From Nimbin I took off to Australia's outback heading for the gemfields near Sapphire and Rubyvale. I stayed there 22 years ago and found many nice sapphires and zircons just sitting on the ground. This time I didn't fare so well, as it was pretty dry, and you need a good rain to be able to "spec" or scan the ground for gems. But it was fine just being able to walk thru the beautiful scenery and absorb the sunlight & nature, including a huge variety of birds. It seems like there's only older folk out there in the gemfields, diehard miners who pick a spot and start digging for gems. You're allowed to camp in the gemfields and it's real cheap, like US$12 a week for a permit. You must also get a fossicking permit for around US$4. Lots of folks bring their caravans and hang out for weeks or months. Now it's cooling off there are more coming out, but not like in the old daze. This is the same caravan I stayed in 22 years ago when I visited the gemfields. I guess they made a monument out of it, no doubt because someone famous stayed there... I camped here one night in Lonesome National Park & it was indeed lonesome as I was the only human in the whole park!
Mardigrass in Nimbin was a total gas! I'm amazed that such a place exists, much less in a conservative country like Australia (yes, most of the place is conservative). The main theme of Mardigrass is protesting Australia's arcane marijuana laws. A number of speakers lent their voice to the growing chorus in Australia for change. The police stood back while people smoked openly in the streets in the thousands. The VW combi (van) parade was fun, as was the attempt to set a world record for number of joints fired up simultaneously at 4:20 (not sure if it set a record, but it sure was a "highlight"! I'll have to write more about the amazing characters that live in Nimbin. Old hippies mostly, many are growers or alternative businessmen. The selection of smoke rivaled that of Amsterdam, with fresh sweet sativa and sweet smooth bubble hash the best in my book. Both were organically grown outdoors, the only way to go... Nimbin Bubble Hash - yummm!
I'm here in Nimbin and I'll be reviewing the MardiGrass Festival for our sites. They're expecting 10,000 people to decend upon this tiny town tomorrow in the countryside surrounded by rainforest. Yesterday I got to walk thru some of that rainforest on the side of an ancient volcano. Awesome. I post photos of the forest & town of Nimbin soon. The town is gearing up for the annual onslaught which highlights cannabis reform. It seems everyone in this town is passionately activist regarding that subject, and this is definite one cool place to hang out. I hear they call this place Amsterdam on Steroids in the middle of nowhere (not sure about the steroid thing). I'd say it's a cross between woodstock and Amsterdam, or it will be this weekend. There's going to be a big parade thru town on Sunday. I expect to be there, but I don't even have my accomodation sorted yet. Camping out is the order of the day anyway. So I got to go to get some camping gear, now. More later. Nimbin Hemp Bar and Hemp Info Center Street Scene Nimbin Area Around Nimbin Beautiful Nimbin Area
Hi Everyone! I'm in the middle of a HUGE party here on Koh Phangan, for the Thai Songkran Festival. The house music right outside this Internet cafe is pounding the beat, and everyone's dancing like crazy. I've been powdered, drenched, powdered again & drenched again, so many times it's impossible to count! The supersoakers are out in force, and others are just throwing buckets of water, sometimes iced on everyone. Everyone is soaking everyone else, and Everyone is smiling like they're having a great time (and we are indeed!) The Thais are going nuts. This is obviously a big thing for them. And today the sun is shining without a cloud in the sky. I haven't a clue what the temperature is because for the last 3 hours I've been completely soaked, feeling nice & cool. I'm sorry but I'm not taking pix of this wonderful event. Can't risk the camera (which by now would be history!). I've refilled my supersoaker at least 50 times, and I've got a nice blister coming on my trigger finger. Too bad everyday can't be like this one! Tonight there's a big party at the Pirates Bar, with a bunch of DJs with their setups in little nooks in the sheer cliff. I'll post some pix of the bar soon. It's right at the end of the beach I'm on, which is one minute away from my bungalow. How convenient. I'm not jonesin' anymore! Yippee! Sweet Thai medicine for my insomnia. So the story about this Thai New Year celebration is that they're supposedly cleansing themselves of all the shit from the last year, so they can start the new year fresh. It's new years cause today is their Equinox, with the sun directly overhead. It's the hottest month of the year here, so a great excuse to get soaking wet! Fire Dancer Pirates Bar Koh Phangan Koh Phangan Beach Scene
Last nite I finally got around to checking out Patong Beach, the "wild" side of Phuket. I found it pretty tame compared to Amsterdam, but I sure for the Scandanvians, Brits & Aussies who swarm all over the place it's wicked. Tourist traffic is down here too because there was a lot of well publicized damage from the tsunami here, but it only really affected the front line of businesses, and about half of those are back already, the rest are being reconstructed. The US Navy comes in every so often unleashing 3,000 sailors for a week's shore leave at a time upon the town which is more than happy to "service" them, and relieve them of their $$$. Fortunately the beach itself was pretty empty, but not quite as clean as the other beaches on the island.
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