Sometimes I pause a moment and I think, 'where the heck am I and what am I doing?'. I look around myself, sitting on a hard, lumpy little mattress on the floor, surrounded by the few meager possessions I own in this world, the rest of the large white room empty, except for the small picture of my boyfriend Tom next to my bed, whom I miss dreadfully.
Having a romance while you're traveling is both very exciting and very difficult. We both think about each othre all the time and write loads of emails each week. We're currently working out the skype thing, but so far only one us has been able to get the video to work and it's a bit off-putting watching yourself talk and hoping you don't forget the other person can see you in case you decide to pick your nose or something :) But we're in love and absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I promise ;) I love you Tommy!
So why am I on a hard, lumpy mattress desperately missing my wonderful boyfriend?
Because every night I get to see the biggest rainstorms of my life, the fattest drops, the thunderous noise on the tin rooves that I fall asleep to, they are spectacular. AND I had forgotten how much I love to read, but now I read for hours on end, EVERY single day. AND even though my massage class wasn't that great today, as far as a class could have been in the teacher even pretended she wanted to be there...I Loved It. I really did. Im so excited to practice my new techniques I learned yesterday and memorize them before I learn any more! First thing tomorrow I'm going out to get some massage tool, and a new book :), and I'm going to practice on Aoy (the owner of my guest house).
My boyfriend, my friends and my family all love me even if I'm not close by, and I can only love myself and be fun for them to be around when I'm doing what I love and sear4ching for what that is.
Sometimes I just need to remind myself :)
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
My whereabouts and what-doings
I am in Chiang Mai at the moment, just settled into my new residence for the next few months just outside the city square cause I got a good price. I've also rented myself a shiny red bike for the month so I can whip around. I considered a motorbike cause they're really fun to ride, but figured exercise is more important and I won't be travelling far enough to merit a motorized vehicle, but I'm definitely inspired to one day have a motorbike :)
I took a cooking course yesterday which was good fun. It's a very popular tourist activity and is advertised everywhere so it wasn't hard to book in. We started out at the market and were explained a few typical thai ingredients, and then just wandered around a bit, I saw a kg of dried grubs for sale! Yummy! Then we headed to a house to cook up a storm. We began with a soup, then a stirfry, salad, curry paste, curry with our paste, and a dessert. Got a handy dandy cook book at the end so I can make some stuff for my lucky friends when I see them again!
My new residence is 3500 baht per month, which is about $113 USD and I'm sure the cheapest I will ever pay in my life. The owner, Ayi (pronouced OYE), is a really lovely woman who is determined to make me feel at home, starting with introducing me around the neighborhood. I am currently the only occupant besides Ayi and her son, who's 19, but I'm hoping that will change and I'll get a companion of some kind at some point. My room is quite big, with a little balconette, but I have nothing to fill it with so it sits quite empty. There's cat images all over the walls and there are two pet ginger cats lurking around during the day. I'm on the 3rd floor and just below me is a little tea area with cushions, perfect for a tea and a chat with a friend when I make some.
So life is looking good. Just passing the time until my course starts. Learning a few key thai phrases, kaa poon kaa (or kap for man) means 'thank you' and saa waa di kaa (or kap) means 'good day, good morning, good night'. They really hold their vowel sounds. These are pretty useful and I use them about a hundred times a day. I'm slowly learning my way around and am looking forward to taking the bike for a nice long spin to get my bearings. There are times where I wish I could just run to the store and grab a chocolate bar or some similar familiar comfort food, but my figure is saved from the fact I wouldn't know where to get these things. I did have the most delicious chicken skewers and a small bag of sticky rice for breakfast though, so it's hard to complain.
I took the train here from Bangkok and I saw the strangest sight I'd ever seen. Apparently there had been quite a bit of flooding in some towns along the way and the train passed directly though them. The water was surrounding the tracks, if it had been much higher the train wouldn't have been able to run I'm sure. There was water for miles and house after house flooded, some of them only had rooves visible and there were people on the sides of the train tracks, just sitting. I guess they just wait until the water receeded. What a crazy sight to see though. Really sad and heartbreaking for all the houses ruined and lost. Something I will never forget I'm sure. I can't imagine they had house insurance. It makes me understand what a privilaged life I lead. We should all thank the heavens for our wonderful lives.
I took a cooking course yesterday which was good fun. It's a very popular tourist activity and is advertised everywhere so it wasn't hard to book in. We started out at the market and were explained a few typical thai ingredients, and then just wandered around a bit, I saw a kg of dried grubs for sale! Yummy! Then we headed to a house to cook up a storm. We began with a soup, then a stirfry, salad, curry paste, curry with our paste, and a dessert. Got a handy dandy cook book at the end so I can make some stuff for my lucky friends when I see them again!
My new residence is 3500 baht per month, which is about $113 USD and I'm sure the cheapest I will ever pay in my life. The owner, Ayi (pronouced OYE), is a really lovely woman who is determined to make me feel at home, starting with introducing me around the neighborhood. I am currently the only occupant besides Ayi and her son, who's 19, but I'm hoping that will change and I'll get a companion of some kind at some point. My room is quite big, with a little balconette, but I have nothing to fill it with so it sits quite empty. There's cat images all over the walls and there are two pet ginger cats lurking around during the day. I'm on the 3rd floor and just below me is a little tea area with cushions, perfect for a tea and a chat with a friend when I make some.
So life is looking good. Just passing the time until my course starts. Learning a few key thai phrases, kaa poon kaa (or kap for man) means 'thank you' and saa waa di kaa (or kap) means 'good day, good morning, good night'. They really hold their vowel sounds. These are pretty useful and I use them about a hundred times a day. I'm slowly learning my way around and am looking forward to taking the bike for a nice long spin to get my bearings. There are times where I wish I could just run to the store and grab a chocolate bar or some similar familiar comfort food, but my figure is saved from the fact I wouldn't know where to get these things. I did have the most delicious chicken skewers and a small bag of sticky rice for breakfast though, so it's hard to complain.
I took the train here from Bangkok and I saw the strangest sight I'd ever seen. Apparently there had been quite a bit of flooding in some towns along the way and the train passed directly though them. The water was surrounding the tracks, if it had been much higher the train wouldn't have been able to run I'm sure. There was water for miles and house after house flooded, some of them only had rooves visible and there were people on the sides of the train tracks, just sitting. I guess they just wait until the water receeded. What a crazy sight to see though. Really sad and heartbreaking for all the houses ruined and lost. Something I will never forget I'm sure. I can't imagine they had house insurance. It makes me understand what a privilaged life I lead. We should all thank the heavens for our wonderful lives.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
I rant in your general direction and your grandmother smells of elderberries!
Feeling a bit lonely on the street of Phuket Town.
I tried to get a late lunch and was turned away from an adorable looking food place just near my hostel. I assumed it was because I was white, but know now that I've gotten over the hurt, I realize that I was in a negative mood which merits negative thinking.
After crying into the 4th book I've decided to conquer since I've gotten here, I went across the street to a 'safe' restaurant. Obviously catering to tourists, having english signs and advertising Phad Thai. I know now being here, that it is the most commonly ordered dish here in Thailand, as it is the only one that most Westerners recognize. I'm not even sure if it's a real Thai dish, or if we invented it ourselves. Needless to say that tourist restaurant across from backpackers= worst phad thai I've ever tasted. If I get food poisoning from it, that's just the icing on the cake. They probably poison it on purpose because they're tired of all the cliched tourists.
I'm a bit of a party pooper when it comes to tourism. I'm still trying to understand what it is for me. I'm never really interested in the real touristic tours offered everywhere, and would much prefer to stay in a place for a minimum of a week. I don't see the point in spending heaps of money on one day doing something really fun, when you could use that money and spend an entire week somewhere and really experience it. But on the same hand I'm here experiencing it and I wonder why. I don't doubt being here 90% of the time. I'm happy to be, but why come and spend it with other tourists doing things like tubing (a popular tourist activity in Laos), when you could tube anywhere? Maybe there's something I'm missing.
I want to be superior to all these other 'tourists' that don't make any effort to experience the place, they're just hungry for these 'sights'. I spoke to a girl that went to see the famous beach from the movie with Leonardo Dicaprio called "The Beach". She said there were hundreds of people there and tons of tourist boats and it didn't really look that beautiful considering. Sounds like a nightmare to me. I'm happy making jokes with the lovely lady at the front desk and listening to the monsoon rains going on outside while I peacefully read my book.
I'd love to hear someone's opinion on all my ranting if anyone cares to share.
I'm headed to Bangkok tomorrow. Not sure how long I'll stay, I feel anxious to get to Chang Mai and learn the city that I'll be spending 5 weeks in before my massage course starts. I want to find a guest house that I like, a favorite place to take my breakfast, settle in and mine my niche. I just want to fit in really. I hate standing out. I hate when people try to sell me things when I know that if a Thai person walked by they would be ignored. I don't like being paid attention to because of the colour of my skin or my race! How can I be upset though, when I'm new in another country and have that typical lost look on my face?
It's not all bad, and I don't mean to make it sound that way. I'm not a masochist if that's what it sounds like. I do truely want to be here, but it always takes awhile to settle in to somewhere new.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an adventure I had yesterday which I very much enjoyed and wrote my boyfriend about:
I did venture out into town, but not far as I came across a market to explore. I scoured for good bananas and cheap purple garlic fruit, which I found and purchased. (purple garlic fruit are these delicious fruit that are round and purple and when you squeeze it open with both hands, the little fruit inside look like cloves of garlic, but are very delicious and sweet). The garlic fruit was 60 baht per kilo, around $2, while the other ones I saw were more like $10+ per kilo. I also found this other fruit that I used to eat when I was a kid, my dad's friend had a tree and gave them to us. We called them jabong and they look kind of like a citris fruit, but they're not sour. At the market they were already peeled and sectioned and put in plastic wrap with this spice made from chilli and sugar. Delicious!
I also tried to eat at the market, curry. When I approached the food stall another man was in the middle of his order, but he turned to me and pointed to the curry directly in front of us and said, 'spicy'. Without thinking, as soon as I was handed a bowl of rice, I took a giant scoop and smothered the rice with it. I sat down at the table, complete with the tolit paper rolls and random condiments, and battled through, trying to impress all the Thai people around me. They were all laughing at me and saying 'spicy, spicy'. God it was spicy. The spiciest thing I've ever eaten. I was practically crying against my will. I struggled for about 15 minutes or so and finally gave in with about 3 more spoonfuls of rice left in my bowl. You would think I could've of done it, but I was really suffering that much. I'm not really looking forward to my poo tomorrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was totally worth it by the way. I've been back to the market twice already today. Once in the morning and again after the awful phad thai, right away I passed a food stall that was selling freshly bbqed meats in all different delcious smelling sauces...lesson learned, no matter how homesick you are, do not trust tourist-trap food places! On both visits I got some more jabong. I ate one and the other is for my 13 hour bus trip to Bangkok tomorrow. Which reminds me, I need to go book my accomodation.
Thanks for listening my avid readers. I really means alot to me. Aloha.
I tried to get a late lunch and was turned away from an adorable looking food place just near my hostel. I assumed it was because I was white, but know now that I've gotten over the hurt, I realize that I was in a negative mood which merits negative thinking.
After crying into the 4th book I've decided to conquer since I've gotten here, I went across the street to a 'safe' restaurant. Obviously catering to tourists, having english signs and advertising Phad Thai. I know now being here, that it is the most commonly ordered dish here in Thailand, as it is the only one that most Westerners recognize. I'm not even sure if it's a real Thai dish, or if we invented it ourselves. Needless to say that tourist restaurant across from backpackers= worst phad thai I've ever tasted. If I get food poisoning from it, that's just the icing on the cake. They probably poison it on purpose because they're tired of all the cliched tourists.
I'm a bit of a party pooper when it comes to tourism. I'm still trying to understand what it is for me. I'm never really interested in the real touristic tours offered everywhere, and would much prefer to stay in a place for a minimum of a week. I don't see the point in spending heaps of money on one day doing something really fun, when you could use that money and spend an entire week somewhere and really experience it. But on the same hand I'm here experiencing it and I wonder why. I don't doubt being here 90% of the time. I'm happy to be, but why come and spend it with other tourists doing things like tubing (a popular tourist activity in Laos), when you could tube anywhere? Maybe there's something I'm missing.
I want to be superior to all these other 'tourists' that don't make any effort to experience the place, they're just hungry for these 'sights'. I spoke to a girl that went to see the famous beach from the movie with Leonardo Dicaprio called "The Beach". She said there were hundreds of people there and tons of tourist boats and it didn't really look that beautiful considering. Sounds like a nightmare to me. I'm happy making jokes with the lovely lady at the front desk and listening to the monsoon rains going on outside while I peacefully read my book.
I'd love to hear someone's opinion on all my ranting if anyone cares to share.
I'm headed to Bangkok tomorrow. Not sure how long I'll stay, I feel anxious to get to Chang Mai and learn the city that I'll be spending 5 weeks in before my massage course starts. I want to find a guest house that I like, a favorite place to take my breakfast, settle in and mine my niche. I just want to fit in really. I hate standing out. I hate when people try to sell me things when I know that if a Thai person walked by they would be ignored. I don't like being paid attention to because of the colour of my skin or my race! How can I be upset though, when I'm new in another country and have that typical lost look on my face?
It's not all bad, and I don't mean to make it sound that way. I'm not a masochist if that's what it sounds like. I do truely want to be here, but it always takes awhile to settle in to somewhere new.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This is an adventure I had yesterday which I very much enjoyed and wrote my boyfriend about:
I did venture out into town, but not far as I came across a market to explore. I scoured for good bananas and cheap purple garlic fruit, which I found and purchased. (purple garlic fruit are these delicious fruit that are round and purple and when you squeeze it open with both hands, the little fruit inside look like cloves of garlic, but are very delicious and sweet). The garlic fruit was 60 baht per kilo, around $2, while the other ones I saw were more like $10+ per kilo. I also found this other fruit that I used to eat when I was a kid, my dad's friend had a tree and gave them to us. We called them jabong and they look kind of like a citris fruit, but they're not sour. At the market they were already peeled and sectioned and put in plastic wrap with this spice made from chilli and sugar. Delicious!
I also tried to eat at the market, curry. When I approached the food stall another man was in the middle of his order, but he turned to me and pointed to the curry directly in front of us and said, 'spicy'. Without thinking, as soon as I was handed a bowl of rice, I took a giant scoop and smothered the rice with it. I sat down at the table, complete with the tolit paper rolls and random condiments, and battled through, trying to impress all the Thai people around me. They were all laughing at me and saying 'spicy, spicy'. God it was spicy. The spiciest thing I've ever eaten. I was practically crying against my will. I struggled for about 15 minutes or so and finally gave in with about 3 more spoonfuls of rice left in my bowl. You would think I could've of done it, but I was really suffering that much. I'm not really looking forward to my poo tomorrow.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was totally worth it by the way. I've been back to the market twice already today. Once in the morning and again after the awful phad thai, right away I passed a food stall that was selling freshly bbqed meats in all different delcious smelling sauces...lesson learned, no matter how homesick you are, do not trust tourist-trap food places! On both visits I got some more jabong. I ate one and the other is for my 13 hour bus trip to Bangkok tomorrow. Which reminds me, I need to go book my accomodation.
Thanks for listening my avid readers. I really means alot to me. Aloha.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Time travel to Thailand
My dear readers, I'ved skipped off to Thailand without warning, booking my flight 3 days in advance because it was cheaper. This may have seemed reasonable at the time, but a hasty departure ends up costing more and making up for the money saved in the first place.
But here I am and so far so good. It has only been about 15 hours since I arrived and half of them were unconscious.
I decided to land in Phuket, instead of the usual Bangkok, which involved me flying backward to Sydney and then forward again from whenst I came. It was worth the hassle though because it's nice to arrive in a calmer environment.
I was feeling quite nervous just before I boarded the airpland, but once I was on there's no turning back so my mind and my nerves slowly adjusted accordingly.
Thailand reminded me of Bali in quite a few ways, so I'm very glad to have had that experience under my belt with company beforehand.
I'm staying in a Thai version of a hostel in Kata Karon. It doesn't involve bunk beds and you are allotted your own privacy, but still get the benefits of meeting fellow travellers, which I am very happy for as I am on my own.
Hazel is about my age and from England. She's already well seasoned in SE Asia having visited Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and this being her second time in Thailand, her favorite of the big four.
I'll be in the country for 2 months and my 5-week Thai massage course startes October 10th in Chang Mai, which is over 1,000 kilometers from where I am currently.I hope to travel the distance all by land so I feel like I'll see a bit of the country along the way.
Being in a foreign place makes me want to hide in my room, but thankfully I am human and get hungry and thirsty and am forced to venture outside at some point, where I realize that it's not so scary afterall. I walked all the way to one of the three nearest beaches.
One of the things that helps me when I'm feeling vervous about going somewhere is to picture my dad and imagine how he walks, the long, slow, careful steps, and before I realize it I"m out of the hostel and on my way to new adventures! Thanks Dad!
A second thing that always calms me is being close to the ocean. THe sound of the waves crashing, the smell of the salt arir and the feeling of the warm ocean rushing around my ankles always drags me away from my fears and worries and clears my head to make room for some more positive thinking.
Today was no different. The water was so warm, the sun bright and the sand soft and wonderful under my bare feet. I couldn't ask for more.
I've eaten 2 meals so far. For breakfast a chicken and coconut milk soup with all the usual beautiful Thail fresh herbs and spices: lemongrass, ginger, chillis and these delectable mushrooms! A few Thai people nearby were impressed with me eating the local cuisine so early in the morning.
And just now was my second meal, some fish with a sweet, sour, spicy sauce. Delicious.
Both meals were between $4 - 5 USD, and I reckon I can find cheaper because both places sported a large selection of "western food" on the menu and are obviously quite touristic.
I saw a food car motorbike drive by, but I was neither close nor brave enough to stop them or get a good look at what they were serving. Soon enough I will be frequenting these travelling delicacies.
More to come soon I do not doubt. I have enough time on my hands for 10 people at the moment.
Much aloha to my faithful readers!
But here I am and so far so good. It has only been about 15 hours since I arrived and half of them were unconscious.
I decided to land in Phuket, instead of the usual Bangkok, which involved me flying backward to Sydney and then forward again from whenst I came. It was worth the hassle though because it's nice to arrive in a calmer environment.
I was feeling quite nervous just before I boarded the airpland, but once I was on there's no turning back so my mind and my nerves slowly adjusted accordingly.
Thailand reminded me of Bali in quite a few ways, so I'm very glad to have had that experience under my belt with company beforehand.
I'm staying in a Thai version of a hostel in Kata Karon. It doesn't involve bunk beds and you are allotted your own privacy, but still get the benefits of meeting fellow travellers, which I am very happy for as I am on my own.
Hazel is about my age and from England. She's already well seasoned in SE Asia having visited Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and this being her second time in Thailand, her favorite of the big four.
I'll be in the country for 2 months and my 5-week Thai massage course startes October 10th in Chang Mai, which is over 1,000 kilometers from where I am currently.I hope to travel the distance all by land so I feel like I'll see a bit of the country along the way.
Being in a foreign place makes me want to hide in my room, but thankfully I am human and get hungry and thirsty and am forced to venture outside at some point, where I realize that it's not so scary afterall. I walked all the way to one of the three nearest beaches.
One of the things that helps me when I'm feeling vervous about going somewhere is to picture my dad and imagine how he walks, the long, slow, careful steps, and before I realize it I"m out of the hostel and on my way to new adventures! Thanks Dad!
A second thing that always calms me is being close to the ocean. THe sound of the waves crashing, the smell of the salt arir and the feeling of the warm ocean rushing around my ankles always drags me away from my fears and worries and clears my head to make room for some more positive thinking.
Today was no different. The water was so warm, the sun bright and the sand soft and wonderful under my bare feet. I couldn't ask for more.
I've eaten 2 meals so far. For breakfast a chicken and coconut milk soup with all the usual beautiful Thail fresh herbs and spices: lemongrass, ginger, chillis and these delectable mushrooms! A few Thai people nearby were impressed with me eating the local cuisine so early in the morning.
And just now was my second meal, some fish with a sweet, sour, spicy sauce. Delicious.
Both meals were between $4 - 5 USD, and I reckon I can find cheaper because both places sported a large selection of "western food" on the menu and are obviously quite touristic.
I saw a food car motorbike drive by, but I was neither close nor brave enough to stop them or get a good look at what they were serving. Soon enough I will be frequenting these travelling delicacies.
More to come soon I do not doubt. I have enough time on my hands for 10 people at the moment.
Much aloha to my faithful readers!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Beans, beans the musical fruit
I've landed in Ayr, where I've been residing for the past 3 weeks. Living at a working hostel, which is pretty much a hostel that doesn't put any frills into the package, but instead finds you a job, or 2 or 3, at a nearby farm.
After doing our research, we found that Ayr, was the best place for farmwork. So here I am, 4 jobs later on one of the few days off that you are allotted. The veggies don't wait for you!
I just reread my previous post and realized that I already said we were in Ayr, what ended up happening was that we moved to another hostel that got us work the day after we moved in. Looks like we chose the wrong one in the first place.
I started with 1-day gig planting and picking chillis. Luckily we had picked up these rediculous sobreros in Cairnes at a Mexican-themed bar night just before we left. So in addition to half a bottle of suncream and a 4-Liter jug of water, I donned my stylish hat.
The planting wouldn't have been so bad if there weren't prickly surprises waiting for your tender fingers every time you poked a hole for the little seedling you needed to stuff into the ground. I think we planted around 10,000 seedlings between the 6 of us. For the second half ot the day we picked chillis, was was sweet relief for our fingers and our backs.
My 2nd job was a permanent one, if you could stick with it. Chillis again. 9 hours of them each day every day. 57 cents a kilo then minus tax. The first couple of days I hadn't figured out how to prevent myself from becoming dehydrated so I was suffering a bit. But after that I began to get used to the routine of picking chillis and was improving my numbers each day 180 kilos, 200 kilos, 224 kilos! I did it for a week and then decided I wasn't satisfied getting less that $10 per hour for the labour. I used to get paid more to clean the house for my mum! I knew there were other better paid jobs out there from fellow backpackers, but in order for them to be available to me I needed to quit my job and take a gamble hoping I got something better assigned to me next.
My next gig was at an eggplant and chilli farm, but everything paid a decent per hour wage. I weeded the eggplant (or eggfruit as they called them) rows the whole day, but was mysteriously asked not to return the following day with no explanation offered. Still not sure what happened.
The next job I was assigned was back to the original chilli planting/picking place, but this time just to pick and also to help with the sugar cane. I picked in the morning and afternoon for 40 cents per kilo cash-in-hand and in between stared at a conveyor belt that carried shredded sugar cane past my eyes faster that you could say boo. It made me feel pretty motion sick, but I steeled myself and got myself through. My job was to pick out the big bits that didn't get shredded enough.
Thankfully the next day I was assigned a new permanent job at the green bean shed. Everyone had told me it's one of the best jobs. You're not in the hot sun and you work long hours so you get paid heaps. Little did I know what they meant by Long hours. I am now an expert green bean sorter, taking out the rotten, broken, or old beans so fast that you can't even see my hands move. I worked alongside 5 other women and feel a bit like I'm back in the 50s when women started working and got jobs at the factory. Again I was staring at a conveyor belt, but it was moving a lot slower and the only time it gets dizzy is when the belt stops, then it looks like it starts moving backwards. Neat trick on your eyes.
Well I wrote all that on my 2nd day off, which I had off from the beans because my boss was 'punishing' me for asking for a day off. I though after working for 50 hours in 4 days that it wasn't too much to ask, and my fellow workers wrongly lead me to believe that I was expected to request a day off when I felt the need. So after my 1 day of 'punishment' I was fired on the basis of being "too slow". Another job down. It's a bit disappointing, and the manager of the hostel told me he was running out of places to put me, so I felt a bit down, but I was one of many that had been fired from the beans so I didn't feel too alone about it.
By that evening I was already assigned a new job...the dreaded zucchinis! I had been told how they were the hardest thing to harvest, but everyone thinks their job is the hardest in this industry, so I was keen to give it a go. It was pretty hard. Pretty really hard. I realized that I just didn't have the motivation to do this work about 2 hours into the day, but I stuck out the remaining 5 hours with a smile on my face and the manager said I did a good job but it was a hard job so she didn't blame me for quitting.
Now I'm leaving Ayr. All the other backpackers have the motivation of receiving a 2nd year on their Australian visa that pushed their behinds to go to this kind of work and break their backs every day. I only came to make a bit of money and to be with Tom, but it's time to go. When I'm travelling I always know when I hit the point when it's time to move on, just instinct. No one tells you, you just have to feel it. I'm sad to be leaving Tom behind, but am excited to see him again when he comes to visit me in Hawai'i in December!
Not sure when I'm going next. Will keep you updated!
After doing our research, we found that Ayr, was the best place for farmwork. So here I am, 4 jobs later on one of the few days off that you are allotted. The veggies don't wait for you!
I just reread my previous post and realized that I already said we were in Ayr, what ended up happening was that we moved to another hostel that got us work the day after we moved in. Looks like we chose the wrong one in the first place.
I started with 1-day gig planting and picking chillis. Luckily we had picked up these rediculous sobreros in Cairnes at a Mexican-themed bar night just before we left. So in addition to half a bottle of suncream and a 4-Liter jug of water, I donned my stylish hat.
The planting wouldn't have been so bad if there weren't prickly surprises waiting for your tender fingers every time you poked a hole for the little seedling you needed to stuff into the ground. I think we planted around 10,000 seedlings between the 6 of us. For the second half ot the day we picked chillis, was was sweet relief for our fingers and our backs.
My 2nd job was a permanent one, if you could stick with it. Chillis again. 9 hours of them each day every day. 57 cents a kilo then minus tax. The first couple of days I hadn't figured out how to prevent myself from becoming dehydrated so I was suffering a bit. But after that I began to get used to the routine of picking chillis and was improving my numbers each day 180 kilos, 200 kilos, 224 kilos! I did it for a week and then decided I wasn't satisfied getting less that $10 per hour for the labour. I used to get paid more to clean the house for my mum! I knew there were other better paid jobs out there from fellow backpackers, but in order for them to be available to me I needed to quit my job and take a gamble hoping I got something better assigned to me next.
My next gig was at an eggplant and chilli farm, but everything paid a decent per hour wage. I weeded the eggplant (or eggfruit as they called them) rows the whole day, but was mysteriously asked not to return the following day with no explanation offered. Still not sure what happened.
The next job I was assigned was back to the original chilli planting/picking place, but this time just to pick and also to help with the sugar cane. I picked in the morning and afternoon for 40 cents per kilo cash-in-hand and in between stared at a conveyor belt that carried shredded sugar cane past my eyes faster that you could say boo. It made me feel pretty motion sick, but I steeled myself and got myself through. My job was to pick out the big bits that didn't get shredded enough.
Thankfully the next day I was assigned a new permanent job at the green bean shed. Everyone had told me it's one of the best jobs. You're not in the hot sun and you work long hours so you get paid heaps. Little did I know what they meant by Long hours. I am now an expert green bean sorter, taking out the rotten, broken, or old beans so fast that you can't even see my hands move. I worked alongside 5 other women and feel a bit like I'm back in the 50s when women started working and got jobs at the factory. Again I was staring at a conveyor belt, but it was moving a lot slower and the only time it gets dizzy is when the belt stops, then it looks like it starts moving backwards. Neat trick on your eyes.
Well I wrote all that on my 2nd day off, which I had off from the beans because my boss was 'punishing' me for asking for a day off. I though after working for 50 hours in 4 days that it wasn't too much to ask, and my fellow workers wrongly lead me to believe that I was expected to request a day off when I felt the need. So after my 1 day of 'punishment' I was fired on the basis of being "too slow". Another job down. It's a bit disappointing, and the manager of the hostel told me he was running out of places to put me, so I felt a bit down, but I was one of many that had been fired from the beans so I didn't feel too alone about it.
By that evening I was already assigned a new job...the dreaded zucchinis! I had been told how they were the hardest thing to harvest, but everyone thinks their job is the hardest in this industry, so I was keen to give it a go. It was pretty hard. Pretty really hard. I realized that I just didn't have the motivation to do this work about 2 hours into the day, but I stuck out the remaining 5 hours with a smile on my face and the manager said I did a good job but it was a hard job so she didn't blame me for quitting.
Now I'm leaving Ayr. All the other backpackers have the motivation of receiving a 2nd year on their Australian visa that pushed their behinds to go to this kind of work and break their backs every day. I only came to make a bit of money and to be with Tom, but it's time to go. When I'm travelling I always know when I hit the point when it's time to move on, just instinct. No one tells you, you just have to feel it. I'm sad to be leaving Tom behind, but am excited to see him again when he comes to visit me in Hawai'i in December!
Not sure when I'm going next. Will keep you updated!
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Since Bali...
Well, it seem like it's been awhile...
We flew our way to Cairnes and chilled out there for a few days, gathering information on how to aquire harvest work, meaning working on farms. We made a lot of phone calls, celebrated Tom's 21st, and then decided we needed to stop wasting time in the city and get into the thick of farm country.
We managed to get a few rides from fellow backpackers and made our way to the country town of Ayr.
Here we are four days in and number 18 and 19 on the waiting list for work. Today we're moving to a competing hostel, as we went to check them out last night and they seem to have better luck with work and they have a shorter waiting list as the hostel holds 50 people less than our current one. We've booked in till Wednesday here, so we're going to lose a bit of money which stresses both of us out, Tom and I that is, but hopefully it'll land us a job quicker and make up the difference. (Tom has decided to eat 2 minute noodles for a few days out of guilt, I don't know how he does it)
Everyone says there really isn't much to do in Ayr, but we've definitely managed to entertain ourselves these past few days, having instruments always helps. We've walked around and explored many different nooks and crannys of the town, found a few favorite benches to sit on, spoken to some of the locals, read and read some more, lots of sitting the park, thought about climbing a tree (Tom is deathly afraid of spiders, and Australia has a bad reputation for deadly ones), visited the open-air cinema (awesome!), cooked, library, internet, and stared at each other with the question in our eyes of 'what now' (every minute counts you know :).
So yeah, we're a bit bored, and the stress of not having work, and all the other backpackers boredom combined makes for an interesting environment. We'll see what happens....
We flew our way to Cairnes and chilled out there for a few days, gathering information on how to aquire harvest work, meaning working on farms. We made a lot of phone calls, celebrated Tom's 21st, and then decided we needed to stop wasting time in the city and get into the thick of farm country.
We managed to get a few rides from fellow backpackers and made our way to the country town of Ayr.
Here we are four days in and number 18 and 19 on the waiting list for work. Today we're moving to a competing hostel, as we went to check them out last night and they seem to have better luck with work and they have a shorter waiting list as the hostel holds 50 people less than our current one. We've booked in till Wednesday here, so we're going to lose a bit of money which stresses both of us out, Tom and I that is, but hopefully it'll land us a job quicker and make up the difference. (Tom has decided to eat 2 minute noodles for a few days out of guilt, I don't know how he does it)
Everyone says there really isn't much to do in Ayr, but we've definitely managed to entertain ourselves these past few days, having instruments always helps. We've walked around and explored many different nooks and crannys of the town, found a few favorite benches to sit on, spoken to some of the locals, read and read some more, lots of sitting the park, thought about climbing a tree (Tom is deathly afraid of spiders, and Australia has a bad reputation for deadly ones), visited the open-air cinema (awesome!), cooked, library, internet, and stared at each other with the question in our eyes of 'what now' (every minute counts you know :).
So yeah, we're a bit bored, and the stress of not having work, and all the other backpackers boredom combined makes for an interesting environment. We'll see what happens....
Monday, August 1, 2011
The Real Bali
Tom and I decided after 3 nights in Kuta, that it was high time to see "the real Bali". We did our research, talked to other tourists, looked at fliers, and haggled with various motorbike rental guys and settled with a lovely feisty blue number for 35,000 rupia per day, as in around $3,50 Australian. Crazy good, helmets and insurance included.
But, if you've never been to Bali, you don't really know what you're getting yourself into when you climb aboard a motorbike. Boy did we find out. You pretty much make your own rules on the road, especially if you're on a bike. Going the wrong direction on a one way road, flying through red lights, and parking wherever you stop is commonplace. By the fifth day, Tom had a good handle of the road, but I was happy to return the bike still alive and unhurt from our wonderful, yet heart-stopping adventure.
But, if you've never been to Bali, you don't really know what you're getting yourself into when you climb aboard a motorbike. Boy did we find out. You pretty much make your own rules on the road, especially if you're on a bike. Going the wrong direction on a one way road, flying through red lights, and parking wherever you stop is commonplace. By the fifth day, Tom had a good handle of the road, but I was happy to return the bike still alive and unhurt from our wonderful, yet heart-stopping adventure.
For a better image go to http://mapsbali.com/areas/bali.php
We began the real Bali experience in Uluwatu, which is at the Southwestern most tip of the island. Spent a night there in our first homestay and watched the sunset from the cliffs. The next day we headed to Sanur for a bit of a dip before zooming over to Denpasar where we spent, literally 7 hours looking for our hotel. Really I don't know how we kept going after the 4th or 5th hour, but Tom was really determined as we had already paid for it, and I think men are just determined like that :)
We had a couple of different addresses for Piliau Residence, as they may have moved or had a really terrible webdesigner, I may have to refer them to Reg, but the website only gave street names and no number for the address. So 7 hours of driving, crying, rain, darkness, and mixed language conversations later, we stopped at a restaurant that was about to close in defeat to find out where else we could stay. The woman, Melan, was wonderful to us and called all her friends, who called all their friends, and no one knew it, but the hotel happened to call us back in this time and gave her directions so she drove me there with Tom following behind. To this day, we would never be able to find our way back there. PHEW!
The next day we were pretty exhausted, but we made our way to ubud and saw the monkey forest, where there were heaps of monkeys wandering around, jumping on my head and reaching straight into my purse to look for goodies. Those buggas even know how to use zippers! They're pretty darn cute though. That night Tom took a nap, I got a massage, and we went to a shadow puppet show. The next morning we got a tour of the Gaia Raja, which is a Hindu temple also in Ubud, and we learned heaps about the Hindu religion and how the Gaia Raja came to be. Afterwards the tour guide took us swimming in a lovely river. Nice day.
After the tour, we made our way though the mountains to the north coast, buying a snack of fresh strawberries for $1 along the way, and stopping for a cup of coffee at a local families house that we just stopped for a stretch.We were admiring their view, when Katrina, who's 7 decided to practice the only english she knew by asking our names. The mother heard and came to investigate and offered us some coffee. It was a bit awkward because we couldn't really have a conversation, but they were very lovely.
Then we arrived in Singaraja, where a man on his motorbike invited us to stay at his homestay, we got there and it was full, but he set us up with a friend and we got a pretty good deal on a sunrise dolphin cruise and snorkeling. Tom's first time snorkeling! The dolphins were beautiful and intent to impress us with flips and twists and the coral and fish were beautiful and reminded me of home.
Finally we made our way back to Kuta area, stopping in Tanah Lot to see a temple on a small island in the ocean and getting a feast of some of the best chicken I've ever tasted from a local family grilling some on the side of the road. They were very pleased to show off their delicious cooking to some foreigners. Along the way we have been eating as local as possible, and have discovered that we quite like the local cuisine, even thought we're not sure we always know exactly what we're eating, but it doesn't necessarily agree with our stomachs. I think I had to visit the little girls room 4 times last night and again twice when I woke up this morning. Tasted good the first time around anyways :)
Tonight we head back to Darwin and the next morning to Cairnes to look for work. Wish us luck and blessings to you all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)