The next morning we got to know that we couldn’t stay longer at Akshar’s place, and that it would be hard to find work in Surfer’s Paradise. So we did our laundry, packed our stuff, took photos and left this paradisiacal and cheap^^ apartment (St.Tropez Surfer’s Paradise)

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Before starting to head for Brisbane I decided to buy another singlet. I created it myself in the shop and I am very proud of it. 🙂

It took us one and a half hour without any stop to reach Brisbane. When we finally had arrived in Brisbane, we were surprised to face such a beautiful town.

We sent a lot of requests for couchsurfing but unfortunately didn’t get a reply. So we decided to sleep in the car for the first night ( we managed  to blow up our air mattresses and then we should be able to sleep in the car) ^^ We had found a place to park our car somewhere on the sideroad and spent the night there.

When we woke up the next morning we found ourselves in paradise. The apartment was so luxurious (we were used to living in hostels, cars, tents^^)

Our host Akshar left at 7 o’clock and we started our day (showered, had breakfast and went for a swim in the swimming pool/sea). Then I saw an ad for a job in the newspaper and called there immediately. We got the job. (delivering phonebooks).

When we had arrived and were about to start we realized that we hadn’t got our TFN (it takes so long here to order the TFN UNBELIEVABLE!) . If we had signed the contract  we would have lost 50% of our sallary. So we decided to cancel the job and  went to the CBD in Surfer’s Paradise. Walking along the Surfers Paradise Boulevard, we surfed on benches^^ ( even the benches look like surfboards here) and returned to Akshar’s apartment in the evening.

We decided to ask Akshar whether  we could possibly expire our stay at his comfortable apartment in Surfer’s Paradise,  and started to prepare our dinner.

Last night for the first time I slept in my car. I didn’t want to expire my stay in the hostel, so I decided to sleep in front of the hostel (at the carpark ^^) When I was awake,  I started to prepare all my food for my trip. At 11 o’clock I picked up Jan from the Greyhound bus station and showed him some nice parts of Byron Bay.

Then we started our tour to Surfer’s Paradise.

On our way we enjoyed to talk to each other, we had a lot to tell each other,  we visited the Burleigh Head National Park ( photo) and went shopping ( air mattress, gas-cooker, darts, snorkel equipment, pillows, sheets, curtains and an air pump; we decided to buy a manual pump not an electric one 😛 that was not a good idea…) In the evening when we were preparing the car for to sleep in, we recognized that the pump didn’t fit ( so it took us  ages ^^ to pump up the air mattresses). Tomorrow we will definitely buy an electric pump. ^^

We checked whether we could couchsurf somewhere (some days ago I had done some researches for couchsurfing-possibilities in Surfer’s Paradise and one guy had told me to call someone called „Akshar“  on Sunday). So we called Akshar, and he said, that it won’t be a problem (he has rent an apartment in Surfer’s Paradise). We parked the car in front of the beach and met Akshar, a very nice guy of about 30 years,  who welcome us to stay in his apartment (we could use the washing-machine, dryer and we were left to our own devices) 🙂 The apartment is so amazing 🙂 (a big flatscreen, two leather sofas, a balcony with a wonderful view) we enjoyed a very nice time there ( cooked, watched TV, had good conversations with Akshar, went swimming in the pool, tried Nando’s Peri Peri:D ) and decided to walk around in Surfer’s Paradise the next day.:) to take some photos and sightsee this huge city with all its skyscrapers in daylight.

Dan and me decided to start a tour to Nimbim today, because it was raining and we couldn’t stay at the beach. So we prepared for the trip ( money, lunch, drinks) and started. We passed very beautiful landscapes and arrived in Nimbim after one hour and a half ( we almost ran out of petrol :/) .It was the strangest „village“ I have ever seen. Hemp stores everywhere, and there was a strange smell in the air^^. Nimbim is only one road with many shops on the sidewalk. I bought a bracelett to never forget about this trip to Nimbim, saw really strange people ( a lot of tourists who looked strange too^^) ate lunch, watched people smoking weed in cafes and together we returned to our hostel. We took a lot of photos on our trip.

Last night there was a spontaneous beachparty on the main beach in Byron Bay. I went there with a couple of guys, and we had a wonderful beachparty with lots of different people from different countries :). Today I  got up and bought  my first own car at 11 o’clock (Daewoo Numira Waegon). I had phoned the seller yesterday and made an appointment with her. I payed 1990 AUD for a very good car (AC included, electrical stuff, new tyres, new battery, 127000 km only and clean indoors. It’s an automatic. ( I am not used to automatic, but I will manage it, I’m sure^^). That’s my first own car! :D:D:DAnd I bought it in Australia haha that’s strange. 🙂 She told me, that I have to change the carholder name to mine. So I decided to do it tomorrow. 🙂 Having bought my first own car,  I walked to the lighthouse again, this time with a girl from the Netherlands (Tessa). But unfortunately for this time we didn’t see any  whales :(.Just a lizard^^

But we had a lot of fun and it was a wonderful cloudy day.:) In the night Dan (my 30-year-old roommate from the Virgin Islands) and I planned a tour to Nimbim for the next day (in  my OWN car) 🙂

Dan and me 😀

Tessa and me 😀

goin‘ for a surf 😛

MY first CAR !!! :D:D 😛

For the last 2 days my rhythm of life had been to get up at 10 o’clock,  go out for breakfast in a restaurant, walk to the beach to read a book, swim and sunbath for getting a nice tan. Today it was different because I met a Canadian girl (Jill) and started to walk with her to the lighthouse. We passed beautiful places, enjoyed the walk, saw whales and had good talks. 🙂 In the evening I cooked (meatballs with tomato sauce and rice 🙂 ) and played some games with guys from the hostel. One roommate gave me the number of a friend who wanted to sell his car, so I think I will go there tomorrow to have a look at the car.

chilling on a tree (really amazing view) 🙂

me and jill 🙂

in front of the lighthouse 🙂

Last night I had spent turning it over and over again in my mind,  whether I should leave this place and go on on my own, to Byron Bay (the farmer had fired us). Finally I came to the conclusion to hitchhike to Byron Bay the next day. After having designed a sign with „Byron Bay“ on it, I went to the caravan park.:) There I met a very nice guy who gave me a lift to the Highway. 🙂 There I had been waiting (thumb up, sign up) for about an hour, when a 25- years- old, very nice guy (Brendon) picked me up and gave me a lift to Byron Bay. He was driving a very good car ( a black Holden) and showed me a lot of nice places. After I had arrived in Byron Bay, I  took a shower and went to my new room. Then I walked to the beach and to many other places around to discover Byron Bay :). Its really lovely here :). I decided to book the hostel for one week. The hostel is perfect and I have already  met some nice German and Danish girls here :). I hope it will be possible to surf tomorrow, and the weather will be fine. 🙂 Enjoy the photos 😀

Brendon’s car (so fast) 🙂

Brendon and me 😀

my hitchhiking signs 😛

During the last couple days I have got to know another German guy, who was sleeping at the same beach. I was so lucky, because one night it was raining cats and dogs, and he offered me to sleep in his car. It was so  luxurious, it was heaven ( a real mattress, curtains…) compared to my tent, and I slept so well on that mattress 🙂 feeling like staying in a hotel :). The next morning we had to start at 9 o’clock. We had been working for 7 hours in the pure heat and almost got fired, but the farmer said he liked Germans, so we were lucky, that he gave us a second chance. And we took it (worked very hard/good) 🙂 My plan is to work here for two weeks and save up some money to buy a car later . 🙂 After work we immediately went to the beach ( Sandy Beach ) and jumped into the waves. It was so refreshing to go swimming after a hard-working day. Then we changed our clothes and started to drive to a Sikh Temple ( we got a hot tip by the farmer -he is a Sikh -, that today, there would be Indian food for free). And  wow, indeed, we got an amazing meal over there, it tasted so good (different kinds of sauces, fruitsalad, yoghurt, potatoes with curry, a soup, pancakes and water). Before entering the temple we had to put a scarf on our heads :). After the meal we were so full, we were hardly able to stand up straight any more (my stomache hadn’t been used to eat so much for days :/) luckily I didn’t have to vomit afterwards, and we returned to our new sleeping-place: Next to the Woolgoolga -Lake. An advice from some French guys, who we had met at the temple and who were sleeping there, too.:).

me and my mates in front of the temple 🙂

New job near Coffsharbour:

The next day we woke up at 6 o’clock and drove away from our wwoofing-partner to meet Param, a guy who wanted to offer us a fruit-picking job ( we had called him some days before and he had confirmed, that we would have the job). When we came to his farm we were friendly welcomed ( he gave us instructions „ if you pick badly or slowly,  you’ll be fired“ and he said, that we will earn 10 AUD/hour. Thats not much ( normally you get 20 AUD/hour). We started to work –  8 hours in the pure heat (blueberry picking) – but we didn’t get the money today. He promised to pay us every second day. 🙂 So my plan for now is, to work on this farm for a week and then  to travel up the eastcoast, together with Jan. After work we went to the supermarket (ALDI) and later on to the beach to have a BBQ. 🙂 Then we were very tired and exhausted from the sun and from our work and finally went to bed. 🙂 Tomorrow we will have to get up at 7 o’clock 🙂 First for now, we will have a bath, and then I will have to survive the night ( it might be raining very soon, and I will have to stay in my tent on a parking lot near Sandy Beach. 🙂

THE Australian blueberrypicker^^