Hope this gets through!

CP 4x4

Wow guys, I don't even know where to start with this blog entry.

I know how about my first paintball practice. It wasn't too much of a practice, but it sure as sh*t was fun! We only did a few drills, but I got a feel for the guy who I was practicing with (also met another team mate the day before who was pretty cool). I see a lot of potential with this team. I'm also going to be playing in a tournament this up coming weekend with a Div. 3 team along with the guy who I practiced with. I'm well excited I am.

Also been talking to a girl who my friends from Dunedin recommended I get in touch with, and now it seems like I have someone to spend Christmas with - in Tasmania!

Nothing is for sure yet, but if it all goes through, I'll be on a beach in Tasmania that an old couple (who've walked 900km over a couple of months! And made me feel mega lazy) recommended to me. Like I said, nothing is for sure, but if it all goes through, that would be primo!

Now, on to the main event. I left this Monday, and we've only stayed in a motor camps twice, done some seriuos 4x4 driving along the way. I even got to do some of the driving too! Apparently I did some pretty hard tracks, and even my travel partner thought I did a pretty good job. He felt that it was my initiation of fire. And boy, my nerves were a bit shook up afterwards, and made me want to buy my own 4x4 - straight away. The camping spots we stayed at were pretty amazing! Location location location. It did it all. Our first night was pretty crap, but it worked. Every other night after that (besides when at a motor camp that is) were freaking unbelievable. It really made you feel really small and in the middle of no where (it got me thinking about Deliverance). We didn't meet too many people when in the bush, but we did happen to drive past some though. We also found some pretty remote housing which were old farms. Got me thinking about what it would be like to live out there in the middle of the bush just farming and hardly meeting anyone. You'd have to be pretty self reliant and self sufficient. Crazy stuff. However, last night was probably the harshest yet. The wind was really howling along with some crazy rains and hails. We were in the Alps and above 1000 meters, which made the weather even more unpredicable. It also put my sleeping bag to the test, and it failed. Not miserably, but it wasn't as good as my military sleeping bag; same can be said about my tent too! It was sturdy and took the wind with out any problems, but since the weather was near winter weather, I would of preferred to have a 4 seasons tent to accomodate the changing environment. Oh! It was snowing yesterday! Can you believe it?! And the temperature yesterday was about 4.5 degrees or colder. Yeah, Oz isn't as warm as you thought it would be, eh? But I'm still loving it!

We've also explored two caves, both of which were pretty mean! One cave had water in it, resulting in me being completey wet (but it's good I was in there in my jandels) and the other one was dry cave. Instead, on the ground, was bat poo. Lots and lots of poo, along with bats all along the cieling. The bat cave I luckily went in with my shoes, but I always wore my jacket when I was in the caves, which was a pretty good stress test for it. That is one wicked jacket, thank you Marmot! Been heavily abusing my swim shorts too which seem always seem up to the task: swimming, diving, hiking, caving, construction work, etc. I think I have to write a thank you note to these companies or something.

I've seen quite a few kangaroos too, both on the side of the road and in the bush. We real came close to hitting one, but it was avioded. And at that point, it got me wishing I knew how to gut animals. Yes, sounds a bit psychotic, but if you've tried kangaroo, you would understand. Especially when the beef here tastes the way it does (read: not too great), having fresh roo would be choice!

As for the rest of my time here in Australia, not too sure what to do. I want to work on a farm or whatever to get my visa extended pretty soon, just to get it out of the way, and also to try to miss the tourist season. Funny, I know, a tourist who doesn't want to meet other tourist. And I'm really not too keen to work on a "backpacker" farm, becasue then you will definately be given a poor deal, and so I've been lucky and found out about a blueberry farm where you can get a minium wage instead of a provionsal pay (ie. by the basket I pick pay). Yet again, we'll see. It would give me a chance to maybe get myself physically fit for the paintball season which doesn't start until June/July. Good chance of me heading up north along the East coast to see what all the hubbub is about is in the plans too. One step at a time though. First step, get through this trip, and then figure out my Christmas plans.

Got a couple of more days on the road until I'm back in Sydney, and till then - smell ya later!

Edit: Got back today, but I tried to email this entry up, but no go. Sorry, will post another update later.