theLOWdown: Byron Bay...Sydney...rinse & repeat

Opera House, a must see

Originally the plan was to fly down to Sydney for the fireworks on New Years Eve. My boss Steve really needed me to work because obviously for a bar that's the busiest time of the year. I told him that I wouldn't actually work on New Years Eve itself, but that I would come back in and help him restock the next day. He called my bluff on New Years Eve....I didn't show up, he learned a valuable lesson. He knew I was a man of principle (silly as those can be) so there was really no consequence.

I mean seriously...look at those principles

Plus, Whitney and I couldn't find anywhere to stay in Sydney for New Years. Every hostel was booked up and my old college buddy Locky wasn't bringing much help to the table on that front. So that made the decision a bit easier....I like to tell myself it's those same principles that kept me there at work for Steve though. You know, me being such a good person and all....(don't make that face, whatever face you just made).

So Sydney for New Years was out...but you can't just NOT go to Sydney if you're in Australia so Whitney and I booked our tickets to go down a few days after. Before that we decided to make a trip to Byron Bay because ever since I had gotten to Australia all the people I met in Gold Coast were telling me I HAD to check it out. Whitney too. She apparently met people on the plane and when she was alone on the beach that told her the same. Steve was also very adamant that I make it down there as well...mainly because he wanted me to go to a place not too far from there called Nimbin (we'll get there).

We arrive in Byron Bay and absolutely fall in love with the area. It's a complete hippie beach town, just what we were looking for. From what we found out, most backpackers do fall in love and immediately try to move there. I was no different. I was still teetering back and forth on if I could still afford to be in Australia after I quit Melba's and Whitney convinced me that I should at least look for work in Byron and Sydney before I made the final decision.

We stopped off at a tapas bar for a few happy hours drinks and struck up a conversation with 3 "local" backpackers (I think I just made an oxymoron). One of which worked there and said they may actually be looking for people. I generally carry at least a few resumes in my backpack everywhere I go just in case, so I whipped one out at him and he told me the "boss would be in soon".

All I really had to do was not get too drunk I thought. Easy enough, I want this job. What I didn't anticipate was a little Whitney interference. Not that she did it on purpose...but it wasn't her brightest move ever.

While I sat and talked to the other backpackers, Whitney had went outside with the other guy, Zeus (with a name like that, I'm pretty sure you can assume what happened next). They decided to smoke a joint outside on the steps of the bar....of course. That's the perfect place for that!

Well it just so happened that the owner came around right as they were getting started, he was not pleased...I heard the commotion and came outside right as the scolding was beginning. I tried to shy away and creep back inside but it was too late. They were busted and I was an accomplice for being their friend. Guess the guy thought I was coming outside to join...I was not...I just heard someone yelling. Goodbye interview.

So after that debacle, I sent Whitney went out to the shops and the beach while I went around looking for work. Nobody was hiring...as usual. The only work I could find was passing out flyers on the street...for commission. So basically, I pass out 1000 flyers a day and 30 people bring them into the store with my name on them, I get paid. No one brings them in, I don't get paid and I'm not a happy camper.

Which isn't a bad gig I guess...if I didn't hate those people so much. It's almost like they're asking you to throw stuff away for these flyer guys/girls. I didn't take those jobs because it would have covered just my living expenses and food (barely) but I would never be able to continue travelling around Australia....I needed to make some actual cash (dolla dolla bill ya'll!).

We couldn't find a backpackers to stay in so we spent our nights sleeping on the beach. We kept a sheet from one of the other backpackers we stayed in, laid down some towels and purchased a blanket from Kmart in Gold Coast before we came. Which we subsequently returned to get the money back ("this doesn't fit", "it was the wrong color", "blah blah blah...give me money").

Who wouldn't want this?

It was great. Byron was beautiful and my favorite destination to date. After leaving Byron Bay we wanted to go and see Nimbin. Which had been described to me as "Australia's Amsterdam". Let me be clear...it is NOT Amsterdam by any other means, other than you can purchase any and all kinds of drugs you would ever want on the street.

It's only 1 street long and all of the locals sit out and offer you drugs basically. It's full of backpackers looking to score and it doesn't take too long. I think we were there for 20 minutes and got offered weed half a dozen times and an old lady wanted us to try her brownies.

"Maybe if I weren't driving lady"...it was pretty hysterical little village. I had to drive the entire time we were on our East Coast roadtrip because Whitney couldn't (i.e. scared to be on that side of the road). So I was pretty tired and over Nimbin within a 1/2 hour of being there. I went back to the car and had a quick power nap while Whitney...did whatever she did, I don't really know because there wasn't much to do.

Bondi Beach

We drove back up to Gold Coast after checking out a few waterfalls on the way. We had to catch our flight to Sydney. We didn't know much about Sydney or where to stay so we chose an absolutely awful place for the first 2 nights. We just wanted to be back at a beach. It was too far north in a place called Nerrabeen....and I tell you one thing..."Nerra Been, Nerra going back! The beaches were terrible and it rained most of the time we were there. Not a good first impression.

Once we finally got into the city of Sydney we were fine. We bought $30 tickets for the sight seeing tour bus, which was good quality because it took us all over Sydney and Bondi Beach for 2 days and we could get on and off as we pleased. So we got to see the entire city! It also let us hear a bit about the city from a loudspeaker, tidbits like...

How did the Kangaroo get its name?
The white men who settled here came and met with some of the original Aboriginals. They saw an animal hopping around and asked, "What is that?"
To which the aboriginal replied, "Kangaroo" (shrugs his shoulders).
Kangaroo...is the aboriginal term that roughly translates into "I don't know what you are talking about".

OR

That rum was once used as currency in Australia. They once paid a man in rum to finish constructing one of their mains roads in the city, he began but he never finished it....(wonder why?)

Harbour Bridge...not built with rum exhcange

You paid the man in rum you silly Aussies!?!?! You can't pay people in rum! I know you better not pay me in rum. Well...actually....

Although I must say a lot of Australia is based around the way a pirate lives....rum is of great importance, they have gold deb-loons for currency, they don't pronounce their "R's" in a lot of words....okay, maybe that last one is the opposite of a pirate, but you get the picture!

Fun facts! We did all of the tourist things that one can do without actually spending a ton of money. We went to the Sydney Opera House, the famous fish market, the Queen Victoria Building...everything. We were the ultimate tourists.

Self explanatory

Capitol building?

The legend...of Lockland Cahill

We met up with my good friend Locky as well. He went to school with me at Coastal Carolina back in the states and was the only Aussie resident I knew so he gave us some tips on the city and we hung out quite a bit. We ended up staying (unbeknownst to us) in one of the more dangerous suburbs of Sydney called Kings Cross. Locky was terrified for us, "People die there, Adam". He offered us his place to crash on our last night just to get us out of the Cross.

I didn't see what the big deal was, we had an amazing time there! We met a lot of really cool people at the hostel and walked down to one of the summer concerts in Hyde Park. It was a great time all the way around, just like I expected.

What I didn't expect was when I received 2 emails from places in Byron Bay in reference to me working for them. One was for a travel agency for backpackers and other was some sort of a "party guy", "promotional" sort of thing. It was decision time.

Paradise

After a long time of deliberation, Whitney decided (yea, see what I did there?) that I should go back to Byron because that's where I really wanted to be and the best thing I could do in Sydney was the possibility of an interview from one of Locky's former co-workers at the hotel. Which meant I'd have to cut my hair, shave and I still might not have a job.

I've quit jobs for less than that. Back to Byron it is!

We booked 2 quick tickets back to Gold Coast and made our way back to Byron, I tell myself this was a good idea and not a waste of money now because Whitney was flying back to the states from Gold Coast, so we (really she) had to go back there anyway. But I tell myself these things to make it through the day. If you were in my head, you would understand.

I should have done more research on the jobs before I went back. The travel agency was commission only and the party job would have been cool if the guy running it wasn't a complete douchebag. How his "company" is still in "business" I'll never know.

Basically what I would have been doing was travelling around Byron with a bunch of other "partystarters" and getting backpackers to go out, drink, and spend lots of money. You're basically the MC's of each party. So hop on the microphone, get people on stage, take shots, play game, and dance around.

Which I would have been absolutely PERFECT FOR! However, I didn't like the way the guy did business, I asked him several times when we met how much it paid and how much I would be working. He told me to just go inside and have a good time or in his words, "see what I think of it". He never really gave me a straight answer. There was always something fishy about him.

He even wanted Whitney and I to pay to go inside...but said he'd "do me a favor" and let us hang out for free. Mutha***** this is supposed to be a job interview! I'm not paying to hang out with you!

Nothing of that evening made much sense...especially since he left midway through the first stop!

He didn't even come say goodbye, he texted me. "Sorry I had to run, continue on with the tour, we'll meet same place next week." WHAT?

We talked for all of 10 minutes, I don't know how much I would be getting paid, I don't even really know what you guys do and I flew all the way up here for this???? Fuck this guy. I'm out.

We met some cool people at the party though and decided to just hang out with the crowd, much to the "partystarters" dismay. One of the girls I met I guess was in charge of "recruiting me" and kept trying to get me to go with them to the next destination. I basically told her what happened with Captain Cocknose and let her know that I wasn't interested anymore, you don't do business like that. Not with me anyway.

So after all that, I bought another plane ticket back to Sydney, the same day Whitney flew back to the states. It was a pretty rough goodbye, we had just spent the entire month together and became quite close, we thought we could give a long distance relationship a chance. It was a sad time for me when she left.

Needless to say it didn't work out, but I am very grateful to her because if it wasn't for her I would have bought a ticket back home, instead she encouraged me to buy the ticket back to Sydney.

She basically sacrificed her own happiness and our relationship so I could try to be successful in Sydney. Which was a very selfless thing to do and I don't think either one of us realized the ramifications of it at the time. She could have had me come back with her but she knew that I wouldn't have been happy doing that. She let me go for better or worse. I think we're both better off being just friends, hopefully one day she will feel the same.

It was really more bad timing than anything else...but I guess if you asked her she would tell you it's because I'm selfish because I wanted to stay in Aussie.

Maybe I was/am...but I think life is too short and YOU have to make YOU happy. No one else is going to do it for you. You can't make anyone else happy until your happy with yourself and the choices you've made. So that's what I did.

Her flight was early in the morning, mine was later that evening. I still had the rental car in my possession so I chose to use that opportunity and go to the Casino one last time (I'm a glutton for punishment, what can I say?). I stopped off in a nearby car park and made myself a sandwich, packed up the car and took a nap for a few hours. Then I went off to the casino and lost all my money in the first 40 minutes of being there.

Great. Now I was down $160 and I had 5 hours to kill until the car is due back. So I took a deep breathe and went to watch some basketball for a little bit to calm down. I took the last $40 I had and parlayed that into 5 hours of blackjack...impressively enough I made all my money back. I was more surprised at the longevity, I thought for sure playing that long would be the end of me financially. Somehow I managed.

Newtown view from Zanzi's roof

Back to Sydney I went. Locky let me crash on his couch for the first 2 nights I was there. He gave me a list of suburbs I should try to get work and live in. I started with the one that was closest to his house called Newtown and surprisingly enough found 2 trial shifts the 2nd day I was there. Both without the proper paperwork to bartend in Australia.

So I went off and found myself a hostile to live in for a bit, signed up for the class that I needed to acquire the proper credentials and for better or worse began my life in Sydney.

One place was called "ZanziBar", the other was "Funky Bar". Funky Bar I worked in for one weekend and it closed down. I showed up the next week to locked doors. I got a call from the guy who hired me stating that the owner was into some shady business practices and couldn't pay the bills anymore. I never even got paid.

ZanziBar, I stayed with for the entire 4 months I was in Sydney. I liked it there better anyway, loved the people even more, probably wouldn't have stayed around so long if it wasn't for them to be honest.

The hostel I stayed in was Billabong Gardens for $160 a week. Which was right down the road from where I worked. Another great crowd and good people, it was more of a sharehouse really. I would say 80% of the people there were staying long term and working or in school. But there was just enough fresh faces coming in and out that made it nice. I feel very blessed to have met so many wonderful individuals, whether it was my work friends or my hostel buddies it was never a dull moment.

I thought maybe I should get my own place for awhile but I liked living there. I didn't want to sign a lease or pay a down payment on a place and living in the hostel reminds me of the dorms in college. There's always something going on, new people coming in and a lot of familiar faces around the Billabong. Bottom line is I'm glad I did and I believe I made the right choice on both accounts.