Home-home

sveriges-flaggaHome again.

At long last, I have landed in Sweden. Yes, this was over a month ago (almost two to be honest) and that’s the reason there hasn’t been many updates lately.

Since arriving at home, I’ve started work again, moved in with my girlfriend, sold my apartment and gotten back into the swedish grove. No more driving on the wrong side of the road, no more UTEs, and aussie annoyances.

Due to this, I will start writing in swedish again, until I possibly go on more international adventures, but that might be a while.

Spotify Song of the Day: Black-Ingvars – Du gamla, du fria

 

Australia Zoo

DSC_0126
Alma Zoo – Thanks for informing people of the closedness on the website. A**holes

DSC_0127

Some sweet sugary lizards

DSC_0131

Big time Crocodile resting it’s nose above the water
DSC_0132

Illustrative warning signs

DSC_0133

Mama turtle eating some leavesDSC_0136

This little guy had escaped from his cage and was roaming the walkway

DSC_0142

This is possibly the weirdes bird in the world. I’ll call him Bonehead, because he’s got bone on his head.

DSC_0165

Did you know that Australia has the biggest herd of wild camels in the world?

DSC_0171

Who needs friends when a total stranger can take a picture of you by the Koalas?

DSC_0172

This wombat is approaching a lizard in it’s enclosement. (lizard on left)

DSC_0180

My favorite bird – the laughing kookaburra. HE’S SO FLUFFY

DSC_0181

Oh, you’re trying to take a picture of the kangaroo? Lemme just step right in front of him..

DSC_0188

Joey Kangaroo is having lunch

DSC_0192

Woooh! I got to pet one!

DSC_0194

I got to pet this guys neighbour as well. Koalas have curly fur.

DSC_0201

This sumatran tiger likes meat and milk. Preferably served on a long stick, up a tree

DSC_0207

“LOOK AT THIS TIGER” Is what I imagine shorts-guy is thinking

DSC_0223

Giraffes are fantasticly huge animals!

DSC_0224

Here they’re walking togetgher, giving me the impression of those Star Wars robots approaching.

DSC_0226

The Rhinos, Zebras and Giraffes were all in the same cage. I’m assuming they all eat grass.
DSC_0242This is a tasmanian devil

Hi!

Yesterday, I decided to go to the Alma Zoo to watch some of the animals I hadn’t yet seen. After half an hour drive, I arrived outside the gates. Lo and behold, in the spirit of true Australian-ness, they had forgotten to update their website telling people that the zoo has been closed for over a week.

The good news however is that upon learning that, I decided to instead go to the Australia Zoo. On their website it said that they mostly had reptiles, as it’s sort of a Steve Irwin-zoo, but upon arrival, I learned they sure had alot of other animals as well.

Entry costs 59 dollars for adults, but it sure is worth it. I spent a good couple of hours walking around to be able to see everything. Then I drove home again.

Spotify Song of the Day: Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing

Thunderstorm

DSC_0120

Howdie!

My situation has changed somewhat again and one part of my adventure has ended. As of friday this week, I do no loger work for Aussie Farmers Direct and instead intend to spend the money that I have managed to save by going on daytrips with the motorcycle and hopefully get to do a couple of scuba dives.

To celebrate my unemployment, the weather decided that a thunderstorm was the perfect way to to tell me I made the right choice. I had planned to go and buy a new GPS today as the USB-connector to my old new GPS has broken. The lightning bolts that appear every ten seconds accompanied by seriously heavy rain is making me reconsider and I’ll probably have to do that tomorrow instead.

Speaking of thunderstorms, I had a spectacularly rainy day last Thursday. According to my online weather sources, it rained over 80mm – and I was walking around in that all day. The worst bit though, was the ride home in darkness. My motorcycle helmet unfortunately isn’t fitted with a wiper, so the visibility wasn’t very good, also, my iPhone /packaged in a waterproof plastic bag in my waterproof riding gear) got wet and decided to not work anymore. A new battery including the work cost me $30, but I soon realised that there were other issues. My front camera isn’t working anymore, wifi is dead, bluetooth is dead and the power button has decided to get stuck in a mode where it turns the screen on every minute so the battery dies after half a day. Unfortunately therefor I don’t think there’ll be many updates on Instagram before I return home to Sweden and buy a new phone.

That’ll be all for now!

Spotify Song of the Day: Flogging Molly – A Prayer for Me in Silence

Recovery

badbild
AFD pool dive

Wow, has it really been 20 days?

I’m sorry for being this terrible at updating the website. Since last I wrote, the days have sort of blurred together and I have been on the roller coaster that is working as a door knocker in a foreign country.

My life right now is basically my job, as I am gone from home about 10-11 hours per day, although I only get 5-6 actual hours “on turf”, knocking doors. Working on comission can be tough as was proven to me last week when I got the feared donut,  meaning a day without sales. Meaning a day without any income.

This was however the day after I recovered from the flu, spending four days in bed, using up two rolls of TP blowing my nose, as well as quite a few ibuprofens, a few doses of nasal spray and a couple of strepfens for my throat. I didn’t really mind spending a few days in bed, going through Band of Brothers, The Pacific and House of Cards in one go. I don’t know what I would do without my laptop down here. It does however feel really good to be back up and about.

After coming back from the flu, the days have gone better and better, but I still don’t know where the time has gone. I spent about 20 days in Orange, and that seemed an eternity – hunting rabbits, fencing, driving the quadbike, playing table tennis and going for joy rides. These 20 days seem more like a week, if that.

I guess it is time for me to stop pushing things into the future, such as cleaning my bike, going on joy rides, catching a movie and doing that backpacker stuff that isn’t work related. That being said, I’m still going to spend this (my one day of this week) in my bed/kitchen/tv-lounge/office.

One thing that might be interesting for you guys back home to hear about is how blind to the new environment you become after spending a few months overseas in a completely different climate. I get to talk to quite a few people in my job and everybody seems to have this idea that a backpackers greatest wish should be to see as much as possible of the country, and that this and that is so amazing. And you must see everything, or else you have basically failed.

Let me tell you though that after a month or two, you stop noticing the previously oh so cool gum trees, the huge bugs, the incredibly wide roads and other differences that at first were kind of baffling, and it all becomes pretty mundane. I can no longer tell if I really wish to go to Cairns or Perth or anywhere really. Mostly nowadays, I am just fed up with the UTE’s that 60% of the population seems do be driving and the brown dry grass that is everywhere on this dry island. I miss home, allemansrätt, proper food and middle class Sweden.

The way I’m reasoning now is mostly that as I am already here, I should make the most of it and go diving by the great barrier reef and/or take a trip to New Zealand but that’s mostly just because it’s so close. In my mind, I’d just as much enjoy taking a bike ride on our fantastic winding roads in Sweden as doing it down here.. But I’m wondering if I really would take the time if I was back home. In a way, I guess that back home, I’d quickly get just as blind to my surroundings, not realising how green the grass is, how fresh the air is, how little like chlorine the water tastes, nor how beautiful our forrests are. I’d just go about everyday life, same as here once I get into a routine and the times of adventure would become scarcer for each day.

At least down here, there’s still that part of me that knows I’m supposed to be a backpacker, and do those things that I wouldn’t do at home. But then there’s a question of how you define adventure; as I started this journey everything was an adventure, and because the basket of free time was huge, I filled it with hikes, work out sessions, joy rides and whatever opportunities were provided.

Everything was an adventure, and from the perspective of a Swedish security addict with a rather small zone of comfort, I guess it still is in a way. Just going to the supermarket for groceries is different from home, as it is all in English, each time you cross the road on the way there, the cars are coming from the wrong side. And the pedestrian crossing thingies don’t go “PFJOING PUTUTUTUTU” back home.

How much more proper adventure-adventures do I need to go on, to avoid failing at backpacking?

All of this being said, I do enjoy big parts of my life down here. I have not slept this well in years, and I suppose it is kind of nice not having any bills that needs to be paid regularly, nor any commitments other than work that I need to tend to.

I’m really curious as to if my new way of life down here will have an effect on how I’ll live my life when I get back, which will most definitely be some time this year.

Sorry for the novel like post, but I needed to compensate for the 20 days..

Spotify Song of the Day: Clean Bandit – Rather Be (feat. Jess Glynne)

Turning 24

IMG_1476

Good morning everyone!

It has been a little too long since last I wrote, for the simple reason that there hasn’t been alot of adventures lately. I have now been with Aussie Farmers Direct for a couple of weeks and I think it is a great job for someone like me for the following reasons;

1. You get to know a bunch of backpackers

2. You get to see different towns everyday and meet new people.

3. You get to speak with 30-40 locals every day.

And for me it’s not just that – I think it will be awesome to come home to Sweden and be able to say that I’ve been a Sales Rep in another country, successfully selling stuff in a language other than my native one. I’ll try to be better and update the site every now and then with some fun experiences from the job (of which there are alot), but as I’m away from home from 10am to 9pm there isn’t really much time for out of work adventure on the weekdays.

For now, I’d just like to take a moment and share with you my first birthday present for this year, as I turned 24 on the 19th of February. My beautiful Amanda sent me not only a bracelet, but also a taste of home in a couple of candybags as well as some Resorb, which is really good to have after “mandatory pub night” every Friday after work. #hangovercure oh yeah!

Spotify Song of the Day: Joshua Radin – When We´re Together

Getting a job

MYexwsdHow I felt on the first day of the job

Good evening!

It has yet again been a while since my last confession but I felt it’s about time for an update.

Since last time I wrote, I have spent a few days alone in the unit as the others went away to let Albin experience more of Australia before he leaves. I had an awesome couple of days with unrestricted access to the couch and the home cinema.

I also spent some time applying for jobs, and on tuesday I went on an interview to become a sales rep for Aussie Farmers Direct. And I got the job! Wednesday was training day and on Thursday I was thrown out into the wild to try my wings and got a couple of sales under my belt.

It is a nerve racking experience to be walking around in another country, selling products you’ve had 24 hours to get to know, knocking on doors and pitching the products in your second language. But I like it. That being said, it is weird to go from having 100% leisure time to find yourself being away from home 12 hours a day. Still, the biggest motivator for me right now is getting money to continue the adventure around the country.

That’ll be all.

Spotify Song of the Day: The Animals – Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood

Meeting Swedes


beach bribie island
Bribie Beach (Coast side)
magpieFeeding a magpie Kiwi
Good day!

It is now a few days since we picked up our guest at Brisbane Airport and since then we really haven’t done much. Two of our number are “pretty content” with Yoga and lifting weights, but under the pretext of going to some chanting-healing event, we all went away for a daytrip to Bribie Island where the water was crystal clear and the sand was white as snow. Albin and I left before the banging of the drums began.

After that however, the days have been spent doing nothing in particular, so to cure myself from this apathy, I went to a Swedish get-together in the city.

It is nice to get to meet fellow countrymen and to get to speak my own language with people I have never met before. I also learnt why so many people down here have zip ties on their bike helmets. Apparently, the magpies get very territorial during nesting season and decide to attack people – unless they have zip ties on, because then the magpies confuse them with hedgehogs. Clever birds.

Nuff said.

Spotify Song of the Day: The Strokes – Gratisfaction

Moving in and Guest!

kmart
Shopping cart at K-mart

Good evening!

The day of days has come and passed. We are now officially living in our own unit in Redcliffe. And not only that, we have also multiplied as our friend Albin arrived at Brisbane airport Saturday the first of February.

This has changed things in several ways, especially I’d say it’s the fact that there are now two of us here who prefer not to spend our days doing yoga, lifting weights and eating alot. It has also given me a different perspective on how we, the original three act around eachother and which of our traits that are maybe not that big of a problem.

Upon moving into the unit, we realised that despite it being “furnished”, there was a complete lack of all things kitchen. This meant a trip to K-mart where we were more or less forced to spend a total of 250 AUD on fans, glasses, plates, cups, cuttlery, pots and pans, toilet paper, towels, sheets and so on. It was an unforseen expence but we have learned from it that furnished does not mean that everything is included.

The deal with the fans is this: air conditioning is expensive – fans are cheap (12 AUD each for a pedestal fan).

Another thing worth noting is that one of the conditions for us getting to rent the unit was that we pay six weeks rent up front as opposed to the two weeks that are custom. This, however does not mean that we don’t have to pay rent for the first six weeks, but rather that we have created a buffert for the future. A fact that made my semi-relaxed mindset towards getting a job alot less relaxed. From a landlord point of view, this is just perfect but for us, it is a bit less so.

I’ll have more entertaining news for you shortly. Peace out!

Spotify Song of the Day: Johnny Cash – I Walk The Line

Going to Tamborine

IMG_1306
Packed and ready!

IMG_1312
View from Mount Tamborine
IMG_1348
View from Lamington National Park

Alpaca
There were some Alpacas there as well
Selfie on the mountain
Greetings mortals!

It has yet again been adventure time as Felix, David and I were asked to go and visit Matthews father to help him with some work in exchange for food and shelter for a couple of days.

The journey wasn’t much more than an hour from Redcliffe and John lives just next to Mount Tamborine, which in itself made the journey worthwhile for me on the bike as the road up is the bendiest I have ever seen and the views from up there were amazing as well!

After spending a few hours helping John take down a tree with a chainsaw, pulling a dead blacksnake out of a hole, moving a pile of bricks full of spiders and other fun activities, we spent the rest of the days playing pool, guitar and otherwise chillaxing.

The day before going back to Redcliffe I was recommended to go to O’Reillys Rainforest Retreat as there are several fantastic views and beautiful tracks in the rainforest environment. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to go hiking as I didn’t have anywhere to put my bike-gear, but just the road in itself made it worthwhile. A video will be uploaded shortly!

That’ll be all for now!

Spotify Song of the Day: Tom Petty – It’s Good To Be King