This is just the Translation from the German Blog. Its a reflection of my time in Australia and also about my future travel-plans. I have been writing this around dezember last year, so some things might not be up to date.
Anyway, enjoy
Plan:
Of course not everything workes acording to the plan, but that was actually good in the end. My first plan was to fly directly from Brisbane to Darwin, and then see how to go on.
This plan was thrown over Board quickly and so i thought:
I will drive from Brisbane up to Cairns, than some way back down and into the middle (Red Centre) to Alice Springs and than back to Brisbane. This time going south from Brisbane, all the way to Sydney and the travelling the Southcoast to Perth. From Perth heading back home.
As i arrived in Cairns, i already decided to go to Darwin. So i headed to Darwin after visiting Alice Springs and after arriving there i decided to travel down the Westcoast.
This 2 decisions where probably the best 2 i did during my Travels.
Because the Westcoast is now together with the Top End (Darwin,...) my personal favourite!
After that i traveled the whole Southcoast to Sydney and flew out from there heading home with a 2 weeks Stopover in Bangkok.
Luckily i sticked to my plan with buying a car, and so in the first weeks in Brisbane bought a Toyota Landcruiser (wich was actually my age).
Here the Post with the first car-pics klick
Travelmates:
I meet my first travelmate Yukair (30) from Japan in my 2 weeks Englishcourse in Brisbane and somehow happend to Travel with her (klick and klick).
Sadly i just traveled 1 month with Yukari. We went from Brisbane to Fraser Iland (the biggest Sand-Iland in the world) and then headed to a small town named Gayndah quite quickly to work there a little bit.
After that i traveled alone up to Townsville (or close to it) where i met my next Travelmate while working
Saki (20) also from Japan (klick). I than traveled together with Saki up the coast, finally ariving in Cairns. We had a fight there (rather she with me,.... i still dont know why) so we went different way after that.
Over a small note i placed in a Japanese Travelagencie i came to my next Travelmate Jiran (21) from Korea (klick). I traveled a quite long time together with Jiran and even spend my Birthday with here. From Cairns we were heading back down the coast to Townsville and went Inlad heading to Alice Springs. From there we took on the longe Journey to Darwin. After some days in Darwin we knew that Jiran wants to travel the Westcoast quickly and i didn't know at this time. So we seperated.
Again through a note in a Hostel i found my first Travelmate, who could speak better egnlish than me: Suzie (26) from England (klick). Together with here i traveled to the Westcoast to Bromme (in 10 days). In Broome Suzie went to do some Volunteer work in a Birdwatching staion and i also started working again.
I found my next Travemaltes through reisebineforum.de (a german page for working holidayers in Australia). I have been writing down my plans there, and after a short time Marcus from Germany wrote me a message. He and his roomate Eric, also from Gemany, should become my next Travelmates. First we traveled down to Port Headland where Marcus wanted to jump of to work. As me and Eric planned our next parts of the trip, Marcus saw how beatifull the landscape was and decide to join as and search for work later. So we headed to the Karijini National Park and than to Karratha together. We all wanted to work there and got lucky in getting one of the bestpaid backpackerjobs in Australia.
After some time working i headed to Perth alone, because the other wanted to work some days longer. After Christmas and New year i flew back up to Karatha to work a little bit longer and after that time our ways finally seperated.
I traveled most of the way to Sydney by myself. Only going to Kangooro Iland for 3 days i picked up Judith and Danilea from Germany (klick).
For the Final end i met Yukari again in Bangkok who was on a 2 day Stopover there.
So i had all different kinds of Travelmates, Yukari who always was friendly and wathcing after me, Saki who seems to hate me (why ever), Jiran who watched every cent, liked to do a little bit dangerous or frobidden things and liked to get photographed everywhere (with her own camera), Suzie the Vegan lady who liked to say funny things, Marcus who always had to do something, never sitting still, Eric who took ages to a hold of his belongings and the 2 funny girls Judith and Daniela.
I would have really liked to travel a longer time with Yukari, because the contact wit her was the best. I have had a little fight here and there with Jiran, especially when shopping, but overall i wouldve liked to travel a longer time with here. The 10 days with Suzie were really short, but we could't travel longer.
So my overall experiences are positiv, and i can only tell everyone plannig this or other travels with the car to also maybe take people they don't know.
Off course i have met many other people and i would like to write about them here, but i would be a neverending Story. The really important people got a writedown in my german blog somewhere.
I'm still in contact with Yukarie, Markus and sometimes Suzie. I have been writing Jiran shortly, and she answered. I will definetly see Yukari in Sapporo and probalby meet Jiran somewhere (she might be travelling Japan this summer).
Overall:
This Year in Australia was definetly very good, as you can see at my german Blog. I'm happy that i got over the issue of starting to travel alone and didn't miss this great Year. It was also a very good decision to buy a 4 Wheel Drive, as i would have missed many beatifull places without it. Off course i changed int this year in Australia (wich i thought i will) and i think its very positive. I'm not so shy anymore, to just to people and start talking, i'm standing more on my own feet, i can speak better english than before and i'm a little bit more spontanious.
I learned to have trust in peole and to trust that everything will work out somehow not matter how bad it is going at the moment and i also got to trust myself and my skills a little bit more.
I also don't have to plan everything before going somewhere, every day and Stopp, as i would have been doing before Australia, now i can just leave and go a little bit with the flow.
Even if that might sound funny, i don't save up so much money as before, i enjoy my everydaylive more. The urge to go travelling or "Ichy feet" didn't vanish with this Journey, it even got stronger, so i'm gonna be on my again soon.
The Decision to got to Australi was one of the best ones i've ever made, and i hope you enjoyed following my journey (to all the german readers).
Addon:
Ok, i've decided to add a little bit more Information here than in my german blog, because you can't read all the Posts from Australia.
Note: All about money will be in Australien Dollars. 1 A$ is around 1 US$, 1 Sfr, 0.60€ and 100 Yen.
I have been travelling around +-30000km with my car in Australia, and it went pretty well. I paid from 1.20 to 1.75$ for 1 Liter of Diesel, Petrol was normaly cheaper.
I spend around 15-20 $ a day on food and hope to run around the same in Japan (should be possbile if i cook myself like in Australia).
I can only guess my Average spending for a night Accomodation, because i have been camping alot and sleeping in the car doesn't cost anything sometimes. So i guess around 8-13$ a night. This figure will most probably be higher in Japan, i guess double 20-30 or more.
Well, Transportion was mostly covered by car, so 100km's cost around 18$ and a 1 week bus-ticket in Syndey was around 32$.
Jobs:
I have been 2 weeks Mandarine packing in Gayndah wich paid a little more than 16$ a hour and we could work around 7 hours each day. Accomodation was possible at a camp site fore just 25$ A WEEK! (well, was a shity place after all)
Later i have been Picking Chillis wich paid 4$ per Kilo. I run the record of the farm now with 44 Kilo's in a day (wich only paid 150$ after Tax). Accomodation was 70$ per Week on a Campsite form a Hostel, wich also provided the farmwork (was quite crowded, but met awesome people!).
My first job in a kitchen was some time later in Broome. I worked at a Hotel as Kitchehand (bassicly washing dishes), it paid 17$ a hour and 20$ at weekends. I could work 5-9hours a day, depending on the shift and the weekdays. Accomodation was on a local Campground for i think 10$ a night. I got to choose 1 meal a day and got free drinks provided.
My last and best Job was in the Pilbara, around 100km from Karratha. I was working as Field Assistant on a Iron ore drilling site outside in the dessert. I got 20$ a hour and got paid for 12 hours a day, so thats 250 every day. The actual work was between 10-12 hours during the day, and later 7-11 during nights. Accomodation, drinks and food was all paid for, you couldn't sleep anywhere else around there, because it was a camp far outside the city and only reachable by 4 wheel drive. It was 2 weeks work and than 1 week off. 1 time i flew up to there from Perth and back and it (off course) was also paid. That was the best what could happen!
About Jobs in Japan:
I will also try to sleep some night in Japanese homes with Couchsurfing or Hospitalityclub (bassicly people invite you to their house, also there are not so many around Japan/Asia as there are in Germany/Europe).
So far redarding this point,
and now
How should i go on?
Like stated above, my Ichy feet didn't dissapear, so now the ongoing Story.
Some years ago i saw my first Anime (Japanes Animation) on TV and have been fascinated of Japan and its culture thereafter. Before i went to Australia i got to know that there is a Working Holiday Visa for Japan, the same kind as i used later in Australia. Because i had never travelled for so long by myself, i decided to go to Australia, with the small hope that it would bring me some courage and that i would eventually meet some Japanese who would invite me to their home :).
Now i'm back home and started learning Japanese some Weeks ago (as said above, this post is from the beginning of December!), because my plan is to gon to Japan mid 2008 for 1 year. Because i also met many other Asiens and Bangkok was fascinating for me, i want to travel on through Asia after the year in Japan. Korea, China, HK, Shanghai, Taiwan, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand again (at the moment it looks like it will just be Korea and China). This would be a very long travel, and because anything could happen in between i will just head to Japan first and than see how to go on.
I have reserved the URL itravel.asia (wich i didn't get!) and will probably be blogging in German and English. Now the URL is www.teglas.asia. I want to buy a car in Japan and see as much as possible of the Country. In between i will be jobbing some time to get some money for travelling.
Most people think its not a good idea to gon on such a long travel again, but i really want to and will do it. Finnaly i found something where i can say: Yes, thats what i really wanna do, thats why i saved up money all the years and i wanna spend it on that, and its ok for me to leave some things behind to do this travel. I like to tell myself: You just live once! and i want to see as much as possible off this world and i've got the best Chance to do so NOW. I'm young, saved up some money and got time! I'm not bound to anything and still dont mind sleeping in a cheap hotel room or my car. I'm not already so choosie on food and im still more or less healthy.
Ich open to the world (google translates cosmopolitan) and im eager to experience live in another culture. The Experience i gain during this travels can only help me in my later live. So lets go!
Have a look in this blog here and there, i'm surely going to travel again and you wll still be able to reach this site. I think i will start blogging more in March or April, as the traveldate gets closer. (well i start now :)
So far
Dennis
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