Byron Bay Lighthouse

Cape Byron Light

Byron Bay happens to have the most powerful lighthouse in the country. Built in 1901, the beautiful white structure sits at the top of Cape Byron marking the most easterly point of mainland Australia. From one of the smaller beaches surrounding the cape, Watego’s Beach, a beautiful trail/stairs lead up to the lighthouse. It is not just the lighthouse and the view from the top that make it worth working up a sweat getting there.

At Watego’s beach among other places there are public barbecues  Just hold the button until the light comes on and you have a hot plate for the next 20 minutes. Ideal to serve as home base when you chill at the beach or venture out into the park.

The Cape is part of the Cape Byron Marine Park and is home to a wide variety of plants and animals. When walking up the trail towards the top you really feel you’re in the jungle. Palms, ferns, tea trees and much more line hill side while on the other side stunning views of the bay, beaches and ocean can be seen.

After every minute walking or so the vegetation opens up to reveal beautiful sneak peeks of the surroundings.  I had to stop every time to take in the view and try to capture it on camera. With my used and abused point and shoot camera that is very hard to do, so I would recommend to just come visit and experience the beauty for yourself.

About half way up, the trail splits. To the right the trail leads on to the top. To the left it leads to a lookout point which is probably the best place to be if you want to spot some whales and dolphins which are passing by close to shore on their way to the warm waters of the Great Barrier Reef in the north to mate. It is literally the easternmost point of mainland Australia. Except for the cape behind you there is only ocean so be seen in every direction. The waves crash onto the rocks with great force. It definitely gives you that salty ocean spray experience.

The lighthouse itself is a small sturdy looking building as bright as the light it emits. Completely white it definitely stands out among the green vegetation and black and brown rock faces. Sunset is the time you want to be there. It is a beautiful sight to see the sun disappear behind the mountains of the Great Dividing Range. It bathes the bay and its golden beaches in a warm orange light. The last sun rays bounce off of the water transforming it from blue into silver. The best view however is not to the east, but to the west. The light of the setting sun illuminates the clouds over the Pacific Ocean. It looks like they are on fire. All ranges of red, orange and yellow projected on virgin white clouds hovering over a dark blue ocean.

The way down is easy and effortless. Especially since your mind is still wondering off, remembering the clouds ablaze. 

Arakwal Adventure

 It was a Sunday and every Sunday the crew at the dive shop get some money from the boss to go get some food and drinks. Mostly it results in lots and lots of steak for on the barbeque, some salad and a few trays of beer. The beer of choice on this particular Sunday was Breda Beer. Brewed in Breda, The Netherlands, but apparently only sold in Australia. (like Hooten Beer, brewed in Maarssen sold in Sydney).

But I’m getting off track here. On this Sunday it happened to be a full moon and some people I’d just met (which is pretty much everyone) told me there was a party on the beach with a big fire. I envisioned an enormous bon fire on a deserted beach, people dancing to the beat of a djembe and guitar someone brought and knows how to play. We would party till the early hours until the sun came up whilst Humpback Whales did their amazing jumps just a few meters from shore. Unfortunately it didn’t exactly work out like that.

The full moon super-duper beach party was close to where I was staying. So instead of walking with my new found friends I told them, “Go ahead. I’ll put my bike away at home and follow this trail I know to the beach and walk down till I see you guys.” It sounded like a proper plan at the time.

So I parked my bike and followed this sandy trail that cuts through Arakwal National park. It is a beautiful densely grown forest that forms a natural barrier which protects the inland from the ocean. It is filled with birds, snakes, possums, rats, bats and god knows what other kind of animals. I’m pretty sure the park ranger knows as well, but I neglected to ask him. Armed with just a flashlight I reached the beach only to find the tide super high (damn full moon) and there was no way for me to walk down the beach without being swiped away into the dark pacific ocean.

I back tracked a bit till I noticed another trail parallel to the beach. I thought to myself: ‘if I follow this one I’m sure to find the others’. I was still under the assumption there would be a huge fire and lots of sound and laughter, which is generally easy to locate. Turned out that trail I noticed was probably an old trail they stopped maintaining. After 10 minutes  of walking through this jungle I hit a dead end. I was completely alone. I could hear the ocean and some birds, but no voices or djembe sounds. I stopped to listen. That was a mistake. Instead of hearing humans all I heard was the sound of ‘bigger’ animals rummaging through the bush around me. I told myself: “You’re the biggest animal around here, they are afraid of you.” I know I’m probably right, but In Australia where everything is either poisonous or deadly in some way it was hard to convince myself.

I found my way back to where I had started without getting killed and decided to go back where I had parted from the rest of the crew and try form there. Since we’ve just met I didn’t have anyone phone number I could call for directions. After walking up and down streets for 45 minutes and repeating the ‘take the wrong trail into nowhere trick’ for a second time I bumped into three Spaniards that looked like they new where they were going. Nouria, Mariana and Bruno became my best friends the instant I learned they were heading to this full moon party on the beach. It felt like they saved me from the clutches of the dark Arakwal forest out to confuse lone hikers in the middle of the night and make them disappear forever.

Turned out the party turned out to be a random gathering of random people around a fire constantly fighting the moisture in the drift wood it was feeding on and the strong winds blowing in from the ocean. It was pretty overcast too, so the full moon was to be seen exactly three times when clouds parted briefly. Luckily I had an adventure not that long ago. 

Voluntarily cold...

Since it is low season here in Byron Bay it is quite difficult to get a job. I don’t want to hang on the beach all day or drag myself through town. I need to stay busy, do something, anything. So I started working as a volunteer at one of the dive shops in town. At the Byron Bay Dive Centre to be exact (www.byronbaydivecentre.com.au).

They use a lot of volunteers at the dive shop. Mostly beginning to advanced divers who want to get more experience and are willing to work for just free dives and after a while free accommodation, which is conveniently located above the dive shop.

I had to fill out all the necessary paperwork and read through a ‘crewpack’ as they called it. It stated their philosophy, the way they run their operation and what was expected of me. It looked all very professional and that gave me a reassuring feeling. Back in Curacao I was used to a minimum level of professionalism and service and it seemed that this shop had that as well.

Turns out, it has more to do with liability and health and safety regulations than anything else. There was no proper training or introduction. Just learn as you go. Volunteers that just arrived a week before me had to explain how things worked and what the routine was. Of course that is not a problem and everything went fine, but because of the ‘official’ intake I had somewhat other expectations.

The service towards the costumers, which I expected to be high, was almost non-exciting. Most of the crew ignored them and an explanation about what was the plan for the day was barely given. The skipper gave the dive briefing, which struck me as odd, since the skipper is not in the water with the guests. Maybe this is just how they operate in Australia. Or maybe just this particular dive shop, I have yet to find out. Or perhaps I am corrupted/spoiled by Ocean Encounters and every dive shop I work at after them will seem unorganized and chaotic to me. The atmosphere is great though and the guests didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps it is just my perception that needs some altering.

Byron Bay Dive Centre (BBDC) has three super rhib boats they take out for diving, snorkeling and whale watching. They each hold about 12 people, although the one named Bay Runner can hold up to 20. We took the smaller Cape Runner.

Guests are transported via minivan to the beach. The rest of the crew take the truck with the trailer and are off to launch to boat off the beach.

It was quite the fight to keep the boat in the right direction while waiting for the skipper to return, who had to park the car and trailer. Big waves crash into the stern of the boat just moments after they were ridden by the ever present surfers at ‘The Pass’. A rock outcropping at Cape Byron with a lookout on top to spot whales or watch the surfers.

After everyone was onboard, we races through the surf towards Julian Rocks. A small marine reserve in the middle of the bay in front of Main Beach (http://www.julianrocks.net/). We moored at one of the buoys at the dive site called The Nursery. It lies on the protected leeward side of the rock outcroppings that make up Julian Rocks and is the perfect spot for smaller sea creatures to mature before venturing out into the Pacific Ocean. We quickly slid into our gear and did a back roll into the water. Even though I was wearing a full body 5MM wetsuit the water shocked me a little. It was ‘only’ 20 degrees Celsius and felt cold. The cold aside it did feel real good being in the water again. A bit like I’ve never left it. The dive was led by a German girl called Johanna, which had a striking resemblance to Heidi Klum. So following the dive leader came with ease.

I wasn’t that impressed by the dive site at first. Not a lot of corals, a few sponges scattered over the site and some anemones tucked away in cracks in the rocks. But after a better look, that all changed. Small tropical fish darting in and out nooks and crannies. Clown fish fiercely defending their anemones against dangers only they perceived. Some many Porcupine fish it looked like they were schooling. Big Blue Groper and Black Rock Cod cruising the trenches. Life in abundance.

Till this dive my shark count was stuck sadly at zero. But a quick headcount in the first 10 minutes of the dive changes that to about 25! All species of Wobbegong shark that is found here were present. Hales, Spotted and Ornate Wobbegong sharks (Wobbys) were all over the place. They are also known as carpet sharks, since they lie on the bottom mostly and have lobes on the side of their face which to me looked a bit like a shaggy carpet.

These very docile species aren’t regarded as ‘real’ sharks by most divers and I can relate. But when I wasn’t paying attention and thought to myself how cold I was I saw it. A big grey shadow disappearing behind a rock. I followed it and there she was. A beautiful Grey Nurse Shark about 1,5 meters long. They have that pointy snout and grim scary appearance, but are very docile. Like a big cage fighter that turns out to volunteer at a petting zoo.

It was my first ‘real’ shark and it was an amazing sight. I did not feel scared or anxious at all. The feeling of wonder and respect pushed the cold away for a while and right at the moment the cold was taking over, another one. This time very close. It was coming right at me and passed me in opposite direction just 1 meter away from me. Being next to the animal gave me good indication of how big this shark was. It was about 2 meters long with a fat body and lean face. It was absolutely beautiful.

It was time to back on the boat, but not before we saw a Spotted Eagle ray, Green Turtle and Spiny Lobster. Although the surroundings at Julian Rocks are not that much to look at and the dive site not very big either, there is a lot of cool stuff down there and I did thoroughly enjoy my dive.

I might go down there a few more times, but then it is time to move up north. I was freezing during and after the dive. I appreciate the opportunity to dive here for free while volunteering, but I refuse to be voluntarily cold. I might actually refuse to be cold if I get paid. The Caribbean really messed me up.

Euphoria at 120 Mph

I decided not to make it a late night even though I was in the company of two lovely Italian ladies at one of the bars in Byron Bay. I had to be fresh, awake, sharp. Still the alarm came as a shock. I looked at my phone, 6.15 am, time to get up. It gave me just enough time to snooze and a quick shower and some breakfast.

The van, plastered with stickers shouting Skydiving Byron Bay, pulled up at 7.15 am. The driver introduced himself as Rob, he was a short fellow that reminded me of my friend Adriaan back on Curacao and he was in very good spirits. Apparently I was the first one on his list since the van was empty. It could hold about 11 people, which turned out to be the amount of people joining me for this early morning adventure.

We drove for about ten minutes after the last pick up to the drop zone. This is where www.australiaskydiving.com.au has their Byron Bay facility. After doing some necessary paperwork, were you sign your life away and such, it was time to gear up.

The operation worked as a well-oiled machine. Six of us got called forward. Crewmembers were waiting to hoist us in a harness after we putt on some real skydiving pants, which were very similar to ski pants I must say.

A lovely girl from Spain helped me into my harness. “Squat a little when I tighten this”, she said with her cute accent whilst tightening the straps at my groin. “It needs to be comfortable on the way down”. I assumed that she would be my instructor too, but as they say: assume makes an ass of u and me. Turned out my instructor was a big guy called Stu.

As a group we got introduced to the finer arts of leaving an airplane not using the accustomed methods. “Cling your feet to the bottom of the plane. Tilt your head up and hold on to the harness with both hands. Arch your back like a banana. When you feel a tap on the shoulder spread your arms, smile and enjoy”, another instructor explained to us. We practiced it on the floor, but only once. The plane had been fired up and it was time to take to the skies.

We sat, in front of our designated instructors, on foam pillows like they were saddles. It was quite cramped, but that gave it a cozy feel and the reassuring feeling that you weren’t by yourself. The view was amazing as we climbed to 14.000 ft/4267 mtrs. The Great Dividing Range in the distance with its sharp summits. Green rolling hills between the mountains and the ocean. Covered in patches like a quilt in different shades of green and brown. Hundreds of small streams and creeks snaking through the landscape. Below was the beautiful clear blue ocean lined with golden beaches with white fringes as the waves broke on the shore. Stu told me it was too early to spot whales as that would have been the cherry on top this already incredible cake.

An orange flashing light jerked me back into reality. The sign below it read: ½ mile. Stu ran the exit strategy by me once more. He told me to relax a couple of times. I’m not sure if I gave of a nervous vibe, but I could definitely feel a healthy tension in my body. I mean, I was about to jump out of an airplane for the first time on my life.

I was caught up with the view and the inevitable jump I had forgotten that the plane was moving forward at quite a high speed. I got reminded as my predecessors jumped out and were gone just like that. Like a cigarette bud you flick out the window of a moving car. One moment it is there, the next moment it is gone.

It want so fast. Stu and I moved to the door. I ‘bananashaped’ myself as best I could and we were of. We tumbled for a few seconds and them we were horizontal. Stu tapped me on the shoulder and I spread my arms. I was shouting like a mad man and smiling at the same time. Never would have thought that falling towards the earth at a 120 mph would be such a great experience. Stu did some spins which gave me a beautiful 360 view of the area. I don’t remember taking in much of the view, the adrenaline racing through every fiber of my body didn’t allow for a relaxing intake of the scenery. Although the free fall lasted for only 60 seconds it surprised me how long it took for this particular minute to pass.

It was over just like that. The parachute opened and the violent fall turned into a gentle glide in seconds. Stu passed me the handles, “you’re flying now”, he said. I pulled down on the left rope and we turned sharply. We were almost horizontal with the shute and I got look into it. “whoa, easy”, Stu said. I couldn’t get enough pulled the right side and we spun to the other side. It was a very smooth ride back down and a very smooth landing. Once on the ground I wanted to go back up right away, I didn’t want it to be over so soon.

It was good to be able to talk with my fellow skydive virgins, who just popped their proverbial cherry. We all wanted to talk, but no one was able to really grasp what just happened to us. Everyone was smiling ear to ear, me included and that smile wasn’t going anywhere soon. We waited for our videos and pictures while we watched with envy as other skydivers came gliding in. it was an amazing experience and Australia Skydive gave me a safe and thrilling ride.

It is hard to describe the feeling. I liked the free fall part better than the glide down. Just the wind rushing past your face and the adrenaline rushing through your body. At that moment there is absolutely nothing on your mind but a sense freedom. It was pure euphoria at 120 mph.

Byron bay at a glance

It was like taking the bus to work. Just an hour flight from Sydney to Byron Bay. Through Jetstar I was able to get a god deal. Just $79 including luggage. That is definitely something to be aware off when travelling by plane here. Because so many people actually take the plane as ‘the bus to work’ just carry-on luggage is included, and adding the luggage afterwards can be very costly.

A short bus ride with a shuttle bus took me from Ballina (where the airport is) to Byron Bay. I got dropped off at ‘the bus stop’, which is right across from where Maya works. It is a travel agency called Backpackers World Travel. She run the shop and knows all about traveling Australia. Definitely a good contact to have.

Maya had to go to a gathering of other travel agents in this bar called The Station. It was supposed to be a training night, which means getting familiar with a new product (hotel/trip/activity), but it turned out to be just having drinks. I tagged along and Maya introduced me to her colleagues/competition. It was a very fruitful night. I got to know a few new people, got offered a room, a free night at EMUS beach resort in Rockhampton and a potential job offer. I guess things move really fast if you get to know the right people.

Maya had to work the next day and I was still recovering from the jetlag and traveling in general. It resulted in going home relatively early. Maya lives on a holiday resort called Oasis. The apartment I get to call home for the next two weeks is awesome. Just a narrow stretch of the Arakwal national park lies between me and the beach. I can hear and see the ocean from the balcony whilst all these to me alien looking birds pass by making even weirder sounds.

I slept in and after having breakfast I went out to discover the resort first. 2 tennis courts, a heated swimming pool and a gym are on the premises. I headed out towards downtown. Byron Bay is a small town of about 9000 people. In the summer apparently the population explodes with the arrival of surfers, hippie and backpackers.

You have a lot of those around here. I still have to get used to that. I don’t mind surfers or backpackers, but hippies get on my nerve. I’m sure they are all very nice people. Open, easy going, loving. The things that you want to find in every person. But hippies also are lazy, don’t contribute to the society they are part of and have poor personal hygiene. If a black person has dreadlocks it is or there belief (Rastafarian) or the choice of hairdo which fits a black guy or girl. If a white person has dreadlocks it is nothing more than lack of shampoo. (Sorry if I’ve offended someone, this is just my humble opinion). I’m drifting off here.

The, so far, best thing about Byron are the beaches. A long seclude one called: Tallow beach. The Main beach and Belongil beach. Beautiful long beaches very suited for long walks or morning runs. Living on Curacao gave me my fair share of beach time. But a long beach to have a nice relaxing walk on is priceless. A cool breeze carrying the smell of the ocean flies past. The sound of waves breaking. Surfers trying to ride those same waves. Like every step is a first one, since the ocean washes away the ones you’ve just made. It is a beautiful place and I can see why so many people come down here.

I made my way up this rock, called The Pass. It is cut off from the main land during high tide. A lookout on top gives a cool view of the surf and an overview of the bay on your left and Cape Byron on the right. This time of year is also the season for humpback whales to pass by here. I haven’t seen any so far, but can’t wait. One of Maya co-workers told me he saw three adults jumping out of the water just yesterday. What a sight that must have been.

I can’t wait for Sunday to arrive. I have booked a skydive! Maya hooked me up with a good deal for the jump and photos and video of the jump. I am so excited. 14,000ft and a full 60 sec free fall over the bay. Wicked!

On day two in Byron I discovered the national park a bit. It is not very big and I did not see any weird animals. Maya warned me to look out for snakes. If I’d see a snake I should stay still and wait until the snake moves away. “Most of the snakes you’ll will be small constrictors, like pythons. Nothing to worry about. But if you see a brown one, don’t wait. Just move”, she said. Turns out the brown snake is one of the most poisonous snakes in Australia. Better watch my step.

Since it is low season in Byron it is hard to get a job. They are not hiring at any of the dive shops, but I do get to volunteer at the Byron Bay Dive Centre. I should swing by on Monday again. They always need dive crew and for me it is a good way to get wet again and do some free diving. Also this will probably result in my first shark encounter ever! Too bad I don’t have underwater camera, but if I see one, I’ll try to be very descriptive. Sharks rule!!

Maya left this morning on vacation to Sri Lanka. I’m watching her apartment until she comes back. It feels a bit weird. Like I am alone again, yet I don’t feel lonely.

There are so many people here that are traveling, just like me. So contacts are easily made.

I’ve also been thinking about changing the purpose of my other blog. The plan was to interview locals and use their portraits as a travel guide. I might still do that, but maybe not online and bundle it or publish hat later. I think I should cater more to the backpackers. Write short stories about places I’ve been and how to get around. Review hostels and travel agencies. This way I get more hits on my page and a bigger chance of making money with it. It also gives me bigger chances of getting free accommodation and perks since people want a positive review. (I know that is abusing journalism a bit, but if you don’t have the money use your wits). So Faces of OZ might change. Even the name, so it’s get googled sooner. Let me know what you think.

The Blue Mountains

I can talk a lot. Always chatting with someone, always engaged in some discussion or just talking to myself. What I witnessed on my trip to the Blue Mountains got my lost for words. I will do my best to explain and describe it to you, but no story or even picture can do justice to the truly majestic sight I was lucky enough to behold.

Unfortunately for you it was the very last stop of the day where I got to see this amazing sight. So I guess you´ll have to read on a little bit more.

With only one more day left in Sydney before departing for Byron Bay I decided to take a day trip to the Blue Mountains. I booked it through the hostel. About 100 km west of the city lies an immense national park. In the center lies the town called Katoomba and the mountains stretch about 100 km in either the northern or southern direction.

A still sleepy fellow with hair to just above his shoulders, a beer belly and a general scruffy look picked me up at 7 am in front of the hostel. His name is Rod (short for Rodney) and he would be the driver and the guide for the day. He was quite a character. He had very dry humor, which I can appreciate. He was on point the entire day. Counting all people, making sure everyone had what they needed, but still had a very distracted look to him. He had been a Blue Mountains tour guide for the past 10 years and some of his jokes were a trick. It reminded me of the time I worked as divemaster in Curacao. Same jokes, different crowd. But it worked and the 12 guests, including myself, all had a smile on or face as we left the city behind us.

Rod explained that 99% of the Blue Mountains consist of Eucalyptus forest, but on some more shaded areas there is some tropical rainforest to be found. Such was the case at Leura Cascades, our first stop. “The view you’re about to see is nothing yet. You might think it is beautiful, but actually I is shit”, Rod said. “After this I’ll show you some places that are really amazing. The places where no big busses full of Chinese people can come. Secret places”, he said.

The Leura Cascades were actually pretty cool and I couldn’t wait to see the ‘secret’ places. After a short hike along a narrow path that winded up and down alongside the mountain lined with huge ferns, palm trees, tea trees and a wide range of plants I’ve never seen before we came across a chain closing off the trail. It had a sign on it which read: ‘Danger. Do not cross’. A few minutes before Rod had told me, “When you see the chain. Go underneath it and continue to the lookout point. I will meet you there”.

The view was great. You could see down on to the Leura Cascades and into a valley where the morning fog laid a thick white blanket over the forest. I looked like a river of clouds and was quite stunning. If this view was ‘shit’, I wondered what Rod had in store for us.

We tracked back to the little tour bus, which looked like the big brother of the Mystery Machine. Winding roads through a few small towns brought us to the next stop, called Pulpit Rock. The view was already a lot better than at Leura Cascades. The Blue Mountains look a bit like the Grand Canyon only the valley floor is covered in Eucalyptus forest as far as the eye can see. Eucalyptus trees have a faint blue glow to them hence the name, The Blue Mountains. On the other side of the valley a narrow but very tall waterfall could be seen. Next to it the rock face was covered with plants. It was locally known as the hanging gardens. Every so often the plants get too heavy and fall down, leaving bare sandstone patches on the green wall.

It was to be our next destination. Although it looked like it was far away it only took us 15 minutes to get to the other side.

The plan was to hike to the lookout point next to the waterfall, which is called The Bridal Veil fall. Then track back a little and follow the creek up stream. Rod would take the bus and meet us at the end of the trail. For some reason he asked me to be the last one in the group to make sure that everyone would arrive safely at the meeting point.

It was a very nice hike. Not too difficult, off the beaten path and through a beautiful part of the Blue Mountains. It took us about an hour to finish the trail and most were happy to be back in the bus and rest their feet.

“Ok gangsters. That is a hiphop reference. The next stop will be quite touristy”, Rod said dryly. “We are going to Echo Point and take a look at the Three Sisters. There is a legend, that I think is made up by the Europeans to make it more interesting, that goes as follows. Thousands of years ago there were 3 sisters who were in love with 3 warriors of a rivaling tribe. According to tribal law the sisters were not allowed to marry. But being warriors, the other tribe decided to take the girls anyway. A war broke out and to protect the sisters a witchdoctor turned them into stone. Unfortunately the witchdoctor got killed in battle and the sisters remain stone pillars until this day.”

We had about 25 minutes to look around. Afterwards Rod would take is to a very special real secret place, which can’t be found in any Lonely Planet or other travel guide.

The view at the Three Sisters was great gave a beautiful panoramic view. There were several mounts to be seen. One of them was called Mt. Jellore. My own mountain right here at the other end of the world. Who would have thought?

Here there were busloads of Asians and elderly people. One Asian guy had his headphones in and was singing out loud. Oasis, Katy Perry and Brian Adams were part of his repertoire. He could be one of those candidates for Pop Idol who think they can sing and gets kicked out at the auditions. It was hilarious. I feel kind of bad for the guy, since he was obviously oblivious to the fact everyone was laughing at him. But he did manage to bring a smile to the face of everyone there. Big up to the Asian guy!

The time had finally come. Our last stop of the day at Rod’s secret spot. A place called Sunset Rock. Just a small rocky ledge hidden in between thick bushes. The view was incredible. There were a few Germans in the group that could be quite loud. “Oh my god, this is amazing”, one of them shouted. “God has nothing to do with this”, I told her. “And can you keep it down. I’m trying to enjoy this view without you ruining the moment”. That helped for about 5 minutes, so I wandered off and followed the ledge to distance myself from the others in an attempt to take in this truly amazing sight.

An enormous valley with rolling hills covered in a blue-ish green forest. You could see pathways in the canapé where creeks and rivers flowed. It was hard to imagine that all this was eroded by water over millions of years. I listened to the silence. Never have I experienced such silence. No distant highway or other manmade structure to pollute the sound ways. Just the wind, the faint sound of a flowing river and the birds below on the valley floor.

It sat down on the edge with my legs dangling over the abyss. The clear blue sky covering the Blue Mountains which reached as far as the eye could see. The sunlight fading. At that moment I felt so small, so serene. Everything got put into perspective right then and there. We as humans think ourselves pretty important. But in truth, we are nothing. Just a little spec in the universe. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying we have no meaning and should commit mass suicide. We should just be more aware of our place in things. I could have sat there for hours and hours. Taking in the view, the sounds, the smells. Taking in something I can’t really put my finger on, but I was a truly humbling experience and one of the greatest moments in my life.

I had to pull myself away as it was time to leave. On the ride back to the city I closed my eyes and was right back on that ledge again. I thanked Rod a million times as he dropped my off at the hostel and gave him a good tip. He deserved it.

I need to go back there some day. Alone or with a select group of people. I feel it was over too quickly, but I am very happy to have witnessed such an amazing sight. It had been a good day.

One happy quarantined time traveler

I can’t sleep on airplanes unless I’m exhausted. No matter what I’ve tried so far it has been without success. I don’t like resorting to drugs. In case something happens I don’t like being drowsy or seeing little elves flying about the cabin. I’ve tried drinking the day before, listening to sleepy music, force yawning, moonlight meditation sessions, watching videos of sloths sleeping, counting sheep which usually ends up in a craving for shoarma and drinking tea with milk. Nothing seems to work.

The flight from Hawaii to Sydney took about 11 hours. After 2 movies, half a book and 1 article I started to doze off. I slept for a whole half hour when I got woken up by the pilot’s voice shouting at me through the intercom system. “We are starting our approach to the airport. We’ll be landing in approximately 30 minutes. Please fasten your seatbelts, return your chair in an upright position and close the tray in front of you. All electronic devices and mobile phones must be turned off until you’ve have past customs. I hope you had a pleasant flight. We from Hawaiian Air hope to serve you again soon. Mahalo”.

‘Finally we are there’, I thought. But no, not quite yet. The intercom came back on again. “In accordance with quarantine rules we will spray the cabin. Please remain seated until we have completed this process. If anyone gets up before completion we will have to start all over again. After the spraying stay seated for 5 minutes before getting up. I thank you for your cooperation.”

The flight attendants opened all the luggage compartments and walked passed while holding down the button on a spray can with a disinfectant of some kind. The spray didn’t get everywhere and the can was as good as empty by the time they reached the last compartments. It was quite a farce. My flight neighbor, who was from Sydney shook her head and laughed. “It is always like this”, she said. I can appreciate that Australian government wants to protect their borders against foreign diseases which can harm crops and what not. But with half measures like this it is more of a nuisance than anything else.

 After I got off the plane it was quite a smooth ride through customs. The TV shows about the Australian border control show a very strict policy and any undeclared items are taken and the ‘smuggler’ fined. It took about 15 minutes in total and I had no trouble at all ‘smuggling’ my Dutch mayo, hagelslag and curry ketchup across the border. (For a friend, I don’t even like curry ketchup)

It was easy enough to find the shuttle bus that would take me to Jolly swagman Hostel in Kings Cross where I would stay for the coming 4 nights. Traffic in the city was crazy and it took about 1,5 hours to get there. I didn’t mind it that much. There were 2 pretty girls from New Zeeland in the shuttle that were in town for some hair dressers expo. We talked a bit. I was too tired to be very talkative so I didn’t end up with any phone numbers. But it was a promising first 2 hours in my new country.

I checked in at the hostel and got settled in my room. Since airplane food is generally disgusting and not very filling I ventured out into Kings Cross to get a bite to eat. Some very salty fish ‘n chips was the diner of choice. I went by an ATM to get some cash first. The ATM’s here spit out monopoly money. Australian money looks weird. I’m not saying the Euro doesn’t, but still. The colors are bright but not quite and the watermark is transparent. Australian money has one feature though that makes is the best money in the world. It is waterproof! Get thrown in the water by some cheeky friends, go swimming without having to leave cash on the beach, go scuba diving with some decompression beer money in your pocket. Just dry it off and you´re ready to go. Briljant.

At about eleven I turned in. Time traveling is exhausting. Let me explain. I left at 12.30 on the 7^th of June. I traveled for 11 hours. That would make it 23.30 on the 7^th of June. Instead I arrived at 19.00 on the 8^th of June. Some made up border called the International Date Line is to blame. So apparently you don´t have be travelling at the speed of light to travel though time. I guess a certain Albert was wrong, relatively speaking.

The next morning I woke at 7 in the morning, made my way down to the kitchen and had some breakfast. I started working on a new article in the common area and ended up talking to Juan. A guy from Argentina who also had arrived the day before. He turned out to be my age and a very nice guy. A nice surprise since we were surrounded by hung over people in their early twenties. We ended up discovering Sydney together on this first day.

We walked through the Botanical gardens towards the Sydney Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. He sun was out and it was very comfortable 19 to 20 degrees Celsius. I really liked the Botanical gardens. Lots of cool looking trees in a beautiful landscaped park. A bird passed over which sounded like a goat and white Ibis are found everywhere. I found that particularly cool since we go to the zoo to see its red cousin back home. It felt like summer, but it is actually autumn. Juan and I walk past palm trees as we heard the crackling of fallen leaves beneath our feet. I had some trouble understanding that since for one from northern Europe that’s quite the contradiction. But I can definitely get used to it.

The view of the Sydney Opera House and the Bridge behind it as we looked across the water is pretty impressive. Everybody always says it is, but seeing with my own eyes made me a believer. If you ever go to Sydney keep your distance from the Opera House. From afar it looks a hell of a lot better than from close by. It felt a bit like waking up next to a girl that looked really hot the night before but turned into a mistake overnight. The closer you get the more Asians you come across. Chinese, Japanese Koreans, you name it. I don´t know why. I can’t explain it and I sure as hell can´t justify it, but for some reason they get on my nerve.

We continued on around Circular Quay where all the ferries dock towards an area called The Rocks. It seems to be an older part of the city. There was a market with a wide variety of goods. Artsy stuff, odd hippies selling incense, scarfs, a man who sold books who referred us to a place where they sold books when Juan asked for a lonely planet.

Feet started hurting, I need to get some new shoes pronto, so we decides to head back to the hostel. On our way there we picked up some groceries at the local supermarket. I opted for a healthy meal. I made a killer salad with feta, cherry tomatoes, some salt drizzled with garlic infused olive oil. If you´ve never had garlic infused olive oil go out buy some and treat yourself to heaven I a bottle.

The Vivid light festival was on in Sydney. I decided to check that out. The buildings around Circular Quay, including the Opera House had light projections on it. As I walked down town I heard the sound of wings flapping. But it did not sounds as any bird. Turns out that the palm tree in front of the hostel is the home to a huge bat. A wing span of at least 1 meter, maybe more. I looked around if Christian Bale would emerge from the darkness, but I guess he had a prior engagement. I had to think of my good friend Laura, who freaked out when cute little bats passed overhead back in Curacao. Although I´d like for her to be here, I´m sure she wouldn´t have liked this big sucker at all.

I really like Sydney. I´ve been here only 1 day and I feel very comfortable here. It helps that the weather is nice and there are pretty girls everywhere. I know Holland has a good percentage of pretty women, Hawaii was not too bad either but Sydney is just ridiculous. In the past two weeks I have seen more new things and met more new people then in the past 12 months. I love it and although I miss my friends and family I feel genuinely happy. This is the life I chose to live and it is the life I love.

Square poo and a son of a beach

For some reason I end up changing seats in the airplane. This time it was not ‘meant to be’ so I could play the hero, but it became a very interesting flight none the less.

An American family was traveling to Hawaii on vacation. Mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, son and daughter. I sat next to the mom, dad and 5 year old boy. The 7 year old daughter was seated in the front of the plane next to grandma. The girl was getting restless and started walking back and forth. I offered to change seats so she could sit with her brother. The parents gladly took the offer and I ended up next to grandma.

She was a tiny lady around 70 years old and she fit the stereotypical idea of an old lady. She had make up on with the lipstick covering more than just her lips, a shadow of dark hairs on her upper lip and very talkative.

Without me really listening she laid out her entire family history. This cousin moved here, that nephew got into trouble for this. Her husband got a new hip and so on and so forth. She was a member of the Rotary club and had seen a bit of the world. She asked where I was going and as soon as old here is was eventually bound for Australia she started talking about this animal she encountered down under which produced square poo. Small square pieces of feces, but she couldn’t remember what the animal was called. Later during the flight when we were walking about to stretch our legs she went to her daughter. “Sweety, what was that animal called with the square poo?”, she asked. Her daughter flushed red with embarrassment and we all started laughing. The square poo culprit turned out to a wombat. There is a nice piece of trivia knowledge for you. When we arrived in Hawaii the father came up to me with a big smile on his face. “Thanks again for switching seats with my daughter and sorry for all the weird stories”, he said as he put a $20 dollar bill in my hands. I told him it was not necessary, but he insisted. It was a very amusing flight and was glad I had some new weird encounter to write about.

Now for the more appealing part of this part of my journey. The shuttle bus dropped me of at the Waikiki Beachside Hostel where I would stay for the night. It was 1 pm, the sun was out, 34 degrees Celsius. Boulevards lined with palm trees, beautiful people in board shorts and bikinis hauling surfboards towards the turquoise water. Large waves breaking close to shore carrying all sorts of boards with all sorts of people on it. I was definitely in Hawaii!

At the hostel the rooms were getting cleaned and I could not drop my stuff of in my room. Instead I changed into my beach attire in the staff room and hit the beach. The water temperature was about 28 degrees Celsius and I was beside myself. It felt so good being in the ocean again. I noted that it was the first time for me in the Pacific Ocean. One more ocean to check of my list. I got into my island life mode instantly. Taking everything easy with a huge smile on my face. I find it hard to describe how I felt but it was a personal confirmation that sun, sea and palm trees mean instant happiness to me.

I walked down the beach to kill some time before heading back to the hostel and I came across this awesome tree. People who know me also know I can be intrigued by trees and this particular one definitely caught my eye. It was a tall tree with the canapé stretched out like a roof. And like mangrove trees the roots grew from the branches down to become trunks of their own. It is called a Banyen tree, but I like to refer to it as ‘The Mother tree’. Absolutely beautiful. So I sat in the shade of this amazing display of nature’s ingenuity watching the surfers as they waited in packs for the right wave to ride.

Some time had passed and I was able to check in and get in my room. It was an 8 bed dorm room which I shared with 5 others. A bloke galled Greg, from the UK who lived in Townsville, Australia for the past 4 years. So that’s another address to go to when get up there. An army girl galled grace, an ex-military now ordained minister called Kevin, a cute girl from Austria called Claudia and a 45 year old hippie type American-Japanese dude called Jack. It was quite a colorful crew we had going on. The atmosphere was really laid back and we hit it off like we knew each other for a long time.

I met up with Claudia and this guy named Anthony to go out for diner. I was intruding a bit since Anthony apparently was trying to get with Claudia for a few days already, but some European company was welcome to me and I tagged along anyways. We ended up in this Japanese place called Yakitori Glad. (I was surprised with the amount of Japanese people in Hawaii. There are small like ants and like ants they are everywhere). There were only Japanese people in the restaurant, which is a good indication that the food is good. We had fun there. The food was good and the menu even better. A story about the restaurant’s history was printed on it. It actually is quite a heavy story but written down in a hilarious manner. It was written down the same way a Japanese person would speak English. The owner had to go undergo surgery to battle cancer and he survived. ‘It was miracle!’ Follow this link and see for yourself. http://yakitori-glad.com/

My pick up the next morning for the airport shuttle was at 9 am, so I decided to turn in at around midnight. The next day I said goodbye to my new friends and exchanged personal information (you’ve got to love Facebook). There were no cups in the room so I and Jack had a bowl of coffee, which was quite funny on its own. An eleven hour flight was ahead of me that would bring me to my new home for the next ‘I don’t know how many’ years.

Now it is really time for my adventure to start. I hope you liked the prologue so far. Chapter one coming to you soon.

Great balls of fire

After a while you get fed up with jet lags and hang overs. Life goes back to its normal routine and so it did the last few days I was in Portland. Nikki went back to work so Jeff and I looked after Zoey while running errands. We did not have a whole lot to do, but driving from this part of town to the other can take up quite some time.

The first week started of great with lots of exercising and ended in whisky fueled couch slouching, so it was time for another run on Tuesday morning. With Zoey in the stroller Jeff and I went for a 5 mile run to burn of some Mellow Mushroom pizza and to quiet the screams of guilt in the back of our heads. Nikki was off from work Tuesday afternoon and we decides to have lunch at this floating restaurant called Newport Bay. (To undo the run we did that morning). The weather was beautiful, 80f/27c with clear blue skies and a powerful sun throwing its rays at us with a surprising punch. It resulted in the first sunburn of the year. Which was quite painful and satisfying at the same time.

At the Newport Bay we had a great view of the city and overlooked the Columbia River. It was a beautiful site to see the white capped Mount Hood in the distance as the sun played on the water. The taste of summer was in the air and people ventured out onto the water in speedboats, kayaks and even paddle boards.

We enjoyed a delicious lunch which Jeff and Nikki would finally let me pay for. I was glad they did. I am not a rich man, but I don’t like leeching of off others.

The rest of the day we chilled at the house and had a tasty turkey burger for dinner.

The last full day of this leg of my trip had finally arrived. I thought it was quite the miracle Jeff and Nikki weren't fed up with me yet. I’m pretty sure they are glad to have some more privacy now and not feel obligated to entertain the Dutchie on the couch. I myself grew a bit restless and was getting ready to continue my journey.

But not before I visited the Oregon Zoo. Not a very large zoo but pretty cool one none the less. They had black bears, polar bears, tigers and lions, a very cute baby elephant named Lilly and cougars (I mean the big cats, not the ones my twin brother is familiar with). One horny giraffe that tried to mount a female. She was quite reluctant and although we didn’t waited for x-rated giraffe interaction, the one who persists will prevail. Orangutans, gibbons and small monkeys I don’t know the name to but can be found in zoos around the globe. The timing for visiting the zoo was a bit off since the park was filled with small children on school outings. I have definitely taken a liking to kids over the past few years, but a horde of screaming little brats is still too much. It resulted in us avoiding indoor enclosures where the screams of said brats would bounce of the walls and reach decibel levels unheard off. Which is quite a weird expression since the noise was probably loud enough to carry a 100 miles in any direction.

After about 2 hours our eardrums could take no more and we used Zoey’s milk break as a good excuse to get out of there.

Now we get to the part where I get to explain the title of this article. There is this weird (keep Portland weird) restaurant called Salvador Molly’s. The have food from all over the world and they serve it in a colorful restaurant with a laid back atmosphere. I had the Jambalaya. A rice dish from Louisiana with chicken and shrimp in a spicy creole sauce. It was delicious. It is a well-known restaurant in Portland and they are famous for their Balls of Fire challenge. The challenge consists out of eating 5 Habanero (Madame Jeneatte) balls in a habanero sauce. I did not go for the challenge since I’m very fond of my taste buds. But I did try one ball of fire. These things live up to their name. I actually start sweating all over again while writing this. The flavor is pretty good for the first 20 seconds after that it just like a fire a blaze which keeps building up and building up. It a good 20 minutes, some dry rice, 2 glasses of water, some corn bread, a corona and multiple ice cubes before I felt anything close to normal again. That little sucker knocked the wind right out of me and unfortunately I was unable to finish my Jambalaya. I still have trouble believing someone could five of these including all the sauce to complete the challenge and live to tell the tale. Jeff warned that if it’s hot going in it will be the same coming out. Luckily I didn’t have to worry about that yet.

Before we called it a night (everyone had to get up early, Jeff and Nikki to work and I to catch my flight), we visited Ben and Kate. Jeff’s stepbrother and his wife. The live in a very cool house on stilts on a steep hill. They are remodeling and the downstairs still only consisted of wooden framework waiting for some sheetrock to turn it into rooms and a livable area. They did finish the deck out back which looked great. Right in between the canapé. It was close to a road but the branches and leaves muffled the sound and gave it a very private ‘cabin in the woods’ feel.

The next day we all got up early and I got unpleasantly reminded of the Ball of Fire I had the day prior. The melody of the song ‘Girl on fire’ by Alicia Keys started playing in my head. Only the lyrics had changed slightly. I’m sure everyone is able to fill in the blanks.

Time to leave. We said our goodbyes, Jeff went to work and Nikki dropped me off at the airport on the way to her work. Now it was only a 5,5 hour flight between me and Hawaii.

It has been a great 9 days with the Barkers. It was everything I hoped it would be and more. I missed hanging with my buddies from curacao and loved meeting their daughter. Also Jeff´s impression of me never gets old. I got to know Portland and it is definitely on my ‘to go back to’-list. Very mellow, very green, very cool. I will be back to help keep Portland weird.

A magic fairytale land

Once upon a time and about a 2 hour drive south of Portland lies a town called as a place out of a fairytale, Cottage Grove. A princess called Nikki grew up there and it is the place here parents still reside. Her knight in shining armor, Jeff, went to college in the neighboring town. For some reason that town didn’t sound all that magical. It sounded more like an overweight guy with grease stains on his shirt and a trucker cap. The name: Eugene.

On Saturday we set out on a trip to this enchanted land and a magical trip it turned out to be. Just the journey there was great. The road led through a valley with the coastal mountain range in the distance on the right and the Cascades on the left. Divided by rolling hills covered in lush green forests and endless farmlands. Just take the roads and farmhouses out. Add some Tatanka and Kevin Costner and it was a scene out of Dances with wolves. Nothing I’ve ever seen before save for on television. It was quite a sight. Halfway down we were greeted by the 3 sisters. 3 white capped mountains all about 3000 meters high towering over the Cascades mountain range which they belong to. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Range)

Further down vineyards lined the mountainside and we passed an amusement park called ‘The enchanted forest’. I then knew we were getting closer and closer.

First we stopped in Eugene to check in at the hotel Jeff and Nikki had arranged. We took a short stroll through the campus where Jeff fed his brain for several years and had a drink at the bar where he lost a lot of that food for thought.

Little Zoey was with us to and it was time to head to Cottage Grove where grandma and pa were waiting eagerly to babysit their granddaughter as we were getting our party on later that night.

Nikki’s parents, called Steve and Candace, live in a beautiful large white house. A neatly maintained garden at the front and about 7 acres of forest at the back of the house is what they called home. I’ve had the pleasure of meeting then just briefly during Jeff and Nikki’s wedding in Curacao 2 years ago. They made me feel right at home. We chatted a bit as Candace was preparing a delicious meal. Mashed potatoes with sweet green peas and oven roasted chicken. She was being very modest about it, but credit is given where credit is due. It was delicious.

After Nikki made sure Candace and Steve were ok with Zoey and smothering her little girl with kisses (this was only the second night she left her daughter) we left for the stained shirt, trucker cap wearing fat guy town Eugene.

Eugene is actually quite a pretty town. A lot of green patched laced in between the buildings. We met up one of Nikki’s childhood friends named Jaala and went to a bar called Rennie’s. One of Jeff’s friends worked there and he hooked us up with some glasses filled to the rim with the liquor of choice, free of charge. My drink of the evening would be a beautiful 10 year old Bushmills Irish whisky on the rocks. A drink they carried in every bar we went to, so it is safe to say I was very pleased. The whisky definitely added to the enchantment of this already magical trip.

We decided to swing by Taylor’s. The bar where Jeff used to work as a bouncer during his college years. There was a line out front and I feared we had to wait like everybody else. As patient as I am, I wasn’t looking forward to that. And then with another touch of fairytale magic Jeff noticed a friend working the door and we could skip the line and enter the bar like true VIP’s. After a few more drinks surrounded by drunk young girls and guys grinding as if their lives depended on it we decided to head back to the hotel. But no night out is complete without a midnight snack. My midnight snacks over the past years usually consists out of pita with shoarma, a Kapsalon or a frikandel special (Dutch snacks rule). I’ve seen my fair share of greasy, unhealthy but at that moment most awesome midnight snacks. But nothing could have prepared me for what Jaala had ordered for me. We got the food at a place called Burrito boy and I got the wet burrito.

I couldn’t believe my eyes when we returned to the hotel room and in opened the Styrofoam box. A burrito filled with rice, beans and steak covered with sauce and cheese the size of my head! (http://files.campus.edublogs.org/blogs.uoregon.edu/dist/e/64/files/2012/07/P1010332-29evfkd.jpg). It was mind boggling. I ate maybe one third of Burrito boy’s evil offspring and people who know me also know I rarely leave food on my plate. So I decided the best thing to do would be lying on my bed and pass out.

The next morning I didn’t feel all that magical or enchanted. Still groggy and hung over we made our way back to Cottage Grove were Candace was working her magic on an extensive brunch. Luckily it still took some time to prepare it all since solid food didn’t seem appealing to me at all.

A hot shower and a tall glass of milk brought me back to the land of the living and it was time to chow down on this amazing meal. Egg casserole, strips of bacon, hash browns, blackberry pie, biscuits, bread and butter, fruit salad, veggie sausages, jam and fresh orange juice. The one tastier then the next. It was a meal to remember. It didn’t take long for the food coma to kick in. So I found a bed and took a nice long nap while Nikki had a reunion with some friends down town.

I actually found it hard to say goodbye as we packed our things for the journey back. That brings me to probably the most magical part of this little road trip. Steve and Candace are such loving, caring people. They opened not just their house to me but also their hearts. The way they interact with each other and how they are so down to earth is inspiring. Even though we met twice I feel like I could knock on their door any time and feel welcome.

It was great weekend with lots of laughs, beautiful views and people to match.

And they lived happily ever after.

The end