Out on the weekend
Well well well, it’s been a busy interesting last couple days and I finally have time to sit down now and post here. Perth started out to be a pretty boring town but has ended up to be quite fun. Now where to start…
I guess it was last Thursday I switched hostels from the geriatrics ward hostel I was in to a really good one where I have met tones of great people. I met this English guy named Adam, a Korean guy named Yangsung and a German girl Verena and we all really hit it off well and have had a good time the last couple days so pretty much “home” life has been pretty good. It’s quite enjoyable to get a hostel after a long day and see some familiar faces to chill out with and have a good laugh.
When I first started this blog I was going to give each post the name of a song that was going through my head at the time, even the blog’s title is a song but now I have found that I have listened to pretty much no music as I find it really kills any chance of conversation and interaction with people. Case in point:
The last couple days I have been eyeing this book called WWOOFing that they sell at some stores. WOOFing stands for Will Work On Organic Farms and how it works is the book is full of organic farmers who let international travellers come and work at their farms for a couple hours a day and repay them with accommodations, food stay and the experience of seeing life in a different place. I have been eyeing this book for the last couple days now but wasn’t too sure if I wanted to spend the $50 on it and to top it off I couldn’t find anyone who has had any experience with it. Well on Friday I was standing on the street next to this girl wearing a backpack (obviously a fellow traveller), both waiting for the lights to change so we could cross the street. I struck up a conversation with her about where she was going and coming from. Ends up she had just picked up a WWOOFing book a little while ago, had just got back from her first farm stay and was on her way to another place for a stay. I pretty much ended up drilling her with 1000 questions right there on the street and only got rave reviews from her about WWOOFing. So I ran out, bought the book and am now trying to get a hold of some farmers looking for an out going young fellow such as myself.
I was about to put on my headphones a couple seconds earlier but held off and ended up having a great conversation with a complete stranger and potentially changed my travel plans right around. I’m finding that when you’re travelling along interaction is key just about conversation is good, save the 15 minute monologue some security guard gave me about his job, home life and mother in-law, anyways…
Friday was a pretty busy day, I went out the local botanical gardens here in Perth and just hung out in the park doing handstands and reading.
Here is a shot of Perth from King’s Park.
Now in King’s Park they have a huge war memorial and I must say it’s pretty classy. Australia is very very proud of its history, especially its war efforts and it really puts Canada’s to shame. I’ve never seen anything like this back home and the only war monument that I can think of in Canada is the eternal flame in Ottawa. I don’t know if I just don’t know where they are back home and I keep bumping into interesting historical and memorial sites over here but Canada’s efforts for memorial is a bit of a joke.
Halls of the Dead
War Memorial.
Another shot from King’s Park.
A duck that wouldn’t leave me alone.
So I was suppose to leave Perth Saturday morning and had my bus ticket all booked to start my journey up north but got word that some people that were my grandmother’s friend’s sister lived in town and really wanted to meet me. I managed to postpone my ticket and got a hold Bob and Glenda Smallmen. It was a pretty quiet night and we just went out for fish n’ chips (first time I’ve eaten anything deep fried in over 2 years) and got a bit of a tour of the city. The next day I went out to the family owned and run water slides they have and hit the slides and pool for the afternoon. Afterwards we went out to their place just outside of town in a suburb called Byford for “tea” and that is where I met their two sons Mark and James who were pretty much right around my age and both really cool guys. They took me out to see the sun set over the valley and to get a close look at some kangaroos that were near their place. James is a draftsperson too so it was pretty interesting to see what he was building and drafting. I was quite taken by his original fully intact Optimus Prime and Starscreamer Transformers that he had. Very cool. They also explained to me the rules of Cricket, which currently a lot of people down here are following. It was always on TV in the background at the hostels but I had no idea what the rules were but I’m getting a hand of it and think it’s pretty interesting. Ain’t no hockey though.
Later that night I got a hold of another person that I had never met before and got together with her. Her name is Hayley Pots and she was an exchange student with some friends of ours in Camrose for a year. She took me out to her family farm near this little town called Narrogin way off of the beaten trail. There were no backpackers in this town and I don’t there ever has been or ever will be which was great. I feel very fortunate to see, meet and stay with “real” Australians and not just some people trying to sell you something. I’m pretty sure most other travellers in Australia haven’t had an experience like this and will probably never will.
In Narrogin I was privy to the 17th (I think) annual Revheads competition. Now revheads is where they take suped up cars and just rev the shit out of them trying to make the longest, smokiest and loudest burn out possible before their tires blow. I have never seen anything like this before and I’m told it’s pretty local. I came out of their covered in black tar and soot that took 3 showers to get fully off but it was good fun.
The first guy was the best and did like a 6 minute burn out.
Just give’er
A couple guys with a motorized couch that they were driving around.
After that we went around sleepy Narrogin and met Hayley’s aunt and “Granny”. Granny was the coolest and sweetest old lady, next to my grandmother of course, and I got to hang out in her garden eating her fresh fruits. They have these things called Lokids that they don’t sell in the stores but a lot of people seem to grow that I took quite a liking to.
Sleepy Narrogin
Narrogin and Granny really reminded me of my grandmother and her hometown Vermillion
The next day we took another little tour of the town and the farm. Hayley’s dad, Barry, took me out for a good long tour and showed me his land and gave me a quick education of farming around there. It was pretty interesting to see just how different things are down here and the life of a farmer on down-under.
Whipping through the country
Sheep and lots of them. I think they have like over 3000 head of sheep, which I’m told is rather small.
More sheep.
Beautiful country out here.
The welcoming I have received has been extremely warm and I’m rather touched by the openness of all the people I’ve had the opportunity to meet from Hayley, Granny and to the Smallmans. This one weekend has aloud me decide what I want out of this trip and where I want to go with it. I feel kinda bad for some of the other “travellers” who don’t get the opportunity or ever make an effort to get into that type of situation to see what this country is really all about.
Again, thank you Hayley for taking me out to your farm and letting me have this opportunity.
When I got back to the hostel Monday night it was business as usual for most of the people which included drinking and sitting around. There was one group of guys that when I left they were planted in front of the TV and when I came back they were in the exact same positions, the only thing changed was their clothes. It was pretty bizarre scene. I then overheard another guy bragging about how he has been in the pub drunk every night for 6 months straight (he was Irish go figure). I acted the fool and with a confused look on my face asked him why he just doesn’t stay home and drink. He replied, “Where like at the hostel?” I shot back, “no, your home country.” All I got back was a blank stare. Each to their own I suppose.
My plan now is by the end of the week to start making my way up north towards Broome and hopefully get a hold of some WWOOFing hosts and get on a farm or two at my first stop. I am in good health, save for getting a wicked case of bed-bugs and being itchy as hell. I am meeting some amazing people and just having generally a great time. I’ve only been in country for 2 weeks now and Hayley asked me if time was flying by and I must say that no it hasn’t. I have so many great people and just having an all around blast. I think I have met more people in these last two weeks than I have in the last two years and that this is something I desperately needed. My workouts are still going strong and I’m already freaking some people out with them. Good fun.
Good health to all and until next time…
More pics here
Tags: Australia
misfittroy
Hi Troy, sounds like you have had a very eventful time these past few days. And it certainly sounds like you are finally having fun. But where are the people pictures? Where are the pictures of Bob and his family and Hayley – where are their pictures? We are still waiting to see people pictures. It looks like from the scenes of pictures you have that you are getting into real desert country. It was great to hear from you.
Luv u!
Man, looks friggin rad down there man. Some of those pictures look amazing. Its really cool that your meeting so much people down there, but some evidence of that would be better, heh. Just messin with you, dont really want to be flashing a camera in peoples faces every time you meet somone, but come on. You gotta be meeting some pretty girls down there. Sounds like all the fruit and coffee, and just the general attitude of people down there is right up your alley. Anyway im tired and goin to bed. Its minus 18 here man. Have fun.
Word.