I guess I haven't updated this in a very long time..... wow! This would probably be easier for me if i kept up on it... but here goes.....
Back in December around the time of my birthday... before christmas, I visited Adelaide and rented a cabin on the beach with my friend Abbey! The first night consisted of a bottle of tequila and shot glasses..... Citrus flavored soda substituted for lemons... and salty chips replacing salt! I have heaps of video footage of this night that needs to be edited and put together, but I'm still too scared to look at it =) The next couple days were full of beachy type activities, christmas lights, markets, and a dolphin cruise. It was definitely a memorable weekend!
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| Typical day/morning/afternoon/evening/night in mildura. |
The job hunt in Melbourne didn't go so great, so right after New Years I packed up and went to pick fruit on the edge of the desert in Mildura. 99% of the people up there were backpackers working towards their second year visa in Australia. Being American, I am not eligible for that, American's get one year, and one year only. Sounded like a great idea at the time, we were promised work every day and an average of $100-$200/day income. HA! We were lucky if we got work at all, and the average person was making around $30-$40/day, not including the $6/day we had to pay for transportation. A lot of people used up the last of their money on transportation to get there plus the $50 deposit, and $150 weeks rent up front, just to find out that it was a big scam. I didn't even mention the fact that the hostel was taking a cut out of what we were making. Basically slave labor for pennies. I mean the work itself wasn't terribly difficult... it was just hot... very very hot.... and tedious. If I was working towards my second year I may have been able to stick it out..... but I was there for the money, not my days. It wasn't all bad though..... It was basically a 24 hour party, and I met so many amazing people from all over the world. (and a few not so amazing ones.) I was also introduced to goon........ if you have never heard of it, let me explain. It's essentially a very inexpensive box/bag of fruity liquid, with a high alcohol content made from the scraps from wineries. (basically the crap they mop up off of the floor) It's sold in the store, but I don't think they can legally call it "wine". Enough said.
A small, rather tame sample of the irish boys at night...
A pack of us ended up bolting from the misery, and hopped on the first bus to Adelaide.....
We stayed in a hostel in the city... it was pretty run down, but oh so very cheap.......the kids (princes and princesses) that traveled with me hated it, and left as soon as they could. If you know me, you already know that I'm totally down with a divey type of atmosphere... I thought it was pretty cool... so I stayed for a week! My plan was to stay in Adelaide, find a job and save up until I could hit the road at the next destination. (Yes apparently somewhere along the line I turned into a backpacker.) Anyway, before I could even find a job in Adelaide, I was offered a position that I had applied to back in November when I first arrived... up in Alice Springs. This whole Alice gig was impossible to turn down... I know I swore off the entire hotel industry years ago, but really..... It's front office work at a resort in the middle of the outback.... including my own hotel room, free meals at the restaurant, and a pretty decent salary (with no where to spend it!). How could I say no?
On the road again....... backtracking 13 hours on a bus to Melbourne I go, to collect my stuff from Rob's house, and book a flight to Alice. One week later here I sit next to my packed belongings, ready for the new adventure!
