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And did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?

2:26 am Saturday, 28 June, 2008

Hervey Bay # 1 - 3

Ah the joys of travel. It’s 05.45 and I’ve just jumped off my bus. I’m somewhere in Hervey Bay. I don’t get picked up for my hostel until 07.00 and there’s no point in getting a taxi as there won’t be anyone to let me in till then. So I’m sat here in the motley crew of travellers waiting for our various pickups.

It’s cold. To the point of where I have just unsuccessfully searched my bag for my lone jumper and ended up with my towel around my shoulders. I need to buy some clothes today. If it’s going to carry on being cold then clothes are the way forward. Also a sleeping bag. If hostels are only going to provide a sheet and a pillow then my sack just isn’t going to cover it. I have no idea where they’ll go in my bag… It probably does not help that I didn’t really sleep very well. I had maybe three hours of broken sleep. Both times when I managed to properly drop off it turned out to be meal break and thus was announced loudly with the lights turned on and lots of noise. Le sigh.

The movie choice this time was Cry Baby which was notable and indeed tolerable only for Johnny Depp who proves yet again to be watchable in *anything*.

I think I’m going to sleep for a few hours when I get to my hostel assuming they have a bed ready for me (please!) and then I’ll do some shopping and then book my trip to Fraser Island. I found out yesterday that this is one of the places for whale watching and I think that I’ve come down south enough that they should be around in much more numbers now. That would be pretty damn sweet huh?

Yesterday I traded in my books and I did pick up that new Harlen Corben; Hold Tight. I finished it off in a few hours and traded it back in. I’m now reading The Promise of An Island by Michael Houellebecq. It’s much slower going than your standard crime novels. I have tried him before but I wasn’t able to get into Atomised at all but I’m doing well with this so far, the title alone is awesome and the cover is pretty striking too. Anyway so far so good but I didn’t do much reading on the coach, I just tried to sleep.

By the way as I think at least one of you may be confused “The world is fucked and so am I” is from Stop It You’re Killing Me off Therapy?’s excellent (was it their debut?) Troublegum. You might have noticed it being mentioned down a bit in the post…

In the past couple of weeks I have missed gigs by My Bloody Valentine, Radiohead and Sigur Ros. A year ago today I was on my way to Glastonbury (wow how time can really fly). I don’t think I’d have actually gone this year but it’s on now. Surprisingly I do find myself caring slightly. I know that each one of the gigs would have been pretty special. At the same time, of course, no gig is worth missing the past few months for and I have no doubt at all the next few months will be the same. I’ve already got a Sigur Ros ticket for Australia and I’m sure I’ll catch Radiohead sometime on this tour.

So other stuff about Australia which I have noticed.

- There is, according to anyone you talk to, a huge problem with drink driving across the country. People live out in the boonies and have to drive to get a drink. So naturally in a stroke of genius worthy of the Irish Australia has embraced the drive through offie. You pull your car and/or monster truck into this little lane about the size of a car wash and just grab from fridges lining the way. I’ve seen people so practiced that they don’t need to get out, they can pickup a 6 pack, roll to the cashier and then away they go.

- Mars Australia quite rightfully decided that corporate America could fuck right off and that they were going to stick to the timeless classic of “A Mars a day helps you work rest and play.” I cannot remember what insipid crap Mars switched to a few years ago but it’s good to know that somewhere in the world a little sense prevails. However it should be pointed out that chocolate and sweets (or lollys as the locals call ‘em) are madly expensive in Australia. A normal bar like said Mars or Twix or the like costs just under $2 and that’s from the supermarket shelves.

- Burger King is Hungry Jacks here. I have no idea why and I’ve not cared enough to look it up. There is one nearby here, though McDonalds is closer but I’m not in the mood for food nor am I cold enough to lug all my bags there and back.

- Spider horror stories become more and more common as yo talk to people who have been out in the Outback already. Even on the short trips it seems you are a certain to see some horrible little and not so little things.

- Speaking of the outback. I was surprised to find out that you can if you choose to climb Uluru (formerly known as Ayers Rock). The owners, the Aborigines known as Anangu have leased the land to the National Park, request that you respect their laws and culture and not to climb but you still can if you want to. I’ve heard varying reports as to it being a very tough climb or just a small uphill walk. I think that after that mountain in China, I could climb anything but I’m pretty much coming down on the side of just (just he says) doing the base walk. It would seem wrong to climb it however tempting an option it may be.

- Now that’s brought up the A word, some basic first impressions. I don’t have much to go on. There are a good number of Aborigines in Cairns. Most Australians seemed to just walk past them without even so much as a glance. Now obviously I’ve had a very very limited actual exposure to but it did seem that there was a lot of street drinking going on. I saw police stopping Aborigines several times and and asking them if they had any booze. The only time I got a response was when I was carrying the crate of beer to the dive shop and two of them came up and stopped me and asked if they could ask me a question. There was a huge amount of casual and not so casual racism towards Aborigines displayed in that Peter Temple crime novel. A novel of course but I wonder how much there really is. Though that seems like a stupid question and the answer is tons and tons and tons. I’ve heard tales of supermarkets enforcing a must wear shoes policy because most Aborigines don’t. Then again a lot of Australians in general don’t seem to bother with shoes. Bah more to be thought out here, this doesn’t hang together one bit.

Alright 06.45, my lift should be here soon I hope.

06.46 Hervey Bay, Australia. Thursday June 26th

Thursday afternoon and I find myself sat in Hoolihans Irish Restaurant and Bar drinking an acceptable pint of Guinness. I had some serious doubts about this place when the first item on the breakfast menu is “An Irishman’s breakfast” and then goes on to inform that this is “a freshly cooked croissant filled with smoked ham and scrambled eggs”. A croissant for fuck sake? However as I say the Guinness is acceptable and the place redeemed itself a good bit as it’s playing The Pogues. It’s a collection of some sort hmmm could be a live album, it sounds a tad liveish, I don’t recognise the running order but still it’s a step above what most “Irish” pubs play.

Anyway very pleased to report that my pickup arrived and my room was ready. I only got a couple of hours sleep before a somewhat strange Aussie girl arrived in the room, Bianca. She’s just moved here and is staying till she finds accommodation. I’m not sure she was fully prepared for hostel life with slightly smelly and never really clean anymore backpackers but something seems very off too. Oh well, we didn’t start off on the best footing so I’m going to try and drag her out to the pub tonight (assuming that I head back at some stage don’t just stay here all day…). It’s cheap here too, lunch cost me $6 and a pint was only $7. Jaysus it’s not going to be good for very long if I think of things like that as cheap.

There isn’t much to Hervey Bay so far. There is a little more life than Airlie beach and the beach here is stunning, one of the best I’ve seen. I’m certainly going to do some swimming tomorrow it’s the clearest water I’ve ever seen and nice and warm once the sun comes out. I did a little shopping this morning, of course I completely forgot to get a jumper of any sort, damn. I’m going to book my Fraser Island trip later today and hopefully that’ll cover the weekend. From reading some of the local literature, I may be a bit early for whale watching which would be disappointing, there are some stunning photos around.

Ah I’ve just placed the Pogues album, they moved from a collection to the live at Brixton dsic from the most recent collection. I think I was at one of the two gigs it was recorded over and it’s always nice to hear. Or at perhaps it’s just on some sorta shuffle. Now it’s back to studio. Oh well not to worry, it’s still good to hear. I do note now that this place has Toohey’s old on tap which is the first I’ve seen of that. I may have to mix my drinks a bit. There is music tomorrow night and I think I’ll come along for that too assuming that Fraser isn’t the earliest start in the world.

No sign of net access here which is annoying. I’m waiting on a couple of emails and looking forward to what should be an interesting explanation too. With luck this won’t mean that I’ll be writing and writing and writing for the next few days.

15.37 Hervey Bay, Australia. Thursday June 26th

Saturday morning. Did you ever meet someone and just think to yourself schizophrenic? Well after another couple of days here my roommate has just confessed that she’s been diagnosed as schizophrenic but that she’s not of course and that under the law the doctors can do a lot to her and she seems to be pretty much running away (literally). Yowsa, it’s the nicest hostel I have stayed in but it’s not the most comfortable place. I’m sat on my bed typing this out and I think that very soon I’ll go out for the day!

Last night I went back to Hoolihans for a few pints and the music. It wasn’t a bad evening and I feel very well this morning (even at this early hour) given the number of pints involved. One of the songs they played was Pink Floyd’s Wish You Were Here. Now Floyd are one of those bands that I should love. They tick all of my boxes but I’ve never managed to get into them (sorry Mr. White!). I pretty much only have time for two tracks and I only as I bought a greatest hits (Echoes) after listening to Dave rave about them once too often. I like Comfortably Numb and I have to admit that I love Wish You Were Here So it always brings a smile to my face when I hear it.

Though lately it’s off a bit.

I strongly dislike associating music with people. I hate the idea of thinking of someone when I hear a song or a band. One of my first dates was to an R.E.M. gig back in Dublin in the nineties. That one didn’t end up well (I may have mentioned this the other day), but the idea of then forever associating R.E.M. with her or any of the songs they sing just appalls me. There is so much music that I’ve heard with people (friends and girlfriends) over the years that if I were to associate music with them, it could just turn me off so much music. So I try my very best to make sure that it doesn’t work like that. I’ll certainly take times and places and experiences (and I’ve mentioned some of these throughout the years here) but I really really don’t want songs to make me think of people.

Wish You Were Here does just that and the worst part of it all is, I have no idea why. It just doesn’t make sense, I don’t remember ever hearing it with her or it having anything to do with her. When I hear it, it *should* make me think of Live 8 and seeing Pink Floyd along with a good group of folks but it doesn’t work, it just makes me think of this girl. I’m trying to figure out why but at the same time I’m trying not to think about it so that the association isn’t reenforced any more.

Anyways back to last night and I leave the pub at around 10.30. I spend a little while on the beach listening to the song a couple of times and staring at the stars. Australia has the most beautiful stars I’ve ever seen. I can’t think of a time I’ve seen the night sky so clearly and so crisply. It’s easy to just get lost in it. I could have sat down and stared at the sky and listened to music for hours and hours and just appreciated. Glorious. Though I didn’t think my roommates would have appreciated me bumbling around late at night. Had a new girl for last night, Deborah a strikingly pretty English girl who was heading to Fraser Island early this morning.

Backing up a little more, yesterday afternoon I went to see Kung Fu Panda. I hadn’t meant to. I wanted to see Get Smart but I was late for the showing as my laundry took longer than I expected. I may go and see that later on today. Anyway it was alright, funny in places but nothing to really write home about (oops - too late). I managed to loose my phone in the cinema which was annoying, not to mention stupid. So I have to head back that way later on to see if they have found it. It’s not the first time this has happened. The jeans I was wearing have bad pockets and anytime I’ve been to the cinema in them I end up leaving something on the seat. I should have learnt by now to remember to zip everything up. Anyway annoying!

I finished off Houellebecq’s The Possibility Of An Island. It’s an astounding book. I realised about halfway through that I was reading something special and I ended up doing something I have never done before and in fact the thought slightly horrifies me. I took out a pen and I not only made notes on the inside of the back cover but I underlined sentences and make notes along the text. Very very unlike me. A wonderful book and I feel like I should go and apologise to Houellebecq for dismissing Atomised like I did.

I’m staying another night in the hostel and then early tomorrow morning I’m going out to Fraser Island for a three day, 2 night trip. I’m looking forward to it. I need to sort all my camera kit out and make sure everything is charged up. It looks like it’s going to be a prime few days for photography. Then I’m coming back here for at least one night, maybe two. It’s slightly complicated in that I have to get my bus to the next destination just before 06.00 and well I haven’t confirmed my bus or indeed the next destination. I need to sit down and work all that out. It’s not so easy without net access!

That’s another thing I need to do today, find somewhere with some internet.

Oh things which are awesome. Before I did my laundry I was down to almost no clean clothes. I was walking along the street, just wandering I think and for some reason I got to thinking about the shirt I was wearing. I have no idea why but all of a sudden I have another one of those moments and I realise that I’m walking down a street in Australia which is awesome and that I’m wearing a just a normal shirt but one that I bought in a market in Phnom Penh in Cambodia. Awesome!

Then last night as I was paying for a pint at the bar I found a shiny coin in my pocket that while it’s fifty cents, it’s a Singapore fifty cents. I have it here now and it’s awesome too!

Okay yes, sometimes I’m very easily amused but there ya go. It’s still nice to just have the little reminders of things like that and to have that realisation of how good life is at the moment even if it doesn’t always feel like it.

My roommate has just come back and is talking about going to church and not being a churchgoer and thinking that despite that she’ll go to church tomorrow. I say again, yowsa!

Man it’s too early. I feel like I could have done with hours more sleep but I probably don’t really. I’ve been sleeping spectacularly well lately. Pretty much everytime I go to bed I drop off to sleep quickly. I heard a snippet on the radio the other day which said something along the lines of humans only needing on average seven minutes to fall asleep. Now I scoffed, I scoffed alot. I generally allow an hour to fall asleep whenever I think about sleeping times but most nights now I’m gone in seconds. Depending on my mood and the noise levels around I’ll stick some music on (Snow Patrol or Air are the normal choices these days). Last night I put on Okerveil River and I didn’t even make it through the first song. I wish it were that easy all the time.

So the plan now is breakfast, internet, bookshops (bad Dave), cinema and then I dunno really. It’s all pretty quiet around here, not a huge amount to be up and doing. While I still think that I’d like to get somewhere and stay for a week or so, I wonder just how bored I’d get especially without having a private room where I can kickback a bit more and happily sit around watching a movie or typing away. Ah the small luxuries!

I’ve just randomly read some old posts that I have saved locally from when I was working in the US. The first one was from the day when the old crew got made redundant in February of last year. The second I don’t think that I posted, it’s pretty clear from it how bad things really were for me in work and reading it, I’m amazed that I managed as long as I did. I don’t remember typing this one out but it just screams out unhappiness. I think that ploughing on through was just all I had even though I think I knew how much of an impact this was having on me and my mental health. Hmm, the good old and not so good old days.

Right, best do something today!

09.22 Hervey Bay, Australia Saturday June 28th.