Troy Archie – Everybody Knows This is Nowhere

It’s day 2 here in Sydney and I am bored so I decided to write on here. I fly out on the 31st and am just killing the days away. I’m stuck in a hostel for the next couple days but I’m doing my best to not be there except to sleep. I’m not doing any cooking there, instead just making salad and eating raw foods. I’m also eating out at all until I get to Thailand, which is a bit tough. I keep walking by restaurants, stopping and reading the menu, thinking what I would order if I were to go in but I’m denying myself this to make food abroad just that much better. Weird I know but I believe a little self-denial makes those things just that more nice. I was going to completely abstain from getting coffee and tea at cafe’s but as I aimlessly wander around I find myself drawn to them for a place to sit and chill out

I’ve been just wanding around the city the last couple days, seeing some of the sights that I’ve never seen before and revisiting old ones from when I first arrived nearly a year ago. The weathers been shit the last bit and was crazy windy today which made it dam cold. I’m sure I’ll miss the cool weather as Bangkok seems to be holding out at a balmy 28-32 everyday

Sydney Botanic Gardens, haven’t been here since my second day in OZ

My family is long gone now, it was a bit of a tearful good-bye but we made it as quick as possible. I had a good time with them but there was a bit too much running around for my liking. I was hoping to just spend more quality time with them all but I forget that they were all on vacation and wanted to see things, do things, buy things and that they had seen each other pretty much on a daily basis back home. I did manage some good quality time though, mom, Tiff and I went for coffee one day for a couple hours and the last day it was just me and mom wandering around and sitting at a cafe drinking tea. Those two times were worth all the running around hassles and seemingly aimless car rides that we so frequently ventured on. I was about to go insane a couple times while in the car; I figure in those 3 weeks I had spent more time in a car then I had in the last year. I enjoyed the driving with my sister and Tracy as it was in the country but all the city driving had me at wits end. In the end I wish we had another week to just do nothing and relax. I scratch my head when people say that they need a vaction from their vaction and are eager to get home. Frankie says RELAX

So for the next couple day’s I’m going to be bored. The first day, the day everyone left was good as I hit the gym with the Crossfit Crew and then went wall climbing with Mike later that day so that really took my mind off of the day’s events and the fact I don’t know when I’ll see them all again. Ends up Mike is going up to Thailand also, getting there on the 7th or something and is pretty much going for the climbing in Krabi, which is where I was referenced that I should check out by lots of people so odds are we’ll be getting together there and doing some climbing, which should be pretty cool.

I’ve got mixed feelings about Thailand and Asia. I’m dam excited at the potential that it brings but I’m a bit afraid that it’ll be like…well…Austrailia. I’m contantly being assured it won’t be though and that there is more than the piss tank culture that’s at times seems to be the only thing here, while staying at a hostel that is. People accuse me of being cheap and I am to extent but the reality of it is, is that this place is bloody expensive and I never feel like I’m getting my money’s worth. I’m a simple guy, I don’t like buying pointless stuff/junk as I view it all as clutter plus where am I going to put it? All I ask for is good food at a fair price and a decent place to stay, something that this country doesn’t seem to afford.

$20 for an 8 bedroom dorm that looks like this is, to put it lightly, shit

Ahhh, the Australian backpacker scene…how I will never miss you…

Yeah I could splurge and put myself in a nicer place but remember, when you itinerary is stretched over a one year period and driving principle is no itinerary, you have to make every cent count.

Regardless, after all the bitching of OZ that I’ve done I will miss it and the great people that I’ve met here. It’s the people that I’ve met here that have made the experience. If I had to choose between one experience of wwoofing that involved the people that I stayed, lived and who’s family that I was part of over all of the sights that I had seen, I would take that one group of people and experience I had with them over everything else. Rocks, beaches and trees have always been there and always will, it’s people that come and go. Or so says I.
I will say though, that one really great thing about travelling Australia is the different ways you can do it, see it and live it. I managed to find my way around the hostels, backpacker scene, meet some real Aussies, and got to see how people live life in a different way. I could have jumped from hostel to hostel, town to town parying it up but that’s not me. I could have jumped in a van and driven around the country aimlessly living the life of a modern day gypsy, which I would have liked to of but never got the chance to.

I have to shake my head; I can’t believe it’s been a year that I’ve been down here but here it is.

Current Mp3 listenings: Misfits, Nick Cave, AFI, Arcade Fire

Current “radio hit” listenings: “I love it” Sneaky Sound System, “I Don’t Feel Like Dancin” Scissor Sisters

Current readings: Dracula by Bram Stoker – found it at the hostel

Troy

Well here I am writing from someplace in Queensland, I can’t remember the name of the place, just reunited with my mom, Brad and step-sister Paula. In the last week I’ve been reunited with my sister Tiff and her friend, said good-bye to some great friends I made in Sydney and took off up north. We spent a couple nights (or was it one?) in some little crap towns along the way before settling down in Byron Bay and getting a decent cabin to stay in. We had camped up to this point but had quickly realized that camping without any camping equipment, save a tent, sucks. To top it off you can’t have any open fires down-under because of brush fires so we checked into a little self-contained cabin that had all you needed and split it 3 ways with Tiff and her friend Tracy. To be honest, I rather liked the little place and looking at it now I really question what more you would need. It had 2 rooms, a full bath-room and a kitchen and really, that’s more than what most people in the world have. It really makes me realize how over the top we live in North-America, but that’s a whole nother rant unto itself.

More Pics here

Tiff and I reunited

So Long Sydney
So I got reunited with Tiff and we spent a couple days in Sydney hanging out and me finalizing all my loose ends before we hit the road. I had a couple final work-outs with the Crossfit crew and went for Yum Chum before I left and Korean BBQ the week before. I got really sick after the Korean BBQ night but it wasn’t from the food or a stomach sickness; I went to sleep that night and broke into chills as I tried to fall asleep. It was only until I put all my blankets on and got into my sleeping bag that I fell asleep and when I woke up a couple hours later I found that I had broken a fever and was red as a lobster and like a million degrees. I went back to bed and woke up at 6 for the days workout but felt like a truck had hit me. The fever was gone but I just didn’t feel right so I had to call it in, which was my first workout that I missed in 2 months. Anyways, I ended up sleeping like 14 hours that night, morning and afternoon, didn’t leave my flat all day and again had a 12 hour sleep the next night. I’m sure that I haven’t slept that much since I left home nearly a year ago.

All in all I have to say Sydney is an amazing city, living there was a real treat, from cheap fruit and vege at Paddy’s Market and the little Asian markets that I can get my seaweed and bean sprouts at for next to nothing to all the great restaurants to, most importantly, Crossfit Sydney/Crossfit Australia.  I think anyone who says that all cities are the same has either lived in only ever one city or only boring cities.

Korean BBQ night – Andrew, Alena and I – Crossfit Cook & Philip

So me Tiff and Tracy left town and spent our first night in Nelson’s Bay I think.  I must say that I got very homesick that night but it wasn’t for Edmonton but for Sydney, what a city.  Honestly, I have a feeling that I’m going to have a very tough time moving back to E-town when I do and if I do I have a feeling it will be a short stay.  It’s funny how I can go from wanting to live on a farm and own my own land to wanting to live in a big city, I think it has to be one or the other; Metropolitan city or little acreage/farm.  Edmonton will always be home but I probably just won’t live there.

Byron
We spent 3 nights in Byron and had a pretty laid back time.  About the most exciting thing that I did was walk up to the lighthouse with Tiff and Tracy, the rest of the time I pretty much just worked-out, ate food, drank coffee, read, wrote and just plain old chilled out on the beach, at the cabin and at coffee shops.  I intend to do more of all the above from now on in my travels, unless of course a job comes along that I think would be a cool, new challenge and experience but until then…

Me pissing around with my camera and the light house in the background.

So after Byron we took off to hike Mount Warning before we got together with the rest of the family.  It’s an extinct volcano, not much of a mountain and wasn’t too hard a climb I Tiff and Tracy thought yet the other people at the top were falling over themselves and pounding down food like they’d never eaten before. We did it in a solid 3hours and 20 minutes, well below the 4-5hours the sign said it would take. 
Troy 1
Mount Warning 0

Me pissing around more with my camera

Tiff, Tracy and I on the top – f*ck I’m skinny.  I gained 3kgs and the first my mom comments on is how skinny I am…

End of the line
After our climb we drove up to Brad’s relative’s place and met up with my mom, Brad and Paula ending our little trip up the coast.  At first I wasn’t going to go with Tracy and Tiff as I thought I would have gone insane but it was good fun.  The last little bit of the journey I got a little itchy to get out of the car; I don’t think they didn’t sing at some point of any song that came on the stereo but it was all in good fun.  After spending the last couple days with my sister I’m really scratching my head as how we can be related.  I love you Tiff, you’re a blast, a hoot to be around and the best sister in the world but you really have got to wonder, huh?

One is Company, Two is a crowd
I am finding it a bit difficult to be travelling and doing things with other people though as I’m so used to doing things on my own schedual and pace.  I used to think that I’d rather travel on my own as I travel faster that way but not I realize it’s the opposite; I like to travel on my own as I travel slower.  I take my time, stop and smell the roses and quite simply procrastinate to no end.  The only time that I really travelled with others down here was when I first arrived on the west coast and quite frankly I hated it but that said all the people that I was travelling with were on vacation, had limited time to do this, see that and go there.  I really don’t see myself travelling with others ever again but who knows, in a country that doesn’t fluently speak your native tounge it could be a completely different story but then again, while go to Asia to hang out with Australians and why go to Australia to hang out with Germans and English?

Mommy
It was a little weird seeing everyone at first but things have settled down, all is good and I’m really enjoying seeing everyone after all this time.  We’ve been pretty busy the last couple days, visiting people, shopping, thanksgiving (even though they don’t have it down here), getting ourselves reaquanted with one another and enjoying the company.  Things are starting to slow down now and I’m hoping the rest of the time here will be nice and slow and laid back instead of the chaotic set pace of the first week.  We’ve been staying at some reletives of Brad’s here in a town called Nerang on the Gold Coast south of Brisbane, which has been really generous of them.  I was a worried that I would have to bunk myself in some rip off of a dank hostel or pay an arm and a leg for a hotel but thier generosity has prevented that.  That said, I feel rather guilty about it all as I feel like we’re invading these people’s house but I guess when they come to Canada they have a place to stay with us, so it’s all good.

Things have been a little too up pace for myself since getting to the Gold Coast and getting together with my family; sight seeing, shopping, visiting people, shopping, Thanksgiving, shopping…yep, everyone’s done a lot of shopping it seems… except me that is.  Everyone’s up at the crack of dawn wanting to run around and rush off to do this or go there and see that, while I’m much more partial to sitting at a cafe, reading a book and just talking to my family and seeing what’s going on in their lives and minds.  Call me borring I guess…I guess this furthers my thoughts on taking things slow. 

Thanksgiving
There’s like half a dozen Canadians down here, all from the Leduc area that have somehow all managed to bump into each other and become friends so my Mom and Brad both decided to have a Thanksgiving (they don’t have it in Australia…ingrates) and invite them all.  There was about 20 or so of us and plenty of great food, specifically the turkey, which I had been having cravings for over the last couple weeks.  You can’t buy turkey breasts down here and what turkey roasts you can buy are insanely priced so this bird was a godsend.

Thanksgiving

Another little thing we did was went to a conservation park in the area, here’s some pics of that.

Small Town Fever
Most of my friends forgot to wish me happy birthday, which I’m not angry about nor do I hold any hard feelings as I know that I’ve forgotten a couple birthdays too.  People are busy with their lives, and such and it’s this busyness that makes me realize something about back home, which also ties in with seeing all my family and spending time with them down here; nothing has changed back home.  It’s business as usual back in Alberta, the economy is rolling, people are hustling and bustling here and there and mindset that I really wanted to get away from is as strong as ever (standard of living over quality of life).  I was getting rather nostalgic for home the last little bit and I was a bit afraid that after seeing my family here I would want to go back home with them.  Instead the opposite effect has happened, I have less of an urge than ever to get back there and all of these factors together make it just that much easier not to go back.  So I guess the underlying tone to all of this is that I really don’t have much a reason to go back home anytime soon and really what’s the rush?  I have no obligations or responsibilities to anyone but myself, I’m young but I don’t think age matters anyways and this could be a once in a life time opportunity and experience so I better take my chances while I’ve got it.  I think the only thing that really pulls me back home right now is my want to futher my education and my career goals but I have the rest of my life to do that; what’s the rush?  That and Crossfit; nothing like a solid gym to dish out pain.

So that’s that for this update and probably for a bit, just chilling out here on the Gold Coast for the next couple weeks with my family, with a brief stop over in Sydney to say good-bye to friends and family there and from there it’s off to Thailand and beyond, which is where my next update will probably be from.  I’m big time looking forward Asia and have been for quite sometime.  I thought I’d be a little freaked out about heading to Asia, what with it being a different culture and all but I’m not.  I think the jump from my 55-hour work week, Mastco slave life to travelling Australia was a bigger jump than travelling Australia to travelling Asia will be.  I’ve gotten rid of like half my shit that I’ve been carrying around OZ and am going super light from here on in.

As much as I’ve enjoyed my visit with my family down here I am looking forward to heading off on my own.  I hate to say that but it’s true.  It’s amazing how quickly the whole family unit revert back to the way it was and how quickly little bickering and quaralls can resurface but I guess that could be said for anyone when you’ve been stuck in a car with someone for 6 hours and sharing a house with 5 others; it’s inevitable I suppose.  I guess that’s more proof for travelling alone.  Seeing how quickly things can turn back to the way they were, inregards to the family scene, makes me miss home even less.  I’m sure in a couple months time I will miss them all but until then…

What I really hope to get out of Asia in pretty simple as I’m a simple guy:
Culture – A different way of life, perspective and lifestyle.  I’ve been pretty forunate as I’ve experienced all of that here in Australia but in a different way then what I had expected and wanted.
People – As much as I like Troy time, spending time and travelling alone, I still love people.  I thoroughly enjoy simply meeting others and conversating with them.
Chilling out and relaxing – under a nice tree with a good book or at a cafe, where ever, it’s an art.
Food food food!!! – ‘nough said
Cooking classes – goes hand in hand with above.  Don’t laugh, lots of people do it there and it’s dirt cheap plus why not learn from the best?
Working out – Shameless plugs – Check out Ross Enamait’s book Never Gymless, which I’ve been reading the last week.  Amazing stuff with little to no equipment.  That and Crossfit.
Climbing – I hear there’s lots of great places to climb specifically in Thailand and Laos plus you can take lessons on the basics of it all which is something that I never could get going in Edmonton.  My cousin Mike was big into it, Andrew is a climber, so is James another Crossfitter that joined us just when I left Sydney and also two of the guys that I worked with were both climbers.  All these people told me how great it is and filled me with stories of the sport and told me how great Thailand is for it.  Now to top it off one of the Canuck couples that I met down here from Leduc spent nearly 2 months in Thailand doing nothing but climbing.  They had never done it before they got there, fell in love with it and have regailed me with stories of their excursions.  I think sport is calling to me.

Well that’s that, stay healthy, stay fit and stay alive.  My next update will probably be Thai-side and like usual it could be a while.  Don’t have too many plans for when I get there other then find a place to stay in Bangkok for the first night and past that it’s all up for grabs.  I got my plane ticket so here I go.

Pics

Troy Archie