Surfing - Couch - Surfing

India, New Zealand, Germany, Poland, Spain, France and Turkey to name a few...

Surfing -- you know I am all about it.  And I am sure you know of couch surfing, whether it be in the form of a flashback from 1969 or a current reality (p.s. your friends are getting tired of your dirty laundry all over their couch).  You might have also read about my brief encounters with couch surfing in previous posts, but over the weekend I had what one could consider a "full on CS experience", and I would like to share it with you.

Yes, there is actually a website called Couchsurfing.  Couchsurfing.org to be exact.  The mission of this website is to connect travelers with other travelers as well as locals all over the world.  It is not only a website that hooks people up with a free place to stay for the night, but also a forum to post casual activities like, "Drinks tonight at Bondi", so that people such as myself who don't have too many friends don't have to drink alone.  Noble, don't you think?

While I usually use CS to meet people to surf with, this past weekend I decided to join a camping trip to Jervis Bay, three hours south of Sydney.  I saw that a few people I know (and like) were attending, so I decided, what the hell, and signed up.

By the night before we were to leave, nearly thirty people had signed up for the trip.  How was anybody ever going to organize and coordinate getting thirty people - mostly backpackers, who are about as easy to herd as cats - into cars at 9am on a Saturday morning?

Miraculously, people showed up on time, perhaps because the organizer, a guy named Dan, threatened to leave anybody late behind (which I am pretty sure we did).  By 9:30 we were on the road headed for Jervis Bay.  I was riding with my buddy Alex, who is also a keen surfer (the real kind) so along the way we sussed out a few waves.

Although we had an agonizingly long stop at a Woolworth's for everybody who didn't buy food and drinks to do so before we went out into the boonies, everything was amazingly well coordinated.  I guess it just comes down to the fact that, being adults, when told to be at a certain place at a certain time, we can usually do it.

Around three in the afternoon we finally made it to the campsite, where the rangers stuck us in the far corner so as not to disturb any of the nice families, which we managed to do anyway.  However, we had a nice big space to ourselves  - our big, happy family.

The thing that struck me most about this experience was the cultural mismash of people.  It was amazing.  We had people from all over the world: the UK, the US, France, Spain, Estonia, Germany, Sweden, Ireland, Poland, Turkey, Jordan, Israel, Russia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India and Australia.  We had Muslims and Jews, Buddhists and Hindus, atheists and devotees.  Sure, there were a few religious and political discussions, but people were far more concerned with playing soccer (football), swimming, drinking, eating and having a good time than solving the world's problems.  

No cheesy icebreaker games but a cheesy underwater picture (or 200).

There were no cheesy icebreaker games and although there was a general game plan: arrive 3:00pm, start drinking 3:01pm, we were all free to do as we pleased.  Alex and I considered sneaking off to go find a decent wave to surf, but decided to hang out with the group and get to know people a bit better. 

There is something a bit exhausting about starting a friendship from square one, but it is exciting and exhilarating as well.  Particularly with Couchsurfing, people come from such different backgrounds than mine that they always have at least one mind-bending story to tell.  From sharing ridiculously strong (and bile-like) spirits with a Turkish dude to watching two British chicks trying to set up a tent, we had many entertaining moments.

I tend to like the people I meet on CS.  Granted, you can pick and choose the people you want to interact with, but I find that, in general, Couchsurfers are genuine people, interested in other people and doing interesting things.  They are the people who did more than just talk about getting out there - they are out there doing it right now.

But you don't necessarily have to be a backpacker on a budget to be involved with CS.  I have met a few Ozzies that host couchsurfers just to keep their lives interesting.  When things get a little boring, invite a Russian to crash on your couch for the night and that should spice things up!  

Granted, as with meeting anybody online, one has to use good judgement when meeting and finding people to stay with.  Everybody has a profile and can get responses and feedback from other people, but  I guess to takes faith in humanity for this site to work.  

As far as my experiences have gone, Couchsurfing has only given me more faith in humanity, as it is not only good for a casual beer and an interesting conversation, but also demonstrates that people from all over the world and from all different backgrounds and can have one hell of a time roughing it out in the wilds of Jervis Bay for 24 hours or so.

Oz Day and Other Exciting Information

This tree fell within 1 meter of Emma's car - yikes!

It's been a long time, I know.  It's not you - it's me.  I want to be able to wow you with crazy and exotic stories, but life here is just a bit too normal at the moment.  It has gotten to the point where, when I take the ferry to Manly to go surf I am more interested in watching Judge Judy or whatever else happens to be on the TV than taking pictures of the opera house and harbour bridge.  I am not trying to be smug, but one can only have so many pictures of the opera house, and we don't have TV on the boat.

To be fair, this is exactly what I wanted - to get to know a place and people, to learn my way around.  Unfortunately I still get terribly lost every once in a while.  I have been seriously considering joining the 21st century and getting an iPhone so that I might know where I am all the time, but it seems like it might take a lot of the excitement out of trying to get to work in the morning.

In other news, Australia Day was last weekend!  Australia Day is the Aussie equivalent of 4th of July meets Columbus Day.  Nobody could be bothered to tell me the exact significance of the holiday, except that you drink all day, have swimming races and listen to Triple J radio station's hottest 100 countdown.

Actually, Triple J is a really cool radio station.  If you are interested in listening to new and awesome music, check out their website at http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/.  It is a government run radio station so there are no commercials, so brand endorsements, and no bad language censoring.  It has been great to catch up on all the new music I have missed over the past two years.  The hottest 100 countdown is the world's biggest music democracy, with millions of people from all over the world voting for their favorite songs of the year.  Of course I had not heard of most of the songs, but believe it or not there is some great new music out there.

Aside from listening to the hottest 100 countdown, I survived my first cyclone.  Ok, it was not a legitimate cyclone, but I forgot to check the weather before I flew up to the Sunshine Coast for a little weekend trip to spend the holiday with Emma and her mates, and as the tail end of Cyclone Evan crashed into Queensland I was in for a bit of flooding, power outages and falling trees.  

Nevertheless, it was great to spend time with Emma and be back on the Sunny coast.  It felt like visiting my old neighborhood!  I surfed Noosa twice, which was a bit stormy but there was plenty of swell in the water, and we went to a party at Emma's friends house down the coast a ways for Oz Day.  In spite of the torrential rain and howling winds, we partied until the sun came up (or at least until the sky was light).

That afternoon as we were recovering from shenanigans we watched Django in the family's home cinema.  Just as we were to the climax of the movie - have you seen it?  I don't want to spoil anything - where Django is about to DIE, the power went out.  We were all left in the pitch black to wonder if Django makes it out alive.  If you have not seen the movie I would highly recommend you do so - it is pretty good and relatively not-too-gory, at least by Tarentino's standards.

On Sunday evening we returned to Brisbane as the weather got even worse and the news on TV spewed doomsday segments.  To be fair, Bundaberg (remember Bundy?!) was hit with the worst flooding in the town's history and thousands of homes were lost.  People there are still homeless.  Fortunately Brisbane was not hit too hard, although a few boats broke loose from their moorings and a tree fell down in front of Emma and Rowan's house, narrowly missing Emma's car.  At least our minds were put at ease as we downloaded (shhhhh!!) the last 20 minutes of Django and saw it through to the end.

Alas, other than a quick weekend trip, a national holiday, a bit of work and a bit of cyclone, that is all the news that is fit to print.  I have made nice friends in Sydney, have good work (albeit a bit spotty), and surf as much as I can.  I have to enjoy these sandy beach breaks before we head back up to the tropical, razor sharp reef breaks of Indonesia.  At least, that is the plan at this point.  But who knows what the future will hold?!

The Real World - Sydney

Hooray, you get to hear me winge about working again!  Ok, it's not that I am whining, but working full time is putting a serious damper on my social life.  However, I am getting paid very well (expensive living = high wages) so I am trying to suck it up and work as much as I can.

Yes, I am back in the marine detailing business. It happened much the way I got my first job - I was minding my business, mucking around on the internet one morning when I noticed two guys washing the boat next to us in the marina.  "Oh well, here it goes," I thought to myself.  I got off the boat and walked over: "Hey!  My name is Corie.  I see you guys are doing marine detailing.  Boats are my life.  You probably don't need another marine detailer, do you?"  (Or something to that effect.)  "Actually, yes, we do need another worker.  Do you have any experience polishing stainless?"  "Do I?!..."

And I had a job.  I must admit it was a huge relief to land a job in Sydney.  It can be kind of an intimidating place to look for a job, everybody dressed so nice, walking so fast (they know where they are going) - the general hustle and bustle.  Well, painlessly enough, I am now a part of it.  Again.

My first day I worked with the owner of the company and another employee.  First we washed a 100 foot power boat which took a few hours, but only because we busted ass to knock it out.  These guys work hard and fast.  I had almost forgotten how hard the work is...

Our second boat of the day was a little party-speed boat.  My boss warned me before we got on the boat, "If you find any huge rolls of cash or little bags of cocaine, just ignore it."  Sure thing, boss.  We do a lot more interior detailing than I did on the Sunshine Coast, and I am finding it absolutely disgusting to clean cabins after angry, cocaine fueled sex.  But everything has a price, and the price is right.

After I finished the cabins I moved on to the galley area.  As I was polishing the floor my boss pointed out all the little dents in the boards.  "You see those?  Those are from the strippers wearing their high heels on the boat.  I tell the owner, 'Mate, have the girls take off their heels before they get on the boat.  And he says, 'but Mate, they look so good in heels."

Yes, working in Sydney is a bit different from working on the Sunny Coast.  In spite of the hard work and long hours I am enjoying working here, and not just because it enables me to go out and have enough cash to do the things I want to do.

Yesterday we worked in North Sydney and I had to navigate public transportation to get there.  On the bus we drove past the giant rubber duck in Darling Harbour, which I had wanted to check out.  I got off at the central bus station where everybody was dashing about in their suits and ties and heels and fancy briefcases on their way to work in a high rise air conditioned office.  I, on the other hand, was going to wash boats out in the hot sun all day, but even then I felt very frumpy with my boardies and backpack on.

I caught my second bus and took it to "The Spit" in North Sydney, crossing the harbor bridge along the way and catching a stunning view of the opera house in the morning light.  I essentially got all my sight seeing done on my way to work.  Most excellent.  Of course I was way too exhausted to care about these thing on my way home, as two of us washed seven thirty to fifty-foot powerboats that day.

You see, it is quite a trade off, this work instead of play.  Sooner or later we all have to work - I recognize that.  But who knows the next time I will be here?  Should I stick this job out as long as I can and pass up seeing more of Australia?  Pass up fun activities and meeting cool people?  I suppose I am looking for a balance (aren't we all?) between work and play, because at the moment it is all work and not much play because I am too tired at the end of the day!

I already know what you are going to say: dry your tears, princess... toughen up, buttercup.  I appreciate the sympathy, really.  But don't feel too bad for me because this weekend the surf is supposed to be good and the weather nice.

Sydneeeezy

Oooooooooeeeeeeeeooooooooeeeeeee goes the shark siren through the loudspeaker on the lifeguard tower.  

"A BULL SHARK HAS BEEN SIGHTED IN THE SURF.  ALL SWIMMERS AND SURFERS ARE ADVISED TO RETURN TO SHORE."

Damn.  I had just made it out past the surf for my second session of the day when the siren went off.  The people surfing around me and I all looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and turned to paddle in.  Nobody seemed to be too frantic so I waited for a decent wave to come and rode it to shore.  And not all surfers went in, so when it looked like the lifeguards had herded the shark (which I did not actually see) far enough out to sea I paddled back out, making sure to surf a little closer to other people.

Yes, this is just another typical day in the life of a Sydney-sider.  Whereas I do not yet consider myself a Sydney-sider yet, I am enjoying the hell out of this city.  Good surf, beautiful beaches, great night life, cool people, efficient public transportation... what more could you ask for in a city?!  The only problem with Sydney is that it is outrageously expensive, which is why tomorrow I start my job search.

Yes, I have decided to give life in Sydney a go and not return to the Sunshine coast - at least for a while - but who knows what will happen.  Life works in mysterious ways.  And while I think that 2013 will be the best year yet - happy new year by the way - it is bound to be a bit odd (sorry, I can't resist terrible puns).

Speaking of the New Year, mine was pretty epic.  We anchored Rutea just off Taronga Zoo, across from the harbor bridge and the opera house to ensure good seats for the fireworks.  During the day the anchorage filled up with more and more boats - some little, some big, some full of good looking young people and some not so much...  I made friends with a few guys on a sailboat and drank beers with them all afternoon while I waited for my good friend Emma to arrive from Brisbane.  She made it to the boat around 10 PM and then we started the serious partying.

Our seat for the fireworks... not bad!

The fireworks off the bridge, the buildings and the barges around the harbor were quite impressive, as was our NYE dinner that Mom and Dad pulled out all the stops on.  After the fireworks there was a mass exodus of drunken boaties.  We, however, stayed put and managed to go through many bottles of champagne before getting to sleep sometime in the wee hours of the morning.

For the next few days Emma and I palled around the city.  I looked at this time as my "vacation" because I intend to get a job ASAP, but in the meantime we hung out at Bondi beach, explored Oxford street, got drinks at The Rocks and generally cruised around Sydney taking in the sights.  Of course Rutea was at anchor all this time and it was a bit tricky sharing the dinghy among four people, not to mention having sandy feet as we walked through the posh neighborhood of Woolwich.

Emma and me having a grand time at Bondi where, at least that day, there were no shark sightings.

But times they are a changing.  Emma flew back to Brisbane yesterday and Mom, Dad and I are currently sailing down the harbor from Manly to Birkenhead Point, where Dad landed us a slip.  Although I am bummed to be leaving Manly - where it is a short walk from the anchorage side to the surf beach side - I am really stoked to be going into a marina.  This means that we will have access to water and showers, and I will be able to get on and off the boat at my leisure.  No more calling for rides back to the boat at midnight...

And so, play time is over.  Time to buckle down and start the hunt for a job or, at the least, start doing projects on Rutea.  I seriously doubt, however, that the good times will stop.  Oz is too much fun for that!

Sydney

I'm bored.  Okay, maybe not "bored" but I am going a bit stir crazy.  I have spent many a day idly watching the sun slowly crawl across the sky, but being trapped on the boat in the middle of Sydney harbor gives me a bit of a frantic feeling.  Maybe it is all the sea planes and jet skis buzzing around, or maybe the it's thought of the potential surf at Manly beach just over the hill, but whatever it is, it gives me ants in my pants.

To be fair, I could get off the boat.  It's just that there is thirty knots of wind which makes for extremely choppy seas and generally nasty conditions for a dinghy ride.  I could go into town via kayak or dinghy but I would arrive as sopping wet as if I had just swam in - another option.  In spite of being antsy I have opted to hang out on the boat and forgo a day exploring Sydney... these are the joys (and obstacles) of living on a boat (again).

I left Mooloolaba Beach Backpackers a bit sad and very excited.  On the one hand Mooloolaba had become my home - I know the waves and have made good friends, on the other hand it is sweltering hot and I don't have work during the holidays, so I hopped on a plane and within three hours was reunited with Mom and Dad on Rutea in Sydney harbor.

For the record, Mooloolaba to Sydney is the only leg of the trip that I flew whereas Mom and Dad sailed.  And whereas I do feel like I cheated a bit and cannot actually say that I sailed into Sydney harbor, it was super easy, comfortable and I would consider doing it again.

The three of us had a very nice Christmas together.  While I might have done a repeat of Thanksgiving and eaten instant noodles for Christmas dinner, Mom and Dad pulled out all the stops.  Roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread pudding... oh parents how I missed you so.  Amazing food aside it was very nice to spend Christmas with family.  The weather even resembled a North American Christmas complete with rain and cool weather all day.  I even had to put slippers on!

Yes, both the air and the water are much cooler here in Sydney than they are on the Sunshine coast.  The water is a chilly 70 degrees and the air is a pleasant 75.  You can walk around the city without becoming drenched in sweat.  I am not so crazy about putting on a wetsuit again, but it is worth it to surf the famous Bondi and Manly beaches.

We are now anchored in Manly cove.  I must admit it is pretty flash: we take the dinghy into shore, walk two blocks down streets filled with designer food and clothing shops, and end up at Manly beach.  I couldn't ask for much more, except maybe for this wind to die down so I can get out there and enjoy it.  I am not too worried though, I might be here for a while.  I left my job with Dusty open ended so I might or might not return, which he was cool with.  There are so many people and things to do around here that I might give the city life a go.

However, living on the boat (at anchor) and living in in the city might prove to be a bit difficult.  I mean, you gotta shower every day around here (or at least most), and there are very few dinghy docks so getting to and from the boat is a little tricky, but the rent is free and the food is amazing.  Also, New Year's Eve is coming up and Sydney harbor is the place to be - tickets for a booze cruises the night of are going for $2,000.  I considered charging random backpackers a few hundred for a night on the water, but decided to go with the more elite crowd - Mom and Dad and perhaps a friend or two.  It should be one hell of a party.

Mooloolaba Beach Backpackers

Mooloolaba Beach Packers

I am living on land.  I know, weird, right?  But it's cool.  In fact, it is really fun.  However, finding the balance between working 10-12 hour days, socializing/partying with all the cool people here and still managing to get a bit of sleep is proving to be a bit tricky.  Fortunately the weekend (and the end of days, according to some) has arrived and I survived.

Mark sailed for Brisbane early Monday morning, and after working all day I moved into Mooloolaba Beach Backpackers hostel.  I have partied here quite a bit but up until this point had not had the pleasure of sleeping in a hot and stuffy cinderblock room with three other people on a terrible mattress on a rickety bunk bed.  

Aside from the crappy rooms and funky amenities, this place is really cool.  People are super friendly, there is a pool, pool table, free surfboards to use, bikes, paddle boards and of course, a party every night.  I must admit it is fun to get off work after a long, hot day and and relax in the pool with a beer or run down to the beach for a quick surf, but it doesn't leave much time for, say, making a nice dinner or taking a nap before the night's festivities start.  

You would think it would be pretty easy to sleep after cleaning boats for ten hours, surfing in the evening and drinking a few beers, but last night between the stifling, still heat, the mosquitoes in the room, the electrical storm outside and the people next door having ridiculously loud sex, it was nearly impossible.  I was finally able to get to sleep around 3am, only to work at 5:30am.  Such are the joys of living here.

Don't get me wrong - I am not complaining about working or living at the hostel.  It's all good.  This last week we worked on a boat down at Bribie island, close to Brisbane.  I worked with my boss and my co-worker Pete, who are both good guys.  At one point Pete asked me, "What is your least favorite thing about living in Australia?"  I had to think about it for a while because generally things are pretty sweet as here.  

"I would have to say, my least favorite things about Australia is how quick people are to become violent here.  (That, and the fact that all the waves are so crowded),"  I told Pete.  It seems like people have more brawls, fights, road rage, and domestic abuse here than other first world nations.  That being said, there is very little gun violence.  Gun control laws here are very strict as I believe they should be in the States.  People here also seem to be pretty conservative.  I told Pete that whereas I find Aussies very extroverted and open, I am careful about what I say to them.  Not that I would ever not stand up for gay rights or immigrants rights, but I don't start preaching my liberal views when I first meet somebody.

Random wave picture?  Why not.

Later that day as we were finishing up the boat we were working on, the owner came down.  He knew I am a Yank traveling by boat and wanted to give me a few Australia t-shirts.  I thanked him and he told me that they were made in Australia and all that good stuff, and wished me well carrying on sailing into Indonesia.  As we were packing up to leave, the owner and his wife came out to have a chat with us.  He told me to be careful sailing into Asia: "There's a heap of pirates up there and you have to be careful.  You should get a gun.  An AK-47 would be best." 

"Ummmm...thanks.  I think we will be alright though... I am not too worried about it."  I told them.  Then the man went off on a rant about asians immigrating to Australia and how terrible it is, while his wife said under her breath, "If you want to buy a gun without a license I am sure we can arrange that for you."  Thanks, but no thanks.

As we pulled away I asked Dusty, "Did that 70 year old lady just try to sell me guns illegally?" "Yep!  Welcome to Australia mate!"  Dusty said.  "She's a nice lady, isn't she?  Bat shit crazy, but a nice one, hey?"  Welcome to Australia.

As might be able to tell, I am having a great time.  Working, surfing, partying, meeting new people, having new experiences - it's all good.  And while I am having a blast living at the backpackers and working for Dusty, he is taking a vacation and we have knocked off for the holidays.  I fly down to Sydney on Sunday to meet up with Mom and Dad, who have been sailing down there.  I plan to spend Christmas and New Years in Sydney with them and then... who knows?!

Working 9 to 5

Noosa may be a perfect wave but Mooloolaba gets her fair share of barrels too.

I have not been ignoring you, I promise.  It's just that I usually try to wait for something interesting to happen before I write and, well, live has been a bit too normal around here these days.


I don't actually work 9 to 5 - it's usually more like 6 to 6 (including travel time). - because I spent most of last week working on boats in the Brisbane area, which is an hours drive away.  It is kind of nice to have that hour of buffer time between dragging myself out of bed and starting polishing, but it makes for some very long days.

Last week was a bit brutal by my standards, due in part to the fact that I made the foolish decision to go out on Thursday night before working at 6 am on Friday morning.  I can safely say that those 10 hours of scrubbing boats in a parking lot under the searing sun were some of the worst of my life.  Granted, Dusty could have fired me for showing up so ruined, but instead he said things like, "Corie, how are you feeling?"  "HOW ABOUT NOW?!?!"  And laughed his ass off.

Yes, work is good.  But so is not working.  We didn't have much lined up in the way of work this week so Dusty gave me a few days off, which majestically coincided with the first pumping swell that has appeared since I arrived on the Sunshine coast.

Mooloolaba has decent surf but everybody kept telling me how good Noosa gets, so yesterday Mark and I grabbed our boards, hopped on a bus and headed for the famed point break.  In my travels I have taken many a bus to search for many a wave, but none quite like this.  The bus was right on time, it was clean and air conditioned, the bus driver was friendly and very helpful.  Of course it cost us $30 one way to get there, but that is public transportation in Australia for you.

The bus took us right into the heart of Noosa Heads, a cute and touristy surf town complete with surf club,  surf shops on every corner, swanky cafes and designer boutiques.  Mark and I decided to cruise around and get a chic ($10) coffee before going out to surf, and wandered off down a street.  I guess my inner compass was working because within a few hundred meters we ended up on the beach with a perfect right sand point reeling right in front of us.

Dude.  Forget the coffee, let's go surf.  Noosa Heads is a series of point right breaks that, when a north east to south east swell hit, light up and send perfect waves barreling down the beach.  The only problem with this wave is the crowds.  It is actually true that everybody in Australia surfs, and they all descend on the point breaks when it gets big.  At First point alone there were easily 100 people out, with surfers stretching all along the coastline for the next mile of waves.  Groms, girls, old locals, kooks, tourists, shredders, style masters... everybody was out.

Not to be excluded, I grabbed my board and jumped in.  I wished very much that I had a longboard so I could paddle battle for the set waves, but I managed to sit inside and get a few drainers without getting run over by one of the afore mentioned surfers.  I did see quite a few people get run over, lose their boards into the rocks and get dropped in on, but I guess that is how it goes around here - or anywhere with a good wave and lots of tourism.

After a sweet surf and lunch at a swanky cafe, Mark and I took a walk out through Noosa Heads national park because we heard that you can see koala bears in the trees.  Not only did we see a koala bear - which for the record looks exactly like the stuffed animal - but we also saw more and more perfect waves around every point.  What an amazing place.  This is what I envisioned Oz to be: koalas and sandy barrels.

After being taunted by enough waves we headed back into town to surf again.  I bit the bullet and rented a longboard.  I really wanted one of those nice set waves at First point and being on a bigger board allowed me to get one.  And then another.  And another.  By the end of the day it was all I could do not to fall asleep on the bus ride home - sore, sunburned and stoked.

Today was back to work, and I spent 10 hours polishing stainless steel.  Fun!  The swell is still pumping and I am considering heading back up to Noosa this weekend, but who knows, there is lots of fun to be had around here as well.

But the waves will be around for a while.  This current swell is generated from south easterly trade winds, but there is a cyclone off American Samoa which will send more waves our way.  I feel incredibly guilty about this as I have been wishing for a cyclone to form and kick some swell my way, although I have friends on a boat in Am. Sam. who are currently sitting out 100 m.p.h winds in Pago Pago.  I'm sending out positive thoughts to all those in the path of nature's destruction - yachties and locals alike.