Thoughts of a Nomadic One

The realization hit me like lightening; fast, furious and powerful. The Iron Ring that I wore on my little finger of my working hand was not there. In its place, i could see my pale ring tan, a ring of skin smoothed by months of friction due to everyday life and my continuous fidgeting/playing with it. Fear and pani washed over me like a tsunami (was going to use "the flooding of New Orleans" but might still be too soon).

After a moment, my mind started to work hesitantly and confusedly. I tried thniknig about my timeline and scenarios.

• I am sitting on platform 2 of the Brunswick station waiting for the train to the airport which requries 20 minutes.
• The train comes every 10-20 minutes.
• I have 2 hours until takeoff and my path to the hostel can be retraced in 10 minutes. 5 more minutes if i need to get access to my room and search it.
• Summary: By the tmie I get back on train and get to airport, I could have less than 1 hour left. After experiences in Tokyo and Taipei, I didn't really want to cut it that close again. However, of all my possessions on my trip, nothing was more valuable to me than that Ring. Sure it was stainless steel and could be replaced for $20 (it was really intrinsically worth $2) but the sentimental value is immense. Not only was it a representation of 4 years of studies in Mathematics and Engineering, $60 000 CND in tuition, room and board, it reminded me of the Oath I took to my fellow classmates, my profession and society to act honourably and righteous.
  Heck, I'd miss my flight looking for it.

I picked up my bags and started walking back, retracing my steps and scouring the floor for a stainless steel ring with a unique pattern. Of course, that whole thought process was plagued by emotions such as panic and fear of the loss. It wasn't nutil 10 minutes after my realization, 1/4 of the way back that my mind switched to the proper worknig mode.

Thought Process:
Q: What is the chance of losing it while I was asleep in bed?
A: Didn't check in morning. But should be low. Approx 0.5%, very low. Even though I've been away for 82 days, it was still a miniscule chance.
Q: Was there any actions that might've pulled it off?
A: Retracing actions:
1) Woke up
2) Grabbed sheets and bags
3) Checked out
4) Walked through Chniatown to Brunswick Food Court
5) Bought seafood sub of the day and ate it
6) Tried to look for a beverage that cost under $0.75 at the supermarket since that was all that I had
7) Went to station and platform
8) Stuffed S. America Lonely Planet guidebook to front pocket of backpack

Summary: Action #8 has high probability of moving or removing the Ring from my hand.

Recommended Action: Look in bag.
1) Search small bag.
Result: Nothing. Damn.
2) Open front pocket of big backpack, take out book, put hand in and search.
Result: Nothing, Damnit!
3) Take book and search.
Result: *Clink* The Ring falls out and I grab it and put it back on where it belongs, stroking it like Gollum on his Precioussss
4) Go back to station and wait for next train
5) Relax and decrease heart beat

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I spent 2 days in Cairns and 2 days in Brisbane. Cairns is sort of a resort/vacation town in the N.E. Australia, the top of the Gold Coast. It's the launching point for diving the Great barrier Reef. It was significantly warmer than Sydney and full of tourists, especially the Japanese variety. In fact, there was so many signs in Japanese and numerous Japanese employees were hired in shops and restaurants to cater to the huge number of Japanese tourists.

I had planned on diving the reef but after consideration, decided to do that in the future and save money for New Zealand. I ended up just chilling and backing up photos on DVD. Lived cheap by eating 2 meat pies and a sausage roll for $3 AUD and 1L of Ginger beer for lunch.

I met a girl in my room from Montreal who had just stidued in Auckland for 7 months. She was on exchange from McGill and gave me some tips on travelling New Zealand. I swear she must've been the sister of this girl i know at Queen's named Maia.

I then went to BrisVegas (aka Brisbane) and I arrived on a party day, a random public holiday on August 15. While the weather was cooler, it was still agreable to me even with a light drizzle. I explored the downtown CBD area on my first day and had $2.25 dinner composed of 2 discount sushi rolls! Since it was a party day, I saw numerous drunk people by 2 pm and by 7 pm, many groups of partiers were streaming to the bars. Another Canadian traveller and I noticed that most of the women partying in BrisVegas loved to wear these dresses that were essentially silk short bathrobes with low necklines. This was quite a change from Singapore and Zanzibar!

===

The only notable incident on Day 1 was that I had a convo with a man frmo Taiwan on business. After helping him take a picture, he asked me where I was staying and after I told him I was at a hostel in a room of 8, he offered me a place to sleep since his company had booked a 2 floor loft with 4 rooms. While it might've been good intentions, I thought it sounded sketch and declined the offer politely.

Day 2: Sub of the day, spent half the day trying to reset my Easyweb password, walked about south bank, discount dinner, watched Pulp Fiction, bed.

Well, I am now headed to Christchurch, New Zealand via Auckland!
So long Oz.

The change from Singapore to Sydney is more than just cultural; it's climatic and economical as well. There are no more cheap food stands or kopitiams get cheap filling foods. There are also no more ghetto beds on rooftops (especially since it is winter in Australia!) However, if you're an experienced budget backpacker like me with time and dedication, you find ways.

1. Accomodations: Sure, nothing's going to beat that $11 SD rooftop bed, but you can still get bargains. Of course, if you're like me, it might mean having your hostel be in King's Cross/Darlinghurst in the middle of the red light district. However, the rooms/beds were clean, location was excellent and staff incredibly friendly. Whats a few invitations to see a stripper or peep show? They're just being friendly!

2. Transportation: Bus? Monorail? Forget it. Walk! It's good exercise for you and a great way to immerse yourself into the local culture (especially that of the pimps in your neighbourhood).

3. Attractions: Why pay when you can do it for cheaper or free? With enough patience and dedication, you can see some gerat sights and get great photos for free. Smoe can be taken from the cheap ferry to/from Manly. But you want to get there early to get the good seats and bring warm clothes. The suckas are the ones who aren't prepared and have to go inside due to the cold halfway through.

4. Food: Sure food is expensive in Australia relatively to Singapore. However, if you go to big food courts like Meyers at 5-6 pm when many need to get rid of food, you can get great deals for $3!
I got rice and 2 dishes for $4 but after some sweet talking, $3 it was!

The cool dry weather has been a delight after spending so much time in heat and humidity. The new pants have come in handy and I can imagine myself maknig trips to Singapore in the future for food/shopping!

Spent my first day in Sydney walking about the Kings Cross/Darlinghurst/Victoria/Potts area.

Day 2: Visited the Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge and town centre.

Day 3: Went to Manly and walked about the beach front. The place felt like the toruist beach in Cali/L.A. or Malibu. Too many tourists for my liknig.

Overall, I've found Aussies to be very nice. However, I don't think I could settle here in the Gold Coast for the long term. I'd feel too relaxed. This patch of Oz is the perfect land for the hedonistic and unambitious. We'll see about Cairns and Brisbane!