I made it out of Griffith with some cash and my sanity somewhat intact, but I had decided that I was not wired for manual labor. After taking a train to Melbourne, I spent some time job hunting and sight seeing. When the smoke cleared, I had gotten a job at Chubb Security. After a few days in the office, Chubb discovered that I wasn't a permanent Australian resident and they tossed me out the door. I found it hilarious that I had shown them my temporary visa and they had clearly heard my accent, but they were somehow still not [View Full Entry]

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I spent five days in Sydney. The highlight of the whole experience was the massive bats that live in the botanical gardens. I then received a job offer to drive a combine on a wheat station in the Outback, and I had to depart right away. I took a long midnight bus ride to Griffith, a small agricultural town in the middle of New South Wales. The ride was slightly comical. The bus contained just a handful of apprehensive backpackers who were headed out into the middle of nowhere to find work. I felt like Johnny Depp in the opening scenes [View Full Entry]

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Fiji was a two-part experience. I met a guy from Ireland at the airport in Nadi named Tristan, and he became my wingman for the duration of the trip. We spent the first part of the week in the outer Yasawa Islands, which was perhaps the most unspoiled place I have ever been. There is no noise pollution, no roads, no cars, no airplanes, no TV, no nothing, just jagged mountains jutting up from a perfect azure sea covered in palm trees. The first night found me learning traditional dances with some large and very giggly Fijian women. The music was [View Full Entry]

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