Rockhampton

"Everybody, every person, has to leave, has to change like seasons; they have to or they die... Everybody has to leave, everybody has to leave their home and come back so they can love it again for all new reasons"
-Donald Miller

So i've been on the road over the past few days driving up to Rockhampton to visit some more relatives. Australian roads are quite different than those in America, they still remind me something of the old west. There are no interstates, just 2 lane highways, and when you come to a town there are a few shops and restaurants and a police station, all nestled up to the road and people stop, and rest. That's another thing about Australia, they don't have as many parking lots. These small towns, you just park on the side of the road. Big stores are build raised up from the grown and you park underneath them.



anyhow, on the way up we camped on the beach... What i wouldn't have given for a surf board, the surf was beautiful. I need to surf while I'm here. It was pretty cushy camping, my uncle spent 10 weeks in the outback so he has this setup with beds and everything. At night we saw baby sea turtles hatching. The photos are on my photo page but they really don't do the feet justice. The things are tiny, they fit in your palm. They hatch and spend a few days, about a hundred or so of them in each nest, crawling to the surface. When they break to the surface they crawl out to the ocean, following the brightest light they can find. They say only 1 in 1000 makes it to adulthood.

Changing subjects: i'm reading through painted deserts by donald miller. Its really a good book about traveling and finding yourself. A lot of people have asked me How i can afford to travel, and i guess my response would be how can I afford not to? Since when has the bottom line in our lives been dollars. If you're interested in seeing Australia, and you have no money, you can travel through the country as a fruit picker for a few months to a year. What you can do is rent a camper van or stay in hostels, and you pretty much make all the money you need. There are free books here about doing that sort of thing and I'll bring them home for anybody that's interested.

Upon arriving to Rockhampton we went to a football match. Football is really confusing here because it means one of 3 things: Aussie rules football, soccer, or Rugby league (which is different than rugby union played in the states). We went to a rugby league match and saw the highly acclaimed brisbane broncos stomp the locals. I'm also learning the rules to cricket because it too is a big deal here.

A little shout out to Matt Barry (and anybody reading this, make sure he gets to see it) I went to a rum distillery on the drive up and saw how they make Aussie rum. It is actually quite good. A new drink to try: the dark and stormy, is composed of rum and sarsaparilla (aka Root beer here in the states). Also, at sporting events you can buy rum and cola ready mixed in a can!

Some more Australian words: Boot means Trunk, Pokies means slot machines.

"I want to repeat one word for you:
Leave
Roll the word around on your tongue for a bit. It is a beautiful word, isn't it? So strong and forceful, the way you have always wanted to be. And you will not be alone. You have never been alone. Don't worry. Everything will still be here when you get back. It is you who will have changed."
-Miller


Peace, love, and rock and roll
-mike