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Well hello again everybody. Once again apologies for the length of time it has taken us to write this. I know by now you must all be getting withdrawl symptoms from not being able to read what can only be described as a master class in writing. Well fear not the next few minutes will be full of gripping stories, adventure and maybe a bit of comedy.......well actually it probably won't be but hey got build it up so you read it otherwise it is a waste of my time doing this.
So last time I left you I believe we had just reached Byron Bay. What a fantastic place that is. We stayed in a place called the Arts Factory. This was an old warehouse that was taken over in the 60's by a group of artist and musicians who started to use the buliding for arts and music. This was also where the first Byron Blues Festival was held which is now a huge event in Byron. Anyway history lesson over it is now full of hippies and tree huggers! Our room was simple to say the least. We actually stayed in a giant tent complete with lizards and spiders. Needless to say we were not impressed but it actually grew on us and turned out to be a lovely and um interesting place! Me Chris, and two others from our room also decided to use our superior interlect and entered a pub quiz which we won! WOOO HOOO! We won 4 prizes. 2 trips to Nimbin, 1 surf lesson and 1 kayaking trip with Dolphins. I chose the dolphin trip but because of weather haven't done it yet. We also won $150 between the 4 of us. Not bad for a nights work.
Whilst in Byron we decided to take a little day trip a place called Nimbin. Now Nimbin is a very strange place where it is illegal to sell and smoke weed. (Pot for all you old folk!), However, this is their main trade and the police turn a blind eye to all the teenagers selling it. We decided on the aptly named Jim's alternative tours and set off for our day of adventure. Jim himself had been doing this trip for 12 years and his storys and music that went along with the ride were fantastic. We also got to meet one of his old hippy friends who claims to be the last criminal to be sent to Australia and who now owns a nature reserve which he has planted and built up himself. I have no words in my vast vocabulary to describe this guy but eccentric does not do him justice. It certainly was an experience. Nimbin itself was a dissapointment and nothing like I imagined. As you leave the buss you are offered hash cookies and bags of weed. Of course we did not touch anything but went purely for the experience! From what I have heard and seen the cookies aren't that good. The two people from our room who went had 1 each and both slept 16 hours, after telling us the whole way, "these things don't work". Priceless.
Byron itself is a fantastic place. Absolutly beautiful and very chilled out. By day it is full of people looking around the various arts shops and clothes shops, and by night it is a music wonderland, with bands in most pubs and bands on every street playing all sorts of music as you wonder around. It really is a place where you could just wonder the streets all night listening to the music being played. And as with the rest of Oz the standard of music was great.
From Byron we decided to head back North to Noosa to catch up with our old friend Piere and also some guys we had met in Mission Beach. Noosa the second time around was just as beautiful. I think we have decided that we would be more than happy to live in Noosa. This time round we actually got off our arses and went around the National Park. It was fantastic. The hidden beaches were great and we saw our first wild Koala. Keeping up with tradition we also partied hard. I also managed to bump into 3 guys who were on my course at Uni and a lad I went to school with in year 9 of John Bentley. Of course this deserved a few celebration drinks and so many nights of alcohol endused blurryness followed.
We decided to leave Noosa for Brisbane so we could celebrate St Patricks day in the city and also watch England trounce Wales at Rugby. (I will not go into the rugby but needless to say watching it with my Welsh Uni friends was not a great idea!).
So we prepared ourselves to say goodbye to Noosa for ever, well for now anyway and packed up Wilma. With Chris in the Navigator seat and Me in the Pilots seat we prepard to pick up our passengers (Neil and Dave), also known as Curly sure and Rimmer. Key in ignition, saftey checks done ready to leave and nothing. No power. Wilma had died on us, we were devistated. Now being the normal man mechanic we are we knew exactly what was wrong with it. It's not turning over must be the turnyover thing that needs kicking. Wrong it was just the battery. I will cut a very long story short here, but it included somone elses car, his battery, a very crazy Oz guy who was the biggest legend going out of his way for an hour and a half to fix Wilma and a trip to the shops to treat Wilma to a brand new battery. She has been smiling every since and now purrs like a new Machine.
So that brings us to Brisbane. St Patricks day was brilliant fun. We met some new guys in our hostel and a day of 16 hours of drinking ensued. Dressed in Green and with some hats and sweat bands acquired through the purchase of alcohol we looked like we had come straight from the streets of Dublin! Unfortunatly the day was ruined by the fact England are rubbish at egg chasing but I will put that to the back of my mind and remember the good times.
Also some bad news for all you Wilma lovers. The battery was not the only problem we have had. Now since we have bought her we have parked her on streets in hostels, in car parks but we have never paid for parking. We have had many comments on the doll but everyone grows to love Wilima. Just ask those who have been in her. However I have some disturbing news. Whilst parking her for the first time in secure parking, and paying for it, she was cruely taken from us. Like a scene from the yorkshire ripper someone crept up on her in silence and cut her in half. Devistated does not come close to whole we feel at the moment. We currently have the police investigating the matter and we have called in team of top surgeons to try and save her!.
Brisbane itself is a wonderful city reminds me a little of Cardiff as it is not massive but has a lot going on. Also the hostel we are staying in is brilliant. I am looking forward to the arrival of my better half for two weeks and then the adventure of Brainer and Ash will carry on as normal. I do apologise for her untimely arrival. I know again it will mean you are waiting for another fantastic episode to this saga but I am afraid some things in life just can't be helped.
I am having trouble getting pictures on the web site but as soon as I can I will as there are some good St Patricks day ones.
Hope you are all well and the snow is not getting you down.
Take care and let us know how you are.
Love Ash and Chris x
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