There's Nothing About Mary...

(or, How I came to buy my car):

After spending my first few Australian weeks in Melbourne gathering info about how to attempt to experience Oz, and perusing the hostel bulletin boards to buy a car, I received and email from Aine and Noel, an Irish couple that I ran into several times in New Zealand. They informed me that they were about to conclude their holiday in Australia, and were making their way south from Darwin to Perth and needed to sell their car before flying back to Ireland. I had been leaning toward seeing the more isolated and remote west coast of Australia anyway, and this would save me from having to drive the few grueling days across the Great Nullarbor Desert. Soooooo, after exchanging a few emails about the car, I told them I would fly to Perth and buy it from them. Site unseen and no test drive.

The 3.5 hour flight from Melbourne to Perth was flown by Capt. Sam Hill (I always wondered "who in the Sam Hill" was. Now we all know that he is a pilot for Qantas Airlines). Anyway....

Aine and Noel picked me up at the airport and we walked to the parking lot when I finally saw her...Mary: the fading red 1985 Subaru Station Wagon. Now she ain't much to look at, but it gets worse. Along with having almost 300,000 km on her, she's lost some of her initial workings: first and foremost, no air-conditioning (there is a button for it on the dash, but it does nothing), no hazard lights (but hey, what could possibly happen that I would need them?), no horn, the back lift gate does not stay up (i use a little piece of iron to prop under the hinge), the glove box is screwed shut, some of the air vents work (some of the time), the drivers side window only goes down 3/4 of the way (and you cant put it up all the way and shut the door. You have to shimmy it to the left then gently push the door closed), there is no rear bumper, the gas cap is just an orange cap to a lawnmower that loosely fits over the top of the hole-then a couple of crumpled pieces of paper hold it on tight once you close them in the gas cap door), the front tires and back tires are two different sizes and there are three different brands of tires, the heater doesn't work (and there were a few evenings on the south coast when it was needed), the rear wiper doesn't work either, the 'padding' on the interior roof and sides of the doors is so dry-rotted from years of dry heat that it is just worn out, scuffed and scraped off... oh yeah and worst of all NO RADIO!!! Can you imagine that for me?! Thank gawd for ipod! Although that's just rude with someone else in the car.

However, Mary does have a redeeming quality: the engine runs...and runs...(and hopefully keeps running....) No oil leaks, never overheated, and shifts fine. Although she really needs to warm up in the morning by massaging the gas pedal until she revs to life.

But, Mary is my Oz Chariot and so far she has performed. The Photo: So I took her to the beach at Lucky Bay for a picnic (where she got stuck in the sand and I got 5 Aussie Lads to push us out).
The End.

Side note:
after buying the car, I spent a few days in the charming town of Fremantle, which is just South of big Perth. I stayed with two different Servas hosts (http://joomla.servas.org/). What great people and a great international organization.

While posting a sign on the ride boards at the various hostels (I was looking for someone to share the ride/costs of driving to see the Southwest corner of Australia for a few weeks), I saw a note for "Camping Gear for Sale". I wanted to acquire a few things anyway so I called and arranged to meet the sellers the next day. Around noon, I met two German dudes in their 40's (can you imagine anyone traveling internationally at that age?!). They were flying back to Germany that afternoon at 4:00 and desperately wanted to unload their gear instead of throwing it away (ok, put on your salesman cap). Long story short...I bought almost everything they had for pennies on the dollar. Including: "The Palace" a huge 4-person tent with vestibule, queen size mattress with pump, gas lantern, 2 sets of mask-snorkel-fins, big beach umbrella, a large and small gas stove with fuel cans, sleeping bag, cooler (esky), service for 4 (plates, cups, cutlery, pots, pan, espresso maker, cleanup stuff, cord and clothespins, etc), and some food. And Mary already came with 2 folding chairs, 2 boogie boards and such.
So, in an instant, I am traveling POSH, baby! TaaDaa....

I'm Still Here...

Sorry for the lack of postings.
Just wanted to jot a quick note to let you know I am still alive and well on the remote west coast of australia. It is HOT, and the roads are long and straight with huge distances between the small lazy towns. But the people are super friendly, the car is hangin' in there and the beaches are superbly picturesque.

Good, cheap internet access is few and far between and I haven't had much time to update the pix or blog (obviously). When I do find internet, I just make time to check emails and such. But my journal is filled with great stories and memories to share and incredible photos as well. I iwill make time to update soon. (yeah, I said that last time...)
OK, gotta go for now.

Am currently in Coral Bay, at the southern tip of the famous Ningaloo Reef. Still heading North....

The Merry Ol' Land Of OZ!

Wow, Ubie slackin' on the blog entries...

I have been chillin' in Melbourne, Australia for a few weeks and getting a 'plan' together for this MASSIVE country. Australia (or "Oz" as they call it) is about the size of the United States, but with much fewer roads, and smaller population. The roads mainly hug the perimeter of the coasts and there is one road that goes north-south through the red center. 90% of the population lives on 2.5% of the land of this country (mostly on the east coast). In fact, Melbourne alone has 3.5 million people, which is an overload after New Zealand (with a population of 4 million in the entire country!)

Because of Australia's shear size and deceaving distances between places, you can only see a limited portion with a 3 month visa. So, it's almost like having to determine what not to see. However, I've already inquired about a 3 month extension of my visa just in case...

So, tomorrow I am flying to Perth (a 4+ hour flight waaaay to the south-western coast) to buy a car from an Irish couple I met in NZ several times. They are finishing their Oz journey on Thursday and need to sell their 1985 Subaru 4WD station wagon named "Mary". I couldn't pass up the deal. Then "on the road again" finally!! I believe I will travel all the way up the more isolated, sparse and less touristy west coast, then through the Kimberley and into the outback of the northern territory.

It is mid-summer here and hot, as in HOT!! The last few days were nearly 100 degrees. Dry heat but..ya know...HOT! Makes Africa seem like Pittsburgh. BTW, Thanks for keeping me updated on the winter weather situation back in the N'oreast USA. Brrrrrr...I do not miss that. But at least it's not so damned HOT!

I have not spent much computer time, thus a lack of blog updates or pix. I can't wait to sit down to finish the stories I started about New Zealand. Oz has some big shoes to fill after NZ's magical experiences. We will see, one day at a time...

Ubie Jammin' with Neo

Now for a cool freaky story:
My friend Brenda, from Akron, has a neighbor with nephews in Oz (Will is in Melbourne, where I am, and Jack is from Darwin, all the way in the North Coast). She sent Will's email address to me, which I forwarded to him with my mobile phone number. He texted (is that a word yet?) to say that he was out of town but coincidentally his brother Jack was in Melbourne to play two gigs with his band, 'Neo'. Jack called and invited me to meet them at the "Open Studio" at 4:00 as they set up and did a sound check. After meeting the other three members of the band, Jack informed me that usually there are 6 members, but the drummer had an operation on his wrist and wasn't touring, so these gigs were more acoustically based. (Hmmmm, can you guess what happened next...?) I told Jack that I was a drummer and did some soundboard work. I helped with the sound check and they asked if I would be interested in sitting in on some percussion (They only set up a bass drum, snare drum and hi-hat cymbals). Well, I played the second set with them, caught onto their funky vibe and fit right in. We had a blast! Afterward, they asked me, "Do you want to come and jam with us tomorrow night at the bar "Glitch"? Of course I did.

Although the band is from Darwin, many of their friends came to see the show in Melbourne. It was like a homecoming of sorts and made the room feel like a big party. Afterward, I was rewarded by hearing band members discussions about how they hadn't had that much fun at a gig in a long time. The energy level and funky groove was infectious. The dance floor was packed with friends and the band is very interactive. We sat on the tour bus outside of the bar until 4:00AM, then they gave me a ride back to where I was staying. THE END!
Not really, but that's it in a nutshell.

The following day we all met at the annual St. Kilda Festival just outside of Melbourne. The streets of this bohemian community are closed to traffic and 300,000? people converge for a day of fun, sun, food and music! There are 5 themed stages with bands all day long, ethnic food stalls throughout, street buskers and various entertainment and demonstrations. An epic day!

Two days later, I was invited to join them on a journey down to the Mornington Peninsula, which separates the mighty Southern Ocean from calm Port Phillip Bay. We stayed at Drew's bungalow "Rancho Relaxo", just off of St. Andrew's Beach. Miles of beach in either direction with no one around!! We waded 100's of yards into the low tide waters and body-surfed huge waves for hours. Then, back to the bungalow for an outdoor patio candlelit dinner followed by a gentle jam session with guitar, flute, clarinet, two hand drums, etc.
Next day, same thing....

You might think it's just luck or something, but this type of synchronicity, serendipity, karmic situation has been happening to me consistently since I started this journey. Soooo many times, in so many ways! Coincidence? I think not...

Quotes n'at

Some are mine, some I heard in conversations, others I read somewhere:

--Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever.

--I want to know if you can be alone with yourself and if you truly like the company that you keep in the empty moments.

--The legs are willing, but the knees are weak.

--"Go to the edge" the voice said. "No, I will fall."
"Go to the edge" the voice said. "No, I will be pushed over."
"Go to the edge" the voice said. So he went, and he was pushed. And he flew...

-- You have to let it go, to keep the flow.

--Life is a tune. How will you dance to it?

--How can you be a beacon to others if your own light is out?

--The meek are getting ready.

--Walkin' on these streets alone
By myself and on my own
Seldom seen and quite unknown.
(Xmas evening)

--Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry and narrow mindedness. -Mark Twain

--Knowledge comes from learning. Wisdom comes from letting go of what you think you know.

--A meal of 1000 flavors begins with one ingredient.

I have studied many times

The marble which was chiseled for me—

A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor.

In truth it pictures not my destination

But my life.

For love was offered me and I shrank from its disillusionment;

Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid;

Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances.

Yet all the while I hungered for meaning in my life.

And now I know that we must lift the sail

And catch the winds of destiny

Wherever they drive the boat.

To put meaning in one’s life may end in madness,

But life without meaning is the torture

Of restlessness and vague desire—

It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.

-- "IF" by Rudyard Kipling
If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream--and not make dreams your master,
If you can think--and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on!"

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings--nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And--which is more--you'll be a Man, my son!

Farewell Frodo, Bye Bye Bilbo

Wow, I can't believe how quickly the 95 days in New Zealand has gone by. This is an amazing country indeed! The varied geography, spirited friendly people and myriad of outdoor activities are (I don't even know what word to use here.)

I am sitting in Auckland waiting for my ride to the airport to catch my 4:30 flight to Melbourne, Australia (they refer to it as OZ. Which is much easier to type).
I will spend a few days with friends that I met while hiking the Inca Trail in Peru (small world, eh?). Other than knowing where I will lay my head tonight; I have no plans, reservations or itinerary for 3 months in Australia. Although I had the same situation for NZ, and wouldn't have planned it any differently if I had planned it. I will read my guide book and figure a direction. I think I may go to the more remote West Coast first, or perhaps South to the Island of Tasmania. It is the height of summer now and HOT up north. So I can see the south and west first...?

I hope to sit down and finish some of the blog posts that I started regarding NZ adventures and memories (there are sooooo many). I did spend a few hours last week uploading a slew of new photos to the Flickr site though (check 'em out if you get a chance)

OK, gotta go for now, but I'll keep ya posted!

I'm still trippin' in the New Year...

My goodness...I can't believe how long it's been since my last post. Serious blog negligence and abuse. Just wanted to let y'all know that I am well and travels are going wonderfully! Unfortunately, I still do not have time to write and catch up on what's been happenin'

In a nutshell: after the Mount Cook extravaganza of hiking, I camped for a bit beside Lake Ohau, then traveled south to the quaint town of Wanaka where I spent a few days including a very quiet Christmas. From there I met a few girls from the UK (who did not know each other prior to us all meeting in Wanaka) and we drove to the very southwest corner of NZ to Fiordland National Park and hiked "The Dusky Track " (supposedly the 2nd toughest tramping in NZ). The only way to access this remote and isolated trail is by boat or seaplane. Anyway, it took us seven days to complete and we spent New Years in a rustic hut beside a small glistening lake on a majestic mountainside. Schweeeeet! Pictures and the whole story when I have more internet time.

Since then, I spent a 8 hour day hiking on the Fox Glacier with a few guides. A few hikes around the Franz Joseph glacier. A hike in Arthur's Pass to the Devil's Punchbowl waterfall. And I am now back in Christchurch ready to head north again to sell my car in Auckland before departing NZ (sigh) for Melbourne, Australia on January 30th.

But first...I will try to book a boat to swim with the dolphins and whales off of the coast in Kiakora. Followed by a day of biking to about 10 wineries in the Marlborough wine region. And there are supposed to be quite a few natural hot mineral springs around.
Other than that, not much going on....

Thanks for your emails, thoughts, holiday wishes, etc.
Keep in touch and I will try to write in more detail soon. Gotta go.........