Travelling
A Note From My Memoirs...
Travel has always been important to me. I got my taste for travel as a child from many trips away. However, it was only when I explored the South Island of New Zealand that I began my travels abroad. After this, I travelled to Vietnam for Philby’s wedding, Thailand for Warin’s wedding, Vietnam again, Thailand again, China for the adventure of my life, and Canada for Davy’s wedding before heading to Peru for a fantastic experience. These trips have shaped my character and filled my life with a sense of adventure.
Family Trips Away
While the family spent most of our early holidays up on the Central Coast, we also ventured to places like Kangaroo Island, the Victorian Goldfields, the Gold Coast, Durras, and holidays with the Az to Nyrang and Yamba. In addition, I had a memorable holiday in Huskisson with Reynold’s family and a ski trip to Blue Cow with Hallam’s family.
The most memorable childhood holiday was in Kangaroo Island, where we spent a few weeks exploring the diverse island. First, we drove through Hay before reaching our first destination, Mildura. Here we spent a few days exploring the orchard hub, including exploring a wax museum and a boat ride on the Murray River. Our tour then meandered along Murray River towns, such as the beautiful Renmark, before heading past Adelaide to the Kangaroo Island ferry.
Once on the island, we spent days exploring the penguin and seal colonies, where we got close to much of the unique wildlife. We explored a fantastic cave with spectacular glass-like pylons. We stayed at a sheep station where we lived on a farm for a few days. We then meandered through national park after national park, where friendly kangaroos jumped into our car at one point, and at another point, we drove off on Dad, who got out to take a photo of an echidna. While observing a massive pack of Cape Baron geese, a giant kangaroo stood up to Dad to fight him, and we were forced to flee to prevent a dangerous altercation. We drove home after a tired two weeks or so, where I held my prized blue Kangaroo Island hat as my prized possession for the next couple of years.
Another memorable family holiday was our exploration of the Victorian Goldfields. Here, we explored all the old gold mining towns in central Victoria, such as Ballarat and Bendigo, learning the stories behind the history of these historic towns. The Victorian-style homes' architecture mesmerized me, and I spent hours trying to draw them in the back of the car. I was astounded by the grandeur of the churches, particularly in Bendigo. The highlight of the trip was exploring Sovereign Hill by day and by night and seeing a replication of the famous battle in an extravagant light show.
The Gold Coast was the first time we ventured beyond caravan parks to stay in a high-rise building. This was the first time the Chans joined us for a holiday outside their holiday home in Durras. Having the Chans join us on this holiday was great as the oldies explored the city for its cafes and restaurants. In contrast, we enjoyed exploring the beaches and staying in a luxury apartment.
One day, I left early in the morning for a run, and because this was in my running prime, I kept running. I started at Main Beach, went past Sunshine Paradise, and kept going to Miami Beach. By the time I reached my destination, I was a bit tired, so I started walking back, arriving at least three hours after departing. Because I forgot to let my father know that I was going on my adventure, he was searching up and down the beaches of the Gold Coast with Rachel looking for me.
That afternoon, we went to Mt. Tambourine to meet my Aunt Jeanie, Uncle Don, and cousins Andrew and Cameron. As it was always an adventure with this bunch, we spent a sugar-high afternoon with them exploring this picturesque village. We then came back and had a swim and a game of tennis, where I traumatised Philby by running him back and forth.
We also spent a magical time exploring the theme parks, where we spent two days at Sea World, a day at Movie World, and another day at Wet and Wild. At Sea World, the memorable experience was ‘Bone Head’ stalking people with fake spiders tantalising close to the water. We watched him from the stands for hours, scaring person after person until one fell in the pool. Dad and Uncle Michael replicated the trademark wabble of his head for months after—the same wabble that gave us so much entertainment. Other memorable experiences included watching a young Davy swim with the dolphins, jumping on time and time again on the free-floating Mission Impossible ride at Movie World, and watching Philby get stuck on the fast slide at Wet and Wild when we were getting timed for how fast we could go down the slide.
Yamba stands out as the highlight of the many memorable trips we took with Az. It was so bloody hot that year, and we spent the whole week out in the sun playing cricket, surfing, and doing some fishing. We didn’t do anything in particular, but we were at an age when we were looking for a party the whole time. We got invited to a party within half an hour of leaving but had to decline because we were heading home. Sometimes, having no memories is what you remember most.
The South Island
At the end of high school, everyone was heading to school. However, I had leftover money from the Olympics, so I headed to the South Island of New Zealand, as I had heard it was full of adventure. So I booked a Contiki-like tour starting and finishing in Christchurch. The tour was circling around the South Island, so you could jump off at any stage and catch the next coach travelling around. I had originally planned to take the train, so I could ride my bike around the island. However, when I saw the size of the mountains, I was glad I decided against this option.
The flight was exhilarating, as it was my first time on a plane. I met a lovely couple on the flight who said they would pay for the taxi ride into the centre of Christchurch. Unfortunately, when we arrived in the city centre, the backpackers I booked were full, so I had to make my way to other backpackers on the other side of town. Fortunately, the taxi driver saw me stuck with many bags, so he drove me around the streets for free.
I spent a few days exploring Christchurch, which was quite an adventure because the World Busking Festival was on. I took this opportunity to meet a few of the local young ladies, some tourists who were in town for the festival, and a few of the buskers. There were acts all around the city. Some were horrendous, but most were a good laugh.
When the tour started, we headed to Kaikoura for our first stop. This was a picturesque town on a plateau with a backdrop of the highest coastal mountain in the world. We then drove up to Picton, where some left to catch the ferry into the capital, Windy Wellington. However, a few of us decided against this and went for a beautiful walk that looked over the coastline.
We then explored the coastline to Able Tasman National Park, where we rode a canoe and walked along the coastline. Seeing some beautiful seals less than a metre away as they bathed in the sunshine was superb. We then drove down the East Coast, stopping off for some whitewater rafting before going down the coast to the Fox and Franz Joseph glaciers. While some people decided to take a helicopter ride to the peak and walk down the ice glaciers, we decided to go for a memorable bike ride instead through the countryside. At one point, the police pulled us over because we were taking up the whole road.
The trip continued to Queenstown, where I fell in love with the countryside and decided to stay there for a bit. I had my first ever clubbing experience when a British DJ invited me to an exclusive night where one of his favourite international DJs was playing at a small club in town. Charlie grooved with me all night, teaching me about the intentions of the DJ when he was trying to get the audience to dance hard. He was getting people to fall in love. Knowing what the DJ was trying to do made me realise how much he had the small club’s dancers in his hands.
We headed out to the jump site the next day, but the first day was a false start. It was too windy to jump. But the next day, the bus strategically drove up the winding path to a cliff face. The bus was almost hanging off the edge of the road. When we arrived at the top, there was a colossal gully, with a cart with a glass bottom pulled along the pully. This was the second highest bungy jump in the world, with 140-meter descent, free falling for seven seconds.
The jumping order was decided upon by weight, and as I was a skinny little thing at the time, weighing 69 kilograms, I was about the fortieth person to jump. However, Charlie, the British DJ, was 93 kilograms and the heaviest in the group. Because he was the first to jump, the instructor asked if any of his friends wanted to join him, so my Dutch friend Jerone and I decided to join him.
I watched thirty something people jump and see how much they enjoyed themselves, so when it was my turn, I was excited. They tied me up and told me that on the third bounce, I should pull the chord, and the team would pull me up. So, I hobbled to the edge and was told to wave to the camera. I had been looking down for about three hours and had hibernated to see the bottom of the gully, but a sense of space from looking outward scared the snot out of me. Regardless, I did my little hand trumpet solute and jumped straight out. Before I knew it, my few seconds of free fall were over, and I bounced at the bottom of my jump. I bounced three times and pulled the cord. Little did I know, this would send me a couple of metres down. I thought I pulled the wrong cord. But after a few doubtful seconds, I was pulled up into a seated position and could enjoy the beautiful view. It all happened so fast, but I did it. I was so proud of myself.
I was on a high for a few days and joined my Dutch mate, Jerone, before a fantastic bike ride up the top of Queenstown and around the lake. I stayed a few extra days in Queenstown, and the group that I had gone around New Zealand with moved. So, I spent a few days in Queenstown before heading north to do some fruit picking.
I decided to head north towards Wanaka and hitchhike with this guy who was making his way north. I was not sure this was the best idea when he told us not to take photos, but there were enough of us hitching a ride if he was to do anything. We arrived at a small town called Arrowtown at about 3:30 a.m., where they said they would need some workers in the morning. There was a small motel down the road that we were told was an excellent place to stay.
I got an early night and started work at the apple farm in the morning. Everyone working there was friendly, and we had a wonderful day. The only problem was that I needed to realise that the multi-staged carts were carrying apples up and down the same lane of apple trees. I thought you had to turn the carts around at the end of the lane and carry them up the next lane. I would have spent 45 minutes trying to reverse the cart and turn it before the lines holding it together snapped. I broke the cart and was not popular with the management.
That night, I was sitting down when an Indian man who had been working on the farm approached me and offered to cook me dinner. He seemed friendly and excited to cook for someone else, so I was more than happy to have someone cook for me. He enthusiastically threw some spices in, so I was taking note of his expertise. Then it was time to eat. I took my first mouthful, which was so hot it almost put an ulcer through my lip. ‘It’s ok,’ he said, ‘I have yoghurt.’ I would have put half a tub of yoghurt on the curry before it was cool enough to eat. When we finished, the Indian man turned around and said, ‘My wife has just left me. That is the first time I have ever cooked.’ No wonder, I thought.
I worked the next day with extensive diarrhoea and a sore stomach. Every time I went to do some work, I needed to rush off to go to the toilet. I was the laughingstock of the village. They made it clear that they would not pay me for destroying their structures, so they instructed me to head back to Queenstown to look for work. So, I headed back to Queenstown.
I found work for a few days and returned to the tour with another group. I virtually run out of money, so I had to get back to Christchurch as cheaply as possible. I had a few cash left, I just went for a walk when we got to Te Anau. We then toured along a road that meanders alongside the world-famous Milford Track through Milford Sound. Although this part of the tour is infamous when it is raining, as water flows over the track, the scenery past Reflection Lake is stunning as you make your way into Milford Sound. On a gorgeous cruise ship, taking in Milford Sound was spectacular.
The tour continued to Invercargill. The sleepy town took us on a fascinating night where the town entertained us with multiple laps of the same cars circulating the town centre for hours before we retreated to a lesbian bar. The trip continued around the Otago Peninsula, where we spent a night in Dunedin. However, as I was already on borrowed money by this stage, I was saving my cash. The trip began by scaling the steepest street in the world before touring back to Christchurch.
My last night in Christchurch came around a lot quicker than I had planned. I not only run out of money but was rushing back to Australia to start university. On the last night, I met up with many of the people I had made my way around to Queenstown with, who settled in Christchurch for a few days and were waiting to catch up before I left. In particular, a 29-year-old nurse asked me to marry her at that church. I am not sure what she saw in me, as I had only just turned 18, but it was an offer that I humbly declined. It was, however, a fantastic night and a wonderful way to end my first overseas adventure.
A Thai Wedding
One of the wonderful things that came out of my master's degree was my friendship with Warin. Warin was a Thai girl who I gravitated to early on in my time at Sydney University. Soon, we were doing everything together. After going to all our classes together, heading up into Newtown for lunch to enjoy six dollars of Thai food, she began inviting me over to her house for dinner. She made a mean Pad Thai and enjoyed cooking up a feast for all her friends she had made in Australia. She once commented that she never thought of meeting a friend like me.
When she told me that she was getting married back in her homeland, it was an excellent opportunity for me to explore her Thailand and, most importantly, try some of the fantastic Thai cuisines that became such a big part of our routine. So, Warin organised for me to get a specially reduced flight over and said I could stay with her family on their sugar cane farm. I looked excited about the adventure.
After a short flight, I arrived with much excitement. Warin and her husband Namsak were at the airport, where I was excitedly greeted. We drove through busy Bangkok with all its extravagant high rises and what seemed like dozens of tolls. Before long, we arrived at our destination for dinner. It was a nicely decked-out little place with no walls. I was quickly asked, 'Can you handle hot food?' I said, ‘A little.' They seemed to laugh a bit as I tucked into the delicious meal, barely stopping to talk. When the meal was over, they said with a grin, 'that was as hot as we have.'
We continued to our destination for the night, the small flat of Warin's cousin. It was a simple place with just a pan toilet. But it was comfortable enough for one night. We continued to Kanchanaburi the following day, where we rocked up to Warin's sugarcane farm. We spent a bit of time there before heading to town for the first of the wedding celebrations. It was a small party with plenty of food. Many of Warin's friends, family, and a few familiar faces from back in Sydney were there.
The next few days flew by until the official celebration of the wedding. As Warin and Namsak were Buddhists, the Buddhist monks were invited to the house to worship. There were many sacrifices for the monks, and everybody wore celebratory clothes. There were all sorts of chanting and praying taking place, with Warin ensuring me that I did not have to pray on my knees. At one point, as the groom’s side of the family had to give Warin's family up to $40,000 worth of gold. I told Warin that that would be enough to set them up for life. However, she said that would be spent on me and my time in Thailand. I was gob smacked that I meant that much to her.
The day of the wedding was a momentous event and led to a rather large function with about a hundred people. I was at the table in front of the room with two others I studied with in Australia. I was served the first meal, my favourite deep-fried fish meal. I took a few bites, and the next dish was served. This was a theme that lasted the whole night. There was just so much food that I could not keep up. And so much to drink too. Every table had a bottle of whisky. Whenever I walked to a different table, someone else wanted to skull the whisky with me. Before I knew it, I was off my feet.
The children all took a shine to me. Before I knew it, about forty children were surrounding me, wanting the crazy Aussie to play with them. I played a few games with them and made them happy. Then, some girls were on the stage performing traditional Thai dancing. Before I knew it, they were surrounding me in a big circle expecting me to do something, so I got down and did a stupid dance. The night turned out to be spectacular and flew by because I was so drunk.
As I sobered up, Warin's sister asked me to accompany her to Warin's hotel. Warin and Namsak were staying at a superb five-star hotel along the River Khwae. Warin's sister worked at the hotel, and it was a beautiful six-star resort. They nicely set up the room for the couple to spend their first night together. A tradition that was foreign to me, a lot of parties ended back in the room, cheering them in as they entered the room. A bit of a celebration happened before everyone moved out. Warin asked me to stay, but I thought it would be better if the couple spent some time together.
The following day, we went for a drive out to River Khwae Bridge, a historic bridge and rail line built by Japanese army prisoners of war during World War II. We spent some time exploring the rickety bridge and the markets surrounding it. I then saw something that I could not pass up. An opportunity to hug a baby cheetah. To ensure that the cheetah stayed calm, it had a bottle of milk that it was always sucking on. Its heart was beating so fast that it was a bit sad, really.
The next few days passed, and we spent most of the time around the town eating food and returning to the farm, where we just relaxed. On another day, we went for a long drive through the fish-farming villages and to a few remote temples. The highlight of that trip was visiting a war memorial, which was the site where five Myanmar armies came to fight Thailand, then known as Siam, and take over Bangkok. I imagined a brutal battle with big elephants. Siam won the battle, which united their colonies to become a united Thailand. This battle site was significant for the Thai people as it united them as one nation.
On another day, we went to the Tiger Temple. Here, I had the opportunity to walk besides giant tigers. Unfortunately, they were doped out to ensure they did not inflict any damage on us, but it was still a fantastic chance to see these huge tigers up close. At the end of the day, I had the opportunity to see them play. These giant' cats were just like ordinary house cats in our loungerooms, reaching for toys and backflipping into the water. Seeing them play up close was magic and I realised they just wanted to play like any other animal.
The next day, we went to the Elephant Haven. I got the opportunity to ride a beautiful elephant. Because I was talking to him and patting him, the guide trusted me enough to take his place at the front, near the elephant's head. I was a little scared because it was so high up, but I soon settled into the experience. As we reached the river, the elephant filled its trunk with water and soaked me from head to toe. Then we headed back to the camp. As I jumped down, I went and fed a few of the other elephants and returned to the elephant I rode before leaving. I remembered looking into her beautiful, loving eyes and realising what a great connection we had made.
After my significant adventures, I spent the next few days back at the farm. I was exploring the area and spending time with the family there. It was a magical few days with lots of tasty food and laughs. On the last day, I sat down for dinner, and Warin's father got up to speak. I said to Warin, 'I haven't offended him, have I?' She said, 'No, he wants to say something.' She translated what he said, 'I don't have a son,' he said, 'but I would be proud to call you my son.' I thanked him and felt how gracious my Thai friends had been.
I headed into Bangkok for the next part of my adventure, as I was heading to Vietnam to visit my brother Philby for a week. I was about to head on the couple-over flight when I realised my visa was inappropriate. I contacted my cousin's family in Bangkok, and they came and grabbed me and sorted it out. I was then on my flight to Vietnam.
When I arrived in Vietnam, I was greeted by Philby's partner, Uyen, who took me to the middle of Hanoi, where Philby lived. Once in the city, Uyen introduced me to her university friends, and we chilled for a few hours. Eventually, Philby knocked off work and met his work friends at a small café around his school, where they planned to get drunk well into the night. So, drink after drink was what we did.
The following week was a bit of a blur, when Philby took me around town on his bike to different places to eat. We stayed at his house, which was a three-storey affair with his flatmates on other floors, one dedicated to a lounge room, another to a classroom and another to the washing room. There was also a pool table that kept us entertained for hours.
Uyen took me to a traumatising zoo where they teased animals like giraffes and tigers who were left bored to pace around the same path all day. On another day, we went to an amusement park. On other days we just toured around on bikes or by walking around Hanoi, finding unimportant things to do here and there. I took turns choosing who I was riding with, but it was quite the experience of zooming through traffic on these little bikes.
One of the best days of my life was when I spent time in Philby's class, watching him instruct his students. Seeing the respect he got from the students and seeing how much fun they had was great. Seeing him teach at different people's houses after work was also good. Philby taught the students English while Uyen and the mothers prepared a feast for everyone during the class. After the lesson, the whole kitchen was filled with food, and everyone sat down and feasted on the delicious food.
The last night in Vietnam was the best of all. Philby's American flatmate, Steve, broke his arm while riding his motorcycle, thinking he was a Moto X driver, and was not given any painkillers for the pain. Although Philby was staying at Uyen's, we decided to stay up all night to accompany Steve. We took turns playing our favourite songs and sang early in the morning. Then, at four a.m., we headed to the pho place down the road and had the freshest, most delicious pho I have ever had in my whole life. It was cooked with the freshest ingredients from the farm.
I flew back to Thailand, stayed at my cousin Scottie's Thai family. They had a successful signage business and a mansion in Bangkok's suburbs with seven tennis courts. I got myself comfortable and had my first game of tennis. I got used to playing tennis with them all afternoon before it would pour down with rain at about four thirty every day.
Other notable things I did in my week in Bangkok included going to a crocodile zoo, having a delicious Pad Thai on the River Khwae, visiting the site of the first Siamese Twins, shopping for my first real tennis racket, and watching my cousins play soccer. But the highlight was when the soccer team returned for a steamboat after the game and stayed to play tennis. Everything I did revolved around tennis whilst in Bangkok, as I was soaking up having access to fantastic tennis facilities. At one point, they paid for a tennis lesson and treated me with a Thai massage. They also organised a special Buddhist festivity for me because they wanted to show me how they celebrate.
Ultimately, I was spoilt in all three phases of my trip to Thailand, Vietnam, and Thailand again. I put on 13 kilograms in the 18 days I spent away. By the time I returned to Thailand, I could not eat any more, and they were surprised at how little I ate. The reality is that I was given so much food that, at times, I felt sick from eating too much. This was only due to the hospitality of the locals, as I was truly treated like a king.
A Vietnamese Wedding
We flew to Vietnam. When we got off in Hanoi, we headed into the city and got accustomed to our eight-dollar-a-night backpacker room. I stayed there with my brother Davy and his wife Jodie, who flew in from Canada. It was just around the corner from where my parents and just about everyone were staying.
When we got to where my parents were staying, Philby’s best friend, Newts, arrived with his girlfriend Melissa and his parents, Denise and Wayne. We decided to just sit on the balcony and have some banter while watching the happenings on the street. There were men cutting wires, trying to make sense of the electric cables that were running everywhere. It was fascinating.
After a few good meals and a few good fruit drinks, we started preparing for Philby’s wedding. Philby’s other best mate, Tim and his wife, Bree, made their way to town, so we prepared for a buck’s party. We bought Philby a tie with an Australian flag saying, ‘Kiss Me, I’m Aussie.’ We went barhopping because it was no more than $0.15 for a drink, and we did whatever was required to get in. It was required to suck in some happy gas through a balloon at one bar, so we obliged. Before I knew it, everyone else had gone, and I was left on my own to stagger my way around to a few extra bars. I eventually staggered my way back to the hostel.
Mum and Dad spent most of their time exploring the beautiful cafés, having breakfast, morning tea, lunch, afternoon tea, and so on. I wandered around the streets with Davy and Jodie, trying everything and buying whatever was in my way. It was quite an enjoyable experience.
The day before the wedding, we took a taxi ride out of town before catching a bus. After a few hours of travelling, we reached Uyen’s home village. It was a cute small town on the side of a mountain with big rice farms in the middle. The houses were simple and never complete because you had to pay taxes on complete homes in Vietnam. It was remarkable to be in such a unique little village. We went to a few houses where we were invited to have tea. Many speeches were made.
That night, we stayed at a cheap hotel. In some rooms, people found used condoms, the balcony was falling to pieces, and everyone complained about the beds being the most uncomfortable beds they had ever tried. I must have been lucky and got a good room. We headed up to sing some karaoke the first night and rocked it out that night.
Tim and I decided to see what was happening on the floor, where everything seemed to be happening. They asked us to sit down and if we wanted a massage. We thought this would be okay, so we got a massage. Then, they asked us to change into some boxer shorts, washed us, and offered to scrub our backs. After the massage, we were sitting out in the waiting room having tea when Philby came and had a piece of the person running the show. Not knowing what was happening, Tim and I were just going along with whatever they were doing, but apparently, they were saying in Vietnamese that they were trying to get more money out of us and would take advantage of us. Philby told Tim and me that he was disappointed in us.
The next day was the first day of the wedding celebrations. We woke up early to walk up to the top of the mountain, which has a beautiful Buddhist temple. We then headed down to the village for the wedding. Our family and a few of Philby’s best mates were meeting there. Over the next three days, nearly one thousand people came and enjoyed the food and drink that were offered. There were all sorts of food—various parts of pork. Everyone brought something. And the family supplied lots of rice wine. Lots of rice wine.
Uyen’s uncles seem to be everywhere, offering each one of the family members as much rice wine as we could handle. They said, ‘Mot Hai Ba,’ meaning one, two, three. We all did our best to keep up but struggled as the afternoon kicked in. Bree was the first to go as she asked Timmy to take her home.’ As the afternoon kicked in, everything went dark, and the drinking turned to dancing. Lots of dancing.
The same pattern occurred over the next three days. Lots of great food, lots of people coming and going, lots of rice wine, followed by hours of dancing. As usual, the children gravitated towards me, so I entertained them. The final day was still filled with a few extra festivities, including photo shoots, and the newly-weds pouring champagne over a cascade of glasses. Uyen’s brother and his friends also creatively carved watermelons.
Just as the festivities were about to end and some of the people had begun to head back to the city, disaster struck. Uncle Paul got dehydrated from drinking too much rice wine. Hel went unconscious, and we began thinking for the worst. Davy said, ‘He’s having a stroke.’ I immediately comforted Aunty Denise while Davy took Uncle Paul to the toilet. Uncle Paul started vomiting and profusely spurting diarrhoea from the other end. We were concerned that something more sinister was going to happen.
The village doctor arrived and came prepared with a range of treatment modalities. He began with some medications that could have been adrenaline or something similar. When it started to take effect, he then trialled acupuncture. At this point, Uncle Paul was still unconscious. The doctor asked me what points I would try, and I told him a few that he then administered. Still unconscious and only occasionally twitching, we were uncertain whether my funny uncle would return to us. The doctor then administered a drip, hung it above Uncle Paul’s arm, and allowed the solution to slowly drip into his system. After about three hours, Uncle Paul slowly regained consciousness and relieved us. It was not a stroke, but regardless, it was a scary experience for all of us.
Uncle Paul was brought to a hospital in town, and we caught a scary bus trip back to Hanoi. While overtaking a van, we missed an oncoming car by millimetres. Once back in town, we checked in in a nice hotel for the night and got to experience the French Quarter of Hanoi. We went for a nice walk and explored some charming food.
The rest of the time in Hanoi was spent around the main centre, where we went on day trips, had all types of local food, and explored various fresh fruit juices, which were terrific. We generally had an enjoyable time. This was justified by my Aunty Suzie’s friend, who joined us for the wedding and the adventure. She stood up on the last day saying, ‘How lucky we are as a family to all get along and generally have a good time.’
A Festive Wedding
Toronto is a special place to visit. I have not seen it in its bitter coldness, but that is an experience to be had. I have seen it in bright sunshine when the city gets behind its Blue Jays and Raptors. I have lovely memories of two Blue Jays games and an experience I will never forget. We got caught up in a hurricane at Jurassic Park and had to run our hardest to escape the rain to get the last seats in a packed and humming pub. It was a historic game for the Raptors, where a memorable slam put them into the playoffs. It is hard to explain the buzz around Toronto when the Blue Jays or the Raptors are thriving. It is all the talk, all around town.
My most memorable memory of being in Toronto will always be the wedding. Like Philby's wedding in Vietnam, Davy's was something to remember. Davy rented a piano for me so I could play my songs at his wedding. This became increasingly difficult every night because I needed more time to practice. We had so much fun. Every night, one of his mates would arrive from Australia, and we would end up 'drunk as a skunk', drinking Bloody Mary and playing darts. I would get home early in the morning and try to play my songs blindly, drunk. It is not that easy. I do not recommend anyone trying to do this.
Although I was not a groomsman, the groomsmen and the brothers had a memorable night getting our hair cut for the big day. Again, drinking and darts were key themes, but it took hours to get our hair cut. I grew my hair and beard for a year in preparation for this night. Although I cannot explain our fun that night, we all have great memories. Even though we are all not here on this planet anymore.
The Buck's party was also memorable. It began with a game of Axe Throwing, where Deano almost killed us all by throwing the damn thing so hard. Always incredibly talented, the Beautiful Younger Brother's mates quickly took to this challenging art. One of his mates was the last man standing, and we encouraged him to do his best chanting, 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie. Oi, Oi, Oi.' Little did we know that the other leading Axe Thrower, whom we thought was a Canadian, was also from Adelaide.
The day escalated quickly, and we ensured the Torontonians knew that most of us were Aussies. I remember yelling on the bus, 'We are all Aussies!' One of the custodians said, 'We know, only Aussies can party like this.'
As the day turned into night, and we were fueled by increased alcohol intake, Intuition started buying me more beers because I was not working at the time. We had some great food at Little Korea, where Philby fell down the stairs because he was so drunk. I do not remember much after that, to be honest. I remember going from pub to pub, where I became acquainted with the ladies. Slowly, everyone else left the party and went home. Not me and my Beautiful Younger Brother. This was the last night before he would consummate his marriage and express a commitment to his much-loved wife. He was up for a fun time, and he had it with one of his big brothers. We were dancing with many ladies, to whom I proudly introduced Davy, yelling at times, 'This is his bucks party.' He was grooving with the ladies as only we know how, with one girl saying, 'You sure he's getting married?' I replied, 'Yes, he loves his fiancé more than you know. He just knows how to have fun.'
The wedding was a spectacular event. Over 30 of his friends and family flew in from Australia, and they rented out the entire Camp Kawartha, where the Great Wife had so many great memories. As the wedding party entered, I played my beautiful piano solo, 'The Butterfly Ballerina,' as they came in. I started by penning these magical words that summarized my relationship with Davy perfectly:
You are the sun shining in through the windowsill,
You are the one that guides me through the rain,
Just to be with you is to live a life true,
I am one when you are here.
I played various songs as they signed the marriage certificate before playing the jazzy 'Picture Frame' as the wedding party exited. We had a memorable toast from the large man who had announced their engagement when he proposed to her in Newfoundland. This was a special rum that was unique to Newfoundland, which was a separate country from Canada until 1949.
The wedding was spectacular. The Second Family was all there except for the Great Aunty, who, unfortunately, was too sick to make the long flight to Canada. Most of Davy's friends were there, including the Great Best Mate, Ryan, who delivered a cracking speech. Davy spent a generous amount of time sharing why everyone who made the journey over for his wedding meant so much to him. I had to take small sips of the craft beer to ensure I was not a balling mess.
It was more of a festival than a wedding. There were food stalls with all types of mac ‘n cheese and poutine. There were also outdoor activities such as archery and axe-throwing, well as some amazing folk musicians performing. Farter, however, missed most of the activities as I left the piano charger in Toronto.
Davy's friends entertained themselves with a range of frisbee sports and more. The night turned a little bit messy as we danced the night away. Although it did not go to plan. I planned for a song I wrote to be the newly-weds’ first dance, but due to a technical glitch, it became their second dance. My only goal in writing the song was for Mother Dearest to bawl her eyes out, but it only made the Great Aunt Kerrie unable to control her emotions.
I had seen one of my talented school friends sing a song called 'You've Got Each Other To Hold' at her wedding. She sang with her husband on the ukulele. This inspired me to create these lyrics for Davy's first dance:
You are a rose without any thorns,
You are the morning of thirty-three dawns,
You have each other ‘til you grow old,
Because you have got each other to hold.
You are the wind that blows clouds away,
You are the memory of a perfect day,
You have got forever to see what unfolds,
Because you have got each other to hold.
You are the morning, a bright day's begun,
You are a flower reaching up to the sun,
You do not need diamonds, silver, or gold,
Cause you have got each other to hold.
You have each other till the end of days,
To love each other in millions of ways,
You have a love that could never be sold,
Because you have got each other to hold.
Because you have got each other to hold.
Peru
I left Sydney for Los Angeles and Houston before arriving at Jorge Chavez International Airport in Lima at approximately 11:15 p.m. After a lengthy taxi ride, I soon reached Orlando's house in the upmarket suburb of Miraflores. In the middle of the night, I was greeted by one of my favourite allies and a bottle of red from Chile. While we reminisced over stories from our side of the world, this small apartment became my home for the next 12 days.
By day, Orlando and I explored the chaotic streets of Miraflores and tried some of the local food. By night, he introduced me to his beautiful friends Lyanee and Tattiana. We tried some fancy food, and I was introduced to the famous, well, infamous Pisco Sour. After a night of trying Sammy's Pisco, Orlando passed out in the toilet.
After a few days exploring Lima with Orlando, I jumped on a double-decker to explore the ancient ruins of Panchanamac. It was an important religious site for four cultures that resided in Lima, both as a place for worship and as a place where pilgrims travelled considerable distances to answer their spiritual questions. The drive to and from Panchanamac demonstrated the significant disparity in Peru and opened my eyes to the poverty that exists outside Miraflores.
The following days we had long walks, spent late nights chatting with friends, and slept in to recover. Orlando organised a day trip in Punta Hermosa, Peru's most famous beach, where many a beer was drunk, and I had my first taste of ceviche. A highlight was the night spent with Lyanee, Andreas, and Tattiana, Orlando's three closest friends. We stayed at Tattiana's house until the early morning, chatting and sharing our favourite music.
After 12 days in Lima, I was introduced to a tour and spent a night in the hotel. Waking up early, I went to the airport and had a quick flight to Cusco. It is the capital of the Incan world, and it puts on a show. With my trusty sidekick Aoife, we explored the streets of Cusco, meeting new people, trying whatever came our way, and having random adventures within these cobblestone streets. As we got to know the group better, we could barely hide our excitement at the dinner table as we shared our adventures. We also had an amazing time dancing our night away at Mumm Africa and rocking out with a Peruvian rockstar who had played with Dave HL. We cannot explain what a wonderful time we in what had the Incans call the navel of the world.
The tour then moved to the sacred valley; a place revered as one of the most beautiful places in Peru. On our first bus adventure, it was fascinating to wind through these misty, mysterious mountains that are the Andes. As we explored the tiny villages in the Sacred Valley and wandered through their markets, I felt like pinching myself to prove that I was alive and not dreaming.
After an adventure-packed day through the Sacred Valley, we arrived at the extraordinary Ollantaytambo, where we had one of the most scenic lunches of our lives. The next day, we arrived by train at Machu Picchu to explore one of the world's most renowned ruins. It was so important to the Incan culture; you could only revere its beauty. As you look down at the quarry in the valley below, where the construction materials came from, or at the grand size of the mountains surrounding this palace, the Incans can only be admired for building such a mystical and wonderfully sacred place. It was sad to leave Machu Picchu, but memories of exploring it will always remain with me.
After another few days in Cusco, I embarked on a seven-hour bus trip across the Andes to Puno. It is the gateway to Lake Titicaca but also boasts a terrific nightlife. As we adventured through the largest navigable lake in the world, we discovered the great reed islands and explored a culture separated partially from the 'mainland' culture. Puno was a fitting place to have one more fantastic night with a spectacular group, as most were leaving the following day.
I became accustomed to my new group of six Aussies with a quiet seven-hour trip to the White City, Arequipa, a city surrounded by over 180 volcanoes. After an early night, I explored a museum dedicated to preserving ancient Incan mummies who had been sacrificed on high mountaintops throughout the Incan Empire.
A new day saw the group travel through scenic sites, from sunny to even snowy. Finally, we arrived at a picturesque destination that was our base to explore the Colca Valley. Within the Colca Valley is the Colca Canyon, the deepest canyon in the world. It is home to the sacred yet endangered condors that use the heat reflected from the valley to propel themselves to the peak of the canyon to find food. The condors came in waves, appearing less than a metre above the adoring crowd.
After a few days back in Arequipa, we boarded an overnight bus to Nasca. We then jumped on the bus to the Huachina Oasis, where I joined a group of boys on a sand dune for some sand-boarding adventure before having a meal and a cocktail in the poolside bar. We then continued to Pisco. The final day of the tour consisted of an early start as we left the earthquake-ravished town of Pisco and headed to the Ballestas Island, affectionately known as the 'Cheap Man's Galapagos.' Here we saw seals, penguins, and an array of other birds, wildlife, and beautiful scenery. We then went for a walk along the prestigious waterfront before boarding a bus for Lima to conclude the tour.
I spent the last eight days of my time in Peru at Orlando's house with his beautiful mum and friends. Like the first 12 days, we did a lot of walking, talking, and drinking. With Orlando, Tattiana, and Lyanee, we spent numerous nights in bars around Lima, eating exciting foods and checking out the sites. It was more laid back in comparison to the first 12 days but just as enjoyable. The most memorable was a fight outside the restaurant where we ate, my church adventure with Lyanee and her family, and a fabulous last supper in Miraflores where I was spoilt with my much-loved ceviche.
After my stay in Peru, I went to Toronto on April 26, 2017. After confronting an inquisitive customs officer, I met Davy at the airport, who brought me to his new home. After that, I spent a lot of time hanging out with Jodie, Davy, the dog Harvey, and the cat Cedar and walking the streets of Toronto.
Davy and Jodie managed to get a weekend off, so we decided to go camping. After a nice drive out of Toronto, we made our way to a beautiful caravan park, where we camped in a 'yurt' near the lake. Davy's Australian mate, Deano waited for us with his new wife. We had a lovely night by the campsite, where Davy and Jodie got a bit tipsy before retiring to the yurt.
The next day, we were off to Algonquin Provincial Park. As we arrived at the gates, we were told that there had been sightings of some moose and beavers, so we hoped to see some too. Not long after arriving at the park, Davy started screaming and quickly pulled over. About 50 metres down the road was our first sighting of a moose. It was amazing.
After a quick walk around, we continued driving, and not long after, Davy spotted a baby moose. We pulled over to the side of the road and were looking at the baby moose from above the road when I looked to my left, and less than a metre away, the mother moose was eyeballing me. Davy screamed, ‘Too close!' and pulled my shirt to get me out of the way of the mother moose as she charged across the road to be with her baby. After that close encounter, we continued down to the beaver dam, where beavers had artfully built the walls made of sticks. While we did not see any beavers, we saw a couple of moose up close. Not a bad at all, as many Canadians never see a moose.
When I returned to Toronto, I spent time with Davy and his amazing wife, Jodie. I spent a fantastic day with Davy at his work, tried various restaurants, and watched a Blue Jays game at Rogers Stadium. One memorable night, we were going to watch a Toronto Raptors game at their downtown arena that they call 'Jurassic Park.' But a mini cyclone ripped through the city, leaving us running to escape the heavy rain. We watched the game in a pub where Chris Durrant scored a memorable slam dunk to send the Raptors into the next playoff stage. A real highlight of the trip was heading up to Jodie's brother Ryan's house, where I saw his wife Krista, Jodie's beautiful parents, niece Caitlin, and nephew Cooper. I felt grateful that my wonderful brother had found such a fun, trusting, and accommodating family.
Exploring With My Bro
I enjoy exploring with Philby, including exploring Melbourne with him and the family, as well as around central NSW. Travelling with Philby is very low-key and unplanned. We would always have a little on the agenda, but we would always find something else to do. While working at Uniting, I didn’t have a break for three years. It got to a point when I started to burn myself out. I had too much unused leave, I was forced to take a two-week break. Philby was coaching Bob Brown Cricket Coaching out West, so I asked if I could join him.
I caught the train out to Dubbo, where I stayed above a lovely pub that was right in the middle of town. I arrived a little before Philby, and his young local cricketers, who stayed in a motel down the road. I was busily studying a short course on Platform Development in my spare time and was hoping to fill in the extra time while Philby was coaching me to complete the assignments for this six-week course. So, after doing some work, I met Philby at a beautiful Japanese restaurant for dinner, where I had a delightful wagyu beef dish. After dinner, I retreated to my pub for a night cap.
The following day, I explored Dubbo's shops, walking up and down the shopping strip and exploring the river walks around town before retreating to the library to do some work and rest. After Philby finished, he met me at the library, and we walked up to the Dubbo Zoo, which is right in the middle of town. Interestingly enough, it was still operational until recently and was the site of the last execution in NSW. It was chilling, considering how many dangerous people operated in such tight confines. The next day I did a similar exploration around town before heading into the library for more work.
The next day, we headed to the next town in our agenda, Orange, where a few of the young local cricketers Philby was coaching were also going. We stayed at a nice little motel where the boys and us took up two rooms. The first night was full of cricket banter as we laughed the night away.
The next morning, I got dropped off in town and rented a bike for the day. I ended up in the middle of nowhere before deciding I needed a map. I found a map and discovered it was a small but decent ride out to the botanical gardens. I enjoyed walking around the gardens for about two hours and took it all in, in the heat. I then explored the shops in Orange before taking the bike back to the motel. After Philby finished his coaching, we went for a beautiful drive around the hills of Mount Kanabolas and enjoyed the views from the top. The next day I, too, explored around the town and did some work in the library before meeting Philby at the Council Chambers, where we planned to meet before heading on to our next town.
The next destination was Jerilderie, a small Riverina town where Shaun Brown had his next camp. We found a motel and settled in for the night with a few new people coaching in the town. The following day, I walked through the sleepy village and discovered the lake was connected to the world's largest billabong. I spent the day exploring the town, discovering the sites where Ned Kelly had robbed a bank in 1879 and where the 'Jerilderie letter' was drafted. It was a decree asking for the resignation of a corrupt police force. The town was fascinating, with little historical markers on each significant building, highlighting the importance of the buildings to the Kelly gang.
I spent a few days exploring and spending my spare time in the library. Philby picked me up on the last day, and we headed to Collamberle. We met Mother Dearest and Father at a motel. They come down because Philby had been nominated for Citizen of the Year. Then, we headed into town for a meal, where we met some of the locals. Everybody seemed to know Philby, as he was obviously an important part of the town.
The next day was the ceremony. Philby's award was the last of the day because it was the big one. But unfortunately, Philby did not take home the award. Mother Dearest and Farter offered to drive me home, and we returned to the Hawkesbury, another adventure coming to an end.
A Whirlwind Trip to Central Australia
I recently enjoyed my biggest road trip ever with Daniel, a young man with whom I had worked at One Door for approximately eight months. I was a bit disheartened at the time because my contract was coming to an end. So, on a Friday night, when Daniel said he was heading to Burke, I rang my mate, Crossy, to see if he was still at Burke and decided to join Daniel on Sunday.
On the Sunday, I woke up at 3:30 a.m. and caught the train to Seven Hills with all my stuff. Glen was meeting us there with one of our work colleagues. Daniel picked us all up at the station, and we headed to the Blue Mountains for the first part of our adventure. When we arrived, we went for a short walk, got the drone up into the valley, and said goodbye to Glen and our work colleague. Then, we continued our adventure to Mudgee, where we stopped for a delicious breakfast before grabbing some olives on the side of the road and making our way through the central west of NSW. We set the drone up again over some purple fields and another farm before making it to Burke at around 5:30 p.m. We drove roughly 10 hours through Central NSW.
We decided to go for a walk. At the first corner, an Aboriginal man, sounding like a goat, started following us, so we went through a park. Whilst going through the park, we heard a party, so we decided to follow that. But every time we got closer to where the sound was, it seemed to go further away. Still, being followed, Daniel typed in his Google account, 'Is Burke safe?' A few reports of Burke being the most dangerous town in NSW kept coming up, saying, 'it has been compared to crime rates of Afghanistan War Zones.' As the sound of the party followed us, we returned to our room.
The following day, we went for a drive around town and explored the river close to flooding. We had a nice lunch by the river before I got a call saying that I was chosen to be interviewed for A Blockchain Developer position on the Gold Coast. While I planned to head back to Sydney from Burke on Wednesday, Daniel asked over the phone whether it would be easier if they would fly me up from Adelaide. They agreed so Daniel decided we would leave Burke for Tibooburra to go to Adelaide. Daniel planned to head up to Birdsville, but this road was flooded, so he was eagerly checking the roads and maps.
With the new plan in mind, we headed out to see Crossy at his house just outside of town. Crossy showed Daniel and me where he lived, but he was busy, so we continued. We headed out of Burke along a narrow dirt road. We encountered some beautiful wildlife, including a huge albatross and a giant Eagle that teased us for about 15 minutes. As darkness came, it became a hazardous drive as we became a dodgeball for kangaroos. At one point, we hit a kangaroo that just stopped in the middle of the road. Eventually, we made it to the beautiful town of Tibooburra, had an excellent meal at the pub and settled for the night in the comfortable hostel.
The next morning, we headed out west through Sturt National Park to Cameron's Corner. We managed to get a small roast that Daniel hoped to cook that evening, but all the shops at Cameron's Corner were closed as everyone who worked there had COVID. We took a few photos of the border fences and tried to call through to the organisation on the Gold Coast to make arrangements. However, the signal could have been better. I hoped to call work to tell them that my plans had changed, but it was impossible to make a phone call. This triggered my anxiety.
As we made our way through the desert, it was just us, the road, and the elements. We made our way around the outskirts of the Flinders Rangers and, after hours of driving, found a place to camp for the night. Daniel found an old riverbed with plenty of space to set up camp and somewhere to pitch a tent for the night. It took us a while, but we managed to cook a few potatoes and left-over scraps from our lunch. Unfortunately, we couldn't cook the roast as it had been in the fridge and was still frozen. As a result, we had an early night in which I had restless sleep on and off in the van.
We continued our adventure through the Flinders Rangers in a hurry to get to Adelaide. I took on the driving at Hawker and drove to Port Augusta with only a toilet stop. Daniel was frustrated that his plans had changed and did not want to go to Adelaide. I rushed him because we thought we had an extra day to get to Adelaide. His plan was for him to continue from Port Augusta and for me to get a rental car into Adelaide. Unfortunately, no vehicles were available, so Daniel and I reluctantly continued.
We headed down to Port Pirie, where we managed to get some sugar in our bellies. This overcame our hunger as we became nice to each other again. I continued driving all the way to Adelaide, where we settled in our backpackers for the night. Once settled, we headed to Adelaide's Chinatown and had a good meal.
Daniel drove me to the airport the following day, where we said our goodbyes. I caught a flight to Sydney and a connecting flight to the Gold Coast. Once there, I took a taxi from Coolangatta to the office I was going to. Nearly everyone had gone home because it was 5:30 p.m. by the time I arrived, but I was still interviewed by the CEO of the business. then I was asked to be driven to my hotel at the Hilton. I spent the night exploring Surfers Paradise and grabbed a good feed before returning to my luxurious hotel.
The next morning, I was taken to the blockchain course that was part of the offer if my application was successful. I was met by one of the blockchain developers, who asked me what my vision was. 'My vision is to blockchain the world. I would have one platform in which blockchain technology would allow all data entered to be immutable.' He liked this solution, but I knew he could tell that I knew very little about how the technology worked. I continued the course before catching a taxi back to the airport and catching the plane back to Sydney. Within five days, I had travelled from Sydney to Adelaide, the Gold Coast, and back to Sydney. What an adventure.