Coca-Cola came to the island back early last year and filmed this commercial. From what I understand it was a one day shoot that costs in the ballpark of 3 million dollars. They even used some of the island employees as a few extras in the commercial...just missed out on that!
Click on the link to open up YouTube to check it out!
Coca-Cola Australian Summer Commercial
Friday, January 29, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Whitehaven Beach
Been in the Whitsunday for the past two months and I haven't even seen what it has to offer. I've been on this island and haven't been to any others yet. Which is sorta sad. But that changed last week when I had a good friend of mine come visit from the Gold Coast. Charmaine came up when she had time off from work and we went on a boat to the great barrier reef where we snorkeled amongst the corral and played on the beach of Whitehaven, which is one of the most renowned beaches in the world.
We left Abel Point Marina at 8am for an all day adventure that started with a glass botton boat ride over some of the reef. The reef was such a great sight. It was far different from when I went off the jetty on my island. These reefs were like the ones in the movies, all different colors surrounded by fish that looked like Nemo. The boat ride was cool and I got my first glimpse of the beautifully famous Great Barrier Reef. We then headed to a spot where we were given stinger suit and snorkels to explore on our own. This was very neat. Charmaine was a pro at this. She was dipping and diving everywhere like a freaking dolphin while I was choking on water that got in my snorkel.
But in the end I did spot the only turtle out of the whole group. This bugger was big with a large shell on his back and giant flipper arms that propelled him through the water. I dove down underwater with him and swam directly on top of him, but he wasn't having any of it...he quickly gave me a looking that was nothing short of an "F YOU".
The fish that we saw while snorkeling were amazing. There were hundreds of them all swimming amongst us, blue ones, green ones, stripped, neon...all types. The guides where throwing bread in the water only inches in front of our snorkel, so we honestly got an up close look at them. I tried to snatch a couple but my quick hands were no match for there slimmy scales.
We ate a buffet lunch that I found extremely filling...filling enough to not eat another single thing for the rest of the day. We ate lunch while we drove to Whitehaven beach. Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos, I had this sinking feeling that my brand new camerae was going to take a dive in the water or the sand if I brought it off the boat. But Google "Whitehaven Beach" and take a look at the photos. It's gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Lake MacKenzie on Fraser Island with the white silicon sand and the clear blue water. We hung out at Whitehaven for a couple hours and watched planes and helicopters shuffle tourists on private excursions. One day I'll have my own sea plane that'll take me to remote beaches...one day.
We ended our trip with a visit to Long Island, another island in the cluster of 74 in the Whitsundays group. We didn't spend much time there, but it was good to see another resort that compares to mine.
I still feel like I didn't see everything there was to see throughout the area of islands, but this trip sure helped me see the main attractions. Charmaine was a wonderful guest to have along, and with her being Australian, I didn't quite feel like every other tourist on the trip. I felt like I had my own personal guide. One day I'll be back to explore many more of the islands, but in the mean time, I like knowing that the sights I saw everyday while working in the Whitsundays will be just as memorable.
We left Abel Point Marina at 8am for an all day adventure that started with a glass botton boat ride over some of the reef. The reef was such a great sight. It was far different from when I went off the jetty on my island. These reefs were like the ones in the movies, all different colors surrounded by fish that looked like Nemo. The boat ride was cool and I got my first glimpse of the beautifully famous Great Barrier Reef. We then headed to a spot where we were given stinger suit and snorkels to explore on our own. This was very neat. Charmaine was a pro at this. She was dipping and diving everywhere like a freaking dolphin while I was choking on water that got in my snorkel.
But in the end I did spot the only turtle out of the whole group. This bugger was big with a large shell on his back and giant flipper arms that propelled him through the water. I dove down underwater with him and swam directly on top of him, but he wasn't having any of it...he quickly gave me a looking that was nothing short of an "F YOU".
The fish that we saw while snorkeling were amazing. There were hundreds of them all swimming amongst us, blue ones, green ones, stripped, neon...all types. The guides where throwing bread in the water only inches in front of our snorkel, so we honestly got an up close look at them. I tried to snatch a couple but my quick hands were no match for there slimmy scales.
We ate a buffet lunch that I found extremely filling...filling enough to not eat another single thing for the rest of the day. We ate lunch while we drove to Whitehaven beach. Unfortunately, I didn't take many photos, I had this sinking feeling that my brand new camerae was going to take a dive in the water or the sand if I brought it off the boat. But Google "Whitehaven Beach" and take a look at the photos. It's gorgeous. It reminded me a lot of Lake MacKenzie on Fraser Island with the white silicon sand and the clear blue water. We hung out at Whitehaven for a couple hours and watched planes and helicopters shuffle tourists on private excursions. One day I'll have my own sea plane that'll take me to remote beaches...one day.
We ended our trip with a visit to Long Island, another island in the cluster of 74 in the Whitsundays group. We didn't spend much time there, but it was good to see another resort that compares to mine.
I still feel like I didn't see everything there was to see throughout the area of islands, but this trip sure helped me see the main attractions. Charmaine was a wonderful guest to have along, and with her being Australian, I didn't quite feel like every other tourist on the trip. I felt like I had my own personal guide. One day I'll be back to explore many more of the islands, but in the mean time, I like knowing that the sights I saw everyday while working in the Whitsundays will be just as memorable.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Still working
A little update on my current affairs:
I believe the last thing yall heard is that I was on the island, working the bar. Well, I've been working the bar...and the cafe'...and marketing....and porter. In the past couple weeks we've lost around 5 more staff members and brought in 2. We're very short handed, which means Superman (me) has to fill in where others have left. Been putting in a lot of hours and saving heaps of money.
It's been a blast though. I absolutely love the bar, because usually its just me working, and to get a sip of alcohol on this island they have to come to me. I get to know all the guests as I attempt to show off with some bar flare. Guests average 2-3 nights here and about 50 people come and go every time. Being behind the bar is an instant conversation starter, usually consisting of me make fun of guys that order pina colodas, and filling jugs of beer with inches of head to rude customers. I've met so many interesting, funny, and friendly people none-the-less.
I'm also in charge of the music that's playing. We have this great big system with thousands and thousands of songs on it to chose from. When people drink they like to request their favorite music. I had a Swedish chick ask if we had any Swedish music (apparently she wanted Swedish lyrics and everything), I had a girl from New York ask for Biggie Smalls and Tupac, I had an Irish couple want some classic rock. It's great to see what genres of music different people like.
When I work the bar, I usually take care of the music, games, and drinks, which keeps me pretty busy. One of the more interesting moments I have is when I'm doing games for guests.When it comes time for me to play games with the guests some of the funniest moments happen. I never thought that being the MC for the Clemson games would ever help me out, but it has definitely given me the confidence to take the microphone and lead a crowd of strangers to a good time. When I'm running a game, often times I will see flashes come from different areas of the bar. The flashes are cameras going off...I'm actually being photographed. I can't explain the feeling of accomplishment when people are having so much fun playing the games, that they decide to document the event by taking pictures. Like this one time I was standing on a picnic table outside the bar playing drinking games with close to 70 guests, all the while they were taking pictures of 'their host' creating this atmosphere. I know it sounds really egocentric to say that their taking pictures of me personally, but to know that I'm apart of peoples adventures and travels gives me so much gratification in what I'm doing.
I'm also in charge of the music that's playing. We have this great big system with thousands and thousands of songs on it to chose from. When people drink they like to request their favorite music. I had a Swedish chick ask if we had any Swedish music (apparently she wanted Swedish lyrics and everything), I had a girl from New York ask for Biggie Smalls and Tupac, I had an Irish couple want some classic rock. It's great to see what genres of music different people like.
When I work the bar, I usually take care of the music, games, and drinks, which keeps me pretty busy. One of the more interesting moments I have is when I'm doing games for guests.When it comes time for me to play games with the guests some of the funniest moments happen. I never thought that being the MC for the Clemson games would ever help me out, but it has definitely given me the confidence to take the microphone and lead a crowd of strangers to a good time. When I'm running a game, often times I will see flashes come from different areas of the bar. The flashes are cameras going off...I'm actually being photographed. I can't explain the feeling of accomplishment when people are having so much fun playing the games, that they decide to document the event by taking pictures. Like this one time I was standing on a picnic table outside the bar playing drinking games with close to 70 guests, all the while they were taking pictures of 'their host' creating this atmosphere. I know it sounds really egocentric to say that their taking pictures of me personally, but to know that I'm apart of peoples adventures and travels gives me so much gratification in what I'm doing.
As much as I love this place, I'm ready to go. Ready to travel...see more. By the time February hits, I'll only have 3 and a half months until my plane leaves...unless I change my flight.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Last of Fraser..
To finish up my summary of Fraser Island:
After leaving Lake MacKenzie and making our way out of the inlet tracks alive, we spotted some of our first Dingo's (wild dog looking things) of the trip. Dingos are known to be dangerous and have been known to attack in the name of food. The little fellas were running along the beach near our truck. Never did get a decent picture of one because they weren't as eager to get close to us as we were with it.
We continued driving north until we arrived at the Maheno shipwreck. This 10 ton hunk of rust is an actual large ship that has been beached on the island since 1935. It was an old war ship that had been declared unusable and was being towed to Japan for scrap metal, when a cyclone took the ship ashore where it now resides. This thing is as massive and cool as it looks in the photos. Its completely rusted throughout with about half it filled with sand. Blue crabs seemed to have made it their home, because everywhere I turned I them crawling all over it. We stuck around for about an hour, just walking around taking pictures and unlawfully climbing on the ship to get closer looks. The sun was beginning to set and we left to our next camp sight; Camp K'Gari.
K'Gari is an aboriginal ran camp site that's known for approachable dingos, unruly campers, and aboriginal dancing performances. The spirit of the aboriginal culture is in full force on this camp ground. The resident aboriginals dressed up in their paint and preformed a cabaret for us. The 60ish camp guests all joined in the body painting and dancing around the fire. I even volunteered to do some sort of dance in front of everyone to show my good spirit. Haha, I'm completely sure I looked absolutely ridiculous...but hey, who can say they've danced a sacred aboriginal dance before? I can. The next morning, we were all slightly miserable because of the late night rain that fell. Most of us and our gear was completely soaked, but we had to suck it up and keep going to finish our last day. By this time, a fair amount of us were still wearing the same clothes we left in and were running on three days shower less.
Our final stop of the trip was to Eli Creek, a fresh water creek that led straight into the ocean. Man this water felt amazing that day. The clear blue water was freezing cold and gave us the shock we needed to wake us all up. The creek was about 2 feet deep and just perfect to halfway float down to the ocean opening.
Heading back down the beach 60km to our barge wasn't the best ride. Some of us were getting slightly cranky and the swaying truck didn't ease the nerves any. We'd done such a great job at not getting stuck yet during our trip. Which was very surprising seeing how we'd frequently pass trucks that were scary deep in the sand. Trying to leave Eli Creek was our first hiccup, we were stuck. Not bad though. I had everyone get out and give a slight push while I put the bad boy in 4low and used my Mario Andretti skills to get us out of the rut.
Remembering that the first part of our drive when landing on the island was easily the roughest and most dangerous part, we had to make a decision to make a go for that route and try to beat the tide, or to take the inlet road 18km to the ferry. We were told the inlet road was very rough and that it'd "Rattle the fillings outta ya teeth." To much discussion and debate, we chose the safe bet and took the inlet road, avoiding the beach drive for the last 18km. Getting stuck on beach on this last bit as the tide was almost fully in would result in the truck literally being washed away to sea. Well perfect, not a worry in the world...not a chance for us to get stuck or washed away into the ocean, it's all smooth sailing for here I thought. By this time everyone was pretty sick of the terrible driving that took place for the day and I ended up back in the driver seat for the last bit. And wouldn't you know, just as I'm leaving the beach where the sand was soft and waiting for another victim to get stuck, I pull up to the point where the beach meets the inlet road and BAM. I'm stuck. Perfect. I'm such an idiot. I tried to get the truck unstuck, but I just dug us deeper and deeper until almost the entire front tires were under the sand and the engine block was siting on the ground. This could be awful. We may not see another passing car for hours since the tide is rising up. Yet luckily a Toyota pulled up and offered to help us out. Such a saint this guy was. He had his tow straps and was very friendly and helpful. He got about a 3 metre head start until the rope got taught and completely jerked us out of the sand. I was very close to loosing control and taking a terrible skid in the rock wall to our left, but luck was on my side. Our only big stuck of the trip and it was easily corrected by a random Australian who was on the island for a fishing trip.
Our last battle of the trip was after we arrived back the mainland and had to cross the beach to the bitumen (pavement). Right ahead of us were two trucks stuck...and stuck deep. We weren't going anywhere. They had the entrance blocked up. So while they were digging thereselves out, we all got out and made lunch and watched. Haha, maybe not the most friendliest thing to do. But this was nothing compared to what we next did. You have to note that this was the same truck that only a day ago Angel and I mooned while they were stuck in the inlet tracks. So they already weren't impressed with our cocky attitudes. They all had long angry faces that screamed "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
Our time started running out and we had to get the truck back to the hostel before we got penalized. There was one little opening next to the two axel-deep stuck trucks that we could shoot through if we felt like we could make it. Why not. So I hopped into the drivers seat and we all buckled up tight cause I put the sucker in 4wd high and picked up speed. I was planning on NOT getting stuck this time, and in the mean time show the other trucks how America does things. We were getting closer and we were all anxious and excited to see what would happen when we hit the soft sand. I started laughing and yelling out "COME OOOON! COOOOOMMMMEE ONN!!!" Everyone else joins in and starts hollering. The other trucks can hear us yelling and carrying on as we get closer. Our engine is roaring loudly close to redline. I hit the soft sand and immediantly lose about 15km/h and begin to bog down. But we are all still chanting and giving the truck the moral support it needs. Next thing I know we're about half way through the deep sand and I can see the bituman ahead. I look out the window at the stuck trucks and taunt them as i'm inching my way through the sand to the end. We only BARELY make it out of the sand...but we made it out without getting suck. Everyone cheers and laughs. We couldn't help ourselfs. We knew we had the best car with the best passangers.
We arrived back to the hostel and returned the vehicle where it luckily passed the mechanics inspection, so we all received our bonds back. The trip was officially a success. Fraser island was conquered.
After leaving Lake MacKenzie and making our way out of the inlet tracks alive, we spotted some of our first Dingo's (wild dog looking things) of the trip. Dingos are known to be dangerous and have been known to attack in the name of food. The little fellas were running along the beach near our truck. Never did get a decent picture of one because they weren't as eager to get close to us as we were with it.
We continued driving north until we arrived at the Maheno shipwreck. This 10 ton hunk of rust is an actual large ship that has been beached on the island since 1935. It was an old war ship that had been declared unusable and was being towed to Japan for scrap metal, when a cyclone took the ship ashore where it now resides. This thing is as massive and cool as it looks in the photos. Its completely rusted throughout with about half it filled with sand. Blue crabs seemed to have made it their home, because everywhere I turned I them crawling all over it. We stuck around for about an hour, just walking around taking pictures and unlawfully climbing on the ship to get closer looks. The sun was beginning to set and we left to our next camp sight; Camp K'Gari.
K'Gari is an aboriginal ran camp site that's known for approachable dingos, unruly campers, and aboriginal dancing performances. The spirit of the aboriginal culture is in full force on this camp ground. The resident aboriginals dressed up in their paint and preformed a cabaret for us. The 60ish camp guests all joined in the body painting and dancing around the fire. I even volunteered to do some sort of dance in front of everyone to show my good spirit. Haha, I'm completely sure I looked absolutely ridiculous...but hey, who can say they've danced a sacred aboriginal dance before? I can. The next morning, we were all slightly miserable because of the late night rain that fell. Most of us and our gear was completely soaked, but we had to suck it up and keep going to finish our last day. By this time, a fair amount of us were still wearing the same clothes we left in and were running on three days shower less.
Our final stop of the trip was to Eli Creek, a fresh water creek that led straight into the ocean. Man this water felt amazing that day. The clear blue water was freezing cold and gave us the shock we needed to wake us all up. The creek was about 2 feet deep and just perfect to halfway float down to the ocean opening.
Heading back down the beach 60km to our barge wasn't the best ride. Some of us were getting slightly cranky and the swaying truck didn't ease the nerves any. We'd done such a great job at not getting stuck yet during our trip. Which was very surprising seeing how we'd frequently pass trucks that were scary deep in the sand. Trying to leave Eli Creek was our first hiccup, we were stuck. Not bad though. I had everyone get out and give a slight push while I put the bad boy in 4low and used my Mario Andretti skills to get us out of the rut.
Remembering that the first part of our drive when landing on the island was easily the roughest and most dangerous part, we had to make a decision to make a go for that route and try to beat the tide, or to take the inlet road 18km to the ferry. We were told the inlet road was very rough and that it'd "Rattle the fillings outta ya teeth." To much discussion and debate, we chose the safe bet and took the inlet road, avoiding the beach drive for the last 18km. Getting stuck on beach on this last bit as the tide was almost fully in would result in the truck literally being washed away to sea. Well perfect, not a worry in the world...not a chance for us to get stuck or washed away into the ocean, it's all smooth sailing for here I thought. By this time everyone was pretty sick of the terrible driving that took place for the day and I ended up back in the driver seat for the last bit. And wouldn't you know, just as I'm leaving the beach where the sand was soft and waiting for another victim to get stuck, I pull up to the point where the beach meets the inlet road and BAM. I'm stuck. Perfect. I'm such an idiot. I tried to get the truck unstuck, but I just dug us deeper and deeper until almost the entire front tires were under the sand and the engine block was siting on the ground. This could be awful. We may not see another passing car for hours since the tide is rising up. Yet luckily a Toyota pulled up and offered to help us out. Such a saint this guy was. He had his tow straps and was very friendly and helpful. He got about a 3 metre head start until the rope got taught and completely jerked us out of the sand. I was very close to loosing control and taking a terrible skid in the rock wall to our left, but luck was on my side. Our only big stuck of the trip and it was easily corrected by a random Australian who was on the island for a fishing trip.
Our last battle of the trip was after we arrived back the mainland and had to cross the beach to the bitumen (pavement). Right ahead of us were two trucks stuck...and stuck deep. We weren't going anywhere. They had the entrance blocked up. So while they were digging thereselves out, we all got out and made lunch and watched. Haha, maybe not the most friendliest thing to do. But this was nothing compared to what we next did. You have to note that this was the same truck that only a day ago Angel and I mooned while they were stuck in the inlet tracks. So they already weren't impressed with our cocky attitudes. They all had long angry faces that screamed "GET ME OUT OF HERE!"
Our time started running out and we had to get the truck back to the hostel before we got penalized. There was one little opening next to the two axel-deep stuck trucks that we could shoot through if we felt like we could make it. Why not. So I hopped into the drivers seat and we all buckled up tight cause I put the sucker in 4wd high and picked up speed. I was planning on NOT getting stuck this time, and in the mean time show the other trucks how America does things. We were getting closer and we were all anxious and excited to see what would happen when we hit the soft sand. I started laughing and yelling out "COME OOOON! COOOOOMMMMEE ONN!!!" Everyone else joins in and starts hollering. The other trucks can hear us yelling and carrying on as we get closer. Our engine is roaring loudly close to redline. I hit the soft sand and immediantly lose about 15km/h and begin to bog down. But we are all still chanting and giving the truck the moral support it needs. Next thing I know we're about half way through the deep sand and I can see the bituman ahead. I look out the window at the stuck trucks and taunt them as i'm inching my way through the sand to the end. We only BARELY make it out of the sand...but we made it out without getting suck. Everyone cheers and laughs. We couldn't help ourselfs. We knew we had the best car with the best passangers.
We arrived back to the hostel and returned the vehicle where it luckily passed the mechanics inspection, so we all received our bonds back. The trip was officially a success. Fraser island was conquered.
Fraser Pictures 2
On the Ferry.
The Ferry.
Gettin yanked out of getting stuck.
Us getting stuck trying to get on the inlet road to leave the island.
Our slight hiccup at Eli Creek.
Eli Creek
Our camp site at Camp K'Gari
A close up of our Aboriginal friends.Fraser Pictures
Happy faces by all.
Haha Sissi ruined this picture.
Katelyn and Andree walking through the inlet tracks. Note the large rock walls on either side.
Lake Wobby's large dunes that led down to the lake.
While passing stuck motorists, Angel and I decided to give them a little insult to injury. Haha. We had too much fun.
Lake MacKenzie flips.
More views of the very treacherous inlet tracks.
Flipping down the dunes into Lake Wobby.
Making awesome pictures.
The top of Eli Creek, about to float down.
Posing with the Aboriginals. I fit right in.
My special Aboriginal dance I performed.
The four men of the trip with the Maheno.
All of us at Lake MacKenzie
Taking a break from driving after we emerged from the inlet tracks.
The Aboriginals.
Us before getting on the ferry to take us across to the island.
The Maheno.
Us at the Maheno.
Underwater at Lake MacKenzie
Lake Mackenzie
Debating crossing the sand dunes at Lake Wobby
The beach terrain...one of the smoother parts.
Me rocking out behind the wheel.Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Lake MacKenzie
We drove through the inlet tracks to our camping spot where we set up for the night. I started to notice that people were actually looking to me for answers to their questions. Things like: Where should we sleep? What camp sight looks best? Have you seen the toilets? Can I take the truck and explore? It wasn't just a title I was given, but the group actually looked to me to make decisions.
After a night of sleeping on a damp tarp, determined to sleep under the stars, I woke at the crack of dawn to fix breakfast so we could get our day started. It was a good thing we left early as we did, because we had two failed attempts of exploring a different inlet track to find a less populated destination. We ended up at the beautiful Lake MacKenzie. All the talk about this place was spot on. The 99% silicon sand, clear blue water, gorgeous scenery around us...it all was just too perfect. The lake's water bottom had a gently slope until it reached close to 3 metres deep, where the bottom literally dropped off to a 10 metre depth. Seeing straight down through the clear blue water at the murky bottom of the 10 metres was one of the eeriest things I'd seen. The bottom was a black colour that made this paradise location seem slightly edgy.
Most of our time was spent in the white sandy shallow water where the 11 of us played games and soaked up the sun. Bram (a Dutchi) and I even took a swim across the lake. It was something I highly regretted about halfway across.
We packed up and began our hour long journey back out the inlet path to the beach where we were to travel further north. Since I was the first to drive, my turn was used up for the trip (in theory) because there were 9 others who wanted to have a crack at driving the large Landcruiser on this terrain. Fabbi and Angel, who were the next two to drive after me, did an awesome job and everyone felt comfortable when they had the wheel. But now that we had a long day ahead of us driving, it was time to pass over the reins to someone else..
Actually maneuvering the vehicle wasn't a problem. On hard smooth surface, the truck ran as a normal car. Yet I noticed when Europeans and girls sat in the drivers seat, the combination of long gears, rigid terrain, a top heavy vehicle, and 10 other passengers fussing at your driving skills made everyone a little bitter. We were all scared that a single missed pothole would cause the whole group to lose our $3000 bond (deposit). I'll never forget when Katelyn took the wheel. It's such a funny scenario now, but at the time I wanted to break her neck. This was her first time driving in these conditions and took a steep, bumpy hill, with walls of rock no more than 2 feet on either sides of us. Her speed was a little faster than I personally felt comfortable. She did it though. We even passed another truck, knee deep in the sand. She was so elated that she decided to turnaround to gave us all a big giant toothy smile. What she didn't know is that the terrain wasn't over. She hit 1 and 2 foot deep pot holes without even looking where she was going. I could see her hands trying to control the steering wheel as if she was riding a bull. My head bounced off the roof and my heart absolutely sank. I could have rung her neck.
Yet I was extremely impressed with her driving compared to a few of the others that drove. The Dutch couple that was with us thought this machine was a formula 1 car. They would ride out the gears to the end of the tachometer and easily surpassed speeds of suggestion. They couldn't understand the concept that being in sand with a top heavy vehicles, making stops and turns must be slow and gradual. At one point the fella made an abrupt pinpoint turn to the right. Our front left tire dug in the sand like a shovel with our luggage on top flying forwards. I could just feel our poor rusty leaf springs struggling to keep the rear tires on the ground. I thought for sure we were about to enter a barrel roll. The dutch couple were quickly boo'd out of the drivers seat...thank God. Good thing us oil-sucking Americans know how to drive our huge gas-guzzling vehicles.
Would love to post pictures, but i'm having a little difficulty doing that...seeing as how my camera has been nicked (stolen). I have some Fraser pictures saved however and soon as fast intenet is avaible, i'll throw them up on a post.
Any commets, qusetions...post them. Comments are now working.
Email address is Joshhorton@sc.rr.com
After a night of sleeping on a damp tarp, determined to sleep under the stars, I woke at the crack of dawn to fix breakfast so we could get our day started. It was a good thing we left early as we did, because we had two failed attempts of exploring a different inlet track to find a less populated destination. We ended up at the beautiful Lake MacKenzie. All the talk about this place was spot on. The 99% silicon sand, clear blue water, gorgeous scenery around us...it all was just too perfect. The lake's water bottom had a gently slope until it reached close to 3 metres deep, where the bottom literally dropped off to a 10 metre depth. Seeing straight down through the clear blue water at the murky bottom of the 10 metres was one of the eeriest things I'd seen. The bottom was a black colour that made this paradise location seem slightly edgy.
Most of our time was spent in the white sandy shallow water where the 11 of us played games and soaked up the sun. Bram (a Dutchi) and I even took a swim across the lake. It was something I highly regretted about halfway across.
We packed up and began our hour long journey back out the inlet path to the beach where we were to travel further north. Since I was the first to drive, my turn was used up for the trip (in theory) because there were 9 others who wanted to have a crack at driving the large Landcruiser on this terrain. Fabbi and Angel, who were the next two to drive after me, did an awesome job and everyone felt comfortable when they had the wheel. But now that we had a long day ahead of us driving, it was time to pass over the reins to someone else..
Actually maneuvering the vehicle wasn't a problem. On hard smooth surface, the truck ran as a normal car. Yet I noticed when Europeans and girls sat in the drivers seat, the combination of long gears, rigid terrain, a top heavy vehicle, and 10 other passengers fussing at your driving skills made everyone a little bitter. We were all scared that a single missed pothole would cause the whole group to lose our $3000 bond (deposit). I'll never forget when Katelyn took the wheel. It's such a funny scenario now, but at the time I wanted to break her neck. This was her first time driving in these conditions and took a steep, bumpy hill, with walls of rock no more than 2 feet on either sides of us. Her speed was a little faster than I personally felt comfortable. She did it though. We even passed another truck, knee deep in the sand. She was so elated that she decided to turnaround to gave us all a big giant toothy smile. What she didn't know is that the terrain wasn't over. She hit 1 and 2 foot deep pot holes without even looking where she was going. I could see her hands trying to control the steering wheel as if she was riding a bull. My head bounced off the roof and my heart absolutely sank. I could have rung her neck.
Yet I was extremely impressed with her driving compared to a few of the others that drove. The Dutch couple that was with us thought this machine was a formula 1 car. They would ride out the gears to the end of the tachometer and easily surpassed speeds of suggestion. They couldn't understand the concept that being in sand with a top heavy vehicles, making stops and turns must be slow and gradual. At one point the fella made an abrupt pinpoint turn to the right. Our front left tire dug in the sand like a shovel with our luggage on top flying forwards. I could just feel our poor rusty leaf springs struggling to keep the rear tires on the ground. I thought for sure we were about to enter a barrel roll. The dutch couple were quickly boo'd out of the drivers seat...thank God. Good thing us oil-sucking Americans know how to drive our huge gas-guzzling vehicles.
Would love to post pictures, but i'm having a little difficulty doing that...seeing as how my camera has been nicked (stolen). I have some Fraser pictures saved however and soon as fast intenet is avaible, i'll throw them up on a post.
Any commets, qusetions...post them. Comments are now working.
Email address is Joshhorton@sc.rr.com
Friday, January 8, 2010
Lake Wobby
While going through our safety briefing for Fraser, I realized my experience with driving trucks through mud is actually going to pay off. You see, the trip is a self-guided tour where we drive a large lifted Toyota Landcrusier over deep sandy beaches and dirt inlet tracks. Terrain that would challenge even the best off road drivers. No one in the group had driven anything but a car and only on bitumen (asphalt). Even when he was quizzing all of us on 4 wheel drive specifications and how it works and what do when situations occur...I seemed to know the answers. Don't get me wrong, I don't consider myself an expert in any fashion, but just knowing the basics made me look like a pro.
The time came the next morning to get our map of the largest sand island in the world, and for us to finish getting any information we could before embarking alone on this exploration. As you can imagine, I found myself in a group of travelers who, in this scenario, didn't have much idea of what to expect (Driving wise, camping wise etc). And with my outgoing personality combined with the illusion that I knew how to drive and fix any problem that could arise with the truck, I was giving the title of 'team leader.' Of course... the confident/cocky American gets the leadership role. A stereotype I've been trying to break free of. But none the less I did feel like I was best suited for the job.
As I hopped in the driver seat and took off. We had the music jamming and windows down as we arrived to the barge. Eleven of us piled in the truck with all luggage, food, and camping equipment latched to the top, we drove on the barge and set sail across the channel to the island.
Here it was, the test. Our rental guide told us first 35km was the hardest to drive, and we was right. You see, with the rental agreement there are all kinds of terms and conditions that you must follow in order to keep your deposit. Things such as only driving at certain times around high tide, no salt water can touch the car, tire damage, suspension damage, etc. All things that can simply become a $3000 loss for the 11 of us. We got off the barge around 30 minutes past our 'safe drive time', but we felt like we had to get a move on or we'd be stuck at the arrival point until 4 in the afternoon. So we chanced it. First hour of the trip and we're already gambling.
I was sweating like a pig. The beach had one to two feet deep ruts in it and I was rolling in 4wd low for almost half the time. I would hit a rut in the sand traveling 30km/h and I could hear the gasps behind me as the rest of the group felt the body lean of the Landcruiser. Everyone was on edge. When driving on the beach, you had to find the right distance between the rolling waves and the soft sand, as to not get any salt water on the vehicle and to not get into the soft sand only arm lengths to the left of me.
A few close body leans later, we arrived 35km up the beach to our first stop. Lake Wobby.
Lake Wobby is a lake in the middle of the island that is surrounded by huge sand dunes. It was a 2.5 km walk to the lake through the rain forest. The vegetation on the island grows up through the sand, which is something that's hard to believe unless you see it. The trail leads us to and open landscape of sand, as far as the eye can see. You honestly feel like your in the desert. The lake is situated in a valley where the sand dune literally runs straight down into the water. Catfish was the only visible wildlife in the water (though I'm sure there were more). Some of us even tried using a shoelace, can tab, and bread to catch one. Haha they were actually close to getting one. We played around the in the sand and the water for a few hours then headed back out to the truck were we headed to our next destination.....
The time came the next morning to get our map of the largest sand island in the world, and for us to finish getting any information we could before embarking alone on this exploration. As you can imagine, I found myself in a group of travelers who, in this scenario, didn't have much idea of what to expect (Driving wise, camping wise etc). And with my outgoing personality combined with the illusion that I knew how to drive and fix any problem that could arise with the truck, I was giving the title of 'team leader.' Of course... the confident/cocky American gets the leadership role. A stereotype I've been trying to break free of. But none the less I did feel like I was best suited for the job.
As I hopped in the driver seat and took off. We had the music jamming and windows down as we arrived to the barge. Eleven of us piled in the truck with all luggage, food, and camping equipment latched to the top, we drove on the barge and set sail across the channel to the island.
Here it was, the test. Our rental guide told us first 35km was the hardest to drive, and we was right. You see, with the rental agreement there are all kinds of terms and conditions that you must follow in order to keep your deposit. Things such as only driving at certain times around high tide, no salt water can touch the car, tire damage, suspension damage, etc. All things that can simply become a $3000 loss for the 11 of us. We got off the barge around 30 minutes past our 'safe drive time', but we felt like we had to get a move on or we'd be stuck at the arrival point until 4 in the afternoon. So we chanced it. First hour of the trip and we're already gambling.
I was sweating like a pig. The beach had one to two feet deep ruts in it and I was rolling in 4wd low for almost half the time. I would hit a rut in the sand traveling 30km/h and I could hear the gasps behind me as the rest of the group felt the body lean of the Landcruiser. Everyone was on edge. When driving on the beach, you had to find the right distance between the rolling waves and the soft sand, as to not get any salt water on the vehicle and to not get into the soft sand only arm lengths to the left of me.
A few close body leans later, we arrived 35km up the beach to our first stop. Lake Wobby.
Lake Wobby is a lake in the middle of the island that is surrounded by huge sand dunes. It was a 2.5 km walk to the lake through the rain forest. The vegetation on the island grows up through the sand, which is something that's hard to believe unless you see it. The trail leads us to and open landscape of sand, as far as the eye can see. You honestly feel like your in the desert. The lake is situated in a valley where the sand dune literally runs straight down into the water. Catfish was the only visible wildlife in the water (though I'm sure there were more). Some of us even tried using a shoelace, can tab, and bread to catch one. Haha they were actually close to getting one. We played around the in the sand and the water for a few hours then headed back out to the truck were we headed to our next destination.....
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Start of Fraser
Noosa is a beautiful tourist destination. I personally found it to be a more fancy area. Yet we were only there roughly 12 hours, so my opinion may be slightly skewed. We drove around Noosa to see the beach and the lay of the land. It was our first night in the van and we debated on what to do. We could obviously sleep in the van, but theres all kinds of laws against people sleeping in their cars in Australia. They try keep backpackers, like us, from just posting up anywhere and trashing the place. Next best option to possibly risking the fine was to drive to a nearby caravan park. We arrived as the sun was setting and situated ourselves for evening. We left Brisbane with a bag of essietianls such as peanut butter, noodles, bread, a few random cans of veggies, goon (cheap wine), 3 bags of popcorn, and 4 boxes of doughnuts. But we planned ahead for that nights dinner and bought some chicken and made a stir-fry. Our first dinner of the road trip was easliy our best dinner of the road trip.
First night...sleeping in the camper van:
With the three of us, we had so much luggage, just to get the bed ready for the night involved a choreographed dance of shuffling around everything. I know I said it was an old mini van looking thing, but when I say mini van I don't mean Americas version of 'mini'. This thing was MINI. Roughtly arm widths wide and 10 feet long. Here's three grown adults sandwiched together...and I had the honor of middle on the first night. About 2 hours in, I thought to myself how this was not how I pictured things would be...haha this was tourcher. Don't get me wrong, I love Katelyn and Andree...but it was hot, there were mosquito's everywhere, sweat was dripping off me like rain, and trying to get comfortable wasn't a task that can be done secretly. Every turn and twitch was felt throughout the whole van. I even found myself getting out of the van at night just to take a break from the close quarters.
When you sleep in the van, its already blazing from the scorching hot metal panels and steaming engine that's beneath you. So when the sun rises at 5am...so do you. It instantly gets 20 degree's hotter when the sun comes out, and boy you can feel it. So we woke early the next day, took a dip in the caravan park's pool and hit the road.
The drive was very enjoyable. The landscape was brilliantly painted with mountains in the background, the sea to our right, and wildlife running about. We drove all day with a few pit stops along the way (to help break up the monotony of doughnuts for every meal) until we reached Rainbow Beach. Here was the destination for our famous Fraser Island trip.
We arrived a hostel named Pippies, where our self-drive safari began and ended. When you do one of these trips, they make you arrive the night before you leave to get a safety briefing and rules check so everyone understands what to expect. I'm sitting around the table watching a video on 'rules of beach driving' with 10 others who are joining me on the trip. The three of us, a Spaniard, Canadian, 2 Dutch, 2 German, and 2 Scottish girls. We all starting becoming good friends over our shopping trip for meals over the next three days. When we began to pack up the 2 food esky's (coolers) with our supplies, I noticed that we all unspokenly filled up a whole esky full of alcohol and decided to just carry the rest of our food in bags. The sacrifice the crew was making to ensure cold refreshments sent a message right then; this trip was going to be out of control...
First night...sleeping in the camper van:
With the three of us, we had so much luggage, just to get the bed ready for the night involved a choreographed dance of shuffling around everything. I know I said it was an old mini van looking thing, but when I say mini van I don't mean Americas version of 'mini'. This thing was MINI. Roughtly arm widths wide and 10 feet long. Here's three grown adults sandwiched together...and I had the honor of middle on the first night. About 2 hours in, I thought to myself how this was not how I pictured things would be...haha this was tourcher. Don't get me wrong, I love Katelyn and Andree...but it was hot, there were mosquito's everywhere, sweat was dripping off me like rain, and trying to get comfortable wasn't a task that can be done secretly. Every turn and twitch was felt throughout the whole van. I even found myself getting out of the van at night just to take a break from the close quarters.
When you sleep in the van, its already blazing from the scorching hot metal panels and steaming engine that's beneath you. So when the sun rises at 5am...so do you. It instantly gets 20 degree's hotter when the sun comes out, and boy you can feel it. So we woke early the next day, took a dip in the caravan park's pool and hit the road.
The drive was very enjoyable. The landscape was brilliantly painted with mountains in the background, the sea to our right, and wildlife running about. We drove all day with a few pit stops along the way (to help break up the monotony of doughnuts for every meal) until we reached Rainbow Beach. Here was the destination for our famous Fraser Island trip.
We arrived a hostel named Pippies, where our self-drive safari began and ended. When you do one of these trips, they make you arrive the night before you leave to get a safety briefing and rules check so everyone understands what to expect. I'm sitting around the table watching a video on 'rules of beach driving' with 10 others who are joining me on the trip. The three of us, a Spaniard, Canadian, 2 Dutch, 2 German, and 2 Scottish girls. We all starting becoming good friends over our shopping trip for meals over the next three days. When we began to pack up the 2 food esky's (coolers) with our supplies, I noticed that we all unspokenly filled up a whole esky full of alcohol and decided to just carry the rest of our food in bags. The sacrifice the crew was making to ensure cold refreshments sent a message right then; this trip was going to be out of control...
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
The start of the best road trip...
Ever since leaving the Gold Coast, my trip really just came alive. I enjoyed my time there, but I was ready to leave and see other things and meet other people. And that's exactly what we did.
Andree, Katelyn and myself left on a Friday morning, with every little thing I owned and headed up to Brisbane where we picked up the van for our road trip. The three of us couldn't be more excited about the trip. The girls were doing a 25 day trip up to Cairns and back, where they then would have to leave for home. I was only tagging along for about a week to travel up to Airlie Beach (where I planned on meeting up with Julia). When we got the van, I had already told the girls that I wanted to drive the whole way, I figured it would be a great drive scenery wise. Plus the van was a manual and we'd be driving on the left side of the road, I felt as if I was the best candidate for the job.
The vans name was "Yeah Right". No, we didn't name it ourselves. It was the name the van rental company gave it. 'Wicked' was the companies name, and it's vans were old mini van looking things that had been converted into a sleeping vessel. All Wicked vans came pre-graffitied with artwork, expressions, and crude humor. Ours didn't seem to have the coolest expressions, but who were we to complain.
We left Brisbane, sardined together in the front seat, windows down (because the A/C would over heat the engine), jamming out to shuffle on the ipod. I hadn't driven yet in Australia, and my first task as choffer was to simply pull out of the parking lot. Which you should note the cars are going in complete opposite directions as what I'm use to. So...I'm already nervous, and yet the Wicked workers are watching, Katelyn and Andree are staring at me, and I have to pull out of a blind drive way into coming traffic in a van that we put a $3000 deposit on. I hope I'm not the one to wreck this thing...
But I slowly got the hang out if. It was actually slightly easier to drive in traffic, because you don't have the opportunity to pull into the wrong lane, you just simply follow the cars in front of you. What's great too is we didn't bother getting a map for trip, we relied on fellow motorists at traffic lights to point us in the right direction. Our first stop 3 hours later: Noosa.
To be continuted...
Monday, January 4, 2010
Monday
Finally the holiday season is over! It was fun, but with long working days. I've put in 12 straight days of work and about 60 hours this past week. I'm ready for a break. Plus I'm still hobbling around on my injured foot. Good news though, don't think it's broken.
The till (cash register) was under 800 dollars a few nights ago. I counted and counted and couldn't figure out where the money went. I naturally was worried...thinking its been jacked by someone who'd had there hand in the till. I was wrong, I just simply miscounted. I'm still getting use to the Australian currency, so I blame it on that, not my math skills. If you get a chance, google what Australian money looks like. When I first arrived and saw the money I found it extremely strange, to the point I didn't even think what I had been given was real. The money is bright and colorful, with 100's being green, 50's yellow, 20's red, 10's blue, 5's pink, 2 dollar coins are small and gold, 1 dollar coins are large and gold, and the increments of silver cents are 50's, 20's, 10's and 5's in decreasing sizes.
It's actually not only very easy to handle, but the material the paper is made of is indestructible. You can wash it, ball it up, or use it as a paper plane, and it'll still fold flat as new after your done. The 1 and 2 dollar coins are really neat too, although it actually adds alot of clutter in your pocket with the weight, it's much easier to deal with (and lose for the matter). I found a US five dollar note recently and I forgot how dull and bland our money is.
Best part about Australian currency is the rounding. There's no pennies, so they round everything up/down to the nearest 5 cents. It eliminates the headache of pennies. Also, the prices of what you buy already includes tax. So if a shirt cost 25 dollars, you pay 25 dollars, no more. It just makes things so much simpler. Not sure why we do it the way we do in America.
I still can't, for the life of me, figure out how to use a pay phone, or when to dial certain extensions when calling certain numbers. Here in Australia there are 8 (I think) major 'states', and each one has its own prefix of numbers. For example here in Queensland, the prefix for the calling a land line is 07-XXXX-XXXX. But from my personal experience sometimes the 07 isn't needed, just the last 8 digits, and sometimes not the 0, just the 7 plus the last 8 digits. I can't figure it out. Cell phones in Australia begins with 04 no matter of the location, so that's pretty simple. I don't consider myself technology challenged but even the phone system on the island gives me trouble when I try to dial an outside number.
There are also toll free numbers as well, like in the states, that begins with 1800. There are also numbers that are only six digits that can be toll free as well. The XX-XX-XX sequence of numbers and 1800 numbers don't require any prefix. Makes me glad that America has a far easier system of a 7 digit number with an area code.
On a related note, my blackberry and camera has been jacked. Someone came into our room and snagged our phones and cameras. So now if your wanting to get in touch with me, email would be cheapest method, unless you wanna get friendly and give my Aussie phone a shout...
The till (cash register) was under 800 dollars a few nights ago. I counted and counted and couldn't figure out where the money went. I naturally was worried...thinking its been jacked by someone who'd had there hand in the till. I was wrong, I just simply miscounted. I'm still getting use to the Australian currency, so I blame it on that, not my math skills. If you get a chance, google what Australian money looks like. When I first arrived and saw the money I found it extremely strange, to the point I didn't even think what I had been given was real. The money is bright and colorful, with 100's being green, 50's yellow, 20's red, 10's blue, 5's pink, 2 dollar coins are small and gold, 1 dollar coins are large and gold, and the increments of silver cents are 50's, 20's, 10's and 5's in decreasing sizes.
It's actually not only very easy to handle, but the material the paper is made of is indestructible. You can wash it, ball it up, or use it as a paper plane, and it'll still fold flat as new after your done. The 1 and 2 dollar coins are really neat too, although it actually adds alot of clutter in your pocket with the weight, it's much easier to deal with (and lose for the matter). I found a US five dollar note recently and I forgot how dull and bland our money is.
Best part about Australian currency is the rounding. There's no pennies, so they round everything up/down to the nearest 5 cents. It eliminates the headache of pennies. Also, the prices of what you buy already includes tax. So if a shirt cost 25 dollars, you pay 25 dollars, no more. It just makes things so much simpler. Not sure why we do it the way we do in America.
I still can't, for the life of me, figure out how to use a pay phone, or when to dial certain extensions when calling certain numbers. Here in Australia there are 8 (I think) major 'states', and each one has its own prefix of numbers. For example here in Queensland, the prefix for the calling a land line is 07-XXXX-XXXX. But from my personal experience sometimes the 07 isn't needed, just the last 8 digits, and sometimes not the 0, just the 7 plus the last 8 digits. I can't figure it out. Cell phones in Australia begins with 04 no matter of the location, so that's pretty simple. I don't consider myself technology challenged but even the phone system on the island gives me trouble when I try to dial an outside number.
There are also toll free numbers as well, like in the states, that begins with 1800. There are also numbers that are only six digits that can be toll free as well. The XX-XX-XX sequence of numbers and 1800 numbers don't require any prefix. Makes me glad that America has a far easier system of a 7 digit number with an area code.
On a related note, my blackberry and camera has been jacked. Someone came into our room and snagged our phones and cameras. So now if your wanting to get in touch with me, email would be cheapest method, unless you wanna get friendly and give my Aussie phone a shout...
Sunday, January 3, 2010
New Years
Well its now 2010. I hope everyone had a fun, safe, new years.
Little change up on the island here. We had three of our good mates bolt after an 'incident' occurred last weekend. Two of the bartenders and one of our cooks. Sad to see them leave, cause they sure as hell were great blokes. But even worse news is now the island is down all bar staff and a cook. Sooo what happens??
Insert the golden child: yours truly. I obviously showed the owners and management that I was capable of running the cafe' and more...so they gave me the grand responsibly of running the bar, including the exciting games I will organize for the guests. So something new and exciting I get to take on. Bad news is that I now had to work New Years. I wasn't too upset, though it wasn't quite how I planned to spent it. Yea, working on new years did have its draw backs, but I undoubtedly managed to create my own fun. The bar was as crowded as I've ever seen it, with a DJ pumping some classic Aussie dance tunes. The drinks were flowing and everyone was in good spirits. The night went on without a hitch. (I'd like to think that was due to my intangible bar managing skills) And after my 15 hour day of working and getting out of the bar at 3am, my night wasn't over.
New Years is a time of celebrating and spending some time with Jim (Beam). He was my only southern American gentleman around, so I hung out with him all evening (including Christmas, which is another story in itself). He even convinced me to watch the first sun rise of 2010. It wasn't as glamours as it could have been because of the overcast sky's and the limited view from our room.
"Why not get a closer look on the Jetty?"
"...while we're there, lets take a dip."
So we did, all 5 of us took the hike down the long jetty to get a great overcast view of our 2010 sun.
It was low tide, which means the water level was about 5 metres lower than normal. The jetty is a large one, it regularly sits at least 4 metres above the water during high tide. So here we are, celebrating new years in 2010 on a jetty off the coast of Australia. We had to jump in. The roughly 10 metre high jump looked intimidating at first...
"Do a flip off the jetty.." Someone encouraged. "Too easy" I said, "...I'll do a running back-flip".
My flaming ego was rawring so loudly that I even thought just a simple feet first jump would be lacking in excitement, I HAD to do a 'running back flip'. 10 metres off the water...there wasn't a possibility I couldn't make the flip. (Seeing how we do standing flips into the pool all the time).
I'm brave, I'm a big tough guy, I'll jump in the water after talking it up for the past hour. I couldn't turn back, but the thought of jelly fish and feeding sharks were rushing through my noggin. Please don't let there be a jelly fish or shark under me, just waiting on me.
Here I go, please no jelly fish please no jelly fish please no jelly fish...I get a 3 metre head start run. I'm blazing up the boards on the jetty with my Reggie Bush speed, I start my leap...yet as my right foot is the last to leave the jetty, my right toes punt the wooden curb of the structure. When I say punt, I mean a full forced 'David Beckham kick' to the curb while attempting my running back flip.
Immediate pain ran to me and I yell out falling 10 metres down...did I at least make the flip?? No..the momentum of the kicked curb absolutely 'Newton lawed' my body into a facing-the-sky back flop into the ocean. Boy was I in pain, my back was lobster red, my toes were bleeding, and my pride was severely damaged. I immediately hobbled my carnaged body straight to bed.
So as I'm writing this now my toes haven't stopped oozing a bloody mixture... and one of them resembles that of a boiled peanut. I'm walking like an 80 year old man with 4 hip surgery's.
Last night I took a moment to think about what I did for new years in the past, and boy, this one will be fresh every time I put on my shoes for the next couple weeks.
Little change up on the island here. We had three of our good mates bolt after an 'incident' occurred last weekend. Two of the bartenders and one of our cooks. Sad to see them leave, cause they sure as hell were great blokes. But even worse news is now the island is down all bar staff and a cook. Sooo what happens??
Insert the golden child: yours truly. I obviously showed the owners and management that I was capable of running the cafe' and more...so they gave me the grand responsibly of running the bar, including the exciting games I will organize for the guests. So something new and exciting I get to take on. Bad news is that I now had to work New Years. I wasn't too upset, though it wasn't quite how I planned to spent it. Yea, working on new years did have its draw backs, but I undoubtedly managed to create my own fun. The bar was as crowded as I've ever seen it, with a DJ pumping some classic Aussie dance tunes. The drinks were flowing and everyone was in good spirits. The night went on without a hitch. (I'd like to think that was due to my intangible bar managing skills) And after my 15 hour day of working and getting out of the bar at 3am, my night wasn't over.
New Years is a time of celebrating and spending some time with Jim (Beam). He was my only southern American gentleman around, so I hung out with him all evening (including Christmas, which is another story in itself). He even convinced me to watch the first sun rise of 2010. It wasn't as glamours as it could have been because of the overcast sky's and the limited view from our room.
"Why not get a closer look on the Jetty?"
"...while we're there, lets take a dip."
So we did, all 5 of us took the hike down the long jetty to get a great overcast view of our 2010 sun.
It was low tide, which means the water level was about 5 metres lower than normal. The jetty is a large one, it regularly sits at least 4 metres above the water during high tide. So here we are, celebrating new years in 2010 on a jetty off the coast of Australia. We had to jump in. The roughly 10 metre high jump looked intimidating at first...
"Do a flip off the jetty.." Someone encouraged. "Too easy" I said, "...I'll do a running back-flip".
My flaming ego was rawring so loudly that I even thought just a simple feet first jump would be lacking in excitement, I HAD to do a 'running back flip'. 10 metres off the water...there wasn't a possibility I couldn't make the flip. (Seeing how we do standing flips into the pool all the time).
I'm brave, I'm a big tough guy, I'll jump in the water after talking it up for the past hour. I couldn't turn back, but the thought of jelly fish and feeding sharks were rushing through my noggin. Please don't let there be a jelly fish or shark under me, just waiting on me.
Here I go, please no jelly fish please no jelly fish please no jelly fish...I get a 3 metre head start run. I'm blazing up the boards on the jetty with my Reggie Bush speed, I start my leap...yet as my right foot is the last to leave the jetty, my right toes punt the wooden curb of the structure. When I say punt, I mean a full forced 'David Beckham kick' to the curb while attempting my running back flip.
Immediate pain ran to me and I yell out falling 10 metres down...did I at least make the flip?? No..the momentum of the kicked curb absolutely 'Newton lawed' my body into a facing-the-sky back flop into the ocean. Boy was I in pain, my back was lobster red, my toes were bleeding, and my pride was severely damaged. I immediately hobbled my carnaged body straight to bed.
So as I'm writing this now my toes haven't stopped oozing a bloody mixture... and one of them resembles that of a boiled peanut. I'm walking like an 80 year old man with 4 hip surgery's.
Last night I took a moment to think about what I did for new years in the past, and boy, this one will be fresh every time I put on my shoes for the next couple weeks.
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