Twenty-one days on the road most travelled

All good things...

bert166 — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 11:19:00 GMT

…come to an end. Fuck, I can’t get rid of that Furtado song!!

“Traveling I only stop at exits, wondering if I'll stay. Young and restless, Living this way I stress less, I want to pull away when the dream dies. The pain sets in and I don't cry. I only feel gravity and I wonder why. Flames to dust, lovers to friends, why do all good things come to an end”…lalalala…a bit melodramatic for sure, but anyway:)So here we are. At the end of my 21 days on the road most travelled. I would like to thank Christy and everyone at World Nomads for giving me the opportunity to experience so many incredible beautiful moments. I wouldn’t had been able to see all those inspiring places without you guys, so my sincere thanks goes out to you.
I had a fantastic time and I’m pretty sure I will miss my own little hotel room with a marked preference for cheap engine oil. The van never let me down, I didn’t kill anything or anyone and I must confess I would love to drive a little bit further down the road just to see what’s going on over there…But it’s all good…time to let go:)

Good luck and all the best for the next crew in the ambassador van and I hope that they’ll enjoy their journey as much as I did…I’m quite sure they will.

Thanks for reading and a big Cheeeeers to everyone!

All the best. Rob

Is there anyone left in Germany?

bert166 — Mon, 3 Dec 2007 11:13:00 GMT

Arlie Beach.

Sailing the Whitsundays…oh what a feeling!

Whitehaven Beach…The most beautiful beach I ever saw in my entire life. So unbelievable breathtaking. I couldn’t even describe this sight to behold in German. Unreal. I’ll not try to describe the stunning sunset and the colors I saw while snorkeling the great barrier reef. I guess that’s something anyone who has the opportunity should discover on her or his own. This trip was an absolute highlight and I’m so thankful that I was able to experience that.
The whole trip was a great experience though. I never was on a sailing boat before and living so close together with 24 other people wasn’t as stressful I thought it would be. It wasn’t a big deal. Of course it gets smelly down there in the bedrooms and yes it was hot all the time, but who cares?! We all smelled together:)

It was a pity somehow that 12 of the 28 passengers (incl. 4 crew members) were Germans. I know, I don’t wanted to talk about that theme again, but it was a bit of an issue for me and for the others as well. I think it’s in a way unavoidable that if there’s one big group of a certain country this group starts to talk in their mother tongue after a while (after some beers in particular). Especially when they are a bit younger, they’re not felling really comfortable in talking English. At the end of day one we had some sort of grouping like in high school in the recess. I was able to jump from one group to another and back like I wanted to, but I would have loved to see everyone is acting like one team celebrating all this together. But anyway…I loved every single minute on that boat…

I left my beloved running shirt in the hostel. I’m a bloody idiot…

Beef Capital of Australia

bert166 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:35:00 GMT

Rockhampton.

I was tired, after 500km northwards there was a decision to be made. Finding a place to stay in the next city or purchasing a coffee or five and keep driving all the way to Arlie. Or Mackay at least. Rockhampton sounded nice, and I was deeply exhausted so I did what responsible people do;)

There is not much to say about Rocky. Or the Hamptons:) It was Sunday, all shops were closed, not many people on the streets and I didn’t found anything really exiting down there. I was a bit pissed that I lost my lonely planet to get some more information about this city.
I found a hostel close to the centre, parked the van and tried to relax a bit.

There was no one around and I was wondering if I was the only one there this night. I wasn’t. This location felt I bit like a ghost town within a ghost city and the weather fit in perfectly this scenery. After a short walk through in city and an even shorter run along the river (forgot the name again) I met some backpackers in the kitchen and arranged a gathering for some beers after diner. And astonishingly it became a remarkable night. They came from England, Czech Republic and Germany and they were working the local meat factory and I was so glad to hear all those nice ‘n’ eerie stories about working in a slaughter house.

When these guys get bored they start throwing cattle eyes at each other. After theirs shifts of 8 hours some of them are soaking wet with blood all over their bodies and even their undies are blood-red and so on. It’s just crazy when you hear that they are not allowed to talk or to listen to their MP3 player and that they only get 17,10 per hour for this kind of work. Before tax of course. But it’s as always: You get used to almost everything. And that’s what they told me too. They got used that smell and the blood and at the end of the day it’s a job that needs to get done. Damn right.

By the way…I LOVE MY JOB!!!!:)
Next stop: Arlie Beach.

After the sun comes…

bert166 — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 17:21:00 GMT

Fraser Island.

Ok. The weather wasn’t as perfect as usual. But I have booked a 1 day tour anyway, so it wasn’t a big deal. And the van got it’s car wash by mother nature:)

Lake McKanzie, Pinnacles, Elli Creek, 75 miles beach…we did it all in 7 hours. 45 minutes here, half an hour there, lunch in a Holiday resort, anyone needs to pee??…not very loving, but I guess that’s what you have to expect when you’re trying to see this world heritage sight in one day. And once again…so crowded. There heavy traffic on the sand streets in the rainforest of Fraser Island! Sounds weird, but it was like that. Understandable on the other hand, it must have been such fun driving this 4WD by myself though…but no, I’m on a tight schedule now. Sucks, but there’s nothing I can do I reckon.

Next stopover will be either Rockhampton or Mackay, before heading up to Arlie Beach for my 2days/two nights sailing trip round the Whitsunday Islands.

The yellow line

bert166 — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 18:44:00 GMT

Noosa.
What a fantastic place, the perfect holiday location, ridiculously beautiful.

I didn’t had a really good start in Noosa. I parked the van on the central car-park in the centre of Noosa Heads. Bought a coffee, got a map from the tourist information office and had a quick look around, as usual. I went back to the car and found a love letter from the city of Noosa behind my wiper. I still didn’t get why I got fined. For me it looked like a normal parking space. It wasn’t a paid parking lot, that’s for sure and I didn’t block out anyone else. But I have noticed a yellow line on the left hand side on the street afterwards. Is that the reason why?? I do not have any other explanation as there were not signs around in that area. It sucks anyway cause they wanna have 75 bucks from that poor little backpacker without a backpack. That hurts…

Noosa. What a stunning beauty. Such a shame I wasn’t able to stay longer than just two nights. The YHA in the centre of Noosa Heads such a perfect place to relax, close to all that posh stores and cafés down at the main beach, and everyone seems to be more laid back than in any other place I have been so far. There is so much atmosphere in here…unbelievable.
But I had to leave unfortunately. I’m on a schedule now, which means I have to be in Rainbow Beach on Saturday, and in Arlie Beach this Tuesday to see Fraser Island and the Whitsundays. I’m looking forward to that, but still…I wouldn’t mind staying a week or more in Noosa.

Have you seen the left thong of my “Lothar Matthaeus Memorial Addiletts”??:)

Meeting Dr Rick

bert166 — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:14:00 GMT

Brisbane.

A lot of people told me Brisbane isn’t a beauty. Could well be, but I do like character-faces:) After all these beach beauties along the east coast I felt deeply comfortable being in a real city again. All the noises, traffic, crowded streets and skyscrapers…gosh, I like that. I truly do. I had an 4 hour hours walk along the Brissi-River, passed Kangaroo Point and South End and went on to the CDB and the Botanic Gardens. AND lost my Lonely Planet on the way. Don’t ask how this could happen…I have no idea, but it’s so me and that’s why it’s not a big deal. I can go on without it.

Rick, a friend I met in Sydney in March in the hostel and who’s living in Brisbane, took me to a bar called the brewery house this night. He was of the opinion I’m in need of a German beer or seven after all the VB-Carlton-Tooheys-Orgies I must have had already. And of course it was fine with me:) They brew their own beer in that pup and we tried the whole range (well, almost) and talked for hours. It was such a great night…

Detected Germans on my way: Doesn’t matter.

Welcome to Cala Radjada

bert166 — Fri, 23 Nov 2007 12:10:00 GMT

Byron Bay.
I’ve made it to the promised land. And it was just awesome. It quite easy to describe…dance, and drink and screw, cause there’s nothing else to do:) No, of course there are thousands of activities offered. But all this reminds me of Mallorca, I’m sorry to say that:) I don’t wanna know how packed Byron will be in summer, as it wasn’t easy for me to find a place to stay these days.

This will be the first and last time I’ll talk about my fellow Germans in Australia, but I have to say: THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!! My plan was to improve my poor English from “substandard-school-english” to “somehow-acceptable-close-to-fluent-english”. That’s why I was trying to avoid speaking German when I came to Sydney. Wasn’t easy, as there are a couple of us in the city, but I was manageable in a way. In Byron however it wasn’t:) There are just too many. And I’ve noticed that, after a couple of beers, I really enjoy talking in my native language, taking the easy way and just let myself go:)

What else there is to say about Byron? Time is running fast without really doing something basically. That’s the feeling I had. And I wasn’t the only one who felt that way…After the more or less quite night I had before it was definitely a pleasure to get on the piss again:) I spent 3 heavy days/nights down there and had a great time, but I have to say that after these 3 days I was truly happy to be in the van again. Just me and the music back on the road…how it should be:)

Next stop: Brissi, Bris Vegas,Budabane, Home of the brave, Brisbane. I’ll catch up with a friend who’s living there, trying to get organized a bit and get some sleep. Rob is tired…how unexpected:)

Detected Germans on my way: 1523

Coffs

bert166 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:27:00 GMT

Port Macquarie to Coffs Harbour.

Time for a change. I started quite early to hit the road up to Coffs. I thought about driving straight to Byron, but after everyone told me that Coffs Harbour isn’t worth visiting I just had to do exactly that:) I was bloody tired cause I didn’t get much sleep last night so I had a nap and a coffee in Nambucca Heads before arriving in Coffs Harbour in the afternoon. Coffs Harbour is…how to say…Well, there IS a harbour, that’s for sure;) I don’t, maybe the voices were right this time. But I don’t really care, I’m not in a hurry and I’m looking forward to discover Byron tomorrow.

And I’ve decided to prepare and plan my trip a little bit better. Or start planning at all. I’ve the feeling I missed some fantastic places on my way already, and that really pisses me of. In the beginning I thought it would be great, against my very own nature, simply to start the engine an see how it goes. Not planning anything, just driving, leaving the highway whenever I fell like that and find the places I can call my very own. But now I believe that it needs some preparation to find those locations. I don’t wanna drive in a dead end for the fourth time:)

Detected Germans on my way: 7

Port Macquarie (2)

bert166 — Mon, 19 Nov 2007 16:21:00 GMT

Well, I stayed another night in Port Macquarie, cause I met a really nice bunch of people in the hostel. The town itself was surprisingly quite, at day and night, but we found the “refreshments” needed in the hotel near the harbour. We had an excellent veggi-bbq for dinner, joined the koala feeding in local koala hospital, hung around at the beach and just had a really good time. I will see the guys later that week in Byron Bay.

Detected Germans on my way: 4

Port Macquarie

bert166 — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:12:00 GMT

Taree to Port Macquarie.

I spent almost the whole morning with driving across the Manning area. Gerd, the vet, told me about a place called Possum Brush, which I unfortunately wasn’t able to locate. Did not matter, it was so much fun just driving up and down the hills of that beautiful landscape, Bloc Party on my iPod and the sun in my back. Loved it so much.

I decided to park my car in front of the YHA Port Macquarie. I had a quick run along the beaches of the region and felt fabulous. Just me, running along the costal line in the evening sun. Hard to describe…I’m sure you know that feeling quite well. Anyway. Had the shower I was definitely in need of at the hostel and decided to stay there for the night. I was allowed to use all the facilities of the hostel for 10 bucks and slept in the van. Not extraordinary adventurous…but be patient, it’s my 2^nd day. I’m working on that;)

The vet’s backyard

bert166 — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 18:04:00 GMT

Sydney to Taree.

Taree…hmmm…never heard of, you might say. Damn right!! Me neither.

But from the beginning:
I was supposed to pick up my new home for the next 21 days at 12pm in Williams St/Woolloomooloo…in fact I was sitting in van for the first time at 15:30pm. I have absolutely no idea what the problem was, but I’m sure it was massive. Obviously. But anyway…that’s not a big deal. I’m on holidays, so all good.

My first minutes on the streets of Sydney:
F**K IT IS BLOODY NOT EASY!! My friends are liars!!!:) Everyone told me:
“Oh Rob, no worries, you’ll get used to it so soon”…and stuff like that.
Are you kiddin me?! It IS really tough for someone how hasn’t done it before. Controlling the traffic, reading and understanding the traffic signs, using the gear shift with the left hand, the blinker with the right and all that in a van with the measures of a road train. Believe me, It was tough. But I’m a lucky fellow and I made my way over the Harbour Bridge (the HARBOUR BRIDGE, MAN!!!!!!) and out of Sydney.

I was following the National One (or the Pacific Highway, not sure) up North, passed Newcastle and felt comfortable and just kept driving until the got dark. With absolutely no plan where I actually wanted to go I decided just to reach the next bigger city and try to find nice place to stay for the night. The next bigger one was: Taree. About 16 000 citizens, and none of them on the streets at 20:30pm. Well, I was in need of a plan, at least for today so I drove in the nearest gateway. And…what should I say…Just as I stopped the engine as guy came out of the house I parked the van next to and asked me if I’m in need of some help. I thought: ”Gosh,now that’s what I call Australian! Love it!”. In fact it was the vet of Taree (Sounds like a novel…) and believe it or not: He’s German. How cool is that? Or weird? Remarkable it is in any case. Anyway, he offered to park the van in his backyard, as there are no hostels and camping facilities in Taree. And that’s what I did of course…

Detected Germans on my way: 2

Gallery: Eastside Gallery

bert166 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 11:30:00 GMT

Leaving Sin City

bert166 — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 10:26:00 GMT

So here we are. A van that looks like a bunch of flowers, an iPod loaded with music which is falling in the categorie "Ohhh-yeah!!!!!",and me. Rob.

What’s the plan? Having a great time. Nothing less. Meeting people, listening to their stories and trying to find inner peace…Just kiddin. And last but definitely not least...discover Australia. The Australia my friends back in Berlin told me about. Maybe it’s not really clever choosing the "road most traveled" for this mission, but I’m quite optimistic that it’s nevertheless possible if i keep my eyes open. I’m sure it is.

Here are the things I know already: 12th of November is the kick off and my flight back to Sin City (Sydney, in that case) goes on the 3rd of December from Cairns. That’s it pretty much. Oh! And I know that I never drove a car having the steering wheel and gear shift!! on the other, non-European side. Fingers crossed that I get used to it very soon...so weird. I’m a bit worried to be honest but, once again...optimistic :)

So here we are....