I'm in my third week of school but still feel like I'm on vacation. I've figured out how to juggle school around the surfing and climbing that has become the norm. If the weather is decent I either wake up early or rush home from school to surf. My roommate , Will, and I have also been planning climbing trips and recently discovered some bouldering/buildering in our town. I've slowly been collecting surf and climbing video footage, so hopefully I'll have some videos up soon.
Some things you should know about Australia:
It's not as sunny and dry as you'd expect. 4 days out of the week are usually overcast or drizzling (Maybe it's just the time of year). The weather is very unpredictable, and the weather channels aren't of much help.
I thought I'd share some of the slang/Australian I've heard so far. Most of these words are used pretty commonly:
Bodgy- Sketchy
Mozzie- Mosquito
Mackers- McDonalds
Mate- Dude
Bogan - and idiot, or someone you don't like in general. Usually involves them being drunk
Bottle Shop - Where to buy the overtaxed alcohol of Australia.
Thongs - Flip Flops (Not what you think when you hear a guy say "Im going to go put on my thongs")
Fortnight - Every other week ( they actually use the term often)
Scooner - Glass of beer
Piss - Beer ( getting pissed or hitting the piss means to go drink)
Heaps - A lot or very (They use this non-stop)
Now Time for Pictures:
Bouldering and Buildering in Newcastle. We've also heard of "heaps" of other places in town and will be exploring them shortly.
Will buildering an arch on Newcastle beach.
Warming Up.
Our new climbing "Gym". The Arches.
The signs didn't say anything about No Climbing.
Our French friend, Jean ,working on a V4 which he named "The Arch of the Sea" (only in french).
Will on "The Arch of the Sea"
Pain on a V4/V5. Big move off of tiny sharp holds.
Will making the move. Pain Face.
After the pain.
Project.
More climbing:
We also went on a Mountaineering Club climbing Trip this past Saturday. I didn't take any pictures as it was in the same place as an earlier climbing trip. Will, Jean, and I got on 8 climbs of various difficulty, the highlight being a blank looking Australian grade 23 (~5.11b). The main goal of the trip was to get "certified" by the Mountaineering club so that we could rent gear and lead future climbing trips. The weather and views were fantastic!
More About Australia:
One fun aspect of Australia is the diversity of people. This includes ethnicity and political views. Australia is as much of a Hodgepodge of culture as the USA, if not more. Because of this there are plenty of political demonstrations. Last weekend I attended Mardi Gras in Sydney. This is quite different than the Mardi Gras in New Orleans because the Mardi Gras in Sydney is the largest Gay/Lesbian festival in the world. Everyone, young and old, was getting involved and dressing up for the festival... the city was out of control. Unfortunately (maybe fortunately) I didn't bring my camera, and my video camera ran out of batteries by the time the festival started.
Coal Harbor Blockade.
Although I wasn't able to take pictures of the Mardi Gras festival, I did manage to grab some pictures of another demonstration. Newcastle is one of the worlds largest coal harbors, and therefore is a hot spot for environmentalist's protests. Yesterday (Sunday March 13th) a human blockade of the coal harbor took place. Below are a few pictures of the event.
In the parking lot.
Maybe the Biggest Coal Harbor?
Free Kayaks for those willing to protest.
Pumping up the crowd.
Hippie Pirate and Rainbow huggers?
And They're Off! Opposite ends of the environmentalist spectrum.
Teach them while they're young.
Running behind, but having fun.
Until next time. I'm heading to Melbourne for St. Patty's day and then Climbing in the Grampians.
-Pieter
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