Post 15 - Back on dry land
Wow, I went overboard this time…
It’s been a long time and a lot of new stories have been accumulated. I hope they’re still sitting somewhere in my memory.
Okay, make yourself some mint tea and grab some biscuits because this is going to be a long one, let’s get started!
As I recall, I arrived at Trevor’s yacht docked at the Gold Coast.
The first few days on the yacht were empty of action and full of rest - chess, a book and chill.
These were actually the first days I lived on a yacht and there were a few things I had to get used to. For example, that you have to save water and gas, that everything moves and that when you want to go ashore you have to take the dinghy to the beach (a dinghy - a small rubber boat). Overall, I got used to it pretty quickly, life in a van in New Zealand was a good introduction to a yacht, which is a kind of van on the water.
I went to Byron for a few days before Felix arrived. The constant rain and the wisdom tooth that decided to grow in spoiled the experience, and after a few days I returned to the boat.
Passover night arrived and like a good Jew I made sure I had somewhere to eat gefilte. I went to the Chabad house and even bought a second-hand shirt and pants to feel a little more human.
A group of hungry travelers arrive at the local synagogue and are impatiently waiting for the moment when we can get up and go eat. We got up, went to the house of Nir, the rabbi of the Chabad house on the Gold Coast. When you think about it, this is actually the first time I have experienced a strict Seder. There are no shortcuts and corner-turning, you read and read and eat some matzah in small portions and read again and some potatoes and read and read and read and then the moment arrives - eat!
That every night I eat a lot, a lot. Tonight, I ate even more. The wonderful food, along with the traveling Israelis, the Jews from the Diaspora, and other vegetables, created a most enjoyable evening. This Seder was actually the first without the family, and it was a bit difficult because there really is nothing funnier then our home Seder. This feeling emphasized that I really miss my family.
With a few extra pounds, I happily returned to the boat to wait for the additional crew member.
The train arrived at the station, 19-year-old Dutchman Felix got off the platform, and here they all were. Now all that was left was to get ready and wait for the right weather to go to sea. The first few days as a crew were good, we got to know each other, and the connection was natural. We did some maintenance work on the ship, filled up with water, bought food, and were ready for weather forecast to give the signal and we were on our way. While waiting, we learned how to prepare a detailed sailing plan, operate the boat and the instruments, and what to do in an emergency. In a professional sense, I learned a lot from Trevor and he was willing to explain every screw in the boat. Those days weren’t particularly exciting, but the routine was peaceful and stress-free.
Turning 26 on board—the family sent chocolate and champagne
First shakshuka as crew
Breakfast at the public grill—tasty and over the top
Dinner from the fisherman and chef Felix
6 am, coffee is already on the fire, we wash our faces, start the engine and set off. After about an hour of sailing on the river, we reached the big sea. In the first few hours, the wind was not strong enough, we stayed on the engine and only after a few hours, a tailwind of 15-20 knots appeared. We raised the sails and floated on the surface of the water. The sea was relatively high, at least by Israeli standards and this was felt in a slight seasickness when we were not holding the rudder. The rocking of the boat in the sea was more significant and simple actions of cooking, peeing or drinking water became more complex.
Darkness fell, the sky was covered with stars and after a good dinner I went down to try to take a nap. I’m not sure if the shaking helped or made it difficult to sleep but I managed to catch a few hours of sleep until my shift at 12 at night. I grabbed the rudder, put on some music and kept a course (direction) for 4 hours until I woke Felix with a cup of coffee for his shift. I went back to sleep and when I woke up we were already close to the first destination of the current leg - Rainbow Beach. A few dolphins accompanied us at the entrance to the bay, we dropped anchor and went back to sleep for a few hours. When we got up we made coffee, jumped into the water and were alert enough to continue to Fraser Island.
The entrance to the lagoon was narrow and careful planning was useful in such a situation. We arrived in calm water and anchored in front of the island. We spent a few relaxing days at that spot. When the weather allowed we continued to the other side of the island. The new location had a beautiful beach, some cafes and nice walking trails.
Setting off
Felix shows the catch
Lake McKenzie—fresh water and sandy shore
Cleaning the carburetor
Sunset on Fraser
A second after I got zapped by the fence
The relationship with the captain, Trevor, was often a bit of a pain for me. He tended to repeat himself many times and “grind water” non-stop, it was exhausting. He kept repeating that we had eaten too much and a month’s supply was eaten in less than four days (which was not entirely true). The climax came when he accused me and Felix of going behind his back and not sharing what we were doing with him. Overall, he is a good person and most of the time the relationship was good.
Up until that moment I saw some hope that this cruise could continue, but from that conversation I felt that the guy could imagine things and it was less appropriate when sailing into the heart of the sea. Felix and I agreed that it was too much for us and decided to get off the yacht the next day. We swallowed our egos and told him that he was 100% right and we parted as friends. We packed our things and took the ferry to the town of Hervey Bay.
We arrived at the abandoned hostel in the town - what do we do from here?
We thought about continuing our trip by bus but after checking, we saw that the prices were sky high and the availability was at the floor. We thought about taking a flight somewhere but all the flights were incredibly expensive. Karma had us against the wall and we decided to let luck play its game, we decided to hitchhike north!
After eating the meal we had fantasized about all the way from the yacht, which included a kangaroo burger and champagne, we made signs for the hitchhikers, filled up with water and were ready to go. We threw our bags on the side of the road, armed with a cardboard box with the word ANYWHERE written on it in black marker, a thumbs up and a smile from ear to ear, we set out to hunt our way north. We had no plan where we would end up on the first day and so without expectation we could not be disappointed, wherever they would take us, wherever we wanted to go.
Even though no driver stopped for the first hour, the smiles on their faces as soon as they saw our sign were worth it. A woman walking past us stopped and asked if we had any money. We honestly thought she was asking us for money and when we said we didn’t, she took $50 out of her pocket and asked us to take it. Of course we didn’t, and it was a funny moment to start our journey with us. At the end of the day, I don’t blame her, we did look like the last of the street dwellers.
The first hitchhiker stopped, a short ride, maybe 5 minutes in front of the local airport where maybe our luck would shine. Thrilled from our first hitchhike on the continent, we left, ready to continue. Less than 10 minutes passed and the next hitchhiker arrived, a cool mechanic who took us about an hour north. We got off at a gas station on the highway and stopped for a nomad’s coffee. At the coffee station, the second story of the trip was created. A cool German guy who only had one seat in his car wanted to make up for us, opened his car window and put a few grams of weed in my hands (with which we “paid” for our next hitchhike). Over time we learned the secrets of the trade, music or a podcast on headphones, a smile for the drivers and a funny sign is all it takes. Pip stopped and there was no doubt that Karma was with us, her destination was a cool surf town a few hours north, we found the destination for the first day of hitchhiking.
Champagne in Hervey Bay
Pip and Jack
The days at Agnes Waters were wonderful - sea, good people and laughter. We met new friends, Lewis, Freddie and Leah, Millie, Jeremy and many more who continued to appear on our way. Jeremy was a cool guy who stopped us for a ride to the lookout one day. In the evening after we made a great couscous salad he taught us how to play the didgeridoo, an amazing instrument. After a few days of rest we felt we were ready to stand in the sun like two clowns again. We made some new signs and went to a strategic point.
Another ride, this time with a surfer who works in the coal mines. It is interesting to get to know Australians on the roads since those Australians don’t come to hostels and the same tourist spots. After a few hours of driving we got off at the exit from Rockhampton. We waited for about an hour on the road until Ben stopped for us, seemingly a regular Australian guy. As soon as we got in the car, he warned us that if we stole his things, he would bury us, okay, okay, no sharp movements, just smiles and no unnecessary questions. He claimed that he was a little stressed because he was going to jail in a few days, which makes sense (to this day we don’t know if he told us that to scare us). Eventually, we made friends with the guy and he even offered to fill us with water at his house, thanks but no thanks.
From there, it was a few difficult hours in the sun without any success. We decided to walk a little to a place where we could spend the night. As soon as we picked up our bags, we gave it a thumbs up for one last try and caught a big fish, another hour drive to the town in the middle of nowhere. Tired but satisfied, we got off the ride and ate pizza at the gas station that our driver recommended. At this point, we already felt like rough, knowledgeable hitchhikers, having already covered several hundred kilometers. The options for accommodation near that gas station were scarce, and we ended the evening in the small tent, full and tired.
The same procedure again, coffee at the station, a smile, a thumbs up and wait. While I went to ask drivers at a gas station where they were going, Felix had already managed to stop the driver who would take us a few hundred kilometers. This hitchhiking was perhaps the most successful. The driver was an Australian who had his pickup truck with a cooler of beers, we couldn’t resist it. We got off at Airlie Beach and met all our friends from the previous town again who were surprised by the short time it took us to get there. After a night we decided that the road was calling us and we returned to it. A day full of hitchhiking that included, among other things, $20 that one of the drivers gave us for lunch, 3 hours on the side of the road in the scorching sun and pouring rain and one fish & chips at the end of the day.
We woke up at a small roadside motel on the outskirts of a sleepy town and continued with tradition. On a hitchhiking trip, time takes on a different meaning, you can spend an hour playing with a fly and you can also just sit on the grass doing nothing. We weren’t expecting the next hitchhike, a young driver who said he would take us wherever we needed to go. From there, this cute guy drove for two hours just to take us to the next town. We got off at the entrance to the ferry to Magnetic Island.
The island was simply magical. Quiet and small, green with beautiful beaches. On the island we met up with a hitchhiker from the past again - Pip and her dog, Jack. A few days of snorkeling and hiking. We saw koalas in the trees and colorful fish on the seabed.
When we returned to Townsville, the city from which the ferry arrives to the island, we went to look for a place that could fix Felix’s cell phone after it stopped responding after he took a headlong dive into the sea. We couldn’t find a place that could bring the device back to life, but we did find a lot of friendly homeless people. Apparently, the grocery cart on which we loaded our belongings gave the impression that we were from the street and the guys had come to say hello. The truth is, everyone was really nice, told us all kinds of stories and anecdotes, and we even got a bracelet. The bracelet we got will serve me to remember the wonderful life I’ve had and will help me look at my situation from the right perspective.
A long day and increasing fatigue led us to stop hitchhiking and buy a bus ticket to our northern destination, Cairns.
In total, the hitchhiking trip included about 11 hitchhikes over a distance of more than 1,100 kilometers. The trip was extremely successful and produced stories that will be remembered for many years, not to mention the fact that I made dear friends that I hope will stay with me for the rest of my life.
On the road
Lesley
We arrived in Cairns and on the second day we went to Caroline’s house, whom I met at the beginning of my trip to New Zealand. She spoiled us at her Airbnb and it was great. After a few days of rest in the city, we went on a diving trip to the Great Barrier Reef. Needless to say, this trip was amazing! The reef is very beautiful and full of many strange animals, we saw almost everything, sharks, turtles, manta rays and more. Besides the diving, the time outside the water was also great, the ship we stayed on was very luxurious.
We returned to land and started planning the next step. We found a car rental company looking for someone to transport a van from Cairns to Brisbane. We picked up the car the next day and when I say car I mean a huge and luxurious motorhome.
The group included Felix, Louis, George and me. We equipped the van with food and a crate of beers and we were ready to go on a journey. We spent the first night just 60 km from Cairns in a magical and quiet stream. Felix treated us to a mushroom risotto from the movies, a few beers and laughs made the evening a wonderful one. We continued south and on the third day of the journey we left George in Airlie Beach, a town on the way where he continued to the work that awaited him and we continued. The atmosphere with the guys was great and I am very pleased with this combination of people who felt as if they had known each other for several years. The days passed quickly and with each day we advanced a few hundred kilometres south, most days were dull and grey and the longing for the Australian sun was immense.
We finally arrived in Brisbane after six days on the road. Now we are here after touring the museum and eating a not-so-bad pizza.
Since arriving in Australia my veganism has been skyrocketing, between a kangaroo burger and crab with butter I feel the self-flagellation in full force and so I decided that this pizza will be the end of my lack of veganism in Australia and hopefully forever.
The returning to Israel is near and I feel the need and desire to meet up with family and friends again. I will try to use the next few days to digest the last six months and prepare for the adventures to come.
Cairns crew, typical morning
Well done to everyone who has held out until now. So, bye (-: