Internet access is a funny thing here. Where "here" is under 2 hours from the biggest tourist resort on the barrier reef inland into the mountains. Just so you remember, the place I'm staying is about 20 minutes down a dirt road, about 20km from the main road, and about 15 km from the secondary road, with no phone and rabbit ears on the TV with questionable reception on most stations. Cell service? Oh please!
I've been pseudo "off the grid" for just under a week and I'm starting to get a little crazy. My quests for Internet access in the near-Outback are becoming distracting - I am an Internet junkie. What makes me an Internet whore is seriously considering sexual favors in return for an ethernet cable, or the fact that I am currently on a street corner in the dark with all the lights off in my car stealing someone's wireless connection like a cheap hooker.
You can get Internet access for varying A$ hourly rates in some of the most random places, tiny roadside restaurants, dingy motel reception areas, totally oddball computer repair shops, or by driving around with a laptop with the wireless enabled looking for some bugger with an unsecured network. So I won't pretend, I am currently in my car logged into WLAN-AP-624W, God bless them, in the mecca of Yungaburra. GuynNatalie are bitches since they secured their wireless network, I felt like knocking on doors looking for them.
I just had dinner in a nearby "town" - I think it has two horses as
opposed to one (no offense to anyone in Yungaburra). I did have the
most amazing dinner at this historic hotel (built in 1912). I had the
beef, which was proudly raised by the chef, lovingly stuffed with grass
and then slaughtered to be slow cooked for 6 hours and served to me. On
the way home I needed an Internet fix and there's no action after 4pm,
even that if you're lucky.
There are at least TEN unsecured networks in my building in San Francisco, how come all the Outback Aussies are so security savvy? What's up with that? Damn them.
So here was my local Internet spot and blog production headquarters for my lunchtime fix in Malanda over a killer chicken sandwich amongst Tree Kangaroos:
My office:
