillars” over to the next. First things first... smith street.
Located in the trendy, artsy and up-and-coming (well, maybe it’s already lively enough and kicking) district of Collingwood in Melbourne, Smith Street (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=smith+street,+fitzroy,+melbourne&aq=&sll=-37.87571,145.039559&sspn=0.0094,0.021136&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Smith+St,+Fitzroy+Victoria,+Australia&z=15) is quite possibly the closest thing I have seen thus far to my former neck of the woods in London (c. 2008/2009) à Shoreditch (http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Shoreditch+High+Street,+Hackney&aq=0&sll=-37.801487,144.98386&sspn=0.01882,0.042272&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Shoreditch+High+St,+Hackney,+Greater+London,+United+Kingdom&z=16) . Although the latter was located slightly closer to city centre (by that I mean The City – or the business/financial district) they both share common characteristics which to this day I had not been able to discern anywhere else. These can both be described, on the one hand, as the nucleus of the emerging artistic/musical indie subculture and, on the other, as a vivid representation of a truly fascinating cultural melting pot – all that topped by an overarching atmosphere of openness, mutual self-respect and "libertarianism". It would not be uncommon to walk 100 metres down either Smith Street or Shoreditch High Street and stumble upon a live music gig from a 3-years-down-the-line-famous-to-be indie band, a kebab shop, a gambling venue as well as a gay/lesbian bar. To me, these neighbourhoods, in spite of being classified by many as the ghettos of contemporary youth, act as the perfect representation of the urban evolution of our cities, and most significantly of our societies. For one can be truly stunned by the cultural, gastronomic and entertainment quality offered in a place like this, in addition to the "libertarian" vibe one can be surrounded by.
My arrival in Australia was preceded by a rather long flight from Brazil. To that one must add the relevant time-zone shift and as a result one develops a chronic fatigue state and a totally messed-up biological clock for, at least, the next 2 days. Nonetheless, all worth the trip down under, given the extremely high expectations I had on my visit. Unfortunately, though, I was well aware that 2.5 weeks would certainly not be enough time to cover, even if just partially, a country/continent the size of the US. So, on my flight over and during the last couple of days in Brazil I began to devise my itinerary, as always, in part based by the recommendations and tips I had received from fellow travellers as well as from friends back home (Spain, UK, US, Europe, etc.). All that said, I arrived in Sydney late on a Monday night. I should note here, for the audience’s benefit, that one of the objectives I set myself for this stay in Australia was to give Couch Surfing (www.couchsurfing.org) a shot. I had been advised by many friends and acquaintances that this online community was ideal to meet locals and enjoy their company while they hosted you in exchange of travel ideas, recommendations, tips – and an overall good time. The principle is quite straightforward... people open up their houses, let you stay with them (for free) on which ever surface they have available (bed, couch, air mattress, floor?), show you around the area/city and provide you with insights into their lives, culture, interests, etc. To me, a true complement to the hostel experience, where, to a certain extent, one only meets fellow travellers who tend to be in the same “clueless” state as oneself when it comes to visiting a place/country for the first time. Another ruling principle is that one is able to benefit from people’s goodwill to host by accepting to give back when a couch could potentially be available after one has settled down post travelling. So, in my case, when I settle in Chicago starting this September, I will very much be open to receive travellers and aim to share with them as much as I can on the city, the country, my past+future travels, etc. Good stuff, really, that can result in lasting friendships. I would encourage all of you to give it a try next time you travel. You won’t be disappointed! I was unable to arrange a “surf” in Sydney as I couldn’t get in touch with my potential host early enough. I nevertheless stayed in a backpackers’ hostel for the first 3 nights I was in Australia. I arrived to the hostel at c. 8pm and would you believe it, there was already an outing prepared for the evening. In spite of being completely crushed I decided to tag along. We went to a bar nearby where I met some of the hostel folk (hadn’t had much time beforehand as I had spent the c. 30 minutes I was in hostel to leave my bags, make my bed and explore the place) and had a great time. First shock from that first evening though, I found out how expensive Australia was going to be, not only in terms of entertainment/nightlife but in general... food, transportation, accommodation. Fyi, I paid, on average, US$ 25/night in a hostel in Australia, whereas in Peru and the rest of LatAm (ex Brazil) I never paid more than US$10/12. Yeap, depressing... add to that the mind-blowing performance of the AUD vs the EUR and the GBP over the past 2 years (currencies in which I hold most of my savings) and you get one very shitty purchasing power for Viguera... The next day I woke up early with the aim of seeing selected parts of Sydney as, given its magnitude, it is relatively challenging to visit in one day. So, in that first day, I focused on the Botanic Garden (where the Governor’s House is), the Opera House, King’s Cross/Paddington (the area where my hostel was) and some parts of downtown. Another preliminary observation: it rained the entire day. It basically didn’t stop until I left the city. That’s what I get, I suppose, for visiting during “their” fall/winter. What impressed me the most that first day was, apologies for sounding cliché, the Opera House. Absolutely breath-taking! Being an architecture "aficionado", I took great joy in walking in and out + around the construction. Also, the views from across both the Eastern and Western bays are very worth it. Honestly, no wonder this building gives Sydney a predominant part of its identity, even if just to the outside world. A true must, along with the hundreds of pictures I took of it. In the evening, again a similar story, I went out to a local bar with some of the people from the hostel. It was good fun as we went to a karaoke-type bar (no... I know what you are thinking... I didn’t make it up on the stage myself! Didn’t want to embarrass any of the other participants! hehe). There I met Mario and Pascal, two really easy-going and cool German dudes with whom I spent most of the evening and whom I would randomly run into in Byron Bay, on the East coast of Australia, about 2 weeks later towards the end of my trip. The next day, I decided to explore some more of Sydney with another guy from the hostel who was in my dorm. We went to the Olympic village (he was very keen but most definitely not a must...), Chinatown (where we had a succulent bowl of Ramen! and where I bought my bus ticket, to Melbourne, for the next day) and Darling Harbour. We also crossed over Harbour Bridge for superb views of downtown and the Opera House. Given that, yet again, it was raining heavily and incessantly we took the ferry back after a short stop by Sydney’s main amusement park – Luna Park – which apparently was shut in the 1970’s (and for a few years after that too) due to a series of accidents which took place there. That night I was totally exhausted and stayed in. I had walked a lot over the last couple of days and needed a rest from all that marching under the rain. The next day was due to be my last I was catching the overnight bus to Melbourne (c. 12 hours) at 7pm from Central Station. During the day I opted to head over to one of the most famous surfer destinations in or around Sydney: Bondi Beach. It must have taken me c. 2 hours to get there but the effort was totally worth it! Although the beach was rather empty, as in spite of the bright sunshine it was a bit chilly, there were some surfers catching the decently-sized waves along the coast. I stayed there for a while, just relaxing, walking around and taking pictures (you know that my camera is a dear friend). The views from the northern part of the beach were particularly nice, very much reminding me of the “Peine de los Vientos” area of La Concha (cfr. Chillida statues), San Sebastian’s main beach. I walked on the way back as well, although I did make a stop at a Jewish bagel store (not sure why it was there but it was delicious) along the way. Got back to the hostel in time to get my things and set out towards the bus station. What awaited was a long 12-hour bus ride to Melbourne. Nonetheless, from a big-picture standpoint, have been through much worse... like that 20 hour train ride from Bucharest to Budapest! Also, the bus was quite comfortable, nothing like I had ever seen before. Surprisingly, the seats were much more separated from one another and the excessive and vital leg room made the trip all the more comfortable.
I arrived to Melbourne at c. 8am on Friday morning. I was due to head over to my Couch Surfing (CS) host’s, Felicia (Born and raised in Singapore but living/working in Melbourne), house a bit later that morning so I decided to have breakfast at a Cafe while I caught up with some emails, the news, facebook, etc. I got to Felicia’s place at around 10am. Although I had voluntarily told her that I would be arriving slightly later than my bus arrival time, so that her and her sister, Hui Ying, could enjoy a proper night’s sleep, it seemed from the look on her face when she opened the door that my ringing the door bell had awaken her. After the preliminary introductions, we spent the next c. 3 hours chatting, just about everything. My trip, my plans, her past travels, her euro-trip scheduled for this summer and some many other things along the way I can’t even remember. All I can recall is that it was an extremely pleasant conversation. Felicia was due to begin her shift at work at c. 3pm, so at 2pm, and just after a dashing visit to Fitzroy Gardens, we went for lunch at a Vietnamese restaurant in Richmond (the Vietnamese district). Afterwards, I set off to discover the city on my own for a few hours. I went pretty much all over. Melbourne is slightly smaller than Sydney, so in one or two days, most of the relevant sights and places can be covered. As a side note I should mention that Melbourne and Sydney are two very different cities. Although they are both inspired, quite logically, by British influence, Melbourne does have more of a European flair, while Sydney is much more of an North American-style metropolis. In my opinion, the contrast could be exemplified by associating Sydney to Toronto and Melbourne to Montreal. I hope that helps you picture it. Needless to say that Melbourne was, by and large, my favourite out of the two! In that first day I covered Fitzroy Gardens, Carlton Street (“Little Italy”), the Melbourne University campus, the CBD (business/financial disctric), Chinatown as well as the area close to Flinders station. In the evening, I went out with Felicia, some of her friends and her sister to a pretty cool bar along Smith Street. We partied all night long and woke up late the next morning. As it was Felicia’s day-off, she was very kind to offer her help as a guide. Given that I had seen most of central Melbourne the previous day, we went to the southern district of St. Kilda, where we walked around and took in the relaxed yet lively atmosphere. We also went to Brighton beach, which is situated a bit further South and has some of the best views of Melbourne. It is also well-known for its multicolour beach huts (pic below). That evening I had made plans to meet up with Cat, an Australian friend of mine from my time at Penn. We met at 7pm (well... she was a bit late for our meeting. And then Spaniards have to live with the reputation of always being the ones who are late!) and went to a cool bar along Brunswick Street (also in the Fitzroy/Collingwood area) called “The Black Cat” for a couple of drinks. Afterwards, we moved over to Smith Street for dinner at an amazing Japanese restaurant and, yet, another drink. Being a very responsible individual, Cat had to tuck herself into bed before midnight, so we parted ways around 11:30pm after having spent a heck of an evening! Let’s hope, though, that it doesn’t take us another 5 years to arrange another reunion! ;) I got to Felicia’s place just when her and her sister were getting ready to head out. The three of us went out for a rather long while around the area, and just when I thought I was going to be able to catch the Barca-Man U. Champions League final (5am local time), I passed out on the couch. Shame on me! Regardless, Barca won and I was able to wathc the highlights the next morning. After, yet again, another late wake-up, I headed over to Southern Cross station to catch a bus to Apollo Bay. This marked the beginning of my adventure along the Great Ocean Road. Melbourne was an absolute blast... Particular thanks to Felicia, her sister and Cat for making it happen! ;)
My journey along the Great Ocean Road began at 7pm in Melbourne when I caught the bus to Apollo Bay. I had heard incredible things about that coastal road which spans c. 200km between Geelong and Warrnambool (approx). I was particularly excited to see the 12 Apostles and the area along the coast. Was also hoping to spot some cool wildlife such as Koalas and Kangaroos. I had heard from friends that the best way to travel along the Great Ocean Road (GOR) was to rent a car in Melbourne and just drive on. Being by myself though, with the evident budget limitations, and not being a true expert when it comes to driving on the WRONG (yes you heard me... wrong!) side of the road, I decided to pass and opted for the bus. I got to Apollo Bay at c. 11pm and found the place to be deserted. That preliminary impression would also be applicable to the hostel I was due to stay at as it was, literally, empty! The next morning, and being aware that travel along the coast would be challenging by bus, I decided to try my luck with hitch-hiking. I had never done it before but had heard some interesting stories of backpackers being able to travel throughout Australia at ease just by using their thumb. Well folks... happy go lucky didn’t have his day it seems and after c. 2 hours of waiting around, waiving my thumb up and down at cars and drivers of all shapes and forms: Nothing! To no avail... Luckily, though, I did manage to find a bus that was going all the way to Warrnambool which went along the GOR and made stops at the most relevant settings, such as the 12 Apostles, the London Bridge, etc. and one which I particularly enjoyed – the Bay of Islands. Unlike the tours that we ran into along the way, our bus (being a public service bus) only stopped for a limited amount of time in each spot so we (an elderly man and myself – yeap, that was the effective occupancy rate of the bus... 2/60!) had to rush to get over to the viewing platforms, enjoy the scenery and, in my case, take as many pictures as possible! The GOR didn’t prove to be at all disappointing. The Apostles (even if they are called 12, there’s only about 8 or so that are still standing), which are huge rocks about 100 metres off the coast line and have been carved and shaped over the years by the erosion caused by waves and tides, are very impressive. I was fortunate enough that the weather was quite good (sunny, with only partial clouds) and the time of day, close to sunset, made it optimal for picture taking. Also, surprisingly enough, I didn’t run into too many tourists! That night I stayed in Warrnambool in a relatively empty (remember it’s winter time...) hostel. The next morning I walked over to Logan’s Beach which is c. 2 hours away from town and which is famous for being one of the optimal areas for whale watching during June and July. It was a bit frustrating to have walked for so long not to spot any whales but still the views of the beach and the improvised surfers were good enough. That afternoon I left the GOR and returned to Melbourne, where I was due to catch a flight to Brisbane early the next morning.
The only reason why I wanted to stop in Brisbane was because I was intending to travel down the Eastern coast of Australia. I had initially thought of flying to Cairns and then travel all the way back to Sydney but unfortunately it was too far away and I didn’t have enough time to cover it all. I had gotten mixed reviews of Brisbane... the official one, from my lonely planet guide book, depicted a vibrant and growing city with great weather and loads of fun things to do. The unofficial one, from my friend Cat... well she just said it was a shit hole (yes... you did say that!). To be honest, my stance would be somewhere in between. Ok-ish for 24 hours but not much more than that. The hostel I was at was relatively cheap and there were tonnes of backpackers. Fun fact: in my dorm, I met a French couple (must have been c. 22/23 years old) who had been travelling around Australia for the past 4 months and had just arrived in Brisbane in search of a job as they had run out of cash. To illustrate this, let me just say that they were sharing / paying only one bed (i.e. Officially, only one of them was a guest at the hostel). Weird... I had a very very early night and decided to miss out on the hostel pub as I had barely slept the night before. The next day I had to catch a bus to Byron Bay (located to the South of Brisbane and on the way to Sydney). During the c. 1.5 days I spent in Brisbane I mostly walked around the city (small enough to be covered in one day), had lunch in the park, went to Chinatown (gosh I love those places!), walked around the city (a little more) and bought myself a new towel (as I had lost/misplaced my previous one)! I would try to sound a bit more exciting but think the city didn’t really have that much to offer. In conclusion, only go there if you need to fly on your way to Surfer’s Paradise or Byron Bay.
That evening I arrived to Byron Bay, ready to experience what some had described as, without shadow of a doubt, one of the highlights of their Oz experience. In hindsight I couldn’t agree more with that statement. I got into town at c. 9pm and after a rather lousy orientation on my behalf (yeah, I know, not that common in me but does still happen at times!) I finally reached the hostel. I quickly went over to the lounge/common area and, minutes later, I randomly ran into Mario and Pascal, the two German guys I had met in Sydney. I was happy to see them and excited about the prospects of sharing the next couple of days with them. That night, we hit the local hang out, Cheeky Monkey’s (I know, a terrible name...), and partied well into the night. The next morning, I just barely missed the guys, who had already gone to the beach to surf, and I decided to explore Byron Bay on my own – I would leave surfing for the next day. I spent most of my day at the beach, walking up and down the coastline and taking pictures. I finally ran into Pascal and Mario at c. 1pm and spent the rest of the afternoon with them while they were taking turns surfing. After seeing how much of a blast they were having, I told myself I would be trying it out the next day – although all I have ever done is windsurfing (barely) and bodyboarding, back when I was about 10 years old, I thought it could be fun. So after spending most of the day at the beach we went back to the hostel and got ready for dinner. As we began looking for a place to have a cheap bite, we saw a sign reading: “Free BBQ – Everyone Welcome!”. And so we went: Free burgers for everyone. The event was organised by some sort of religious group, but much to my surprise all that demonstrated this were the few bibles and other religious insignia next to the buns. No other displays or manifestations. I would have even attempted to say grace or something for free food. Oh well, as the day went on we got into our evening routine and strolled by the “bottle shop” (much like in Canada, one can only buy alcohol, even beer... in specific stores) to purchase a few beers to have in the hostel courtyard that night. Big night because Nadal was playing his Roland Garros semifinal game against Murray and the game was being shown at Cheeky Monkey’s. Mario, who is half Serbian and very much a “Nole” supporter (he is a lost soul, forgive him!) is also a big tennis fan so we decided to hit the bar at 10pm. From there, the rest is known to most: Nadal won and we all had something to celebrate! The next morning I woke up early-ish (10am) as I had to check out of the hostel and rent out my surfboard and wetsuit for the day. Turns out the previous evening we had managed to get free “half-day” surfboard rental vouchers from the hostel reception (score!), which meant I would save c. AUD 40 (c. EUR 28). We hit our usual spot at the beach and got ready to go. I must admit that I had an absolute blast. I only managed to stand up on the surfboard a couple of times but I did catch a few big waves, even if I just took them flat on my stomach the whole way through: still picked up decent speed. Overall a great first experience, will surely give it a shot some other time. My body was nevertheless in pain though from the full workout, and so it would remain for the next three days. In the process, by the way, I broke one of the fins of the surfboard, without which, in theory, the “steering” becomes hazardous, cut my wrist with one of the remaining fins and managed to witness how the strap one is meant to tie to one’s ankle to ensure the surfboard remains attached ripped – luckily this last “accident” took place towards the end of the day and I was already too tired anyways to keep going. Very much of an eventful day at the beach! That evening I was due to catch the overnight bus (c. 12 hours) back to Sydney as I was flying out the next day. Before then, some of us at the hostel held a BBQ by the beach. Turns out there were free-to-use electric grills and we fired them up big time. About 8 of us enjoyed a beautiful sunset and a succulent feast. Kuddos to Andy and Chris who took on most of the responsibility of being the chefs! Overall, Byron Bay was a blast. Not only did I meet great people and “learn” how to surf but I also got a bit of a tan! Jokes aside, should be on everyone’s Oz list, but be careful as the place gets packed during the summer (i.e. the Northern hemisphere’s winter).
The next day I arrived to Sydney and had pretty much the whole day to spare. I left my big bag at the train station and walked around the city. Stopped at a couple of McCafés to take advantage of the free wifi (as in this country it seems that the concept of free wifi does not exist... not even in hostels. Shame on you!) and take care of some admin., personal things. I also used that time to reminisce on my Oz experience. Amazing country, but way to big for a two week trip. Next time, Perth, Western Australia, Cairns and Ayer’s rock are on the menu. Looking forward to being back! I took way too many pictures during my stay (c. 1000) but have attempted to select and share with you the most representative ones. Hope you enjoy them.
Next stop, where I am now (!), Japan. Pretty thrilled about that. So far been here 24 hours and I am already in love with the place... Let’s see. Oh yeah, currently in Hiroshima – minutes away from the Atomic Bomb Dome. Impressive stuff. Well, that will all have to wait until the next episode. Hasta pronto!
pv
