1:23 p.m. - 2003-10-21
Nimbin -The Drug Capital of Oz (PHOTOS)
20th October
We�re waiting for Mick to come down from Airlie Beach to pick Steph and me up so we can go to his house in Noosa to smoke all his weed (he smoked all of the Belgiums and mine). Kris and Martijn will cycle. He is partying with Boogie-on�the-dancefloor! As it�s Mick we�re talking about here, we have been waiting for ages and will probably have to wait even longer. So Steph is panicking about getting down the coast in time for her flight home and is going around the campsite asking people if they are going south. It is really frustrating hanging around in such a dump. The weather hasn�t been terrific and there is nothing to do. Today we were forced to go to Hervey Bay�s main attraction: Vic Hislops� Great White Shark Expo. It was interesting; lots of shocking facts about how many people are killed and gobbled up by the �killing machines.� Vic is a shark hunter who believes we should be culling them. After seeing his home movies of his shark hunts I think I agree and I certainly won�t be swimming in the Pacific Ocean. Afterall, there are Great Whites in the sea and hundreds of people go missing off the coast every year, presumed drowned. The Australian Tourist Board are hardly likely to advertise the fact that these �missing� people have become shark food. Of course the environmentalists prattle on about saving these �magnificent� creatures, but what about saving the thousands of beautiful dolphins and turtles which they swallow whole every year? I know which I�d rather be swimming with.
Back to Steph�s search for a ride: she met a couple of Aussies (that�s the great thing about camping; you meet people who aren�t backpackers) over the last few days. The first being Steve, a 31 year old short, muscle-bound tattooed Alice Cooper fan with a mullet. She told him he was a beautiful person (in her dippy hippie way) and he made a move on her. He had a huge luxury tent with two bedrooms and a kitchen (compensation from the campsite manager for making a cock-up with his booking, and he does look like a scary beast who would kick up a fuss if you messed with him). He was travelling on his own up from New South Wales. He was hilarious. Some of the stories he told were unbelievable and slightly dodgy. He was another hardnut-but-softie like Nick. He had an incredible tattoo on his back of fire-breathing dragons. I wish I�d got a photo.
The second was a spunky young blonde surfer who she really did fancy. She�d met Matt outside Vic Hislop�s today and he�d sort of chatted her up. She asked for a lift down the coast, he seemed happy to. So we think we�re sorted to leave tomorrow.
21st October
We didn�t leave today, we all went out last night and it was raining today. So the boys couldn�t cycle. Last night was an eventful night. Kris finally let his feelings known, thinking he might not see me again.
We (including Steve and Matt) all went to a big backpacker bar, over the road from our campsite. There was a dancing competition with prize money of $700. Steph and I were really tempted. Steph needed the money more then me and she was once a dancer on the Mickey Mouse club, apparently. In the end she bottled it and we watched the three dreadful dancers and no one took the prize! Steph kicked herself for not entering.
The Rugby was on, so the place was packed. It was a sports bar, cum pub, cum disco really. Steph and I got drunk and ended up on the dancefloor anyway and pulled an Aussie fool called Simon. He was in Hervey Bay for a stag night. He was being quite sleazy but stupidly sweet at the same time. We flirted outrageously with him and he couldn�t stop going on about how lucky he was to be dancing with an American and an English girl. Kris was watching from the side and obviously getting really jealous. He kept coming over but refused to dance at all. He would tap me on the shoulder while I was dancing and ask me stupid questions, or ask me if I wanted a drink and when I said no, ask me if I wanted a soft drink. When I declined a soft drink he asked me if I would like some water and started babbling on about how I might be thirsty and maybe I should drink some water. I was really irritated now; I can�t stand people poking me. Steph and I continued to tease Simon and then he asked us back to his hotel room for a threesome. We both said �maybe� just to wind him up some more. All I was thinking was �minibar.� Steph told Kris what Simon had asked us for some reason, and he came over and tapped me on the shoulder again. �Do you know Simon wants to have a threesome with you and Steph?� I'm thinking, �this is none of your business� and just say �yeah.� He asks if I'm gonna do it and I say �of course not!�
So at the end of the night Simon is trying to get us into his cab and Stephi and I are about to get in (we have no judgement by this point and I�m still thinking about the minibar and my curiosity is trying to get this cat killed). Steve comes to the rescue (sent by Kris) telling him that we're not going anywhere with him. Simon is already in the cab and Steph and I are standing there um-ing and ahh-ing about whether to go or not, but Steve has made the decision for us. He was adamant he was not going to let us get in the cab with that clown. So he slammed the door shut and said �Fuck off Loser,� leaving poor Simon to go home alone; sticking two fingers up to Steve as he drove off. Kris was very relieved I was still with them. We went back to Steve�s tent for a smoke; at about 3am I headed to bed trying to escape Kris� glare. I'm crawling into my tent looking forward to a bit of rest and I feel a tap on my shoulder. FUCK! I knew he was gonna catch me at some point, it was so obvious he was torturing himself with his shyness. So he asks if he can talk to me. We go and sit away from the tents and he tells me he really likes me and he's only felt this way about one other girl before (Martin told Steph he has never had a proper girlfriend, he is 25). He thinks there is a connection between us and says that he sees me for who I am. God, was I cringing, but I made a point of putting his feelings first. I think I handled it pretty well. I told him I didn't feel the same and that we would only be friends. However he couldn't have really listened to anything I said, because he asked me if he could join me after Martijn goes home in two weeks. I was getting annoyed now, there was no way I was gonna have a love sick puppy following me down the coast and I told him, that even though I'd enjoyed his and Martijn's company, it was time to be independent again. His sucky behaviour was starting to grate. I wish he'd been open with me sooner, because it was clear he liked me, especially as he was following me around everywhere. He just made things awkward by being so backwards. It was all a bit too heavy for me, especially as we live in different countries and when you�re travelling you just can�t expect anything meaningful from anyone. If it happens, then that is a rare and wonderful thing, but we hadn�t even kissed. Now he was practically declaring his undying love for me. That's not the way to go about scoring with a chick. I should have given him some advice for his next obsession. It was awful and awkward for both of us. I hate having to break anyone�s heart and I think I really hurt Kris. I suppose he really only hurt himself by keeping his feelings bottled up for so long.
This morning Steph went to see Matt, but he�d gone. We couldn�t believe it! Without a word he�d slipped off. Later we found a note explaining that he�d left early to go to Noosa to catch the surf. Bloody surfers, they think of nothing else.
So we spent the day partying in Steve�s tent. He cracked open the stubbies for breakfast and shared his weed with us. His catchphrase was �How YOU doin�?� in the style of Joey from �Friends.� He said this every time anyone came into the tent, even if they�d only been gone two minutes. It was a great day, even though it was pissing it down. We were lucky to be able to hang out with Steve. Our own tents were only big enough to sleep in. Kris was very quiet and we didn�t really talk. I couldn�t wait to leave. We have given up on Mick, so Steph and I are taking a ride with Steve. I know that will be fun.
23rd October
We said goodbye to the boys and Hervey Bay, and had a drive-thru Macdonald�s breakfast. Steve told us about when he worked there, the cleaners would just piss on the grills because urine is a better disinfectant than bleach. Nice. We passed the boys on the road and soon after that it started to rain. So we decided to fuck Noosa off and head straight to Byron Bay. It would take us three hours to get to Noosa and the boys three days. I didn�t want to wait around for them; also I wanted to escape Kris.
We crossed the Queensland/NSW border and stopped off in Nimbin, in the New South Wales Hinterland for the night. The �Drug Capital of Australia,� a small town where weed has been practically legal ever since the Mardis Grass festival that was held there in the 70s. Everyone had told me how easy it is to score weed there, but I didn't expect to be offered an ounce before I'd even shut the car door! We were offered bud by at least half a dozen dealers within 10 minutes. They were pulling out bags and bags and more or less waving it under the cop�s noses. I don't really understand why the police don't crack down. Everything in the town is geared towards gear. It�s very Upstate New York. The place was a bit shady though; there is a problem with Heroin addicts too, which is a shame because the setting is beautiful. Looks a bit like England, with rolling lush green hills. The three of us went to stay in a place called the Rainbow Retreat where the people were so rude. I thought everyone would be chilled and super friendly, but no, we tried to score $10 worth (because we weren't keen on a street deal) but the girl who was gonna give us a deal changed her mind and didn't bother to tell us. A really young couple living and supposedly working there had two young kids (the boy was called Shady after Eminem and the girl was called Justice) and another on the way. They were pitiful, the guy was stoned all day long and his girlfriend was doing all the work and childcare and they argued constantly. Not much of a retreat. Too much of a good thing can be bad. Nimbin is a good example of this. It would be a great town if the marijuana weren�t so prevalent. Everything in moderation, I reckon, because most people living in Nimbin are paranoid and suspicious. You�ve got your typical small town mentality exaggerated by lots of mind bending drugs. Apparently the locals aren't keen on alcohol either. You can smoke and sell weed on the street, but if you have a can or stubbie in your hand you get some funny looks. Weed is so cheap though, �60 an ounce!
Steve didn�t want to sleep in his bed in the Rainbow Retreat because it had suspect �protein� stains on the sheets. He didn�t complain but said he�d sleep in the car instead. Steph and I cooked pasta and offered Steve some. He said he wasn�t hungry and that food was overrated anyway (?). We insisted on feeding him as he�d driven us all that way. Then he told us he didn�t eat pasta. I asked �why, everyone likes pasta, surely?� He started to tell us about a relationship he�d had with a girl he was engaged to six years ago. She�d cooked pasta every night they were together (she either loved it; couldn�t get enough of it or couldn�t cook. I don�t know, I didn�t ask). Then one day he found out that she�d been sleeping with his brother, he went ballistic obviously, but it gets worse. He then discovered she was sleeping with his best friend too. What a bitch! So poor Steve was so scarred by this that he�s never eaten pasta since.
After dinner we went to the TV room where Shady and Justice were playing with the fire. We were trying to score, but the monged out morons were useless. Steve had a little bit of bud left, so we went to his car to smoke his pipe. We got the giggles when Steve pulled out his Stubbie cooler he�d bought in the Nimbin Newsagency. There was something so unique and ridiculous about this object, that we were examining it intensely for ages until we broke out in hysterics over it. I had to have one. I promised myself to get one the next morning. A stubbie cooler is an insulating foam holder, which keeps your can or stubbie (bottle) of beer from getting warm in the Australian sun. This one has a photograph of a lush bush with the words �Nimbin Newsagency� printed in psychedelic pink type over the top and with a phone number too. This small detail reduced us to tears �Ha, ha, ha! You can RING Nimbin! Hee, hee!� Amid the jokes I made the mistake of telling Steve he had a mullet. He didn�t really. I�ve seen more mullety mullets than his, but it just slipped out. I don�t think he considered his hairstyle to be of the mullet variety.
The next morning we stopped at the Newsagents to get me a stubbie cooler to remember that night by. We drove to Byron Bay, which was only an hour away and arrived at The Arts Factory. We said our goodbyes to Steve, which was quite sad really. We�d had a lot of fun with him and he had a car with good music (he didn�t subject us to any Alice Cooper thankfully). We swapped phone numbers anyway. He invited me to Albury where he lives.
We set up our tent in the hippie campsite of The Arts Factory. The place stinks of weed and is full of dreadlocked 16-year-old surfers. It�s Okay, I feel a bit out of place to be honest. They hold various workshops here: Make your own Didgeridoo, Learn the art of Poi, How to dread your hair whilst simultaneously swinging in a hammock and spinning plates� I felt bad about skipping Noosa. The Belgiums didn�t even know where we were. I didn�t want Kris to know where I was though. He�d only follow me.
Steph had been having a nightmare with Andy. They know each other�s email account passwords, so she was checking his and reading messages from �surf-mama� and a French girl that was staying at Tropic Days. He�s in Darwin with Alistair working as a car valet. So she�s understandably upset and doesn�t know what to do. They�ve spoken on the phone and he wants to meet her in Sydney so they can fly home together. He has been such a bastard to her, but he�s got under her skin and she keeps forgiving him, and I totally empathise with her. I�ve been there myself and it is torture. They promise this and promise that, and apologise and tell you that they love you, then change their mind and break your heart again.
She is in a pickle though, because she gave all of her jewellery supplies to him and he�s been taking money out of their account. So she�s skint and can�t even make a little bit of money, when normally she would do really well. She could make a killing in Byron Bay.
We�ve been half-heartedly looking for jobs and even thought about doing some topless modelling (desperate times�). I�d like to help her out, but I only have one bankcard on me and I�m living off my overdraft. I had my replacement card sent to Nick and Brian�s. So I�m in a bit of a pickle myself. It�s a real mare.
Kris rang me later in the day. He�d bought a $40 phonecard just to speak to me and spent an hour on the phone. He just wouldn�t hang up. He told me that Martijn had fucked his knee up halfway to Noosa, which was a real shame. They were so close to finishing their circuit (from Brisbane to Brisbane). He said he wanted to buy me a present and if I saw anything nice in Byron, to tell him and he�d buy it when he came down. I told him not to be silly. I tried to get off the phone because there was a big green water snake in the tree that I wanted to get a picture of, but he was being very clingy. I think he is planning to go to Thailand next. He has two weeks of holiday left. Eventually we said goodbye. The snake was just swimming out of sight by the time I got off the phone.
25th October
Andy rang my mobile this morning and Steph had an emotional conversation with him. He practically ordered her to get to Sydney that day as he�d changed their flights. He said he was catching a flight the next day I think. He said his Mum would put $100 in their bank account so she could catch a bus. It was awful; she wanted to stay as she loved Byron Bay, and had met a cute Argentinean called Francisco. At the same time she had no money so was reliant on Andy. I told her to take the $100 and buy some jewellery supplies and change her flight back. That would have been a kickass thing to do, but there was no guarantee that she�d make enough money to support herself until Sydney. So that night she left. It was weird; we�d spent so much time together and been through so much. I have a feeling we�ll see each other again though.
Before she left we went for a walk up to the famous lighthouse. Well, we tried to walk it but we got lost as it was further than we thought. We nearly gave up it was so hot, then we asked a hippie, who appeared to be tripping, for directions. He seemed excited and jittery and showed us his painting effort on the front of his VW campervan. He�d literally smeared random colours of acrylic paint all over it and it looked rubbish. He offered us a lift up to the lighthouse. We got in the back along with his surfboard, guitar and sheets of poetry he�d scribbled in purple felt tip pen. He was obviously an ageing acidhead and was talking non-stop about God-knows-what. He was telling us about this cactus he had on his dashboard that has hallucinogenic properties. I noticed his gear stick had a deadly looking spider encased in the clear plastic. He was weird, but a good example of a fucked up individual with no direction. His mind was jumping all over the place. After we checked out the fantastic view, he dropped us off in town and invited us to share a box of wine with him but we declined. He was a bit too weird.
Steve �How YOU Doin�! Squires rang me and told me he�d cut his mullet off as soon as he�d got back to Albury. He now has spiky blond tips. I feel really bad. I should keep my mouth shut. I told him it wasn�t a mullet. It�s a bit late to be telling him that now though.
26th October
I went to a protest rally for a character called Rusty today. He�s a Nimbin visionary. He was facing court (round 13 in fact), for allegedly possessing two ounces of marijuana with criminal intent. He was rallying support to fight the charges. A sniffer-dog named Thor located the cannabis: an �urban-terrorism left-over from the unhealthy dose of Olympic security paranoia.� I managed to get a copy of Rusty's CD. It's the story of his visions and his trip to a UFO convention in Israel told in words and music. My favourite line is:
�Now I hadn�t been smoking anything; cos I�d been training for a black-belt in Tai Kwondo.�
I met a few guys from The Arts Factory at the rally. One northern lad called Matt, who was sweet. We went to the beach together afterwards. He had a surfboard with him but he admitted he was only a novice. We got talking about smoking weed and he said he�d given up for six months before he came to Australia. He�d suffered a collapsed lung at 24. He was smoking again, but said he reckons giving up long term is better for you mentally and he felt healthier for it. I tend to agree. I only gave up for two months in Sydney, but I felt much clearer and focused. It�s obvious really but you�re not yourself if you�re stoned everyday and even if you don�t want to give up completely, I think it�s good to abstain for a while so you can get back in touch with the real you. Ground yourself and check your brain still works.
I don�t know if I fancied him really, or if he fancied me. I would have snogged him, but sometimes I just try to convince myself I fancy someone. It�s awfully confusing. Why would I do that? I guess because I�m inherently lonely and being with someone and having flings makes travelling more exciting and memorable. I feel like I�ve been given a year to get as many casual shags in as possible, like it�s my only opportunity to misbehave. It has definitely turned into a habit of mine. I hate that, it�s like I consider straight away if I could see myself sleeping with them and then assess how quickly I can get someone into bed with me. Assuming that I can easily. Unless I really do fancy them, then I pretend I�m not interested and convince myself that they couldn�t possibly be into me. Tragic! Although I haven�t been much of a slag at all really, considering.
Photos of Steve (taken in the future in Novmber 2004) in his shed and his collection of Stubbie holders from all around Oz.
