Down Blunder

When planning a trip like this, one can expect a few little things to not go as planned - yes, I am sure when Sod was devising his Laws he catered for every eventuality. Almost an entire year went by without any problems - in fact, it wasn't until our 10th month that the first major problem occurred with our travelling plans. You might not know it, but of all the countries we have been to, from India all through communist countries like Vietnam and the Laos, not a single problem with visas occurred until we got to our old close ally and strong Commonwealth partner, 'Australia'.

The recent tourism advert for Australia bares a slogan which (we were constantly reminded was banned for being 'too rude' in Blighty) asks the question:
'Where the Bloody Hell Are You?'
To which our only answer can be...
'Trying to get a Work Visa using a crap internet application form!'

Oh well, it did mean that we weren't able to work for 'proper' money to fund the rest of our planned travels through South America then home, but as we have said before - 'What's for you won't go by you'...
Saying that, after almost three months here, and having met up with our great friends, Alex and Esther, and spent some time with Lou's Mum and Dad, Ros and Trevor AND Lou's Auntie Pauline and cousins Coral and Steven (and their families!) we can definately count ourselves lucky.
Australia itself boasts one of the worlds most unique variety of wildlife and a hugley diverse landmass. As it stood largely in isolation for many of its years, the creatures which inhabited it evolved into animals that were totally unique to the island, but perfectly suited to its harsh environment - Wombats, Kangaroos, Koalas, strange birds, all manner of wierd things - and plenty of them. Even their much loved national emblem, the Kangaroo, is considered a pest - they breed like rabbits and as they are much larger cause alot more damage.
But, we aren't here to chew the cud over the flora and fauna of Australasia, lets talk about what we liked and not so liked about the land of cork string hats and cold lager...

Sydney - a city of tall skyscrapers, an infamous harbour, beautiful coves, and what has to be the most overrated beach in the world - Bondi. Sydney is very business-oriented a city where money is definately the 'in thing' to appear to have, combined with what I thought most Australians prided themselves with not having 'attitude'. Despite not really feeling too welcome in Sydney (aside from the lovely times we had with Alex, Esther and their friends who lived in the North of the city), you couldn't beat the location. Sydney Harbour is awesome, with the iconic Opera house and Darling Harbour Bridge evoking long forgotten childhood fantasies of a land the other side of the world. Somehow you always think that those famous things that you always see on TV, but never think you will really SEE them, are alot bigger than they actually turn out in real life. That said, it doesn't take away that feeling when you actually do get to look at them. Magical.
Our hostel in Woolloomooloo was very disappointing - not only because I expected much more from accomodation located in a part of the city with such a funny name, but because it was a great example of the exceptionally greedy way in which alot of the hostels we came across enjoyed exploiting the travellers in Oz. Not only run by totally incompetant reception staff (constantly forgetting to pass on any messages, generally unfriendly), but sharing 6 hob cooking tops between 200 guests always makes life at dinner time an interesting one. That plus a number of many other discrepancies made our stay at Harbour City Backpackers a none too pleasurable one. Good thing Ros and Trevor came to the rescue with a sofa bed in the luxurious apartment they were staying in!

Melbourne - Now this was much more of a town you can settle in. Whilst they don't have the harbour, iconic buildings, and sandy bays, they also don't have the attitude and brashness of the Sydneyites. Melbourne is an altogether more cosmopolitan place - with great places to eat and much less pretentious bar and clubs to enjoy yourself in. Our initial disappointment in having not gained work visas was overcome by having found some cash-in-hand work that enabled us to make some great friends, make ends meet with our own flat, food money, drinking money, and some 'saves' for our onward journey to Perth and beyond. Obviously I am not going to record the name of the venue we worked, but it did involve the general public, some celebrities (yes, we did actually meet Toadfish's mum from Neighbours!), great food, and our new speciality - serving alcohol, cocktails, and coffee.
Our new found roles as bartenders at an extremely popular restaurant/cafe involved long hours, sore feet, and a hell of alot of enjoyment. Strange as it might seem, we had forgotten about how rewarding it is to work hard to keep your head above water and food in your mouth. We still couldn't afford to eat in fancy restaurants, drink in any clubs, buy new clothes or the latest gadgets, but we were now working to make sure that we weren't dipping into our much depleted savings and saving hard towards our tickets out of Melbourne and eventually Australia. We did allow ourselves a 'cheap and cheerful' meal on our day off, but all in all we worked hard and saved harder.
When we partied, we drank the stuff we served (after closing time, of course!). When we ate, we ate the food that the restaurant provided during our break. All in all, we managed to do really well in Melbourne, and we met some really great people, too.

Perth and Western Australia - Perth is stunning. It is also vastly spaced out. I don't mean in the sense that it has had too many woodbines, or that psycedelia has taken its toll, but in the literal sense. It really takes hours to go anywhere in Perth. Saying that, the travel is worth it. W.A. is vast - we only managed to scratch the surface of it, but our busy itinerary (excellently organised by Aunty Pauline and the Atherton family) made sure that we saw some of the best sights the South West had to offer. We ate well (no more skinny asian bodies for us!), played hard, and spent a few nights out in the beautiful Aussie 'bush'.
W.A. is a world apart from the East Coast, and the landscape ranges from desert (in the north) to arrid dry bush to lush green countryside in the south. In fact the countryside in the south reminded me so much of the farmland we have at home in England. So much so, infact, that although the beauty was evident, it only served to make me miss home so much more.
What made the countryside even more wonderful were the lovely little villages which were dotted around the vast expanse of it. Clean, green, with beautiful wooden chalet style houses nicely spaced out, on which lovely verandas with hardy but comfortable chairs and tables stood. You can imagine this was the perfect place to grow up. Small but close communities, surrounded by a vast expanse of gorgeous countryside, these little townships were formed when logging was a major industry, housing the workers and their families, but are now made up to serve the tourist industry - the prices of each property being pushed up by the influx of city people wanting to get out, and the newer generations wanting to sell up and move to the city. A perfect example of 'the grass is always greener' if you ask me.

So, with money enough to buy a ticket out of the country, we decided to go and visit Louise's cousin, Rachel, in Hong Kong. Spurred by the promise of a party (Rachel's 30th), we hastened back to Asia after 4 months away - with no set plan, but plenty of possibilities, and of course, huge smiles on our faces.