Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Winding back down south now...

Crescent Head, NSW, Australia

The "stepbrother" movie credits rolled and the long weekend was officially over.

Tawney and I got up off the cozy mattresses and couches, hugged all our new friends goodnight and came back down to the garage. The garage sofa-bed we have commandeered for two consecutive nights is surrounded by (from my immediate line of sight) 26 surf boards, 10 wet suits, 4 skateboards, spear diving equipment, and a fridge most likely full of beer.


The 5 guys who live in this house all have hearts of gold and have been out-of-this-world amazing to both of us over the last twenty four hours. They mostly all teach surfing nearby in Crescent Head, and clearly have the open party house in the neighborhood. The night before we had met everyone at the pub and come back to guitars, drum kits, wired in microphones, endless alcohol, and a costume box…
A few of the guys came through the garage on their way to work at 5:30 and 6 a.m. The rest slept in until 7 or 8 and were already up making coffee when we woke up with the house already fully cleaned.
seriously - we LOVE these guys.

Tawney noted how in a house of 5 twenty-something guys, there was only ONE computer in the house without internet access, a TV that none of them could really figure out when we wanted to have a movie night... and it was noticeable to both os us how none of them were on their phones at any point during the weekend. I guess we are so used to LA kids who just LIVE on their iphone and facebook message one another when they are sitting in the same room.
I feel like technology is so toxic, but we are all addicted to it...
Somehow, the guys out here in Crescent Head didn't seem to be addicted. They wanted to strum a guitar and go on a surf adventure or go for a walk and talk to one another... and us. It was such a breath of fresh air... literally.

They also moved incredibly FAST. We dubbed ourselves "team get shit done" - when i kept freaking out over the speed in which we would have an idea and BAM get in a car and go do it.
I am so used to talking about an idea for a really long time and then eventually talking myself out of it and then it fizzles and is over.

Tawney and I made plans to head to Sydney in the morning and it dawned on me that team get shit done's road trip was coming to a close, just like the evening was. Tawney got it done - and booked her flight to Bali... She leaves on Thursday…


"I'm heading back down south now…"

The Kings of Leon played through my head as I crawled into the garage sofa bed tonight. We blasted Kings of Leon all day as we sat on the 6th hole tee off, on zebra and orange sarongs overlooking the incredible headlands of Crescent Head - hometown of Birdie, my island brother from last year.

We hula hooped, drew on our skin with blue markers and moonwalked under the clouds sprinkled across the gloriously blue sky this afternoon.
Birdie had to go down to Port McQuarie to do some boat course, and left us in the garage this morning. His hometown friends and our hosts from the night before gave us the royal treatment… making us coffee, taking us for a meat pie (i passed), and then going on a surfing adventure - driving through jungle forests and down crazy dirt roads past kangaroos and koalas. (I did yoga on the beach while the team surfed)… and then the afternoon turned from awesome to outta hand amazing.


I've been hearing about Crescent Head since this time last year when I met Birdie in Padang and we headed out to Togat Nusa Retreat to live as host and hostess to the island…

When Tawney and I arrived at Birdie's house a few hours north in Nambucca Heads on Sunday morning, after spending Saturday night in Angourie with a friend's yoga Goddess mom… Birdie suggested that we just stay in Nambucca instead of going down to meet his friends.
Tawney and I were making use of his wonderful parent's laundry machines (and subsequently dying all our clothes pink due to a shitty towel we bought with Paul in Byron a few days before… it had gotten soaked when we were dancing in the rain and stunk our car up gnarly… then it dyed everything pink. FAIL on that towel.)
Aaaanyway - after a pub lunch in a neighboring hippie town to Nambucca Heads and some catch up time with my island brother- we decided on a whim that we should indeed charge it to Crescent Head, so we threw our wet pink laundry in the shaggin wagon and followed Birdie to his hometown, rocking out to a random dub step CD that came with the Shaggin Wagon.

This car has been amazing. I can't imagine how people could live without an awesome car full of everything you need when you are gypsy adventuring and playing it by ear.


www.travellers-autobarn.com.au/



All the highways here are like little two lane roads with signs that point off to each various beach town.

So far we have gone
Brisbane - 2 nights
Brunswick Head - 1 night
Brisbane - 1 night
Lennox Head - 2 nights
Byron - 1 night
Gold Coast - 1 night
Byron - 1 night
Angourie - 1 night
Crescent Head - 2 nights

… and we will head back to Sydney tomorrow.

The second night we spent in Byron - after our dinner party in the Gold Coast and following day trip through Nimbin and Mount Warning - was one of my favorite nights so far.

Neither Paul or Tawney had ever stayed in a hostel and we did it right at the Arts Factory.
Our night was spent playing cards and drinking, pulling our mattresses off the bunks in our 10 person dorm and making a giant floor bed to watch anchorman… and then sitting in our fold out lawn chairs that came in the car - looking up at the incredible starry night that hung above Byron.
Soul brother Paul was there to talk metaphysics, laugh, make up weird accents and drink wine from the bottle.

We dropped him at the airport and carried on through the gorgeous landscape and into Angourie which was the teeny tiniest town of all… there was one restaurant that we stopped in to charge our phone, grab a drink and get our bearings.
The owner of the restaurant asked what we were doing there and Tawney explained that her friend Ry's mom lived here and we were hoping to get in touch with her to go have a cup of tea on our way through.
Of course the man knew who we were talking about and instructed us to her house which was just up the road.

We walked in to an upstairs yoga hall just after the sun had set but the sky was still a million shades of lavender reflected in the river framed by palm trees - japanese fishing buoys hung on the walls and transported back to Togat Nusa. (and made me extra excited to realize that i would be seeing Birdie the next morning)… Straps hung off the Iyengar yoga wall and swiss balls were stacked next to each other on a shelf.

"THIS IS MY DREAM!" is all i could say over and over again as we came down the stairs by the massage room filled with oils and magical stones that Robin (Ry's mom) uses for hot stone massages. She fed us turmeric veggie soup and we talked for hours and then insisted that we stay in her guest room for the night and take a long hot shower. (something neither of us had done in days)… Robin has recently been poisoned by mercury, just like yogitoes founder Susan had been a few years ago, upon getting amalgam filling removed improperly.

This quest for health, and riding ourselves of toxicity can often backfire it seems and just causes as much harmful repercussions as the original toxicity it seems.
I wish her all the best healing love while she recovers in the weeks to come.

Being at her house made me realize how much my own yoga practice has seriously fallen by the wayside… My path has played second fiddle to my insatiable appetite for travel and adventure - and i know that i am coming back.
I have this feelings that keeps washing over me that it's almost time to hit the brakes… plant some roots and make a home for myself - a nest where i can have a routine and a regular income and regain my practice.

Today's beach session was beautiful and exactly what i needed to reinvigorate myself.
The sun was still hiding behind a marine layer but it was still warm enough for me to break a sweat quickly.
i practiced methodically and followed my breath and forgave myself for loosing strength over the last year.

It's all part of the process.
What process?
What are we even working towards?

Wholeness?
Oneness?
Health?
Happiness?

I've asked myself recently what is this whole gypsy adventure about?

I'm not totally sure how to answer that question yet… but i think i am learning how to be the best me that i can be with every step i take.

Tawney is the most amazing travel companion and adventure sister to have with me…. always… but especially on this road trip journey.

I am feeling very blessed and although a little bummed out that the Australia part of our adventure is wrapping up - and tomorrow we will head back down south... (cue kings of leon again)...

But she will be meeting me in Indonesia JUST in time for my birthday in April - bring on the TELOS ISLANDS!
www.surfing-village.com


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