S p r a t t i c u s: Australia - let's put this sucker to bed!

Brisbane & Sydney, Australia - Mar 10-16, 2007

I know this sounds odd when you've been somewhere for three months, but I kinda ran out of time in Oz. Don't know where it all went. Maybe I had a hole in my timepiece and it was leaking out or I dropped three weeks down the gutter somewhere, but run out it did. So in a move that bucks the trend regards travel in Australia much as a pink fluffy thong and a pair of white cowboy boots bucks the trend in City attire (other than in the more unsavoury nocturnal establishments closer to Bethnal Green), I didn't really bother with the east coast. Can't say I missed it, then again, I don't know what I'm missing.

Flew straight from Darwin to Brisbane to see an old work colleague Richard Dougall (aka Dicki D) and then after one night I jetted off for five days in Sydney. Other than it was jolly chipper seeing Richard again and the fact I got my first sushi fix in over a month, I don't have much to say about Brisbane really. There was a nice t-shirt shop I didn't buy any t-shirts in. Here's a snap:

See what I mean?

Sydney on the other hand was a different spouted vessel of scaly gilled creatures. I did rather like the place and after merely two days I had sushi coming out of my ears. I think I might have got the wrong end of the (chop) stick with regards to eating sushi. Enough about sushi. Also, it was a bit like I had been there before as I seemed to have a ready made social life: I met up with V after a lot (and I mean A LOT) of to-ing and fro-ing (par for the cause with V), also Hilary from the Easyrider bus up the west coast and I bumped into another Easyrider, Vera, in the street or rather she bumped into me. After recognising me she chased me down the road shouting out my name! I had to stop and chat in the end as I ran out of puff trying to escape, as one generally does when one is being persued by a 23 year old Russian stunner, hair all a-swinging like a Timotei advert! (AS IF!) Oh yeah, and also I met up with a guy Alex whom I had met in Auckland & Taupo in New Zealand. So you see, there was a little social cluster to keep me busy along with the opera house (viewing rather than performing), my final (yawn) innoculations, a trip to the Blue Mountains, stroking a kuala bear, a boat trip down the river and loading up on wine (OK, goon) before the vino desert of SE Asia.

As most folk do, especially those that aren't scared of a city bigger than Wigan, I liked Sydney. It was buzzing, the people seemed friendly for a big city, the weather was delightful, the food was good (other food, not just sushi I mean), it's picturesque...but I still wouldn't live there even if you offered me a mint humbug. Don't know why. I think I was done with Australia in my head and wanted to try something new. Don't get me wrong, Australia is a beazer place and I found it fab to visit, the people really charming (give or take the odd meat-head), the scenery stunning...la...la...la but I just felt I couldn't live there unlike how I felt about New Zealand (OK, maybe Perth...or Melbourne). Perhaps I was seeing it with jaded eyes to a degree, too used to the western way of life and pining for some culture shock. Regardless, I was ready to leave. Here's some farewell snaps, most of a cliched nature:

Cliche

Cliche squared

I was trying to get a nice picture of the sunset and this Italian guy with a massive hooter lay down right in front of me as I tripped the shutter. Would you believe it? No.

Kuala. Give it a stroke and tick your list!

Actually, this was quite cool but a bit sad. A Tasmanian Devil (the cool bit), just running round and round his enclosure in this wildlife park (the sad bit). The keeper said that's what they do but me thinks that's what they do when they are penned in captivity and not left to roam free. Still, he seemed to be fulfilling his Loony Tunes obligations. (Oh dear.)