The cops leave Nimbin alone, as there seems to be very little they can do to crack down on the lifestyle there. So people just take out their joints and bongs and light up on the street. We got to talking to a local guy, and a burnt out/cracked out old hippie woman came by and started pestering him about her disappointing pot brownie sales for the day. He then introduced the woman to us as his mother. I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that Nimbin is not the ideal place to raise one’s child.
Well, we spent about an hour and a half in the town, had a delicious lunch, then left to look at some waterfalls and took a tour of a huge tropical garden. The man who owned the place gave us some mini-lectures about god, religion, string theory, and philosophy in general, then led us on a half hour walk though his beautiful property. Yes, it was leech infested and yes, one attached itself to my foot. Pretty nasty, but no biggie, I came prepared with band-aids. All in all, I'd say Nimbin was probably the most random/hilarious tour I’ve ever taken.
After Nimbin, Celine and I spent a few days just hanging out around Byron. We made friends with our roommates and went out surfing with them, which was so much fun. I was very tempted to buy a board, but that might just be crazy me getting the better of logical (almost broke) me. I started poking around for a job, but the leads were few and far between. (I decided not to do the surf camp job right now because I really can’t make any money doing that, and I imagine it might get boring given that there’s no town there to speak of. I can always go back later in the season). There are temporary jobs here for backpackers, but most of them are sandwich shop kind of jobs and it may be snobby, but I can’t help but feel like I don’t want to work at Subway. I was so excited the other night because a great job working at our hostel bar sort of landed in my lap. Basically, you work behind the bar at the hostel for 2 hours each night, meet everyone and hang out, and in return, you get accommodation and food for free. It’s an amazing deal, considering the nature of the “work” and the fact that I’d basically be living for free and could get a day job to help finance the rest of my trip. I signed up to get my RSA (a certificate that enables you to serve alcohol) and was generally good to go.
Well, I was all set to start work last night, but one of the guys that runs the bar here ended up in the hospital for getting into a fight, so the job sort of disappeared into thin air. I still don’t understand what happened, but I was left jobless and a bit flustered as to what to do next. I was all prepared to take any sort of work here, but then all of a sudden there was absolutely nothing available. Not even laundry duty. I was told to check with the hostel café, and the woman acting as manager for the day told me they didn’t need any help there either. Celine left yesterday morning for a town up north called Noosa, and I was about 2 seconds away from buying a bus ticket to go join here up there for a few days. I mean, I’m fine being on my own in general, but on the rare occasion that you meet someone you enjoy traveling with so much, it’s really hard to let them go.
After much deliberation and thumb twiddling, I decided to hang out in Byron for one more night. I had a feeling a job would open up and that the woman I spoke to in the café wasn’t the final word. I got into the café as soon as it opened and was able to speak to the manager who told me a 10-12 morning time slot just opened up that day and that they really needed someone to fill it. I jumped on it… I mean, it’s not ideal, but it will save me the cost of the hostel, plus dinner, internet, and surf board rental. I think that works out to about $30/hour for doing very very little actual work. So basically, at this point, I’m not spending anything and can focus on getting a part time job during the day (hopefully something photography-related).
And now, my friends, let me tell you about my new lifestyle. I’ve moved into the long-term/staff “suite,” and have a top bunk in an 8-10 person room. There is a TV in here, which seems nice until you realize that it’s on ALL THE TIME. I’ve grown used to not watching any TV at all and it’s kind of jarring to hear it. But the people here seem really cool, so that’s a plus. There are some nice girls to hang out and surf with, and it’s refreshing to have people around who aren’t constantly on the move and with whom you can form more enduring relationships. The café work is so mindless that I even take customer orders. I basically clear tables, stock food, run orders out to tables, and when it’s slow, I clean. I cleaned TOILETS today. Not my own, mind you. I cleaned the restaurant toilets. Picture it! A far cry from my cushy advertising job in NY! Ha! But oddly enough I don’t really mind. It’s a better job then cleaning the nasty kitchen or folding laundry, so I’ll take what I can get…it’s just too bad the bar job didn’t pan out. Plus, as I’ve said, my idea of luxury has really changed since I’ve been traveling, and my standards are, shall I say, a bit lower when it comes to temporary backpacker work.
I have no idea what’s around the corner, but I guess that’s all part of the adventure. Hopefully I can find a semi-interesting job to keep me busy for a few hours a day because lying on the beach all day is going to get really old really fast. I’m gonna spend tomorrow fishing around for leads. As always, I’ll keep you posted…
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