email: aussiexperience2002@yahoo.com
Version

<SIGN guestbook> <VIEW guestbook>

Here is the story...

5th May - Emu Planes (Sydney) Here we are my friends, from the rain in Dublin to the summer in Sydney (well it's winter here but it doesn't make such a difference). I'm in Dallas & Brad house and thanks them I'm sleeping in a warm bed thinking that in a few days I'll sleep in a car or a van. I got to buy a van and Brad is helping me, very possibly is going to be a rusty Toyota Hiace, but still donno. Will see. I overtook the jet lag (what's the JL?) with no problem at all (may be I will fall asleep after writing this ... zz..zzzzzz...) and BTW they lost my luggage (which possibly is in London and said it does like too much the rain). Hopefully someone will come this morning and will give it back to me (I don't believe it mates!) Things to buy: 1) Plug Irish/Italian/Australian 2) Shampoo (you stink like a wild emu) 3) Van or a car 1) Mattress and BBQ *-----* I called the airport and they've found my backpak!!! will be delivered tonight!

6th May - Emu Planes (Sydney) Today it's a busy day. Went for shopping in the town, have to buy a car. I just stop in front of the Ferrari shop but there's only one problem with that, you cannot sleep in a Ferrari it's pretty unconfortable, I won't buy that. Ok let's go to King's Cross Car Market in the city centre, one hour by train from Dal&Brad house. You can find pretty good car there from backpackers that rush to go home and may be a good price. Almost found a Toyota Corolla station wagon owned by an american guy from Alabama. It's 900 bucks but I'll managed to get it for 700. He seemed to be convinced from my reasonment, otherwise he keeps me showing the Road Cerificate where all the car's defect are reported. He seems to enfatise and be proud of 5 or 6 defects. Is he stupid or just american? anyway I had a try with it, not perfect but fine for my purposes and later we agree for 700. A German guy came close to us and start to make an offer of 750. I told him, sorry it's already sold. And he's gone: that's the market and I make an offer, I tried to complaint and said who the hell are you an autionier? almost had a row with the american guy but then had to play the game and make another offer me 760 - cruk 770 - me 780 - cruck 790 etc. It was pretty funny (not for my pocket) especially for all the people around us who enjoyed the show. Then cruck 900 - me 910 - cruck said ok I left - me I do. Then I realise in a millisecond that I would pay more than it was supposed the cost for the car. Stared at the american and said you've got my number call me if you want. I am pretty sure that the german was friend to the american, even becase I seen them chatting friendly together when I first came at the market. Howewer. In the afternoon seen another van a toyota hiace perfect condition, I really liked it, not really the price. It's 2 grands, not too much but difficult to resell it for that price. I offered 1.5 grands, I'll call him back, will see tomorrow. At night come back home and we had spaghetti australian way. All kind of pasta together ole'. Miss home sometimes. 7th May - Emu Planes (Sydney) Nice one. Finally I got a van, the best one I ever seen. I bought it for 1600 bucks from a guy. He was nice and came from the bush (photo). Thanks Brad who get me to collect the van in a far place. He's a really good friend. Once there I told the guy that I was looking for something around 1400. The starting price was 2000 but I managed to get it down to 1800. The original van had mugs (big flat weel) on it, so big that you couldn't open the side door. I liked it but told the mate that in order to get a lower price he could take it off and sell it for more than 200bucks. He liked the idea and we agreed for 1600. Now it's mine, and will be my mobile home for the next two months. It's a shagon wagon, I'm going to put a mattress on the back and a stereo on it so it'll became a real house of sin (eheheh). Anyway, just done some shopping (photo) and this is my favourite shop where you can buy second hand stuff (photo). I bought the stereo for the van for 12 bucks. Here there's no Guinness but the best one is the Victoria Bitter, VB for the mates (photo). I drink it every day and it's sooo good. Here taxis look like police cars (photo). The problem is when you get out from the pub and you are drunked, don't try to call for a taxi or you could stop a police car... And why trollyes got a seat belt on it?(photo) Do the aussie mums insure their kids as well? Cohomprensive or third parties? Anyway, now I got the van and soon will be surfing (hopefully). Busy day today, when I came home I crashed on the bed. 8th May - Emu Planes (Sydney) Today not a good one. Started bad, when I woke up I went to my Beauty (it's the shagon wagon's name) and checked it. Everything was perfect (photo). Started, warm it up and went for a small trip. When I parked I realised the back left tyre was flat. Fucknhell! wasssup? I had to get it out with the Brad's help and put the spare tyre on. Then brougth to repair and the man told me that a layer of rust was between the tyre and the wheel so because is a tubelss air came out of there. 20 bucks. Thanks. Then I went to change the ownership for the van (much easyer and fat than I could do in Italy) and went for the insurance. A company told me tha because I'm overseas and got an international driving license they couldn't insure me. Another one seems to have no problem with it, tomorrow I'm going to pay. 350 bucks. Thanks. Went to buy bolts and nuts for the trip: radiator cup, distilled water, wheel brace, shifting spanner etc. Then home and removed the cd player from the van (I don't have any cd's but in Dublin spent 3 days copying from cd to cassette...) and installed the latest model second hand 12 bucks stereo deck (photo). It's really powerful, I put the speakers beyond the seats so when you pump it up you got a free back shoulder massage. Now I'm almost ready to go, it miss only the surf. Anyway tomorrow is another day. 9th May - Emu Planes (Sydney) Not a good night. I spent most of it on the internet trying to fix up the website on geocites. I realised that the free space (15 megs) is not enough to store all the photos I'll do in the next months. At this rate the site will be full in less than one month. So I tried to export all the stuff pictures and html code on another site. After several hours I didn't succeded and gave up. My eyes looked like the Monster&co advertising. Anyway I'm going to transfer it all on my brother's company web space (www.exosystem.it) so the aussiexperience will continue for more and more and more (I could stay here for longer if only someone would pay me...). I was supposed to leave today to the north but some delayes happened. Shagin wagon is almost ready and steady to go. She's impatient more than me. I dunno if buy a surf board now or might be is cheaper to the north. What a problem. I'd like every problem would be like this. Tonite I also checked my mailbox and found a lot of Re: G'day mates from all of my friends. Thanks a lot to everybody for the compliments (It's very seldom to receive compliments for be on holydays) and sorry if I didn't reply to everybody but I really have busy times. We had pizza home tonite.(photo) I cooked a very special pizza for my host family (Dallas and Brad, Julie and Darryn). It was one of the best pizza I ever done in my life. Mmmmmmhhh too good! Brad liked it too (photo)but he's a bit sick. He's got a cold because here is almost winter (25 degrees!!!) Anyway, I can't wait to go. Where? to the north of course. 10th May - Emu Planes (Sydney) Tomorrow I will leave, if God wants... T'day three hours on the train back and forth to Sydney for Beauty's insurance and didn't finish yet. They don't insure overseas, my international driving licence is completely useless more with Italian licence I dunno where to go... (yes I know but we are a creative nation, so creative way of driving...).I went to King's Cross in Sydney to get insurance and they said they need to see my van. I said why? They said "Mate it might be a piece of shit!" I got almost offended. I gotta go back again. OK tomorrow got the insurance and then go. Where? to the North of course. 11th May - Let's go! Stopped on the Higway and didn't leave Sydney yet. Not good at all. Left Emu Plains and the engine stopped a few times while running. FCK! I knew it. the sparkles! Stopped aside and realised I ran out of petrol. There is no reserve light on the panel and believed to be safe until next petrol station. Called Darryn and told him the story. He come after a few minutes and managed to fix it. We had to push Beauty on an incline because the engine couldn't pump the petrol well, and recharge the battery as well. (photo) Next time will be better. Now let's go to the North. 12th May - Km 218 - NewCastle This morning I woke up mor North. New Castle (photo). Travelled in the afternoon and Beauty fine straight to the point. Had a look around the city. Nothing special compared to the Dublin night out where I come from. Look for a place where to sleep. Found it, a tranquil carpark. Well not so tranquil considered that I've been woke up by racing cars at two o'clock. People from the place competing each others. FCK! After one hour I could manage to sleep again. Morning after went for a look around (photo). Nice city, everithing is on place. Ocean houses waves BMW. T'day I'll taste the waves. 13th May - NewCastle It's a g'day. Slept grand no cars racing. Started with a good coofee .(photo). Then went to the sea and started to think: sea, waves, surfing boys... something is missing, surf board go and get it! Went to cashconverter my favourite shop and got a board and wetsuit for 70 bucks. Could do better. To the sea I tried the wetsuit. It's fckn small a dwarf should own it before! After all I could see only the bright side, it makes my mussles bigger. Nice one! (photo) Dive into the sea and barely could understand how to enter avoiding wawes against me. I got sucked by several waves several times and found myself on the bottom of the world somewhere. Eventually I got a big one. Big ooooneeeeeeeeeeeeeeee. Cool, but I couldn't even think about standing on the board. Well it's enough for today, tonight sleep and tomorrow to the North. 14th May - Km 412 - Seal Rock Today not really good. Arrived at night in Seal Rock. A really nice place in the middle of a National Park (photo). It's night and a sheet on the door says "DO NOT DISTURB AFTER 8" yes but how am I supposed to get into? so I buzz and an annoyed old woman came to open. "I was in the middle of my dinner" seemed annoyed but then started to talk about everything from credit cards to supermarker for half an hour. She told me: "Yes if you wake up early tomorrow at 7 you can see dolphins in front here" Cool. And so I did. Woke up early without coffee to see damn dolphins but couldn't get one. They are there every day but that day. Only found a fisherman who told me "Come here later and you will find 'em" (photo). Never seen a dolphin since then. Place is really nice (photo). Tonite I will leave. To where? to the North of course. 15th May - Km 574 - Port Macquaire Never slept so good. My friendly neighbour will manage to wake me up. "G'Day mate" He was washing the bins with the hose but apparently he washed my van too... T'day let's go surfing with my dwarf wetsuit and board. Most diffucult thing is to pass the big incoming waves that obviously won't let you go. Watching other people I learned that you better submerge the board just before the wave comes. Well it didn't work with me... I got swept away all the same. More over the dwarf wetsuit is too tight and strangles my jewels. Really painful. Waiting for waves I met a mate who explained me how to chatch it. He's got friends and relatives in Italy, doesn't remember if Florence or Venice but to him it's all the same. After a while I realised I was risking sterlility because of my wetsuit and had to go back on the beach. Tomorrow I'll stay here improving my drawf ability. 16th May - Port Macquaire Today still try to improve. Surfer's job is an hard job and requires patience. I'd say, it's a dirty job but someone got to do it. You wake up early (how early?) dip in the water and wait for the good one. What is the good one? only the time will tell you. To understand it takes hours and hours in the water. How it moves where it brakes. Just wait and wait. Sometimes waves arrive all together exactly like buses. And exactly like buses it's full of kids. They are really good on surfing, not like me, Zic Zac. I wonder how they do? It might be because of their low barycentre, yes surely it's a matter of barycentre. Tomorrow I go and get a new one... You could have to ways to get a shower. First one is pour a water tank on your head and scratch like an hamster. Second one is go to the nearest caravan park on the beach and get a hot and long shower. Second one is the best. 17th May - Km 758 - Coffs Harbour Like a magic today I woke up in Coffs Harbour (photo) Let's move before the neighbour waters my van. Go for a walk and found myself in a Botanic Garden. It's free, it's good. It's early morning and nobody is here. While walking something really dodgy happens, a crow flew (I think it was a crow) very close to my head and screamed bad word in a crow's dialect. He wouldn't let me pass through. In the meantime other 5-6 crows blocked the way. Wassup? It's Hitchcok like! these must be very territorial and run to me screaming. I started to run away then stopped immediately thinking that it's ridicoulous. I didn't travel kilometers of Pacific Higway to be stopped by bunch a crows! I slammed my feet on the floor and crows eventually flew away. T'day I met a fellow from Mauritius, travelling with his mattressed van. He said it's "only" two year he's travelling. To me it seems a life. T'day didn't surf much no waves. I thing I'm going away from here. Seaside is beautiful but the village is more or less crap. In the afternoon I engaged first gear and go. The good of travelling alone is that you are not dependent of anybody. If you don't like a place just go to the next one. Where about? To the North of course. (photo) 18th May - 925 Km - Yamba Miracle of the japanise petrol engines, I found myself in Yamba, really nice place suggested by my Kiwi friend Rishie (photo). It's in the middle of a National park, not unusual here there is a National park every 2Km. I stopped and asked for information to a young fellow with a two weeks stubb and sunburned skin. He started "Straight head, turn left you'll find bla bla bla" I wasn't really sure and said "Are u italian?" He stared surprised at me like Robinson Crosue when he saw the first vassel. His name is Fabio and comes from Bologna. It's been six months in Australia travelling in a station wagon. It seems that is no longer able to speak italian and forget words. Or is he just like that...? I say goodluck and left to the Blue Pool. Should be a Pool blue colored but to me seems a black pool... (photo)I even found a live wedding. Then I stopped in a place where they make lentil burgers, mmmmh... Let's try. The burger is big as my face and one kilo of fried potatoes comes with it. I dunno if it it was any good... I know I was hungry. Today I did son treasure hunt. I hide some values and travellers cheque all inside Beauty. Must be prevident because like my Kiwi friend Rishie says "Shit happens". Main tip is divide the risk. In this way if you loose or someone steal a part you alway have the other one well hidden somewhere. The problem is: will I remember where I hide my valuable or should I disassemble my van before leaving? Today is saturday and I want to treat myself very good. I will go to an hostel and found the only one in Yamba called Pacific Hotel (photo). I go for it and got a four bed room only for me at 20$. Not bad. At evening the pub in the hotel is the best (and only one) in Yamba. I find here all the people I met during the day. The man of the surf shop, the accounter of the supermarket and the nice Australian girl who wanted some company... I smile and think that in only one day I know all the people of the place, all here. May be is good for one day but I can't imagine what'd be living here since you was born! 19th May - Km 1152 - Byron Bay After a long night at the pub and many pints later I wake up and discover that it's sunday. Good stuff if during the week you work, but doesn't make any difference to me. I'm on holiday! Noone in the street, shops are closed, sadness. Anyway go for a short trip and was parking Beauty while a good fella made me notice that the rear left tyre was slowly going flat. Fknhl! (photo)Changed it with the spare but obviously is sunday! have to wait to repair it. I start thinking about abolish the sundays.  In the afternoon I leave Yamba. So far never meet kangaroos on my way, start to think that is only a fiction...  Along the way I meet a place called New Italy (photo). It's a kinda museum dedicated to the italian emigration after the war. Go further destination Ballina Km 1113. No way, the usual small town without a square. Nobody in the street. So far the North disappoints me. Continue my way to Byron Bay. When I arrive at 7.30pm finally I found a lot of youngs, colors and girls! lottaof girls! I was 1152 Km I didn't meet them! Let's park. Go for a walk and two strange characters, an aborigen and a crooked guy take piss of my shoes. In their opinion they are too dandy "lookade shoes!". We walked together for a while. They taking the piss of my shoes and me laughing at them. They were strange and crooked but friendly and we start chatting friendly to the way to a Pub called Railway (photo). Once there they introduced their friends (crooked and strange as well) to me. A kind without a finger, another one even more crooked etc. people of the place. Let's go for a pint, but when at the bar I asked for a pint they stared at me saiyng "what?". You'd better ask for a schooner or nobody will understand you! From the message-board at the bar a message from a desperate guy who had a laptop and money stolen from his car. I keep my bag tight and start thinking about other hidings in the van. Anyway, we drink and chat and the time goes , I put my bag under the table and almost forget about it. After a while I don't feel very comfortable with it and I realise that it's better to keep an eye on it. Then have a look at the people I'm chatting with, the crooked one, look at them and think that that's probably the safest place in all Byron Bay. No fear to be wrong, In fact if something happens they surely know who and where. More over I started to be liked by them, or I'd better say Pablo was liked by them. In fact I introduced myself as Pablo (my irish-pub nom de guerre) but I didn't dare to say I was spanish, I let my original nationality. A lot of schooner later, bit drunk, I get my bag and go. Yes but where? Let's try there, yes over there turn right then left that one there... After almost one hour I burnt all the alchool I had in my body and still couldn't find Beauty. I believed she was parked here... It's like ten times I pass over and over the same point. I crashed ten mins on the pavement thinking about where I was. Then I realised I parked Beauty just beside the pub... However get into beauty and crashed on the mattress. Tomorrow is another day. 21th May - Byron Bay At night I decide that it's better to go and meet some people otherwise I become autistic. My Kiwi friend Rishie suggested me a backpackers hostel called Art's Factory (photo). The place reminds me an hippy commune of the 60's, vrey nice. It's kinda hippy but if you are not careful it could also be a marketing machine that blows up all the money from your pocket! Byron Bay is a colorful and nice place all Woodstok like, boys and girl who sing and dance at night along the beach and middle aged people dressed in colorful clothes that seems to forget that Woodstok finished a long time ago. Anyway, today I took my first surf lesson! I got the basic technique and finally I chatch the waves from my back (which is not a nasty thing!). Yesterday nigth I seen a message in the hostel from a guy called Simone who's looking for a lift to the North. To me is very good to share the petrol so I send him an email. Today I find a message on my door from this Simone who gives me his hostel name. I go there but don't find him... or her, because I discover the he is a she! (Simone in Italian is a male name). Well could be good, may be she's pretty! But to my logic sounds strange that a nice girl ask for a lift. A nice girl doesn't need to put a message on the board, she find a lift anyway. I know people who is ready to change his direction in order to give a lift to a nice girl. Anyway I told her that I will be leaving at 6pm tomorrow. Will see. Tomorrow surprise! 22th May - Coolangatta Km 1296 At night travelling with the she. We met at 6pm. I found a girl, not ugly nor nice. A kind. She's Israeli, average height average beauty. She's more or less like Sigourney Weaver in Alien (The actress not the monster). I ask her: what do you do in your life? She say: "I just finished military service, the best time of my life..." After a while I realise why at 18 she travels alone. Probably she knows about 12 way of killing a man with a toothpick. I overtake the military subject because I never attend it. Anyway she seems smart, but I cannot avoid myself to look for that toothpick... We arrive at Coolangatta and then everyone on his way. With a name like this, I thought, it surely is a small place two houses and a dog. But we find hundreds of endless  skyscrapers. The morning after I go to see waves. Very good. Climb on the rocks to better see the surfers and watch them carefully. A moment before I stand on the rocks with my Lonely Planet and my dry bag to see the surfers and understand how they do. A moment later I stand on the rocks with my Lonely Planet and my bag soacked wet and surfers that look at me to understand how the hell I did it. Never trust wild waves. Anyway, Coolangatta scored -1 point. It'd be -2 points but a spectasscular topless girl on the beach let it gain a point. Tomorrow SeaWorld. 24th May - Km 1320 Surfer's Paradise Surfers Paradise is only a few meters distant from Coolangatta. Endless skyscrapers surround me (photo). Surfers Paradise, this name sounds weird to me. The people of the place sponsor the national product and stick it as a label to the city. As Italian sounds to me like if we call a city "Pizza Margherita". Anyway, I have a look to my infallible L.P. and look for an hostel, I find the Cheers Backpackers. Nice One. It's almost empty and the girl at the reception take me in a room where a strange character sleeps wrapped in his sleeping bag. He wakes up, he could have 50 or 60 years, and goes "Do u mind if I wake up in the middle of the morning and make a coffee?" I start thinking "If you make a coffee I don't mind but if you snore...". In fact later on I'll ask the girl to move on another room where I'll be alone. I go for a quick stroll around the city. Shops and clubs open til late. Grand, but now I go to sleep cause tomorrow dolphins are waiting for me. Sea World. I never been in an american-like park before. It's stressing and exciting all the same. There are so much things to see and do that you think you'll never see it all. But just follow the suggested schedule and you'll do it. At one condition: running. Run is the keyword and only now I understand the sense of the fast food. Dolphins (photo) Seals (photo) Polar Bear (photo) (photo) 3D movie  RollerCoasts (photo) and lots more (photo) and finally acquatic slides. I go crazy for it. I would never stop, they had to close the water... Tonite a rich shower and as my L.P. guide says, I'm ready to party hard. At night I found an English guy in my room. His name is Gary and his black tanned as a nigerian. I told him that he cannot be english with that color of skin. At first he was muddled about my nationality and because of some FuckenHell he was almost giving me an irish one. He travel Australia since eight month and so I tell him "How can you survive? do you work sometimes here?" He answers with his imperturbable Northern London accent "I got a credit card"... Yes, Ok, I got two credit card but if you use it too much they become just like pieces of plastic! I can understand that pound against AU-dollar is 3 to 1, just for a few time more... At night all together with the guys of the hostel we go to the club crawl. They give you a card with 5 free drinks and free entrance. I think that there would be a rip-off somewhere. Instead we enjoyed our free drinks and free entry all night long until late. Cool! Still didn't understand the logic behind. Cool places cool girls cool everithing. If you like to party this is the real McCoy. Tomorrow is another hard working day... 26th May - Surfer's Paradise The day after I almost understand the mistery of free discos&drinks. Infact they sell you the club crawl ticket for 16 dollars. But it's still too cheap to me to cover three free entrances and drinks. For dinner I cook a special pasta in my room for me and my new mates Gary and Arturo, a Mexican guy for MexicoCity (photo). Then let's go to party. We come back at 5am and have to check out at 10am. I am destroyed and we go on the beach for a sunbath. In the afternoon, only because we deserve it, we take our place in the spa. Me, Gary, Arturo and a crazymad guy from SouthAfrica (photo). While in the spa a lovely thought went to all the people that every morning wake up early to go to work. Sweet thought, would deserve a frame. At night last greetings and leave to the North. To Brisbane. I arrive late and start to explore the city as usual (photo). Decide that I'm too tired to cook and risk for a pizza. Pizzas out of the Italian border are affected by the PizzaHut desease that makes them floppy and loaded with all kind of oddity that hardly remind me of food. Like a big flat cheesburger to be clear. Despite all I taste a discreet pizza, obviously not like the roman one but reasonable. I go for the bill and tell the man at the till "Very nice, you know I'm Italian.." and he goes like "Piacere, Gino". He's an energetic, short and nice man, he said that doesn't speak a good Italian because he's living here since he was four. But we talked in Italian for more than 1/2 an hour. When I told him "In bocca al lupo (which means good luck)" He asked "What does it means?". Ok, betta go to sleep, it's late. 27th May - Km 1462 - Brisbane I wake up late and go to the city centre with Beauty. The problem in the big city is that you don't know where to park without risking a ticket (photo). You pay for everything. There are underground parkings every 200 meters but they are fkn expansive. I got for it because desperate. Today Beauty has been well spoilted. 2 hours of parking costed me like a night in the hostel. Anyway Brisbane is big and lovely, I like it. You can visit it by catching the citycat, water buses along the river. While walking I found myself in a nice place between the river and the botanic garden, solar buildings. Some books and short dressed guys walking. It's an holiday village? no it's the QUT Queensland University of Technology. I would never be able to prepare an exam here, it's so nice that I would do it veeeeery slowly (photo). Tomorrow Australia Zoo. 28th May - Km 1525 - Australia Zoo (somewhere around here) I absolutely couldn't miss the mythical and iperfamous Australia Zoo of my personal myth the Crocodile Hunter. I'm sure you cannot forget him if only seen once on Discovery Channel. He's the man who is a pain in the ass to every animal in the austral emisphere. He catches them from the tail, lifts them up shakes it and screams on their face "Yuuuuu Gorgia!" only for the benefit of the science. This mad own a zoo with cangaroos (photo) crocs (photo) koalas (photo) end usual demos (photo). Japanise and Asian people are everywhere here like alla around Australia. You can recognise them by the cameras which distinguish social status and sex. Females got a small and automatic one while males got a very big one... photo lens. It might be considered a sign of virility, bigger is better. Japans aside it was cool and I liked it. At night I decide to head Birbie Island which is a sand island linked to the land by a bridge. Cool enough. For dinner pasta and salmon (film) and then forty winks. 29th May - Brisbane again What a sadness. I wake up on Brisbie Island and it's raining. Clouds and rain and sadness over me. Seems to be in Cornovail or worst... in Ireland. I am really pissed off, really bad mood. I decide to take a drastic measure, nazi like. For every rainy day I will get ten more days of holidays.. I head again to Brisbane. Malaysia Airline. Done. I'll leave the 8th of july instead of the 22th of june. I don't wanna rush, I'm tired. So I will have more time to sell my Beauty (sigh!). Take it easy mate. 30th May - Km 1768 - Maroochydore Maroochydore, name is crooked and the place too. So far I never met a so ugly place. But on my infallible L.P. guide is described as a place gold coast like. Tonite I'll sleep here but it seems too crooked. Full of boys that look like irish knackers driving alterated engines. Load of police cars (or taxies?) too many for a so small place. Some street signs welcomes you saying "Don't let your holidays go ruined because you loose your money" ???loose your money??? I guess it's more like someone steal your money! Morning after I realise that this place is more than ugly. Streets are ugly, houses are ugly, people are ugly and even grass is ugly. Because of a strange economy scale the pier is made of big white bags full of sand. It gives the whole landscape a common graves appearance.Very nice. Compliments. More over the library lady (ugly as well) asked me 1 dollar each 8 minutes on the Internet. No thanks usually I go free. CU bella. First gear and go. I arrive at a place called Noosa Head, very nice indeed. A piece of jewelry. Have a hot shower in the public bathrooms, very nice and clean. It's a posh place but I like it. I like the smell of money. 31st May - Noosa Head - Km 1825 I wake up in the beautiful Noosa Head and find on the wipers a caravan park advertising. Or that's wath I was thinking. I read the nice ad and it says "We hope you are enjoing your staying in Noosa Head, however we remind you that is not allowed to park in the street and sleep in car/van as proper caravan park are provided. We also remind you that a fines up to 5000$ are applied"... Acc... I forgot my Platinium card. I go for a walk on the beach and found myself in Alexandria Bay that seems to be a nudist beach... mmmmmmh... pussypussycat. Now. I really don't understand because the nudist category is made only of uglies old women and men. Can you explain this? Why beautiful pussies shouldn't show their body to mother nature? Why are they so enemy of the nature way? I never and ever seen a nice girl naked on a nudist beach. However. Continue to walk through the Noosa Head National Park which is a small natural beauty (photo). Walk and walk and then realised to walk too much because I lost my Beauty. I spend tonite at the Koala Beach resort but no party because I'm knackered. 1st June - Noosa Beach Here we are, Koala Beach Resort. Today everything was mini. Miniaccident and miniticket. Today I really wanted to kick ass with my board. I wear my drawf suit and got my board to the beach. Once in Sunshine beach I realised that wind was too strong and waves too wet. So I decided to go on the other side which is milder. Doing absolutely nothing (film). After an hour I watched out the parking and seen a colored backpacker van been towed by the parking controllers. I immediately run to Beauty and see a nice yoellow card on the wiper (photo). This time no advertising but a real ticket. I parked in 1P space (1 hour only) and stayed for two hour. As Italian I imagined that no one ever would check how long you stay in a parking bay. Even because I never seen anyone checking the cars. I was wrong but is not so bad, only 20 dollars. Can do. Ok but is not finished yet. Start the engine move out from the parking and STRAKATAKAPRATACAM! WhaDaHell... Got out from the van and realised that the jeep next to me has the rear window completely crashed. A smart driver thought to let his surf board out of the window by 40 cm so when I manouvered I hit it with my wind shield (photo). I didn't  have any damage but his rear window completely destroyed. The smart guy arrived later but didn't seems too worried. Number one because he's Australian, number two because it was a company car. Anyway I'm insured. I go to the hostel thinking that considered last 10 minutes I deserve a very special pasta. Not true. I had to spend another half an hour helping two dumbkrauts german guys. Their battery was down so I helped 'em recharging it connecting my cables. I watch the battery and tell a guy "Look, you need to add water into your battery" he stared at me and said "water?". I didn't tell him that it must be distilled in order to not scare him too much. At night Ireland Cameroun 1-1. Mmmmh. After that on telly an Italian movie with australian subtitles. It'd be good enough? 2nd June - Harvey Bay - Km 2039 Really bad weather. Clouds on me. Thinking about escape and go to the North. Let's go before the rain comes on me. I head to Harvey Bay and after kilometers and kilometers of kangaroos I arrive. I don't like it because is only a port for the ferries to Fraser Island so I continue to Gladstone. My L.P. guide talks about oil refinery. Will see.   3rd June - Gladstone - Km 2350 A thiny rain drumming on Beauty's roof wakes me up. I start thinking about my nazi measure then I felt asleep til the sun warms the roof and my place. Go out and have a look around. It's nice and there is also a lap dancing bar. But it's opened from wednesday. I go on the lookover to admire the city. On one side there is the national park and the botanic garden, on the other side I can only see refinery and cement factories. I decide that it's better to see only one side. I also decide that my physical needs some excercise so I go for half an hour jogging. Wheater is cloudy but it's ok like that. Here is definetly warmer. Tropic of the Capricorn, I'm in the tropical belt now. A bit northern.   4th June - Rockhampton 2528 Km Get out from Gladstone that is getting clouder. Far away from this damned clouds which keep following me. On the Bruce Higway my Beauty runs like a train. It starts to rain. Together with the rain also frogs come out on the street. I think they are the cane toads. At first following a naturalist instinct I tried to avoid them but then...  "splat" "splat" some of them even do "squosh". Lot of splats later I arrive in Rockhampton the Australian capital of beef and steak. Could I miss it? I throw myself into the "Bush Inn Steakhouse" and go for a big steak. Only 15$. Very good, but it's served together with overcooked pasta. Which I wisely avoid. By the way, the more you go to the North and cheaper is the cost of living. The cost of petrol seems to go lower and lower. With 35 AUdollars I got 43 litres. They say that once you get in Darwin you get payed when you fill the tank... 5th June - Mackay - Km 2895 I arrive to Mackay. Sadness over sadness. Clouds over clouds. Two day of rain, three days of endless clouds. Mr. Bean is nothing compared to me. I go on the Internet and see a huge big cloud following me to the North (photo). It's raining, not a normal rain but a tropical one. Ok now, let's go to the Cinema and wait for the rain to stop. Star War Episode II, nice enough to forget outside sadness. But rain won't stop as I come out. It rains more instead. I go to pay the petrol and say to the lady at the till "What a bloody wheather" and she says "It's a blessing, it was eight months we didn't see a drop". I say "Couldn't wait a bit more?". She looks at me with hate. I look at her with hate (photo). Let's go North, there the rain is waiting for me, since eight months. I arrive at night in a small place that reminds me of Byron Bay. Airlie Beach. It's strange like you almost don't find forms of life for kilometers and the it explodes all together. Small villages created only by and for the tourism. It's full of youngs. Still cloudy and rainy. Wet, hot and wet. Which is good with a girl but completely useless if you are travelling. It's better to put some order in the mess inside Beauty. In the back of the van you could easily find everithing you need. Just put an hand in the mess among socks banana's peel kangaroos and you could find almost everithing. It's cosy but after a while it smells. Better clean it up (film). Tomorrow will sleep to the Beaches Backpackers. Tonite will sleep inside Beauty, which can be much better than the hostel. She doesn't snore. At night I go for a walk and guess who I meet? Simone, she's phoning and seems very happy to meet me, she shakes my hand and never let it go. She said that is heading to Magnetic Island and than will go to Thailand. Well it's late, I'd better go...   6th June - Airlie Beach - Km 3078 Sometimes there is a veiled atmosphere, almost static. The sky is covered by a muggy layer and you find yourself in a bar watching the ocean the beach the palms. In the humid air of an after rain a music comes out from the stereo. A Moby background for instance, let's say Porcelain. It magically surprise you and mix with the world around you. Like it couldn't exist without it. Everything moves at the right rhythm. The birds palm leaves the slow and consistent motion of the boats. For one may be two minutes you find yourself deep in this unreal videoclip reality. Or I might only be tired... (photo) 7th June - Airlie Beach - Km 3078 Another day of coluds and rain (photo). Today I'll try to go and see the Cedar Creek Falls. The road is everything but coated and conditions are extreme... (film). Once I see there a couple of old touristic guys wearing boots. She says "Eh, You know there might be leeches here..." Leeches? never heard this word before. I took my time to realise what really is it... I arrive to the falls (photo) but I can't see any leeches here (to be honest I don't even know how they are, I never seen one before) To compensate the lack of leeches a cloud of mosquitos surrounds me and asks for my blood. I gave them some litres and then decided to better go. Excellent, not a really idiliac place, I also think I seen a leeche somewhere. It continues to rain. I am seriously thinking about another extreme measure, a different one ... (photo). It's humid and stifling here, and we are in winter. I can't imagine this place in a full summer... Tomorrow we'll sail away, like the Rod Stuart's  song saaaaaaaaiiiling...   8th June - Cairns Km 3876 Today I was ready to sail to the reef. But a real captain must always take the right decision at the right time. I wake up and it's raining in torrents. At 7.45am I was supposed to meet Ragamuffin II. At 8.00am I was driving on the Bruce Higway toward the North. I postponed the cruise and one payed night in the hostel to better times to come. It's a personal matter between me and Mr. Cloud up there. I want to see him dissolving on the equator line. With all his load of rain (photo). However as I always say, as far as in the public toilet there is paper there is still hope. I arrive to Ingham, town of the Italian-Australian Festival. It's muggy, but clouds are fewer and fewer (hahahaha). I go to the information office to know where about is the library for a free internet access. I meet Dev who gives me info about the place. 65% of the locals are originally from Italy and in may there is the famous Italian Australian Festival. I tell him that I'm Italian and he start talking to me in Italian, but with a particular accent from the North-eastern Italy. His parents were from Treviso near Venice, he never went to Italy but can speaks a fluent Italian. Fair enough. I continue my trip and deviate to the Murray Falls with the idea to take a swim to compensate the stuffiness. Once arrived I discovered that is seriously forbidden to swim in the water, it seems that a lot of people drowned here...(photo) Let's go! Kilometers later I stop for a quick shower to Mission Beach and clouds are definitely less (photo). I leave again to Cairns knowing that at 7.00pm Italy will play against Croatia, hopefully will be there on time. Today Beauty eat 800Km with no problem at all. I thank very much the japanise engineers for the beautiful job and that saint man who sold her to me below cost (photo). I arrive in Cairns. I enter in the pub, Italy-Croatia  1-0. When I went out from the pub, Italy-Croatia 1-2. Bugger!     9th June - Cairns I wake up completely drenched inside Beauty. It's mad hot, muggy, humid. A tropical heat all around me. It's like if my lungs breath water. I get out and my eyes see a beauty warm sun like never before. I won! I have a look around Cairns. Nice seaside city, but where's the beach? Gosh, instead of the beach there is a mixture of mangroove and mug, bleah! Anyway, Cairns is nice enough. I go and look for an hostel and the girl there said "I have no place, but you can stay in a room with two women" two women? Mmmmmmhhh...! I had to accept this but not a good deal. Share a room with two ugly one I mean... Ok, let's go. Tomorrow another day of hard work. 10th June - Cairns Last 800 Kms came all on my head today, therefore let's do shopping and then find a tranquil beach just outside Cairns where to rest for the afternoon. I like the BBQ that you can find on every aussie beach. I understood that aussies cannot live without it. You push the button and the plate warms up. Put piece of chicken on it and prepare a fresh salad, what could you want more? Welly, afterward let's tan on the beach, a dirty job but someone got to do it... (photo) 11th June - The Reef - Cairns Wake up early to see the reef. The wheater is slightly coludy. At harbour Compass is waiting for me, the boat that will take me to the reef, almost one hundred people on it. We boarded but sea is wavy and it takes one hour to arrive at the reef. My stomach goes up and down because of the waves, fortunately I didn't eat much for breakfast. For all the trip long I was scared of the likelihood of sea sickness. They said that if only one throw up on the boat then it's a chain reaction! one after another will threw up together. The question is who will start first? The englishman who ate bacon and marmelade or that swedish who ate beans and eggs? Fortunately no one took initiative and we arrived (photo). We all wear the swim gear and dive into the sea in groups of 5-6 people. I think because in this way there are less chances that sharks will eat all of us. I dive down and descover all a new world never seen before. Hundreds of colored fishes everywhere, it's beautiful. The only problem is that today is not so sunny and the sea floor is not bright. I guess with more sun could be even more colored. I manage not to touch anything, not because of the guard coast but more likely because I don't wanna collide with that strange fish with stings on its back... Almost at the end of my immersion I did the weirdest encounter on my life. I big fish this kind (photo) goes very close to me. So close that I think it will run away if I move closer. But it didn't, it came and rub on me like a cat instead! It want a pat and I touch it, it seems he like it very much. I dive 3-4 times and every time he was there swimming toward me, waiting for his pat. It's smart like a dog, I wonder if I throw a fish bone, will he get it back to me...? 12th June - Port Douglas A bit more North, of 60 Kms. Port Douglas or more friendly called Doghie. Another small posh place of holidays, very nice indeed (photo). Very relaxed atmosphere and nice tropical beach. I decide that after 4000Km I deserve a massage so I go in a massage centre. One of that kind all new age and fountains and buddhas. I book for a 1/2 hour massage and here my life changed... I met Melinda the girl who I would immediately marry if only she promise me to massage my neck and shoulder like she did, forever. Well, she doesn't know what she's missing... At night I go in one of the two hostels in Doghie and meet the irish guy I met in Byron Bay. Fucken Hell... 13th June - Cairns Last day in Cairns. Return again to Castaway hostel which for 17 dollars per day give me a free Internet connection and nice 3 bed room. I find again the scotch girl and the taussie guy. I remember the first time I met a taussie, I didn't really know how to pronounce it and I told him "So, you are a tosser...", he stared at me like strange expression to justify he wasn't. Anyway, tonite Italy-Mexico. Usual pub, the Woodshed, almost empty as usual when Italy plays. In a way is better like this, here is full of english who sport against... I am glad not to have brought my flag with me, Italy-Mexico 1-1. I expect emails from Gary and Arturo just to say that Italy sucks... I come back to the hostel at 4am after crawl in every pub and club here and after a lot of whyskey&coke. If the police test my breath I swear I melt their balloon... 14th June Check out at 9.00am. Very knackered indeed. Greetings to everyone and then let's go to the South. After a long time looking for the North going to the South sounds weird to me. I drive through endless banana's fields (photo) which I didn't notice on the way on. I stop in a small village called Tully to do some Cristhmas gifts. Well? I like to be on time. I also buy a boogie board for 16 dollars. I like it because I seen some guys doing very good on it on the waves. But not here, not in the reef area. Infact for a real surfer the reef area (Northern Queensland) is some kind of a divine mistake, no waves. No surf. Anyway, I keep doing xmas gifts looking for some kind of kangaroo shape animal but couldn't find anyone. What's the story? I could find every type of animal but kangaroo or koala. I will do a formal complaint to the tourism board. I continue my trip and see a sign to the Crocodile's Nest, a swimming stream. Why not? Arrive there and find this beautiful place (photo). I dive in it and almost fell of the rocks (film). I have to say that I was quite scared. Imagine to be alone in a place where the only noise is the running water, kilometers away from the nearest village, more over the place is called Crocodile's Nest... but everything went fine. I get out the water and hundreds of mosquitos claim for my blood. And obtain it. Leave again to Airlie Beach and along the way find another sign to the Jourama Falls. Why not? I arrive there late evening and even with no light I understand that it's a beautiful place. I decide to stay in this park for the night. To stop here you must pay 3.85$. Just put the money in an envelope you'll find on a board and then put it in the proper box. Easy isn't it? Here the silence rules. Sometimes an owl claim in the night but soon it finishes. I didn't see any other animal because of the dark, but if were any I run all them over. It's dark and the only light when I am writing is the light of the moon and my pocket light. 15th June - Jourama Falls Km 4385 I wake up (photo). Slept pretty bad. Not because of the farm noise around Beauty, but very possible because of the hangover the night before. I go out and am sourrounded by turkeys (at least is what they look like) they claim for my biscuits. And obtain it (photo). In Australia animals rule. Fishes that pretend a pat, turkeys that want my biscuits, kangaroos that across the road with no respect for the road signs... Let's go to see this falls. Climb and climb (film). Falls (photo) (photo). Ok, it starts to rain, betta go before it floods (photo) (photo). Direction Airlie Beach again. I arrive at night and stop to the Beaches Backpackers where I have to spend the night I didn't spent last time. Tonite England-Denmark. 3-0. It's incredible the noisy mess that a few hundreds of drunken english can do. I decide that I celebrate as well even if nothing to celebrate. Airlie Beach in winter: 5 or 6 clubs free entrance and hundreds of people going in and out all night long. I got back at 3am. No worries, I only have to wake up at 7. 16th June - Airlie Beach Km 4765 I wake up at 7.44am. Did you hear the alarm clock at sevenpointzerozeroam? I didn't. Rush away like a rocket just in time for the bus at 7.55am. Just in time. Let's go to Ragamuffin. Wheater is not good at all. A small bounch of people boarded with me. With no wind we cannot sail and have to use the motorboat. A sailing with no sail is sad enough (photo). The skipper tell me that he never seen a wheater like that. No wind and low clouds, so low that you can have a shower in it. Lucky me. On board a girl from Dublin. It's the kind of girl that you meet the first time and she's nice and extrovert. After a week she's intrusive like a pain in the ass. After a month you hate her and hire someone to kill her. However. We arrive on Withsunday island. Sand is beautifully white and the island is populated with strange animals that remind me of an old classmate (photo). It's definitely a Paradise when it's not raining. But it's raining... Let's play to cricket (photo), weird anglosaxons, I donno how to play! I didn't even know about this game, why don't we organise an hockey championship? Ok betta go to the base now (photo). We finished our day with another hard shower. I want my sun back! My day ended with a pizza with crocodile's tail meat. Global consideration: a wondershit. 17TH JUNE!!! Airlie Beach Today the sun shines. A very good gift because today is my birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!! Today I don't wanna do absolutely anything. All day long to tan at the lagoon (photo). Airlie Beach has a beautiful crystal clear lagoon which is available to everybody and swimming there is a bliss (photo). After 5 hours of sun I'm brown like an aborigenal. Tanned but beautiful. 18th June I go to Eungella park. For a couple of days I will disappear in the dark hole of the nature (not what you think pervert!). Don't look for me but if someone does I'm on a meeting... Thanks to everybody who sent me happy birthday Before leave this place I have to do a cruise, but do it my way...(film) (photo) 19th June - Eungella National Park - Km 5024 I arrive in this park after climbing with Beauty one of the steepest road I ever seen (12%) (photo). This park is 600 meters height and is called Eungella but you will prounounce it 'Youngula'. No one knows why... However, at night I find a caravan park and fell asleep. At 600 meters the air is pretty cool and the surfer's gear is not enough. At 6am I wake up in my Beauty almost frozen. Cold nose, cold hands, cold feet. A tropical cold wraps me all around. It's like to sleep in a fridge. After long time the sun starts to hit Beauty's roof and my body goes in defrost mode. I wake up in front of this spectacular view (photo). I go for a breakfast, I bought a strange fruit at the supermarket and wanna taste it. It's called Apple Custard. When I asked for information at the girl at the counter she said "Mmmmmh DELICIAssss". I trusted her. I taste it... a picture worth more than a 1000 words (photo). Basically it tastes like shit, completely dull, sour and spongy more over is spicy like pepper. What's this shit? it goes directly in the bin. I go and have a look around this marvellous rainforest (photo) (photo). They say that if you are lucky you could see the Platypus. If you lurk in the dark and silent for a couple of hours they said that you COULD see it. Ok, I lurk for it... after several hours in the dark this is what I get (photo). Marvellous isn't it? I go back to the van and do my stuff. While I was doing my stuff a black bird with an emerald green head flew into the back of the van from the door. It screamed like mad and started to search with the beak in the mess of my stuff. Scream and search, search and scream. Well I was surprise at the beginning but then I go to him, stare in its eyes of emerald green head and say "What the hell do you want?" He didn't say anything. Just flew away very disappointed because he didn't find what he was looking for. Ok let's go, at evening I start the engine and go to the South (photo). 20th June - Rockhampton Km 5423 How could you feel when in a 200Km way you don't find a petrol station and chances to keep the kangaroos company is proportional to the distance covered? In your opinion? The range of thoughts goes from "Youcandoooooit" to list all of the aborigenal saints to ask for mercy. Eventually some aborigenal saint had compassion. It was at the gate of Rockhampton that we seen the Caltex red star. Wind and inertia are in our favour. God bless the Caltex and all its petrol stations. I fill up the tank and get victorious in Rockhampton. Then I look for a steakhouse, because Rocky is the Australian capital of beef. Unfortunately I can't find any. All closed at 9pm. At the end I find myself in a lap-dacing pub. Not too bad... 21st June - Gladstone Travelling to Noosa Heads. The more I go to South more the temperature drops down. Driving away from the tropical Belt the air became fresher but is still summer-like. I pass through places I've been before and it's like to live a dream again. I know already where to go. I stop in Gladtone. I need a shower and shave. I find a nice and free shower in the Marine of Gladston, a nice port where luxury boats approach. Then handsome like the sun my evening starts at Club 3-1... 21rd June - Somewhere in Australia - Km 5750 I was there, relaxed in my lazy driving and thinking about insignificant thoughts. I was thinking, for instance, that is incredible how reliable is Beauty's engine. Basically I sit on it and don't hear it at all. In the meanwhile I hit a hole and came back to reality. A few minutes later I hear a strong metal noise from underneath Beauty "Wasssup?". It seems like something came off... I try to pull in on a side but it's not easy without a fucken emergency lane. Some more rattle later I finally find a place to stop and check out. I open the engine and a thick smoke came out in the veichle. I wait for it to cool down and then I add some more water. I start thinking that probably the radiator is gone, and also that Beauty is not that reliability.This will cost me a lot of money! I go slowly again until I find a petrol station and stop again. Check the engine and the radiator again and I realise that the belt disconnected from the fan. That's why the radiator overheated. I establish that the rattle noise was nothing more than hig pressure steam coming out from the valve. I manage to put the belt back again, with some trouble but I did it. I'm too good. At night I arrive near to Noosa Head but decide to turn before to Boren Point because I didn't see it on the way on (Km 6039). A small village: couple of houses, a shop, a dog, two kangaroos. I stop in a caravan park on a sandy way and watch astonished a spectacular lunar landscape. A silver beach lighten up to an enormous moon. It's like a magic. Time seems to stop here. 22nd June - Boren Point Km 6039 I wake up and the lunar landscape of the night before does not appear so good. In fact the water's lake is bloody brown (photo). I go to the town (two houses one shop) and get into this lovely shop (photo). Once in there old lady in there switches on the light and puts some music. It might be days since she doesn't see a client. Inside is full of objects from all around the world. Amulets, celtic crosses, necklaces, bhuddas, peruvian gods, statues, everything nice and refined. As usual no kangaroos. And it's amazingly cheap. Let's do some christmas shopping! I chatted a lot with this gentle old lady and she told me that all the stuff came from friend's of her who like to travel around the world. Afterward I leave again toward Noosa Head where I spend the night in the Koala backpackers. It's saturday night fever so let's do party. A guy in the street offers me a piece of pot in exchange to a cigarette. How could I refuse? There are 3 or 4 posh discos (don't consider the bowl club) where is hard to get in after 11 (that's crazy compared to Airlie Beach). I go to the Rolling Rock. Plenty of middle aged people who possibly do coke. Music is crappy. 23rd June - Harvey Bay - Km 6244 La mattina dopo a Noosa parlo con un ragazzo che va a Fraser Island, l'isola di sabbia piu' grande del mondo. Ha prenotato un camping tour. Si va in 8 con una jeep, 3 giorni sull'isola. Perche' no? Decido che lo faccio pure io, ma devo ritornare indietro ad Harvey Bay, 200Km a Nord. Indietro come i gamberi. Parto in fretta perche' alle 3pm mi aspetta il meeting con otto ragazzi che neanche conosco per avere dettagli sul viaggio, la guida della jeep e varie raccomandazioni per il campeggio sull'isola del tipo non cacare sulla spiaggia, non nuotare in mezzo agli squali, non dare da mangiare ai dingo e possibilmente non farsi mangiare. In sostanza funziona cosi': Prendi una manciata di ventenni (beh che c'e'? io sono tra questi...) li metti in una Land Rover 4WD riempi il tutto con tende sacchiapelo cibi in scatola, li butti su un isola di sabbia deserta e li fai ritornare distrutti dopo tre giorni. Sounds good. Al meeting si vede un video informativo e poi si decide la lista della spesa. Capito in un gruppo dove a prima vista sembrano tutti inglesi. Otto + me. Secondo te che lista della spesa e' uscita fuori? Me ne torno in camera perche' come italiano sono in netta minoranza e la lista delle salsicce e delle lattine di birra aumenta a dismisura. In camera con me c'e' Marian una ragazza americana. E' simpatica e pure carina. Cucino per lei e... Sono tre giorni che non dormo decentemente e onestamente non credo che i prossimi tre giorni in tenda siano del tutto rilassanti. Anyway. La mia maggiore preoccupazione e' che con otto persone che non conosci o ti diverti o t'incazzi. Domani si parte. YYY     24-25-26th June - Fraser Island Alzataccia alle 5am per un altra ora di pallosissimo meeting ed istruzioni. Si parte verso il traghetto, imbarco alle 9am. Il mio gruppo e' il B. E' formato da una coppia di israeliani, altri due ragazzi israeliani, una topina tedesca, un ragazzo svedese, un ragazzo inglese e sua sorella, io (photo). Di primo acchito non li vedo bene perche' ostentano un cazzo di accento tipo queen's english. In seguito risulteranno tutti simpatici, specialmente il ragazzo inglese che non sta zitto un attimo. Siamo tutti eccitati al massimo. Sbarchiamo a Fraser Island e via verso la spiaggia (photo). L'euforia della guida a 100km/h sulla spiaggia e' tanta (photo) e ci prende un momento di cazzeggio contagioso, cosi' incoraggiamo John il ragazzo inglese a mettere il culo fuori dal finestrino per la prossima jeep che incrociamo. Una figata. Sempre che la prossima jeep che incroci non sia quella della polizia... Si fermano girano e fanno un accenno a venirci dietro ma poi si fermano di nuovo. Noi proseguiamo facendo finta di niente ma in realta' abbiamo smaltito. Il ragazzo svedese Johan e' alla guida e noi lo si prende un po' per il culo per il suo accento svedese. Sulle buche se ne esce con "DIZ IZ A BIG VONE" (film) che sara' il tornmentone di tutto il viaggio. Buca tu che buco io si arriva ad un lago dove si gioca a freesbie (photo). L'acqua e' incredibilmente chiara e fresca e sembra quella del mare ma non e' salata. Poi si mangia. E' incredibile la quantita' di porcate che si possono mangiare in una sola serata. Immancabile nel menu internazionale e' la "cofana de cipolle". Si tagliano le cipolle, ma tante, na cofana appunto, le si mette sul fuoco con tanta margherina, ma tanta. Servono per condire le salsicce che devono essere di "mmmmh penso carne" e questo ha creato agli israeliani un po' di problemi perche' non sapevano se era carne di maiale oppure no. A sera si monta il campo (photo). Io monto la prima tenda della mia vita (photo). Un capolavoro dell'architettura moderna. Si fa il fuoco e si mangia (photo) ma presto viene a piovere e l'unica e' ripararsi nella tenda e dormire. Hai mai dormito in una tenda di 1 metro e 50 quando tu sei alto 1,80? No? te lo dico io, te sega le gambe. E non so se sei mai stato su un'isola di sabbia, la piu' grande del mondo per di piu'. Tutto e' sabbia. Le "strade" sono di sabbia, gli alberi crescono sulla sabbia, l'erba cresce sulla sabbia, tu cammini e vivi avvolto in mezzo a questa cazzodisabbia (photo). Cazzodisabbia ovunque. Nei vestiti nelle orecchie nella cofana de cipolle. Che ti lamenti? E' un'isola fatta di sabbia e tu lo sapevi. Cazzodisabbia a parte non puoi capire cosa sia veramente la natura se non sei mai stato qui. Il tramonto. chilometri e chilometri di spiaggia che si perdono ai due orizzonti. La sabbia che lentamente assume i colori dorati e caldi della tranquillita'. Un mare selvaggio ed inviolato, mille onde veloci che si infrangono sulla battigia. Lentamente la notte lava via i colori del tramonto e la luce fluorescente della luna piena apre nuovi orizzonti alla tranquillita'. E ti senti piccolo, perduto, che non conti un cazzo in mezzo a tutto questo. Sei solo uno spettatore impotente di fronte allo spettacolo della natura. Intorno a te una forza grandissima si manifesta e ti rende felice dentro, e ridi felice di niente, felice di essere tu, li' in quel momento con i piedi che affondano nella sabbia e l'acqua che ti avvolge le caviglie, in piedi tra gli alberi e il mare a fissare un orizzonte scuro e lontano che se vuoi puoi toccare con un dito. Dio se esiste abita qui, l'ho visto nel bosco raccogliere la legna per scaldarsi la sera. Ma tutto questo non va in poche righe e non entra neanche in una foto. E mi sento fortunato perche' c'ero. Qui il cielo stellato assume una nuova dimensione. Diversa rispetto all'emisfero a cui ero abituato da una vita. Qui le stelle sono diverse e sembrano di piu'. Come in realta' credo che siano. YYY     27th June - Near Brisbane La sera dopo il viaggio a Fraser metto in moto e vado verso Brisbane. Mi fermo pochi Km prima pero' in un paese chiamato (boh chi se ricorda?) perche' odio il traffico delle grandi citta' e i sistemi di parcheggio astrusi secondo cui per parcheggiare devi prima calcolare l'ascendente e le fasi lunari. Dormo qui, il posto sembra tranquillo ma oramai dormire dentro Beauty sta diventando assai freddino... La mattina dopo mi prendo una pausa, vado in giro per questa moderna e florida cittadella e mi rifugio diverse ore in biblioteca a scaricare il materiale accumulato. Il pomeriggio riparto verso Brisbane. Cerco un ostello centrale ma che mi permetta anche di parcheggiare, lo trovo in City Backpackers, con una bella vista della citta' (photo). Qui incontro un tipo inglese senza arte ne parte, gli offro una birra. Mi sembra scannato, deve aver finito i soldi, come tutti alla fine del viaggio del resto... La sera torno in camera e trovo sul telefonino una chiamata stellestrisce non risposta. Riprova sarai piu' fortunata. YYY     28th June - Brisbane Km 6550 Eccoci qua in Brisbane di nuovo. Dormire poco, altri russare. Anyway, caffettino e via per la citta', ho un po' di cosine da fare. Mi devo incontrare con il tipo dell'incidente del surf (era di Brisbane) per chiarire alcune cose dell'assicurazione, poi devo andare all'universita' del Queensland per Daniela e poi teoricamente dovrei aspettare una telefonata stellestrisce. In sostanza vado alla QUT (photo) e raccolgo un po' di informazioni e brochures per Daniela, una ragazza di Milano che ha visto il mio sito e vorrebbe venire a studiare architettura a Brisbane (ciao Daniela!). Poi mi fermo al lagoon di Brisbane. Un lago artificiale, diciamo piu' una piscina tipo quella che c'e' ad Airlie Beach dove si puo' fare il bagno (photo). D'estate pero' che adesso fa freddo... Il tipo dell'incidente mi ha telefonato e mi ha detto che non puo' venire, io gli ho detto ciccia non so se domani sto ancora qui e dobbiamo compilare il form per l'assicurazione. Niente telefonata stellestrisce. La sera vado a mangiare a Fortitude Valley una specie di chinatown e siccome ho un po' di male al pancino provo in un ristorante thai che magari c'e' un brodino speciale che me lo fa passare. Ordino un Tuy Fuy o chissa'cosa zuppa di pollo e limone. Mi fara' bene? Dentro ci trovo del bambu' stagionato. Anche se e' un po' duro lo mastico a fondo in modo da succhiare con lui tutti i succhi benefici. Non lo ingoio perche' da quanto mi ricordo a scuola ho studiato che l'apparato digerente umano non e' in grado di digerire la cellulosa... Questa parte di Brisbane e' piena di locali scandalosamente vuoti in questo periodo dell'anno, passo da uno all'altro tanto non si paga. Mi stufo presto, specialmente dopo essere capitato in un locale lesbogay dove tutti mi guardavano con uno strano sguardo arrapato, passi per le donne ma... Vesro le 3am siccome non avevo prenotato nessun posto in ostello metto in moto e vado verso Surfers Paradise, il paradiso dei surfisti. Se' co 'sto freddo... YYY     29th June - Surfers Paradise Eccomi qui di nuovo nel Paradiso dei Surfisti. Surfers Paradise. Alloggio nuovamente al Cheers Backpackers dove avevo incontrato Gary ed Arturo. Stavolta e' decisamente vuoto, l'atmosfera invernale non si sente solo dal freschetto che fa. In camera con me un ragazzetto americano. Non a caso e' sabato sera e non a caso e' time to party. Il solito giro dei clubs organizzato dall'ostello per poi giungere alle 5am che non ti ricordi manco chi sei e dov'e' la via per l'ostello. Forse questa gentile pulzella mi puo' aiutare? Che vita da cani (surfisti pero'). Nelle varie disco ho incontrato diversi personaggi incontrati precedentemente su isole o ostelli sparsi per il Queensland chilometri e chilometri fa. Ci incontriamo o mi seguono? no perche' non e' la prima volta... YYY     30th June - Surfers Paradise Km Ci alziamo per ovvie ragioni a mezzogiorno con gli occhi pallati dopo che la tipa dell'ostello era entrata in camera per chiedermi se rimanevo pure stanotte. Ma non lo vedi come glie sto'? Dove cavolo vuoi che vada? In giro per Surfers, piena di grattacieli ma e' simpatica (photo). In giro vedo nuovamente le facce della sera prima incontrate nei vari clubs. Vado a caccia di souvenirs e di Koala. Una commessa giapponese mi placca in un negozio e sotto la stretta supervisione del capo giapponese mi tempesta di sconti del 10-20% se compro questo o quello. No grazie, tanto piu' che non si capisce quando parli. Mi ha detto Gi-dei invece di G'day, mi ha detto. A proposito di Koala mi accorgo in seguito di averne comprati un po' troppi. Ora ne ho una decina... compreso Biutino (photo) la mia mascotte. Mi dispiace solo che non ho avuto l'occasione di averne avuto tra le mani uno vero. Il Koala e' il prototipo del mio animale perfetto. Dorme 20 ore al giorno, e' incredibilmente soffice e col fatto che sta sempre sugli alberi di Eucalipto profuma di Eucalipto. Se vuoi fare una foto con lui devi sborsare 13 dollaroni. Se io fossi peloso e profumato di Eucalipto nessuno pagherebbe 13$ per fare una foto con me. In compenso riesco a dormire 20 ore pure io... Tie'. Torno al Cheers e mi merito un lungo idromassaggio ristoratore (photo). Nella vasca mi tornano in mente gli stessi pensieri che avevo il 26 maggio. Strano 'sto fatto... YYY     1st July - Byron Bay La mattina in viaggio verso Byron Bay. E' quasi finita. Me ne accorgo non solo dal portafoglio ma anche dai cartelli stradali che segnalano che sono entrato in NSW (New South Wales). Stasera mi fermo a Byron Bay, il posto degli hippies e dei surfisti (photo), e poi via verso Sydney. Un senso di dispiacere mi attraversa. Ci vorrebbe piu' tempo, piu' soldi e forse piu' italiani. In tutto il viaggio ne ho incontrati di striscio forse due e avevo una voglia matta di sparare qualche cazzata in italiano. In inglese non mi vengono cosi' bene... YYY     2nd July - Byron Bay Oggi intenzioni serie. Siamo in uno dei posti piu' ambiti dai surfisti, quindi niente scuse. Ci alziamo presto, andiamo in spiaggia e... prendiamo il sole. Se penso che tra una settimana sto di nuovo a Dublino mi vengono le doglie da parto prematuro. Gia' lo vedo sul meteo che ci stanno i nuvoloni che mi aspettano, maledetti ma non si puo' fare a cambio con qualcuno? In spiaggia incontro il tipo svizzero che ho incontrato a Noosa che ho incontrato a Surfers che ho incontrato a Byron. Com'e' piccola l'Australia... Strasera verso Sydney ci attendono bei chilometri se vogliamo stare li' per domani. Belli e abbronzati come il sole. Oggi riposo... no a parte gli scherzi, qualcosa ho imparato, guarda qui (film) ... YYY     3rd July - Emu Planes Km 7603 Hai mai provato a viaggiare dentro ad una ghiacciaia? No? Te lo dico io. Fa freddo. Il viaggio da Byron Bay verso Sydney e' stato tutto meno che caldo. Questi i numeri: 800 Km di gelo, 10 ore di battito di denti, 3 felpe, 2 calzini. Tu mi dici accendi il riscaldamento. Io ti dico magari funzionasse! Sono partito alle 6pm da Byron Bay dopo aver cercato invano qualcuno per steccare la benza. Io metto l'annuncio e quelli mi chiamano 2-3 giorni dopo quando sono gia' arrivato a destinazione. Ma si puo' essere piu' cretini? Vabbe'. Dopo 500 km, le 11pm circa, realizzo che sto' rischiando l'assideramento. Stoppo ad una stazione e prendo due provvedimenti drastici. Uno, alzo il sedile del passeggero per scoprire il potente motore di Beauty e trarne i conseguenti vantaggi termici. Due, cerco un paio di calze da ginnastica e mi ci faccio due comodi guantoni invernali. Azz... ma dov'e' il pollicione? Vabbe' non fa niente. Mi rimetto in viaggio e mentre sverno mi accorgo che il potente motore di Beauty altro non e' che un infernale altoforno. Sudo come un maialetto, ma le mani sono ancora ghiacciate. In compenso la temperatura media e' ottimale. Non si puo' avere tutto dalla vita. Arrivo a Sydney verso le 3 di notte e mi incanalo nel centro della citta' deserta. Grattacieli infiniti tutt'intorno a me in un atmosfera da Gotham city. Guidare tra i grattaceli fa impressione di giorno figurimoci di notte. Odio i sensi obbligati. Dopo diversi tentativi evitando taxi e polizia (mi hanno pure chiuso un ponte davanti mi hanno) trovo la via verso il culo della luna. Emu Planes. Dove dimorano i miei amici. O meglio gli amici dei miei amici, visto che Dallas&Brad erano partiti subito dopo di me per un altro giretto intorno al mondo (ora dovrebbero essere in Canada allafaccia). Arrivo ad Emu Planes alle 4am e mi trovo un posticino comodo comodo sotto le Blue Mountains dove crollo distrutto sul materasso in meno di sette secondi netti. Mi alzo a mezzogiorno e mi dirigo verso casa di Dallas&Brad dove mi aspettano Julie&Darryn. Arrivo, Darryn dorme perche' lavora di notte ma mi ha lasciato la porta aperta. Ne approfitto per dare una lavata ed una pulita a Beauty. Preparo cartelli e scritte per la vendita, metto a posto le mie cose e domani a King's Cross al mercato delle Beauty. YYY     4th July - King's Cross Km 7673 ***THE END!*** Mi alzo tardi. Raccatto le mie cose e vado verso King's Cross. Fortunatamente sbaglio strada solo una volta e arrivo a destinazione. Il tipo del Garage mi dice che necessito del Pink or Withe slip per vendere Beauty. Che in pratica e' un ispezione meccanica che costa 26 dollaroni. Ricevi o il pink che significa tutto ok oppure il white che vuol dire che qualcosa non va (una cosa tipo il bollino rosso). Io lo sapevo ma credevo che non serviva visto che quando l'ho comprata il tipo non me l'ha dato. Vado a cercare per questo benedetto meccanico e mi dice torna tra mezz'ora sicuro di trovare il pink. Torno e invece trovo il white. Stofjodenamignotta. Maccome i tergicristalli consumati? Maccome perde olio? Mi dice che se voglio posso sistemare tutto per 250. Io ovviamente non voglio anche perche' non perde ne' olio e non ha neanche i tergicristalli consumati. E' perfetta. P E R F E T T A. Incasso il mio white e vado a King's Cross. L'atmosfera non e' delle migliori e il tipo mi dice subito che e' inverno e tutti vendono e nessuno compra. Ci sono una cinquantina tra van e macchine tutti in attesa di essere venduti e ragazzi scannati che ora dopo ora abbassano il prezzo perche' devono partire. O piu' semplicemente perche' non hanno un dollaro. Io parcheggio. La mia Beauty sicuramente fa la sua figura in mezzo a furgoncini sgangherati e macchine scassate. Il prezzo medio per un Van e' di 3000. Mi accontento di 2800 visto che l'ho pagata 1600. Se incasso pago da bere a tutti... (oh Dublino guarda che scherzo!). Minchia somiglio ad un mercante di bestiame alla fiera delle vacche. Ci sara' da divertirsi... YYY     I segreti di Beauty Giunti alla fine del mio viaggio lasciate che vi sveli alcune delle meraviglie di Beauty. I segreti e le bellezze di questa macchina perfetta, di questo motore mobile, di questa camera da letto viaggiante. Beauty: il sogno del backpacker. In questi due mesi Beauty e' stata tutto per me. La mia casa, la mia macchina, il mio rifugio, la mia compagna di avventure. E' come una bellissima donna. E come una bellissima donna le dai da bere e lei va dove vuoi tu. Meglio di una bellissima donna la spegni e la parcheggi quando e dove vuoi tu. Mi mancheranno il rumore fluido e la forza tranquilla del suo motore, le noccioline mangiate tra le gambe mentre guidavo e litri e litri di succo d'arancia sul sedile del passeggero. Mi manchera' anche la spia della riserva che su questa macchina non e' mai esistita. Il posto piu' comodo dove dormire l'ho sicuramente trovato dentro di lei. Un materassone comodo e morbido ed una trapunta enorme hanno cullato i miei sogni (photo). Sempre che la temperatura esterna sia ottimale... Quando avevo fame andavo in cucina (photo) e mi preparavo un bel piattone di spaghi co la pummarola'ngoppa and it's Paradise. Oppure una bella bisteccha oppure una frittatina oppure tortellini, insomma un ristorante su quattroruote. Chez Beauty. La capiente dispensa mi riforniva di cibo fresco quotidianamente (photo). E per i bisogni fisiologici la toilette (photo). Ne mostro solo una parte per decenza. La sala hobby (photo) ed un potente sistema hi-fi (photo) completano il quadro degli svaghi. Inoltre presenti anche dei nascondigli sicuri onde riporre valori e travelcek (photo). Ci mettevo anche la macchinetta fotografica ma non sono riuscito a fotografarla. Strano 'sto fatto. Il potente ed affidabile motore mi ha tenuto caldo durante il viaggio da Byron Bay verso Sydney (photo). Insomma ora mi dispiace addirittura venderla e me la porterei con me volentieri. Ma non le danno il visto, dovrei sposarla. Un tipo che ho conosciuto a Fraser Island mi fa seriamente, portala con te a Dublino, sai quanto risparmi di affitto? Si si di affitto risparmi ma sai che freddo! YYY     5th July - King's Cross car market King's Cross Car Market: Questo posto e' la piu' vicina rappresentazione dell'inferno che io abbia mai visto. Cinque livelli paragonabili ai gironi danteschi. Sepolto tre livelli sottoterra c'e' il Carmarket. Decine e decine di macchine e furgoncini che aspettano pazienti la loro sorte: Essere condannati ad essere sepolti per settimane o essere liberati dopo qualche giorno, in casi eccezionali dopo qualche ora. E' inverno, ed i potenziali clienti, pochi, si avvicinano timidi per scrutare i prezzi appiccicati sulle macchine. Qualche backpacker dall'indole da venditore cerca di accalappiarli ma molto spesso chi vuole comprare ha gia' un'idea precisa di quello che cerca. Se non lo trova se ne va lasciando delusi decine di backpackers.. E allora per ingannare il tempo si gioca a pallone, a carte, a ping-pong (photo), si leggono le scritte sui muri lasciate dai precedenti ragazzi "Venduto dopo 2 giorni di molto sotto il prezzo ma chissenefrega! (photo)" oppure "Persi 1600 dollari" oppure per chi e' fortunato "Venduto dopo 25 minuti". Ma sara' vero?. La scritta + ricorrente e' "Finalmente siamo usciti da questo inferno". Un'altra che mi preoccupa di parecchio dice "Don't give up! non mollare, nessuno e' mai rimasto qui dentro per piu' di 36 fottuti giorni"... Ma comunque. Nel frattempo c'e' chi controlla l'andamento del mercato. Anime disperate si aggirano per il parcheggio guardinghi e scrutano i prezzi degli altri per vedere se e' il caso di abbassare ancora e di allinearsi ai prezzi. I furgoncini sono allineati da una parte, le macchine dall'altra. Prigionieri dello stesso destino si fa subito amicizia e si ironizza sulla calma piatta. Amici si', ma quando si avvicina il potenziale compratore gia' ci si guarda con diffidenza "E' mio! E' mio! tipregosalvame!". Tutti aspettano il salvatore, qualcuno che ci liberi da questo girone infernale e ci riporti alla liberta', alla luce, al sole "Set me free mate!". Minchia, ma sto perdendo tutta la mia abbronzatura a stare qui sotto! Magari il primo giorno ti diverti pure a cercare di vendere, ma dopo due giorni diventa deprimente. Soprattutto perche' non c'e' anima viva a cui vendere! Vorrei stare qui d'estate a vendere Beauty, allora si che ti diverti, ad alzare il prezzo non ad abbassarlo. YYY     6th July - King's Cross Carmarket In pratica mi sembra di essere ritornato al lavoro. Mi alzo presto la mattina per prendere il treno ad Emu Planes (50 Km da Sydney). 30 minuti a piedi per arrivare alla stazione, 2 oremmezzo di treno e due cambi per arrivare a King's Cross. Arrivo e apro l'ufficio. Aspetto aspetto aspetto al freddo e al buio. Il morale si abbassa. Finalmente arriva un tipo. Gli faccio da dove? Mi fa da Dublino. Gli faccio pure io. Mi fa non e' vero. Sembra interessato. La guarda, la tocca, la esamina a fondo (sono quasi geloso. Inizio a pensare che chi vuole Beauty se la deve meritare veramente e magari passare un test-psicoattitudinale). Alla fine la prova. Inutile dirlo e' una bomba. Soprattutto se paragonata a certe carcasse rugginose che ci sono quaggiu' e che hanno fatto 10 volte il giro dell'Australia. Neanche si accendono neanche. Invece la mia Zan! al primo colpo. Prezzo di base 2800. Si ma io ne ho solo 2100. No, no, no non ci siamo. Io2700. Lui2150. Io2600. Lui2200. Io2500. Lui2300. Io2450. Lui2350. Gli faccio 2400 ed e' tua, ultima offerta. Il tipo irlandese "Non lo so ci devo pensare I stretched too much..." Va a fumarsi una sigaretta e non lo vedo piu'. Azz... beh peggio per lui, si vede che non se la meritava. Qualcuno trovero'. Ma passo il sabato, un lungo sabato sottoterra e si avvicina la domenica... Morale della favola avevo previsto di partire lunedi 8 ma a sera telefono alla Malaysia airline per cambiare il biglietto e partire il 14. Non mi dispiacerebbe se non si trattasse di passare la settimana sottoterra senza sole e a respirare i gas di scarico dei furgoncini sgangherati... YYY     7th July - King's Cross Carmarket Altra luuuuunga giornata sottoterra. Una domenica per di piu'. Una coppietta cerca di vendere il kombi a 4000. Si fanno quattro calcoli a tavolino e lo abbassano a 3800. Poi ancora a 3600. La psicosi avanza. Si si, lo abbassi il prezzo ma per chi? qui non viene nessuno! Mi mangio le mani se penso che l'avevo quasi venduta e che ora sarei libero come un fringuello e felice come una fragoletta di bosco, alla luce del sole! Se qualcuno si avvicina e mi offre 2000 o anche meno giela do senza fiatare e senza neanche fargli fare il test psico-attitudinale. Il solo pensiero di passare un altro giorno qui sotto mi fa venire le doglie... YYY     8th July - King's Cross Carmarket Oggi si vende e basta. Mi alzo presto. Stavolta sono tornato ad Emu con Beauty e quindi niente treno, si guida fino a King's Cross. Arrivo presto ed espongo un bel cartello 2500 trattabili. ZZo praticamente e' regalata. Si si lo so che l'ho pagata 1600 ma che c'entra? la benzina me la vuoi pagare oppure no? Niente, nessuno. Stavolta si vende. Vado a prendere una boccata d'aria e di sole in superfice. Chi ti incontro? Il tipo irlandese. Lo blocco e gli faccio "La vuoi comprare?". Non aspettava altro. Gli dico guarda te la do perche' mi stai simpatico e perche' mi sono rotto le palle di stare quaggiu'. Mi fa "Si pero' non ce la faccio". Gli faccio "2200 ed e' tua". Echeccazzo tutto ha un limite. Se la riguarda se la riprova ma la vuole portare da un meccanico per fargli fare il test. Dico ma sei stupido non lo vedi che e' perfetta e bellissima? Chemmefrega tanto il meccanico lo paghi te. Mentre il meccanico controlla andiamo per un caffe'. E' simpatico, e' un tipo tranquillo e ha superato la prova. Se la merita. Parliamo di Dublino dell'Australia e del mondo. E' una di quelle persone con cui forse avrei potuto condividere un viaggio. Una di quelle affinita' elettive che di tanto in tanto si incontrano nella vita. Oh intesi mica che mi sono innamorato, micasofrocio. Pero' mi sa che Beauty se l'e' meritata. E io mi merito i 2200. Me la vuoi pagare sta benza oppure no? Torniamo dal meccanico che ci mostra i test computerizzatipsicoattitudinali. Tutti perfetti. Compressione 145. Una macchina nuova ha 150. Avrei potuto chiedere di piu'... Sgancia il pecunia amico. Fotona finale (sigh!) (photo). Sono soddisfatto. Ma mentre me ne vado per la mia strada nella citta' grattacelata una lacrimuccia mi sorprende. Ma no, non e' niente, e' solo un bruscolo in un occhio. In realta' sono combattuto tra senso di liberazione e dispiacere. Mi sono liberato di un peso ma allo stesso tempo e' come se quel peso fosse un pezzetto infinitesimale della mia vita che si stacca da me. Sono libero. Libero dall'inferno sotterraneo. Libero di girare per Sydney. YYY     9th July - Sydney Finalmente libero. Mi alzo tardi a mezzogiorno. Come al solito il tipo dell'ostello bussa e mi butta giu' dal letto per sapere se rimango anche stanotte. Come al solito gli dico di si, con mille scuse perche' il check-out sarebbe alle dieci. Pago, cartina di Sydney, colazione. Il cappuccino australiano ha una caratteristica sconcertante. Deve avere molta schiuma o non se ne fa nulla. Che non e' crema, bada bene ma schiuma. Due dita di schiuma insipida che sembra quella del sapone da lavatrice. Mi va bene uguale, tanto sono libero. Cammino e da King's Cross attraverso il giardino botanico per giungere all'Opera House. Vedendola in fotografia ho sempre pensato che le famose vele bianche fossero fatte in Kevlar o qualche materiale simile, come una copertura. Invece scopro che sono ricoperte da forse milioni di mattonelle di ceramica bianca. Ci rimango male. Mi faccio fare diverse foto da diverse persone (photo). Perche' nessuno riesce mai ad usare questa macchinetta? E' una macchinetta normale, basta schiacciare il bottone. A volte la tecnologia facile rincoglionisce le persone. O siete proprio nati cosi'? Dall'Opera prendo il ferry per Darling Harbour (photo), una zona di ristorantini e caffe' eleganti sul molo, molto bella anche alla sera. Mi immergo nel Sydney Acquarium che manco e' caro, ma regala una bella esperienza sottomarina tra squali e coccodrilli e platipi. A proposito e' lui! il temibile Platypus o Ornotorinco che dir si voglia. Tcisua e' difficile fotografarlo pure quando sta in gabbia sto maledetto, esce a prendere aria per un millisec e poi si rintana proprio come un Platypus! (photo). La vascona degli squali e' spettacolare. Ti passano sopra la testa e sotto i piedi e tu cammini in mezzo a decinaia e decinaia di pesciotti. (photo) (film) . Mi fermo seduto a guardare i pesci che fanno avanti e indietro. Mi fa sempre lo stesso effetto ipnotico. Mi incolla seduto ad osservarli. Anche quando avevo il mio acquario era cosi', ore ed ore ad osservare stupidi pesci fare niente. Meglio che me ne vado prima che mi chiudono dentro. Esco e faccio un rapido giro nella vicina Chinatown e poi mi infilo all'IMAX per affrontare una esperienza tridimensionale nello spazio. E' un documentario sulla costruzione della Stazione Spaziale Internazionale commentato da Tom Cruise (photo) e a tratti sembra veramente di avere intorno gli astronauti e di stare nella navicella o nello spazio. Ogni filmato e' girato veramente nello spazio e gli astronauti si improvvisano attori. Carino, ma forse 50 minuti a bere bolle d'acqua e mangiare popcorn fluttuanti sono un po' troppi. Ma comunque. Basta con le esperienze virtuali, si torna in ostello dove ci attende una doccia reale. Actually, l'ostello in cui sto e' veramente bello. Si chiama Cooee e sta nel centro di King's Cross che forse e' la zona piu' malfrequentata e storta di tutta Sydney, ma anche il punto dove ci sono i principali ostelli per backpackes e di conseguenza tutti i backpackers si ritrovano qui. Non avrei mai sospettato che qui ci fosse un ostello cosi' decente. In pratica e' un moderno albergo con il prezzo da ostello. Ti danno pure la cena e' gratis, non e' il massimo della vita ma e' commestibile. Ora se mi volete scusare Starspangledbanner e' ritornata... NEW! Sign Guestbook * Firma il registro dei visitatori NEW! View Guestbook * Vedi il registro dei visitatori YYY     10-13th July - Sydney vacanze in Australia, viaggio in Australia, Australia, viaggio, Queensland, comprare macchina, macchina, backpackers, backpacker, diario di viaggio, fotografie, foto, filmati, avventura, campeggio, ostello, ostelli, Sydney, Cairns, Brisbane, Byron Bay, Airlie beach, Noosa Head, trip to Australia, holidays, car, van, buying a car, travel log, travel, photos, movies, hostel, camping, adventure, aussiexperience, aussiexperience2002, Australia, viaggiare in Australia, travel to Australia. YYY     Day 67 XXX YYY     Day 68 XXX YYY     Day 69 XXX YYY

asa

<SIGN guestbook> <VIEW guestbook>