*sings* Im dreaming of Broome for Christmas....

Broome is pretty cool. I like it here...Theres not a massive amount to do, especially over xmas, but its been fun.

Busking picked up. On thursday night I went between the one pub, and the one nightclub, and sat there for a few hours, and came back with $308, which was good. I did have a drunk aboriginie try and steal my guitar though, but luckily defused the situation..Fighting isnt on my list of things to do in Australia, im crap at it. :)

Ive also been saved, and am apparantly a 'born again christian', having been saved by this Crazy lady. An actual quote she used in everyday conversation was "You dont believe any of this rubbish about us evolving from apes do you??" (Ermm..well, okay. I suppose its possible to believe a bolt came from the sky and a fully formed human just appeared if you take Enough drugs, but Im with the consensus of everyone born after 1850 that yes, we did in fact evolve. In fact its pretty obvious really..). Another good one was "Just read the bible. When you get stuff into your head, all this kaka, from every day. You know. How does this work? What is this? Just read the Bible, and remember thats the only thing thats true". Which I suppose is a fair viewpoint, if you just choose to ignore the last 2000 years, and you dont mind the odd contradiction or 600. So yes. That was eventful.

Then we hit Chritmas. Well, Friday we just went down the beach, had a few beers with some friends, which was good. Saturday I had a few drinks in the hostel, and then had a barbeque on Town Beach, which was awesome. Played a bit of guitar..Jacob, a german guy. Good bloke, ended up coming down for the last hour after work, and getting so wasted in an hour, we had to carry him back (a dead weight) to the hostel, then he was drunk for the WHOLE of Christmas just on what hed had that night....Good bloody effort, thats what I say!

Then Christmas was pretty fun as well. We had an all you can eat barbeque in the hostel, and after the meal, they gave us a load of presents. In fact, ill set the scene. You have a bar, and a load of tables, and 2m after the tables, you have a massive swimming pool. So yes, we got Floating pool toys, bubble makers, and the best? A load of water cannons. It was awesome. Everyone just had a massive water fight, which was loads of fun (and cooled us down a bit too!)

Also, Ive managed to sell my car for $3000, which is bloody good. Although it has thrown out ALL of my plans, but never mind! Its good to have a bit of money again, especially because I (unfortunately) need to book my plane ticket home..I dont know. Im kind of sad to see the car go. Maybe ill get another cheap one, and carry on travelling with that...

ROAD TRIP 2 - Karratha and Dampier - Broome

So yes, my trip is nearly over. The 1st part anyways.

My next stop was Karratha, which is a mining town, and ridiculously expensive to stay in. The cheap room at the Motel (there arent any backpackers anymore) was $220 PER NIGHT. And it was a pretty average hotel. So yes, I drove on to Dampier, which is 20ks outside. Still pretty industrial, but its got a nice beach which is out the way, and the campsite was pretty cool. Also cheap and $20 per night...

I busked in Karratha outside of Centro (It was the weekend, so noone had a chance to tell me I couldnt do it, because the centre management wernt in!)

Yeah, I made about $220 per day (2 hours) in the shopping centre, which was good...It also gave me time to explore, so I found these ancient aboriginal Rock carvings down some dirt track. they arent on any maps, or signposted. Purely local knowledge from the lady at the campsite...they were awesome!

Then I ended up stopping over night on 80 mile beach, watching the stars and the turtles try and climb the beach, then its onto Broome. I drove into Port Headland and straight out again. That place looked horrible..

So yes, now im in Broome, at the YHA there...

Theres a really good group of people there. And although its pretty shite for busking now, theres loads of work. Ill probably stick around for a bit longer here. Apart from that theres a pool right next to the bar, so you can have a few beers, and jump in. Some hot women walking around, and loads of real cool people.

Last night we went down to the beach. Well, swam a bit, THEN went down to the beach, had a few beers, and came back. Its getting into the cyclone season though, so gotta keep an eye on when those cat 5s are going to start coming through... :) The last thing I need is an ocean liner being picked up from the dock and landing on my car! :)

Oh, and some bastards stolen my camera again :( F*** sake. Bet that'll make somone a nice xmas present! :)

ROAD TRIP 2 - Exmouth

Then im back in exmouth again. Now, the plan was to do a bit of busking here, because I know the moneys alright for a small town, and that there arent any problems with rangers etc.

Ha, exccept they just changed the rules, so now Im not allowed to busk. I got in a bit on the 1st afternoon, and got about $40 for an hour, which payed for my washing and a nights rent. Then the next day it all goes tits up, as Dave the Nazi Jobsworth is now our friendly local Ranger. So yes. He comes up straight away the next day, and tells me I cant busk.

I explain to him that I have no money whatsover, but if he walks away for an hour id have enough money to get out of here. He says no, he cant do that. Thats against the council code, and its a hundred dollar fine. I ask him what the fine is for sleeping on the street, because ive only got $2.50, and hes not letting me work. Even if I got a permit (which was the wrong type). It was for an actual business, and I would have needed public Liability insurance, and 10 days to apply.

So then he says theres nothing I can do. I tell him that really, if he just showed a bit of compasion, or maybe a touch of christmas spirit, then id be gone in an hour. Nope. Hes having none of it. He even told the police. At this point I mentioned to him that not only has he wasted an hour of his time, hes also wasting police time, when really, all he has to do was walk around the corner and let me play. Idiot. Still, what can you do?

 I go around, there isnt any work. Pretty boned. Actually had to ring up the bank of Mum and Dad and get a sub, because it was the only way of doing it. Not that happy about it, but what can you do? So yes. anyways. I get some money off of them, which is petrol out of there..

It all worked out though, because the next day, some bloke drove by in a jeep and starts beeping and waving. I had no idea who he was, but he was beeping and waving, so I stopped. Turned out he was from the DEC (They run the national parks in WA) and hed seen me play guitar on the beach in Coral Bay, last time I was there. Also, hed seen me busking when I got to Exmouth, and wanted me to play the xmas party.

So yes. I definately took that. Got $100 for it too, which was good. And free beer, and a feed at the BBQ. They were a really really cool bunch of people actually, and told me that If I was back down that way theyd sort me out a few nights free rent at one of the campsites, and free snorkel hire, and a trip up the river...It was really good. So yes, things worked out in the end!

ROAD TRIP 2 - Carnarvon & Coral Bay

By now it was the 9th December, so time is ticking on...Id left myself short of money after visiting denham, so I stopped in Carnarvon. I was going to try and do some work, but. Pah. Sod that.

It is THE s***est town in the world. Full of the worst excuses for human beings in the world. Terrible place. Nowhere to busk either. I managed to get just about enough cash for a tank of petrol, and got out of there as soon as possible...

I mean, there were some cool guys at the hostel, and I saw the Total Eclipse of the moon there, which was good! And it had some pretty good sunsets, but yes. Couldnt wait to leave...

So yes. My next stop in Coral Bay again, which I rock up into with no petrol, and not much hope. It was pretty cool though in the end. I sat down to do a bit of busking, where my mate Max (who I met when I was driving up the coast on my last road trip) walks by and says 'Chris? Hey, How you doing?'. So after busking and making a bit of money for petrol, I go and see him and his mates.

Turns out its one of thier birthdays (A bloke called Martin), and one of the guys said 'sing him a random birthday song! Go on, do it! Then we'll buy you some pizza or something. Well, A fat man never says no to pizza, so I sing this birthday song to him. THEN we end up going down the beach and having a few beers, which is all good...


THEN after that a bunch of Aussies who are over on a fishing holiday come over because they hear the guitar etc, and we all end up getting on it back at thier place, where they have crates of beer etc..I ended up sleeping on thier sofa, and Id love to know how they got on in the end. They were going fishing the next day, and by god they were absolutely plastered when they went to bed (1hr before they wanted to get up! :P)

ROADTRIP 2 Geraldton - Denham (Monkey Mia) - Hutt River Province

After that I drove up to Denham, which is up past Kalbarri. It was a really nice little place actually, and there were some stunning beaches and views on the way back down to the main road.

I mean, It doesnt really translate well when I write it down, but you can check out the photos on my facebook for more of an idea on what was going on. I was only there overnight anyways.

After that I headed out of Australia to the Hutt River Province, where some mental bloke back in 1970 didnt like the fact that the Govt were meddling in his grain quota (It would have reduced itsself from 100'000 tonnes per year to 1000) so he declaired war on Australia.

Because its (a) Australia, and (b) the weekend, and (c) because the Govener to the Queen wrote back to the 'administrator of the Hutt River Provicnce', therefore making it 'legally ratified by the queen', and the place was born. He made himself a Prince later to get out of some legal wranglings.

He was pretty eccentric, but pretty cool!

ROADTRIP 2 Perth - Geraldton

Like I said, I had an impulsive moment, jumped in the car, and fecked off. Probably not the smartest move ive ever had, but it was all mine, so I took it! :)

So yes, my first real stop was Geraldton. I was going to stop off on the way, but it was peeing it down with rain for most of the journey, so I just jumped on the highway and drove straight up. It was pretty sad leaving all my previous victims in Freo, I came to travel, so I was pretty happy to be on the road again!

Geraldton was a really awesome little city. Well, I dont know. The people loved thier music, busking was really good there, and the hostel was pretty damn awesome. The city itsself was probably a little average, and Ive got the feeling its got a bit of drug problem. Mates mates were coming to the hostel, and talking about smoking crack like youd grab a glass of water from the kitchen, so I was never going to spend alot of time there (What was it Scissor sisters wrote. "What once was an emerald city is now a crystal town". Its only a matter of time..), but I would have liked to spend a few more days..

I had a really good time at everyone at the hostel, and Like i say, it would have been nice to build up a bit of cash, but the lady booked out my bed to someone else, so that was it. Onwards and upwards.

The Last of Fremantle (for now! :P)

After that I got back, there was nowhere to stay, so I ended up staying round my friend Lauras house for nearly a week. It was pretty cool of her actually. Then I went back to the hostel, and ended up having to sleep on the sofa for a bit, because my bed was double booked, then back to Lauras. Got a bit of cash, and buggered off!

Highlights were a carnaval which came though the high street, and was really good to watch. Had the fortune of seeing the whole thing with a nice cold Carlton Draught in my hand, pretty damn good! Then after that, Passenger played at Mojos, which was awesome!

Mike is a really good singer songwriter from sunny england, but keeps coming over here, and busking and playing a few gigs. Does it whilst its cold in winter in England, then goes back to sunny UK over summer. Perhaps I could take a leaf out his book. Never dipping below 20c sounds like a pretty good plan to me! :) Anyways, saw his gig. I didnt have a ticket, because theyd all sold out, and I didnt have a card to buy one online (because id lost it in Margaret river), so I turned up early before the venue properly opened, and was going to buy one, but actually ran into him, and had a little chat. He put me on the guest list in the end, which was good. Amazing gig. though. The support was pretty good too.. There was this lady called Georgina something, and she was outstanding. Cant think of her name though which is a shame!

Then thats it. Rusen came over to Freo, and It was really good to see her again, then I had an impulsive moment, coupled by the fact they had a massive thunderstorm and it was 19c, and jumped in my car and drove off!

Road Trip 1 - Exmouth

Exmouth is a pretty cool place, I mean, the busking there was pretty good overall. I also met a really cool group of people, Mikeal, Lizzie, and Gina, who were travelling down. (saw them again just before they left oz too which was pretty cool! )

So yes, I had a couple of beers with them back at the campsite, played a bit of guitar, woke everyone up, then went to sleep. It sounds pretty same old, but I had a really good night! The next day I made about $80 for 3 hours busking, which payed for my rent. Then that night Me, Diego, and the girls had a BBQ, which was awesome. I love barbies! There was so much food though. I wasnt hungry for about a day afterwards! :)

Then after a bit more busking, we all went off into the National Park. It was pretty cool there. EVeryone else just lazed around on Turquoise bay all day, but I cant sit still for too long, so I ended up driving down the coast, and having a bit of a look in the rest of the beaches / walks etc. There were some really nice spots, although I did manage to get my Automatic stuck in the sand, which was almost a bit hair raising. Stupid bloody thing decided there wasnt any traction, so it was just going to run the clutch, and not turn the wheels. Intellingent Electronic Torque Control my left buttock. Got it out in the end, by slamming it in reverse, then straight into forwards, and digging a hole around the wheels, I got a tiny bit of traction, and managed to get myself out. Phew!

I mean, I wasnt that bothered. It was a pretty cool place to be stuck, but I dont think Sarah, Diego, and Tina would have been very happy! :) Saw a few Emus, then the next day drove back (10 hours) to Fremantle!

ROADTRIP 1 - CORAL BAY

So, after my last post, Id just got up to Coral bay with Ze Germans, and Diego. It was dark though, so I didnt really get a good look at it. I didnt check into the hostel, because I thought 'sod it! Ill sleep in my car, save a bit of cash'.

Turns out there was nowhere for me to sleep without paying though, and by the time I realised this, everywhere was shut. Oh well, Ill just sleep in the carpark by the beach anyways. If the Ranger comes around, he can sod off. Ill tell him exactly where to stick it, he doesnt scare me! (etc etc)

...so yes, 630am, theres a knock on the window, wakes me up. Outside, there is only what I can possibly describe as a Human Mountain. This bloke is fecking huuuuge. Hes 7 ft tall, and about 5ft wide, and pretty angry. Yeah. I kinda folded. ('please sir, yessir, ill move sir, pleasesir please anything. sorrysorrysorry'). And moved on.

It did make me massively grumpy though (The furthur before 10am I wake up, the more massively annoyed at everything I am), so im going to skip past the page long rant about absolutely everything (from the sun being too bright, to a strap getting stuck in the boot of my car, to the colour red. These are just some of EVERYTHING that was annoying me for the 1st 3 hours of my day! :P)

I did concede in my four hour ranting marathon though, that this place did have a  Stunning bay, with pristene, clear, turquoise waters, perfect for swimming and snorkelling. I even saw a few sting rays in the sand, a turtle, and loads of snapper fish. It was pretty awesome. Theres some pictures up on facebook. In fact ive seen loads of turtles recently. Its thier breeding season, so theres turtle porn everywhere!

Busking wise it was pretty average, because theres only 200 people in town. still, I was pulling home $35-40 a day, which was enough for rent and a bit of food. Also, worth mentioning, not that anyone back home, who hasnt experienced it first hand, will understand, but the flies are ridiculous. They fly in your mouth, your eyes, your ears, they swarm around. Definately the worst thing about outback WA! :)

I also went to this shark sanctuary and saw my 1st shark, although I didnt have a camera to take a picture! I also played in the hostel on the 2nd night I was there, and the lady who runs the place was so impressed she gave me a free nights rent, which was good. Came in handy! I met some really cool people there actually. Defiantely one of my favorite places in Australia!

ROAD TRIP MARGARET RIVER - PERTH - EXMOUTH

Its been a while, but im going to throw up a quick blog of my journey over the last few months. This is from 9 / 11 / 11

Basically, my plan here was I was going to go around Margaret River for a few weeks, then drive up north to Broome, then Darwin. You know, busk, chill out, see the area, etc. This is what actually happened..

MARGARET RIVER - Fri 10/11/11

Me, Diego, Flo, and Ze Germans, Sarah, Otto, Tina, Mario, Otto, and Stephan all rocked up to this hostel around 8pm. Well, they were staying in the hostel. We wanted to (a) save money, and (b) save a bit of cash, so we slept in the car. Which did mean that technically we wernt allowed to be in the hostel past 8pm. Erm. Well, that sort of happened. Not!

The first night we played drinking games. It was a bloody good night, but I did manage to lose my wallet though. I also managed to pass out on the sofa, which matey wasnt very happy about when he rocked up to his hostel at 8am. Oops! Oh well!

Then we went out, drove into town, and had a look around, then went to this awesome cave which was45m deep, and 2ks big. Well, the whole system went for 18k's. Pretty damn amazing. It had some really cool Stalagtites, mites, straws, etc.  There was also some pretty spectacular forests (Which burnt down about 2 days after we visisted. Nothing to do with me, I promise! :P Well, I hope! :)), then we ended up in Augusta, rocked out on the beach there for a bit, then we all had a barbie on the beach, and went back and went to sleep (well, via the rest of the beer we'd brought the day before! :P)

SUNDAY

Today we went to a chocolate factory, which wasnt actually factorying. It was also massively over priced, but they did do a Chocolate Liquor, which was bloody amazing! Then, stopping off at a few beaches on the way, we went back to freo, where I did a bit of last minuite busking, and ended up sleeping on the Sofa at the hostel, because they were fully booked!

MONDAY (FREO - EXMOUTH)

So now im back in Freo. Sarah said though, that If I drive them up to Exmouth, then they would pay for me to eat, and for the petrol. Well, I couldnt say no. Good Company, and a free trip up north? Hell yeah! So yes, It was Italian Diego, Sarah, and Tina who came with me on this trip...

Monday we drove up to Kalbarri. It was an awesome drive. A really nice stretch of coast. We stopped off at the Pinnacles, which are rocks jutting out f the sand in the desert. Much cooler than it sounds written down!  Then we carried on to Kalbarri which had some of the most spectacular coastal scenery I think ive ever seen. Specially at sunset (which we got there just in time for!). Beautiful!

Then at the hostel we ran into my mate Dan from Freo. It was cool, so we had a few beers (which he brought), then ended up going to another party, and drinking and chatting more, then a local guy called Graham (who was the most stereotypical Aussie ive ever met. Youtube the australian monty python sketch and youve got him!) for even more beers. Really nice peopple. had a good time!

It was good, although the next day the others got a tour around the national park, but I couldnt go because I didnt have the right shoes (some bastard stole them!). Never mind. Anyways, Ive only got 3 mins of internet left, so im going to have to sign off and come back to this.

Tune in for part two, where I go up to Coral Bay, then Exmouth, then back!