How to combine a stunning environment with an experience with local people?
Wwoofing!
After my good first experience with the happy t family it was time for me to travel seriously by myself, without relying on anybody.
The second woofer family had all the requirements to make me glad: firstly it was a winery….and it could have been enough since I’m wine lover (or without exaggerating, I do prefer wine to beer), fantastic environment, in middle of the nature, only hills, grass, cattle, vineyards, stars, insects and frogs.
My previous experience in the bush has actually helped me in dealing with insects like walking in the grass barefoot.
You know, when you are in the country you feel like you’re the guest of the nature and not the way round….in our normal life we’re probably used to kill the insects we just dislike, ants, mosquitos, flies, spiders and so on but when you’re far from the city you realized how the nature has survived so long without human beings and you don’t want to do anything that can affect it.
There was an interesting sign on a bench in the Sydney’s Royal botanic garden saying : ”The environment can do without people, but people can’t do without the environment” how true is it?!
Anyhow I had such a good time in the winery, that’s why I decided to stay longer than the original plan, so 2 weeks instead of 1. Probably from the people point of view I got more from the first family even if I worked harder and I wasn’t fed enough but I’ve seen so many good things, like how to raise kids making them respect the environment, without being maniac of the cleanness or how to deal with the lack of water or electricity. See the 1 year old baby playing in the mud, or the 9 years old daughters walking in the middle of the bush shoeless when it was dark were just few examples of what I meant.
In the winery life was easier, people were nice and kind, had such a good food and wine everyday…I was there with two English girls and we were actually part of their life: we went to a bbq, a birthday, we’ve been hosted by a chef in a near winery for a lunch…amazing life!
We tried to chase foxes as well, without any luck but was fun…and I learned so many things about wine…I had to come here in australia to learn how to make coffee and learn something about wine, can you believe it?
And the ast day I had a free wine tasting at Clovely, the biggest winery in Queensland (well Queensland is not best know for wine, but…whatever…) where Wally make me us taste 3 whites (Verdelho, Semillon and Chardonnay) a Rosé (nebbiolo vineyard) and 3 reds (Shiraz, Barolo and Merlot).
Wally is a funny old man with Russian background, we were at his son’s birthday, and his trying to grow his own nebbiolo vineyard “I bought a 150$ bottle in Italy and Clovely can do the same here so why shouldn’t I?!” Go wally!!!!
My third woofing experience is here, where I’m writing you from: Whitsundays coast.
When I landed with my flight I saw palms a the entrance of the airport track, waiting room outside, like a garden…that’s the holiday atmosphere you find when first arrive!
we’ve just survived to a cyclone, well fortunately the category 3 (that has become 4 meanwhile) hasn’t reach the area, but for 2 days everybody talked about this, the family who host me bought grocery for weeks and weeks (6 kilos and rice, loads of cans of meat, litres and litres of milk etc etc). This is what happens when the Cyclone comes…
I’m leaving in a boat…fuck yeah! Well I Expecte it to be in the sea, but finally it is a old one park in the garden, when I first arrived, it was dark and the boat outside is rusty and dirty…I was freaked out! But now I simply loved it, and when I moved into the house because of the cyclone, the normal bedroom seemed to me so boring…
The amazing thing here is…I can deal with my original phobia I had before coming to Australia :snakes.
On the way from the airport to home we stop a while and Darren show me something moving in the street, it was a snake crossing the road: it was the first one I saw not in captivity. Then second one has been the day after: I was moving some stuff with the wheels barrel in the garden and one balck- gold snake pass in front of me. Cool, my first one from that close!
10/3/09
28/2/09
Heading to the north
Hi there! The last time i wrote during my 12 hours transfer from Meblourne to Sydney…This time the transfer is only 4 hours, from Brisbane to Murong, a small town innland.
After 8 months in Melbourne, last month in Sydney has passed quickly…..and now I’m in Queensland, without a clear destination….as a vagabond who keeps on walking, stopping from time to time to enjoy what surrounds him.
My planned final destination when I left Sydney was Cairns and it’s probably still the alleged one, it’s just a matter of time….
It’s been nice to stay for a while in Sydney, even if I admit I had many bias before arriving due probably to the eternal rivalry between the two biggest Aussie cities…no wonder every Melbournian told me Melbourne is better. So imagine how I felt when I stepped out from the bus the 31th December, surrounded by skyscrapers, cars, traffic….
After experienced personally Sydney’s life, I admit it’s a good place where to stay during the summer season, with all its beaches (Bondi in primis, the cult Maroubra, Manly, La perouse, where apparently Tom Cruise rode the bike in the last scene of IMF2, Tamarama, Bronte, Coogee)…Melbourne can’t compare from this point of view.
But….I finally prefer Melbourne! It’s one of those cities where you can feel like back home, probably as Lille was a couple of years ago.
I enjoyed NYE fireworks….amazing, the landscape, the atmosphere, the people….I baptized my first day in Victoria and Australia at the Great Ocean Road….and I Baptized my first in NSW with the fireworks, I actually couldn’t ask for more!
I celebrated my first birthday overseas!yeah!even during my year in Erasmus I came back home for xmas holiday, so this was the first. Marianna, my Erasmus mate, prepared a small surprise that I definitely appreciated.
The first 10 days have been Italian French…yeah, every second person I met in Bondi was either Italian or French…so I realized I had to do something…so I looked for an apartment by myself and…I found an fuckin awesome place!I remember I visited it during my birthday (a destiny’s sign?) with Danila,Diogo (brazilians) and Ashley (Canadian, canidiot as she likes to call..lol) and unofficially Reinaldo, Danila’s boyfriend who was always there.
They are simply amazing, extremely welcoming, we shared everything: food, time, fun, laughs…that’s probably the difference…we weren’t just roomies, we were mates…and I’ll be eternally grateful for letting me discover “How I met your mother” my new favourite series!
Brazilian parties, bbqs, Asutralian day, Sundays at the beach…I had such a great time with them and it’s been hard to leave them…
So after one month trying all the employment agencies I decided it was time to leave Sydney…one day Ashley went out for half an hour and she came back saying:” I decided, I’ll leave Sydney in 10 days, even if I’m moneyless, travelling with Michael and Ohran (2 swiss guys) in ùWicked van to Byron bay”.
It was probably the right input, the input that needed or waited for... I stuck for too much time in that city….
So In few days I organized my plans: I flew with Marianna to Byron bay (as she asked me many times…poor girl!) where we managed to meet up with the Wicked van guys!
Byron bay…the paradise according to many people…that means I had loads of expectations before arriving…and finally I can’t help but confirm it!
Well as first impression it might look too small for its celebrity, this is probably the point tho, it’s not meant to be a massive city, but a confy and welcoming place where to stay. There are heaps of sport activities, the beaches are so nice and quite, and there is also the most easterly point of Asutralia mainland. We took advantage having our first surf lesson…simply awesome!
And then there’s Nimbin….this small town inland where weed is pratically legal…we had a cake in two of us….the longest trip of my life…12 hours and was still high the day after! I needed the fresh water of the surf experience to wake me up…
Everything there was so characteristic, the Hemp embassy, the Nimbin museum, the blonde old lady…we were so fucked up after that, I walked through the forest with the panic of passing out!
It’s probably visiting Surfers Paradise that I finally appreciated Byron bay, I realized the difference between the 2 cities. Surfers is such a good place but so tourist…the name speaks itself. Apparently it’s the city where there’s the only Hard rock café in Australia (this is for HRC lovers).
And the Brisbane…I met up with ashley after the other guys left for different directions, Marianna back to Sydney, the Swiss guys to the north too but with different timing.
We were meant to find a fruitpicking job, but due to the rain and floated place, no job was available…
We spent 4 days in the third largest Aussie city…I didn’t like it that much, of course after being to Melbourne and Sydney it was not easy…but I managed to sleep one night in the Wicked van, and Experience I recommend to every backpacker!
Seeing there was no job available we joined the Wwoof (willing to work in an organic farm).
We went to Eudlo, somewhere in the middle of the bush, hosted by a family.
We helped them to build their house, we faced ours personal fears (spiders for Ashley, snakes for me) working and living surrounded by nothing else but nature!
The family was a mix of hippie and easygoing…René from South Africa, Kelly from Uk and 4 amzing kids 11, two 9 years old twins, and 1 year old adorable baby!
I will always remember kids’ politeness, they couldn’t’ stop thanking for helping them, and how they were fearless for animals and for the forest, walking barefoot in the middle of the night…
René was showing us Sunshine coast University, we were at the parking, it was raining, one of the girl saw some rubbish on the floor and…she asked her mum to stop in order to allow her to pick it up and throw it away…speechless….
We had a good bbq in Noosa, after seeing the big pinapple on the way to the beach. It’s actually one of the symbol of the local territory, like thi big banana, the big sheep in other part of the coutry.
Now I’m Finally by myself, travelling after Ashley had left to go back to Sydney where she will catch her flight to go back to Canada next week.
I always relied on someone’s help since my arrival in Australia, concerning finding accommodation or initial heads up, from now on there will be only me, myself and I.
After 8 months in Melbourne, last month in Sydney has passed quickly…..and now I’m in Queensland, without a clear destination….as a vagabond who keeps on walking, stopping from time to time to enjoy what surrounds him.
My planned final destination when I left Sydney was Cairns and it’s probably still the alleged one, it’s just a matter of time….
It’s been nice to stay for a while in Sydney, even if I admit I had many bias before arriving due probably to the eternal rivalry between the two biggest Aussie cities…no wonder every Melbournian told me Melbourne is better. So imagine how I felt when I stepped out from the bus the 31th December, surrounded by skyscrapers, cars, traffic….
After experienced personally Sydney’s life, I admit it’s a good place where to stay during the summer season, with all its beaches (Bondi in primis, the cult Maroubra, Manly, La perouse, where apparently Tom Cruise rode the bike in the last scene of IMF2, Tamarama, Bronte, Coogee)…Melbourne can’t compare from this point of view.
But….I finally prefer Melbourne! It’s one of those cities where you can feel like back home, probably as Lille was a couple of years ago.
I enjoyed NYE fireworks….amazing, the landscape, the atmosphere, the people….I baptized my first day in Victoria and Australia at the Great Ocean Road….and I Baptized my first in NSW with the fireworks, I actually couldn’t ask for more!
I celebrated my first birthday overseas!yeah!even during my year in Erasmus I came back home for xmas holiday, so this was the first. Marianna, my Erasmus mate, prepared a small surprise that I definitely appreciated.
The first 10 days have been Italian French…yeah, every second person I met in Bondi was either Italian or French…so I realized I had to do something…so I looked for an apartment by myself and…I found an fuckin awesome place!I remember I visited it during my birthday (a destiny’s sign?) with Danila,Diogo (brazilians) and Ashley (Canadian, canidiot as she likes to call..lol) and unofficially Reinaldo, Danila’s boyfriend who was always there.
They are simply amazing, extremely welcoming, we shared everything: food, time, fun, laughs…that’s probably the difference…we weren’t just roomies, we were mates…and I’ll be eternally grateful for letting me discover “How I met your mother” my new favourite series!
Brazilian parties, bbqs, Asutralian day, Sundays at the beach…I had such a great time with them and it’s been hard to leave them…
So after one month trying all the employment agencies I decided it was time to leave Sydney…one day Ashley went out for half an hour and she came back saying:” I decided, I’ll leave Sydney in 10 days, even if I’m moneyless, travelling with Michael and Ohran (2 swiss guys) in ùWicked van to Byron bay”.
It was probably the right input, the input that needed or waited for... I stuck for too much time in that city….
So In few days I organized my plans: I flew with Marianna to Byron bay (as she asked me many times…poor girl!) where we managed to meet up with the Wicked van guys!
Byron bay…the paradise according to many people…that means I had loads of expectations before arriving…and finally I can’t help but confirm it!
Well as first impression it might look too small for its celebrity, this is probably the point tho, it’s not meant to be a massive city, but a confy and welcoming place where to stay. There are heaps of sport activities, the beaches are so nice and quite, and there is also the most easterly point of Asutralia mainland. We took advantage having our first surf lesson…simply awesome!
And then there’s Nimbin….this small town inland where weed is pratically legal…we had a cake in two of us….the longest trip of my life…12 hours and was still high the day after! I needed the fresh water of the surf experience to wake me up…
Everything there was so characteristic, the Hemp embassy, the Nimbin museum, the blonde old lady…we were so fucked up after that, I walked through the forest with the panic of passing out!
It’s probably visiting Surfers Paradise that I finally appreciated Byron bay, I realized the difference between the 2 cities. Surfers is such a good place but so tourist…the name speaks itself. Apparently it’s the city where there’s the only Hard rock café in Australia (this is for HRC lovers).
And the Brisbane…I met up with ashley after the other guys left for different directions, Marianna back to Sydney, the Swiss guys to the north too but with different timing.
We were meant to find a fruitpicking job, but due to the rain and floated place, no job was available…
We spent 4 days in the third largest Aussie city…I didn’t like it that much, of course after being to Melbourne and Sydney it was not easy…but I managed to sleep one night in the Wicked van, and Experience I recommend to every backpacker!
Seeing there was no job available we joined the Wwoof (willing to work in an organic farm).
We went to Eudlo, somewhere in the middle of the bush, hosted by a family.
We helped them to build their house, we faced ours personal fears (spiders for Ashley, snakes for me) working and living surrounded by nothing else but nature!
The family was a mix of hippie and easygoing…René from South Africa, Kelly from Uk and 4 amzing kids 11, two 9 years old twins, and 1 year old adorable baby!
I will always remember kids’ politeness, they couldn’t’ stop thanking for helping them, and how they were fearless for animals and for the forest, walking barefoot in the middle of the night…
René was showing us Sunshine coast University, we were at the parking, it was raining, one of the girl saw some rubbish on the floor and…she asked her mum to stop in order to allow her to pick it up and throw it away…speechless….
We had a good bbq in Noosa, after seeing the big pinapple on the way to the beach. It’s actually one of the symbol of the local territory, like thi big banana, the big sheep in other part of the coutry.
Now I’m Finally by myself, travelling after Ashley had left to go back to Sydney where she will catch her flight to go back to Canada next week.
I always relied on someone’s help since my arrival in Australia, concerning finding accommodation or initial heads up, from now on there will be only me, myself and I.
12/1/09
Following the sun
12 hours to the new beginning….that’s how long it take sto get to Sydney from Melbourne. I’ll be there for the new year’ eve, pretty motivating, since my landlor after picking up the keys said “if there’s a place in Australia where it’s worth spending the new year’s eve, that’s Sydney, the biggest celebration in the country.
Chris, my landlor an Aussie with honk kong background, a keen person. He’s actually the first landlor to supply all the basic stuff we need: detergent powder, toilet paper, spray. Dishwasher , ink cartridge, batteries…everything! When they run out we just need to call him and in one day everything’s ready…how cool is that?
It has been weird to say goodbye to him as well. Knowing that we’ll hardly meet again. I probably cross him 5-6 times in 8 months, not that much at all but the idea of dealing with a good person gave me this sensation.
In the same way I say goodbye to my students at the school, some of them probably didn’t’ know they wouldn’t have found me there back from the holiday. A special though to Julie, my 60 years old student…someone who I admire for her passions and joy for living. She gave me a good Penfold bottle of wine for Christmas, I didn’t buy anything for her…and I felt so guilty, so I finally went this afternoon to the museum where she works as a volunteer to leave her a card. I didn’t meet her on purpose, hoping that she’ll appreciate the surprise….
She will be for sure one of the person that will come to my mind everytime I’ll think about Melbourne…. “Le passioni e la gioia di vivere non hanno età” that’s what I wrote in her card, and I’m convinced that they’re the suitable words for her.
Megan is another student I will have a particular memory…she’s travelling in Europe right now and she started Italian from zero, one month before leaving, not really easy…but we had good time and fun as well. What impressed me is the moment in which I saw them for the last time, the moment in which your sight crosses theirs for the last goodbye. Some of them ask me to keep in touch, somehow, even if we’ll be far far away, but you know it’s such a good feeling….
Chris, my landlor an Aussie with honk kong background, a keen person. He’s actually the first landlor to supply all the basic stuff we need: detergent powder, toilet paper, spray. Dishwasher , ink cartridge, batteries…everything! When they run out we just need to call him and in one day everything’s ready…how cool is that?
It has been weird to say goodbye to him as well. Knowing that we’ll hardly meet again. I probably cross him 5-6 times in 8 months, not that much at all but the idea of dealing with a good person gave me this sensation.
In the same way I say goodbye to my students at the school, some of them probably didn’t’ know they wouldn’t have found me there back from the holiday. A special though to Julie, my 60 years old student…someone who I admire for her passions and joy for living. She gave me a good Penfold bottle of wine for Christmas, I didn’t buy anything for her…and I felt so guilty, so I finally went this afternoon to the museum where she works as a volunteer to leave her a card. I didn’t meet her on purpose, hoping that she’ll appreciate the surprise….
She will be for sure one of the person that will come to my mind everytime I’ll think about Melbourne…. “Le passioni e la gioia di vivere non hanno età” that’s what I wrote in her card, and I’m convinced that they’re the suitable words for her.
Megan is another student I will have a particular memory…she’s travelling in Europe right now and she started Italian from zero, one month before leaving, not really easy…but we had good time and fun as well. What impressed me is the moment in which I saw them for the last time, the moment in which your sight crosses theirs for the last goodbye. Some of them ask me to keep in touch, somehow, even if we’ll be far far away, but you know it’s such a good feeling….
Some others are probably used to see people coming and going that it’s such a natural thing…but as Vinent told me once “On arrive jamais à se habituer à dire au revoir aux gens” it always sucks. So that’s probably why I told everybody “I’ll be back in April, time to say good bye before flying back to Italy”. And when that day will come….well it will be another story….
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