TravelBio

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When I last left you I had decided to stick it out at Scotty's for awhile.  As a refresher Scotty's is a hostel in Mission Beach, Queensland, about a two hour drive south of Cairns.  Some of the guests are simply traveling through, but others work at a nearby banana farm. The quiet town of Mission Beach.  Unfortunately much of the year is jellyfish season and the water is off-limits.  Even when they aren't around you have to look out for the crocodiles! Citizens of most countries that qualify for the working holiday visa (most of Western Europe, Canada, Japan, and Korea) can get a second year visa by doing farm work in regional Australia.  This explains why the backpackers at Scotty's were toiling away banana 'humping' (carrying banana bunches), 'de-leafing' (cutting dead or dying leaves from the trees), 'injecting' (pumping tree stumps with gasoline to kill them off), 'sorting' (cleaning and cutting the banana bunch

For anyone still reading or wondering what the hell happened I am here to reassure you that I am fine.  No, I did not wander off into the Outback, never to be seen again.  As often happens during travel, I go through phases when I don't often update the blog. As so happened this time around, it was a long phase.  Well to be more precise I didn't really get many chances to update the blog.  I ended up taking a roadhouse job where Internet access was scarce and entertaining updates even scarcer still. Spoiler alert: not that much happens out here! Now that I am finished with the job and back in the States with time on my hands, I will try and fill in the gaps.  Keep an eye out for new posts - yes, I promise to update you on all those exciting times in the Outback - as well as my plans now.  (And they do involve more travel!)

I wrote this last post over a week ago, but things haven't changed much since then.  I have done work at the banana nursery several days a week along with work at Miller's (although I have not been getting 30 hours, more like 20-25).  I will update the blog again soon! Here is the original post: For the first time since I left the Fruitshack, I have stayed in one place for at least a week.  As far as planning and work prospects, however, things have been eventful since my last post. When I last wrote my plan was to start on the banana farm once a spot opened up - hopefully quickly - and work nightwatch for accommodation in the meantime.  The nightwatch bit went smoothly, and I even got three days of work at a banana nursery my first week at Scotty's.  I spent the whole day rearranging small banana plants on a plastic tray so that they had more space to grow.  If it sounds boring that's because it is; but the money is good ($20 an hour), so I'm not c

As with the last one, I will be updating with more pics One last thing before I talk about my experience so far at Scotty's.  Last minute award space can be limited.  The flight that I took only had business class award space available, and the next few days were empty.  So I buckled down and paid double the miles - 15,000 Avios - plus $25 in taxes for a flight from Brisbane to Cairns.  I planned out my pre-flight meal at the airport (a fast food voucher Id picked up at an ATM), but once though my expedited security check I realized: I can go to the Qantas business class lounge! And the lounge was even better than the flight.  Unlimited free food - sandwiches, rice and curry, and salad - and free drinks - spirits, wine, and beer (lots of Australian brands, Heineken on tap, and Stella).  My flight was delayed by 20 minutes, and I must say, I didn't mind one bit.  I'd even have enjoyed a longer delay.  Now I know how people can get drunk at the airport - free alcoho

A lot of updates over the last week or so.  Currently I ' m staying in a hostel near Mission Beach, a small coastal town south of Cairns.  First about the rest of my time in Brisbane. After staying in City Backpackers for nearly a week I was ready for a change of scenery.  Some of the backpackers staying there were actually working in Brisbane and living at the hostel.  If I ' d found a job I would definitely prefer an apartment, even if I was still sharing a room.  Hostels can be fun, but you can never really unpack, share kitchen and bathroom facilities with dozens of people, and are constantly switching roommates.  I even feel a bit old there considering most people I meet are in their early 20 ' s or even just teenagers.  Too bad Americans don ' t take gap years - that would have been epic! Booking hostels at a weekly rate in Australia is often similar or even more expensive than sharing an apartment. I messaged a few potential hosts on Couchs

Now that Sam (back to work in Baltimore) and Mike (off to Europe) are both gone, it's time to look for a job!  The day after Mike left Byron I was on a bus bound for Brisbane.  Fingers crossed that this time around is more fruitful than my hunt in Sydney. Brisbane is the largest city in Queensland and third largest in the country (behind Sydney and Melbourne) View of Brisbane from the roof of City Backpackers, where  Mike and I stayed and where I am now staying again Brisbane River and the CBD; downtown seems  bigger  than a city of only 2 million people After five days of searching the results are mixed.  Initially I searched online for working hostels around rural Queensland, thinking farm work might be easier to get than a job in the city.  I found a lot of contact info but most places either didn't sound promising or said to try in a month's time or so.  Seems like demand isn't too high at the moment but may pick up later in April or