Seatbelts and Jesus on the Naked Bus?

As the sunset was approaching I hopped on a bus headed North to a town called Taupo. I took a taxi to a McDonald's across town from my hostel and in front I was picked up by a cheap as hell bus called The Naked Bus (if you go online at the right time you can buy tickets to so many places for around $20- similar to Mega Bus in Canada)

I had to wonder, what was with the name? The Naked Bus? Was the driver going to be some greasy, middle-aged naked dude encouraging everyone to take it off? Was I hopping onto a bus of fornication? It wasn't exactly what I had imagined. Just in time to beat a gust of rain, I hopped onto the bus as a fully-clothed middle aged dude threw my bags into the cargo space, got behind the wheel, told everyone to put their seatbelts (?) on and said a prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. That was a first! Seatbelts and Jesus on The Naked Bus? Alright! Ill take it! Its better than some drunk guy crapping his pants behind me and a delinquent mother who cant be bothered to soothe her baby's shrill cries for the entire ride...like on every single Greyhound bus ride Ive ever taken back home!

As we departed Wellington and hit the highway I watched the rolling green mountains go by, and thought about how lovely it was that even the suburbs haven't completely taken over nature. Dont get me wrong, there is plenty of development in the area, but still compared to most cities Ive visited you can see that nature is still King. Instead of a sprawling suburbia dotted with a tree here and there, there was a refreshing blanket of green for as far as I could see, and stunning mountains and coastal views with neighborhoods scattered here and there- mixing in, not parasitically reigning like other places Id been recently. The more I traveled New Zealand the more I noticed this reoccurring theme- Nature First. Thanks New Zealand, one more reason to love ya!

I was a little regretful I couldn't spend more time in the quaint, inviting, artistic and colorful city of Wellington but nevertheless, one must push onward. I could feel a great adventure coming my way, and so I told myself "I'll be back" (and I did return). Trying to cheer myself up I turned my focus to the reason I came to New Zealand: The Tongariro Alpine Crossing, imagining it in all it's glory. At 3 a.m. those pesky fluorescent lights glared down on me. The Naked Bus had stopped.. Destination Taupo, check point!

Brisbane: Through My Eyes

Photo Credit: Brisbanetimes.com.au

I left Chinchilla and  headed 2 hours to the east coast, where I would catch my flight from bustling Brisbane. The city was lively, musical, artsy and in bloom. Unfortunately the hostel I chose called The Tin Pan or something like that was dirty, overcrowded and stifling, with not a window in any room. I made the best of it by spending most of my visit in Brisbane exploring the outdoors and the rad art installations all around the city. 

I headed down to walk along the riverbanks of Brisbane, since the city itself is actually 9 km or so away from the ocean. It was really quite beautiful. It's where the stunning modern architecture of the city meets the natural beauty of earth, air, and water. I was giddy about all the great aarchitecture, and became even more excited about Brisbane after checking out the street buskers.  

One stands out in my memory. A slightly overweight woman with a beautiful face. I remember her like it was yesterday. She had dark hair, dark eyes and plumps lips traced in deep red. She was sitting down, proudly playing this full-bodied, enchanting song on her cello. She was dressed in this crimson red dress made of a light, lingering material, which danced in the light breeze, and draped over her body, down to the ground and across the cobblestone path. She caught my eye and as I passed my face turned to keep watching her. When I looked away I realized everyone was doing the same. She was the fire.  The city seemed to be in perfect balance.

Passing under pergolas of vines and flowers, my friend and I (who had eventually got back onto speaking terms) made our way to the outdoor markets and to the revered Spanish Restaurant, OLE.
  
The food and drinks were very good and I enjoyed the atmosphere. I started to think I should have come to Brisbane sooner. The energy in this city was so different from other Aussie cities I experienced. I had been in Sydney many times, and in honesty, it was nothing spectacular. I skipped over Melbourne, which Ive heard has an amazing nightlife (but not much else, of course depending what your interests are) and  made my way to Adelaide, which was likeable- but Brisbane, now that's my kinda place. 

If you like art, green space, local food and a community feeling in a warm, sunny place, Brisbane just might be for you.

 Fortunately my not wanting to leave was combated by the fact that I was headed for New Zealand (!), one of the greatest destinations in the world. It was looking like my wishlist was starting to come true.  

The next day I caught a direct train to the "Brissy" airport and flew over "the ditch" to Wellington, New Zealand.

"Success Leaves Clues"

I absolutely love this photo! I found it on a website which I've been reading lately, called MarcandAngel.com. Sometime on the internet I stumbled on their site and took a few minutes to read some of the featured articles, mainly about life improvement.

 A few of my favorite articles on the site were 15 Ways To Live, and Not Merely Exist, which really goes with this photo, and my favourite: 12 Things Successful People Do Differently. More importantly, this article reminded me of a great book I just finished reading that I really want to tell people about! Before I left Byron Bay, I bought this book for my bus ride to Stanthorpe and over the last 2 months I've been reading it chapter, by chapter, applying the principles to my life.

When I think, "Am I really living?" I am inspired to live and love more in the moment while pushing endlessly towards my greatest dreams. What do you think of?

The book is written by Siimon Reynolds who suiting enough, is an Aussie, A High Achievement Expert and Coach as well as the Founder of $500 Million Dollar Company). The book is called  "Why People Fail: The 16 Obstacles To Success and How You Can Overcome Them". He also has a blog called SIICOACH where readers are can view tips on how to perform better and achieve more, faster, while still enjoying life.

When I read the book and seriously applied some of the tactics to my life, I felt their effectiveness. While reading it, and still afterwards, I have been using some of the techniques and have found myself inspired. Since then I have began planning and acheiving more goals and stepping out of my comfort zone even MORE then normal.  I wanted to share this book in case there's anyone out there like me who has a lot of dreams and wants to do A LOT in a short period of time, while still enjoying life.  To read reviews about it, click here.

Here are a few of my favourite quotes from the book:

"If you're not growing you're dying"

                                 "Clearly the future for anyone with a growth mindset is huge"

                    "We become how we breathe"

"There are two reasons why people dont persist with goals. The first is poor self-image. The second reason people dont persist is they believe there is something wrong with failure.
                                                     
                                                                 "Success leaves clues"

The Most Eastern Cape of Australia: If Youre Not There, You Want To Be

My Roaming Backpack finally reached Byron Bay, and..Im in love! Yep, that pretty much sums it up! Ive been thinking about how to describe Byron to all of you, but its really difficult. Much like The Arts Factory, we are speaking of such a high level of awesomeness here, that words just don’t, and wont do it justice. Nevertheless, Ill give it a shot, but please keep in mind that this really only scratches the surface of the true vibe of Byron. 

Byron Bay marks the most easterly point of Australia, and is famous for being one of the best surf spots in the entire world! one of the, if not the most popular tourist town of this country. It is a clean, relaxed, colorful, positive, hip, chic, earthy, organics, local/fresh-produce kinda town. Everyone loves it; the locals, the beach bums, surfers, party-people, tourists, grand-parents, children, nature-lovers, wild-life enthusiasts, farmers, merchants, backpackers, hippies, musicians- everyone. At the risk of sounding like a cliche tourist advertisement, its true, there is something here for everybody. So far, in the 6 weeks Ive spent in Australia, it is my favorite place to be, and I can see myself going back there, again and again.. and again! Since Ive left Byron, people ask “So, where'd you last come from?”, when I say Byron, they reply “Lucky!”, or “Im so jealous!” If you're not there, you want to be, even if you don't know it yet!

 The town is a precious gem of calm, situated in between other average, chaotic, "box-store" commercialized towns. However the Shire of Byron Bay is committed to keeping its wholesomeness in tact. You will not find a Target, or McDonald's here, and probably never will! The town boasts its commitment to small businesses, and local products and the residents voice their opinions strongly about changes in the community. They have a large pull, and fight to keep Byron from becoming commercialized like surrounding towns, and to maintain their identity as a small, ethical, artistic haven (as I read in the local paper, The Echo) There are strict town laws about littering, and even throwing a cigarette butt on the ground will lead to a $200 fine. It is refreshing to see a group take such pride in their community and work to protect it's image, history and message to the world- GO TEAM BYRON!

The town is composed of only a few small streets that back-up Byrons beautiful Main Beach. I hope it stays this way, and I hope in the future they will be turned into walking streets. Walking down the streets is such a huge part of the experience. You see buskers on just about every corner, playing just about every instrument, and singing -you name it, they're there. 

 My favorite was hearing a man sing “Imagine” by John Lennon, and a girl who was playing the harp beautifully. It makes you stop for a moment, and listen- and that is when you are truly alive, when you are in the moment.

 I think it is great what the Byron community does, and I'm sure a lot people are grateful like me. I hope they never stop. During my visit, I heard that Byron has the highest population of artists per capita, and is home to one of my favorite musicians, Ben Harper. It is also the birth place of The Arts Factory, The Blues Fest and so many other music festivals.

                                      Check out this Ben Harper music video- 

                                    it was filmed in Byron Bay,  Lennox Head

                                     and surrounding areas. I was just there!

Taking a tour of the town you will seemingly go back in time. You will see 70's muscle cars, rainbow-painted hippie vans, hippie chicks and dudes, drum circles, local markets, vegetarian restaurants, heaps of local, hand-made jewellery, natural-material clothing, natural cosmetics and health products, organic hair salons, hand-rolled incense, legal smoking herbs, didgery-doos and djembe drums! Then theres the handful of beaches and hiking trails, the magnificent view from the famous lighthouse, the beautiful beach houses, fresh-sea food restaurants, beach pubs selling the local brews and wine, boutique coffee shoppes and book stores, surf schools, souvenir and travel shoppes, the list goes on and on!

 

 It just doesnt get much better then this! After hitting the beach, and strolling the streets of Byron all day, sun-kissed, in shorts and flip-flops ( or as the Aussies call them, “thongs”) you really feel like you walked straight out of a classic Australian movie. It doesnt take long to get used to summer living here, thats for sure!

Related Articles:

A Spiritual & Self-Sustained Community 

Destination Byron Bay: Two Days of Travel, Day 1

Adventures Are Full of Mis-Adventures Part 1

Byron Bay, Australia, Hostel Review: The Arts Factory, aka The Coolest Place in the World!

 
How can I say this? 
This is the coolest place on the planet!
 Okay, okay, so I haven't seen the whole planet- but I just don't know how else to convey the sheer awesomeness of this haven! It is by far, hands down, without a doubt the coolest hostel- if you can even call it that. It is a hostel, a.k.a. budget accommodation for backpackers, but- it is so much more!

 The Arts Factory Backpacker Lodge is an eco-friendly, artistically-centered hostel, and was the perfect introduction to Byron Bay! What a true reflection about what this "alternative lifestyles community" is all about; nature, art, healing, love. There is an energy alive here that is hard to quantify with words, that which I have found in few other places. It made me happy to know places like this can exist in today's world. It seems to attract happy, peaceful, artistic individuals and promotes an atmosphere of acceptance and love. Its not "just hippies". 

 

TAKE A TOUR FOR YOURSELF!

 
{History:

"In the 70’s many hippies, local and international artist’s created the ‘Arts Factory Village’! In the 80’s it was an internationally recognized rock and roll venue. The ‘Birthplace’ of much of the fame and spirit of Byron Bay, as a backpackers hostel it still maintains that original spirit today. The Arts Factory Village was also the birthplace of the East Coast Blues and Roots Festival and is now home to a diverse range of businesses offering a unique selection of accommodation, food, entertainment, arts, health & well-being.."-from About the Arts Factory, Byron Bay}

I slept in a gigantic tee-pee for two nights, it was such a cool experience. The Arts Factory also has cabins, garden burees, dorm rooms, private rooms, camp-sites and other funky abodes! When I woke up in the morning, I was in love! The eco-friendly hostel was well-integrated into this "jungle oasis" which had been developing over the last 40 years! Massive, mature native trees all around, and even one huge Boddhi tree (the same tree under which Buddha meditated under and found enlightenment.)

The Arts Factory is spread over several acres of wild land and only a short walk from the town center. Everywhere you walk there is art done by backpackers from all over the world, over the years. They do not condone meaningless graffiti, but they do encourage beautiful art with a positive message. When there, you are surrounded by pictures and words of inspiration, messages of love and understanding, things like; "Be Yourself", " The earth is my church", and "Share your vision".  
 
On top of it all, its so beautiful that someone, somewhere is always playing guitar, the didge, or singing, dancing, or hula-hooping! Creation captivates this place. There is also a in-ground pool, cinema, a restaurant and a brewery on site! The Arts Factory has everything you could ever want, you hardly need to leave! Oh and you cant forget the volleyball courts, ping pong tables, guitars and art supplies available for no fee! This place was sweet!! If youre in the area, check it out, I promise- You will love it!

Some of my favourite things at The Arts Factory were: 

-"Talent Night"( I heard someone play a French jazz version of songs from The Jungle Book, very cool!)
-The painted bus!
-The local produce: jewellery, and natural foods and teas for sale (my fav was the freshly squeezed lemon/ginger/honey tea!)
-Cockatoo Paul (the entertainer, he does live music shows, and does bush-walks with guests to educate them about local plants and animals. He is famous for his pet cockatoo which is always on his shoulder!) 

Homepage

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 Heres my overall review:

Overall Experience: POSITIVE        Stayed: 2 days/nights

Cleanliness        -Teepee, kitchen and lounge areas were all relatively clean
4/5                           

Staff                    -Staff were extremely friendly people who went over and beyond
4.5/5                    for customer service. Reception went beyond, and the fire in the teepee was well-tended.

Location             -Walking distance from town, but far away enough to feel the "oasis' jungle feeling
 5/5                       

Security              -Small lockers under beds in teepee, but dont seem that secure, however it is relatively 4/5                       safe because of the type of people that are drawn to this hostel. 
                            -Huge computerized lockers available, 3$/12 hours
                            -Reception tries to monitor people entering

Facilities            -Kitchen, on top deck, opens onto a patio overlooking the oasis, spacious
5/5                      -Deposit required on cutlery
                           -Large in-ground pool , and small pond (not for swimming)
                           -Several lounge areas, no tv
                           -Restrooms: Spacious, clean 4 toilet stalls, 4 showers
                           -Laundry: did not use 

Environment     -Plenty of backpackers, all ages, many artists, hippies, people leading alternative lifestyles
4.5/5                  -Happy, positive environment

                          -Beds are comfortable
                          -Can be loud late at night, usually guitar or singing
                               

Price                   -25$/night for one bed in big tee pee
4/5                       -4$/hour

Homepage 

"Imagination Is Everything"

"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."-Albert Einstein
I made a friend on the train one day, leaving Sydney heading towards the Blue Mountains. I was carrying my fully-loaded backpack adorned with patches from Japan, Thailand and Canada, in addition to my guitar, a few books and snacks. After a long afternoon of catching several trains and lugging around all my goods, I was nearly exhausted. I found a seat and plopped myself down with my backpack.

The train momentarily paused and some little school boys, around 9 or 10 years old got on board. They were wearing school uniforms; light blue dress shirts with matching dark blue vests and shorts. One intriguing and especially sweet little boy with blonde hair, blue eyes, and freckles ran ahead of his classmates and chose the seat across from mine. He plopped himself down with his backpack. 

He kept glancing my way, his eyes nervously fleeting from mine. After a few moments, my gaze caught his. Finally he spoke out in his adorable Aussie accent. 
"Youre quite the tourist, now arent you?" 
"Yes, something like that.", I replied smiling and laughing. His class mate, "secretly" and shyly watching from around the corner near the door of the train, protectively called out, "What are you doing!?". Im sure they were aware they shouldnt talk to strangers. He defiantly answered, "IM TALKING." His classmate eventually buggered off. 

He asked a few more questions about where we were going and where we were from, afterwards apologizing for initially assuming my Canadian accent was American. Then he noticed the patches on my bag, he paused, studying them in a curious wonder. Then, out of nowhere, the way children do, he went on to amaze me with his beautiful innocence, saying one day he would travel like me. 

"Thats why I love the wind so much.." he said,"..because it can take you anywhere you please, ..with a little imagination of course."

The train stopped and our conversation was forced to a halt, nevertheless the little man wished me a great trip and waved me off at my station- What a gentlemen!

Although I only spent a few brief moments with him, he has crossed my mind many times since then. Ive played his words over in my mind, thinking about the relationship between the children we were and the people we are today. As a child, we use wind and our imagination to take us places. As adults, travelling takes a little more than the wind but it still requires that child-like imagination to create a new way of life. 

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A Spiritual, Self-Sustaining Community: Alternative Living

Living in a Sydney hostel while looking for a job in Australia turned out to be extremely expensive. For an interesting accomodation alternative for the weekend we looked up some contacts on Couchsurfing.org. Not only would it give us the opportunity to save some money, but we found a few interesting people who we thought we'd like to meet- Rowan Classen was one of them. He emailed us back almost immediately and told us to come visit for the weekend, he would send his girlfriend to pick us up from the train station.

We would have arrived at Rowans one hour after boarding a train from Central Station, however luck would have it that we boarded the right directional train, but the wrong train! Turns out the tracks split at Blacktown, so we had to take an additional train to back-track to Blacktown, and then an another train which took us to our destination: Mulgrave. 

We arrived in Mulgrave, a small rural town 50 km from Sydney 3 hours later! By this time some funky weather was mixing in the sky as the sun went down- which made for an amazing sunset as we drove to his home. As we arrived we were told about its history. We were standing in front of a 180 yr old slab house! Built simply of stone slabs, wood and a tin roof, it was miraculously still standing. With some minor restorations and a few fire places added, the house functioned properly, although it did get pretty cold at night!

Rowan, his mother, father and brother all live on the property, in separate houses which are spread through-out the land, which is actually a cut off section of the rainforest. The property lies on a river in between 2 national parks, and is surrounded by beautiful tropical flora, fauna and wildlife. Although it is just outside the city limits the area has a fantastic country feeling. The area is very quiet, rural, and at night the sky is so clear the constellations could be mistaken as a ceiling. The area is dotted with several farms, and Rowan himself has pet alpacas and ducks roaming the property. Down by the river is where I spotted my first kangaroo- it must have been nearly 7 ft. tall!

Over the two days we were guests of Rowans, we learned that he is very passionate about seeking the truth in all things. We talked for hours on end, but one of the things he said still repeats clearly in my mind today. He said,“When money comes first, everything else comes second, including the truth. “It is difficult to describe exactly what this may mean, because we discussed so many interesting subjects, but if you care to know you must meet him for yourself. Being very knowledgeable about ancient history, astrology, natural remedies, and sustainable development Im sure he could have interesting coversations with any open-minded individual. He is currently developing alternative energies to self-sustain during a time of need. We were given a tour of his property and shown the different technologies he is currently using. Since having city water brought to the property is extremely expensive and latent with flouride, (something he aggressively disagrees with) Rowan prefers to collect water in creative, alternative ways. He recycles and filters rain water for drinking and for showers. While I was there he was expanding his catchment system to be able to provide water for more people. He also uses dehumidifiers to extract clean drinking water from the air.

A natural, compost toilet which requires no water from the city is also one of his completed projects. He built it himself after attending a workshop at a festival called Confest. From what he explained to me it seems relatively simple and an environmentally friendly alternative to wasting fresh water and/or using lime to decompose waste in the typical out-house. Also, its almost stink-less! (The waste goes down into a catchment system which is virutally air tight. There is a fan at the bottom which removes methane- ideally the toilet lid should be closed after use, so when reopened a suction is created, pulling air down, pushing methane out. This reduces any foul smell while natural organisms decompose the waste.) Its ZEN too!

Rowan is in the process of developing a sustainable and spiritual community, which will be called White Gums Community, after the native tree that covers the rainforest. If you are an open-minded, spiritual individual, please visit to learn more!

If you enjoyed this post, please "Like" below to share on FB! Thnx for reading Roaming Backpack!

Inspirations

If you enjoyed this post, please "Like" below to share on FB! Thnx for reading Roaming Backpack!

Inspirations