Thursday, January 28, 2010

Rainbow Serpent

This will be my last aus post. I'm off to Sumatra in a few weeks. But I thought I'd leave y'all with pics (lots of them as I'll be uploading fewer in less developed countries) of the 4 day Rainbow Serpent Festival out in western Victoria. One of the best ones yet! We were joined by Jess and Steve, who flew in from Sydney to party it up in Melbourne and do the fest.

I've also ditched the massive Gregory 65 Litre backpack for a 25L Macpac(essentially a day bag you take to the beach). I'm trowing out 70% of everything I thought I needed. Its a little extreme, I know, but when you have less space you tend to manage it a whole lot better. I'm a little concerned though since my jeans and jumper already fill it up half-way. I'll let you know how that goes.
Hitting up our fav places one last time. Great game. Till we meet again! ...The girls were bored senseless.
Nice touch. Giving it that homey look.
We've got the huge Victoria market right behind our place and on Wednesdays they put on a night market complete with yellow tail wine stations...as you can see, we brought our own vintage.
Always smiling when your surrounded by jewelery slash clothing stalls.
Awwwwww....where's my hug? Is it the board shorts, Bangkok flipflops, the gino sunglasses or the baby blue tee that repels people
Tried to do the same with Randy but she refused....c'mon we're on sand!
The Great Ocean Road was built after the Great War using picks, shovels and horse drawn carts. It opened up and linked all the small, previously isolated, coastal towns like Lorne.
The water changes colour down here. Its got this tropical feel to it. Crazy because we're just a couple hours from Melbourne.

Car stretchThe opening ceremonies.
Enter Rainbow Serpent.

tunes.Balloon girl.
Staying hydrated.
Chilling at 'holy cow', a place that serves authentic Indian chai.
hippies...
Old propane tanks turned into xylophones.
There were all sorts of installations at the grounds. This one had tons of juggling gear with a guy going around helping everybody learn new tricks.
Free massage tents.
A good omen if I ever saw one!
Starring at the rainbow.

Still trying to get into art school.

Tree huggers.
Face painting freelance.
Sweet getup.
Fest transport.
No time wasted.
What festy wouldn't be complete without the Lego guy.
Just a couple of guys n gals havin fun with water colours!
Blue cloud of love and peace rising above the twisted mess of fear and confusion....or just a shutter malfunction...you decide.
These folks thought it was a home decorating show...I still like it! Love the plants. It rained so at least they got watered.
Sitting, playing.

Getting mighty.
Pure unadulterated joy! Whats in the juice box ladies? huh?

tough life...
Chewing on a guarana lollipop for added energy next set.

Sunset posers.

Overlooking the property.
First fest I've been to where they let you wander off and explore the surroundings.

Yes that's electro playing in the background.

Temps ranged from 28-6C so when the fire truck comes around, you take it.

Hammock city.

Its been real swell but the sun has to set so goodbye Rainbow. Till next time. Got a fresh passport with 48 brand-spanking new pages. Off to get a 60 day visa at the Indonesian embassy.

See you soon!

Sunday, January 10, 2010

Great Ocean Road


It was a great Christmas as my folks decided to stop by! With my brother having left a few weeks ago I felt pretty spoiled. Enjoying some rays in the park. Melbourne weather is so erratic that locals make the best of a great day here. I'm just waiting for a new passport and then we're off on a new adventure. Tip: If you're planning on doing any extended travel, it may not be enough to simply renew your pp for another 5 years. Make sure you get the 48 pager(5 bucks extra) as most countries like to issue the full page visas. With shipping, fees and photos that's about 1 week worth of travel in Asia.
We decided to head out to The Twelve Apostles on the Great Ocean Road. Here's Scot enjoying the view.
Flowrum Purplis
AUS:

Melbourne: Best night life, Worst hangover, Best music, Worst festivals, Best police presence, Worst alcohol abuse, Best ocean road.

Byron Bay: Best hippies, Worst b.o., Best lighthouse, Worst goon hangover.

Brisbane: Best sun, Worst burns,Best a/c, Worst food, Best beer.

Sydney: Best Westin, Worst Prices, Best Opera House, Worst Bat Infestation.

Adelaide: Just don't even bother going...haha

Always the health nut with the banana in each shot.

Getting away from -15°C weather back home.
Pondering living on the beach.
Lightsman.
I found out why these little guys are so lazy. All they eat are toxic eucalyptus leaves which contain little protein/calories/water so they've got a very slow metabolism. This guy is probably finishing up his 16-18 hour power nap.

More Great ocean road. If you do find yourself in this area, try and get down to the ground level as these pics don't provide good scale. The cliffs are huge!
Couldn't get down there. I wonder whats inside that cave?
Wait for it...
Tada!
Scot Enjoying some darn good Mojitos! Best breakfast in Melbourne ever!
Taller than the Aposltes!
Breathtaking!
Jacynte asked me to take a few steps back for a better shot. Nah Nah I didn't fall for it.

The Razor backs.
Wicked!
People were too busy taking pictures and getting back on their tour buses. We were the ones who looked out of place just hanging out on the beach.
A few days later.....Bright-eyed and bushy tailed. 7am wake-up for the music festival!
Everybody made it out for this one....
Mid-set entertainmentHangover mornings. Nothing like ear destroying rock at 10am to straighten out those hangover tremors.A cancer free Aus trip I hope....still rocking a sandal tan.
Cassette Kids rocking out with "Acrobat" Check em out!
The Girls getting ready for 2010...3..2..1...

Only 3 weeks to go in Aus...The Rainbow Serpent festival is still to come and a wee holiday from my vacation before my real sabbatical begins :)