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Published: November 28th 2006
Jack Johnson Album cover
Conto's, Margaret river. My second day surfing and punishing my body. This was an unbelievable spot, slept on the beach and saw some unusual things in the night sky, then in the morning some pro surfers turned up and gave us a show. Here's the last couple of months in WA briefly...
I spent a week in Perth to begin with which was about a week more than I could afford and eight days more than I had money for. Perth is a nice city and coming from Singapore it felt very open, airy and free. The temperature was a bit of a surprise although it has warmed up a fair bit in the last couple of months. A week spent in a backpackers visiting local Irish bars was fun but a significant drain on long spent resources, so the inevitable evil was upon me. Time to seek employment.
I visited a recruitment agency who were on the verge of convincing me telesales was the way forward. Sweat pouring down my face, twisting in the swivel chair of the recruitment office I truly felt that bastard industry had me enslaved once again. I casually alerted the recruitment lady to the fact that the Goodyear blimp and its three porky pink pilots had just passed the window behind her and dashed out the door, straight to the bus station and on to… um… Pemberton.
I have found Dungiven WA. Pemberton is a
strange place. I have spent the last 6 or 7 weeks here working on a vineyard by day and a kitchen by night attempting to replenish the credit card-shaped void in my finances. The sun and the flies….
…Australian flies deserve a special mention. They are assholes. They have absolutely no manners. They will choose your most vulnerable moment, that extra sweaty and frustrated second to carry out a coup d’etat, an impressively coordinated 10-fly swoop in perfect synchronicity on both eyes, both ears, each nostril and as the piece de resistance, when you scream your frustration, all will skillfully dart straight into your mouth…
Where was I? Sun and flies and sweaty farm work by day, scrubbing pots by night. Sleepy town, sleepy nightlife, overpriced and under-equipped hostel. Should be hating it.
But I don’t. Strange as I find it even myself, I absolutely love it here. Every day is outstanding. Despite my contradictory skin type, I believe I was built to live in the sun, it puts a permanent smile on my face. The vineyard gives me an awful lot of time to think about all of the things I wandered off to think about.
Everything in WA is at a slightly slower pace and gives you time to stop and notice all of the little signs and lessons that you should really pay more attention to as you hurtle through life. The Kitchen has been amazing too. Dish Pig may be the job title but cash in hand, gourmet meal each evening from the excellent chef and some new recipes and dishes up my sleeves haven’t hurt either. And the people I have met everywhere have been beyond what I could have hoped for, especially in the restaurant.
The trips out of and around “Pembee” (Aussies hate full nouns of any sort longer than 2 syllables) have been frequent and great craic. The place is in the middle of a Karri tree forest, all sorts of birds and beasts constantly surround you. On trips fishing for Marron and walks out and around I have seen the full range of critters from ‘roos and emus to snakes, big lizards and spiders. Even a pod of dolphins came to say hello at “Margie’s” but no white pointers yet. I hope it stays that way. Some of the best bits have been surfing in Margaret river
Fishin wi' Franco
Francesco and I went fishing redfin in the Karri forest and ended up coming back with Marron instead. MMmmmmmmm, Marron and sleeping on the beach under a cloudless starry night in a surfboard bag and seeing a UFO (ask me sometime, and no there were no drugs involved), the inland dunes system at Yagarup ( romping over surreal landscapes in a “fackin 4WD yewt mite”), and camping at the Bridgetown blues festival. Very Ballyshannon.
But the tour continues, I am nowhere near ready to hang up the backpack and call WA my new home. Lots more to see yet so its off to Melbourne this weekend probably for a month, then Sydney on new years eve for the big party...
So long suckers, and don't whine if you've just recieved exactly the same text in an email. This has already taken me 3 hours and I have to go scrub pots in 20 mins.
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ASBO Holidays
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G Mon
So "next stop uranus." Hope things work out better than being back in hawkerville. The blog will explain all when sorted. Have fun mi amigo!!