Merry Christmas!!!!

With the end of 2012 in sight and surviving the end of the world, as predicted by the Mayans, I write to you full of Christmas turkey after my 3rd Christmas away from friends and family.  Sure I love the 40*c heat, BBQ and clay pigeon shooting as per the typical Australian Christmas tradition, but I sure do miss the cold festive homeliness you experience in Guernsey.  I do hope to enjoy the next festive season at home with the ones I love and miss every day.  Please don't be mislead though, I have had an amazing time here with friends and their family here in Central Queensland, enjoying their amazing albeit different traditions.  But as always, with the food neatly stored away for turkey sandwiches and the old wrapping paper thrown in the bin, its time to go back to work, to which my daily routine of 4:30am alarms and hard work starts again tomorrow, sigh.....

Whilst on the subject of work, I now have another new job to go to, so as of the 7th of January I will be in the much larger town of Dalby utilizing my new drivers license, I am now a Road Train driver.  Australian Road Trains are the longest trucks in the entire world, with some as long as 85M+ and can weigh over 130 metric tons.  With a short visit to Brisbane, I undertook a driving course which brings me up to speed on driving these immense vehicles, and after taking a 2 hour test, I was granted my new license.  This new job requires me to deliver clean drinking water to different mining sites around small towns, which if someone like me wasn't able to deliver their water, there wouldn't be any to drink.  Unfortunately I was unable to take any photos of my course, so I just pulled this one off the internet, by the truck I will be driving will be very similar to this. 

Currently my job is at a feedlot, where my purpose is to prepare the ground and sow seed using various tractors and implements, a task which I have done many times here in Australia, this time though it is on the largest feedlot in Queensland.  Feedlots are farms which raise tens of thousands of cattle in smalls paddocks, to which the cattle are grain feed by delivery trucks.  There are huge arguments against this practice, but you will find that the majority of meat products you eat come from feedlots such as the one I work on.  Infact, Coles (one of Australias largest supermarket chains), buy's over 80% of its beef products from the farm I work on, 80% of Coles meats in the entire of Australia.  Don't be fooled though, these cattle are treated extremely well with the utmost respect and dignity.  Unlike other farms, you are not allowed to poke/prod/whack a cattle, they are fed the tastiest and cleanest cattle feed, kept in shaded and well maintained pens and supplied with clean food and water continuously through the day, these are the happiest cows you will ever see.

Lucky 13, its nearly 2013 and whether you believe in the lucky or unlucky 13, its a new year for all, with a chance to celebrate what we have achieved and to commiserate what we have lost.  But with a new year ahead, who knows where I will end up, and what I will be doing.  All I know is that soon, whether for good or for just a short break, I want to return home to see my family and friends, and look forward to my next adventure, what ever and where ever that may be.

Merry Christmas everyone :D

Love Ryan xx

My favorite rifle to go hunting with

 New Holland CR970 header, usually used for harvest but have used it a little bit recently

Job done, back to Roma I go

My work here in Clermont is done, been here for 3 weeks and already off to my next job.  So my time here has been great, busy but not too busy.  Like I previously said I have been harvesting and also truck driving.  Mostly driving the Mack road train in between paddocks loading and un-loading wheat, as I don't have a MC (road train) license, only can drive these things on the farms.  I have a Heavy Rigid license, so can only drive large trucks with trailers up to 15t.  Now as the harvesting is done, I can stay here for another 3 weeks and work, but only part time and probably up to 40 hours a week at the most, which is not enough to make the money I want, so off I go to my next job.

Roma is a great town, big but not too much so, and lots of work available.  Now Tim was the guy I worked for last year, and although he has some work for me to do, he also gave me another contact for work.  Dick runs the local feed lot, and needs someone to feed cattle, do a lot of ground work in tractors and other general jobs.  Not I got a free lift there with one of the other drivers that works here, going through Roma to Toowomba for holiday, so will drop me off sunday, and work start monday :D

Now I'm about half way to my target amount of money I need, which is great, wasn't expecting to get this much together so quick, so hoping to get to Thailand earlier.  Aparently it gets really bust in Koh Tao end of December, so best to be there mid December in order to find a job easily (which is key).  So once I have enough money together so that I know for sure I am going, will book my tickets, exciting.

Anyway, speak again soon :D

  My Mack road train 53M long and weighs as much as 84 Land Rover Discoveries when loaded

 

Recently my car had broken down, so had to walk to work through some paddocks.  This awesome horse, has been stalking me.  Each morning it follows me, sometimes hiding behind trees or right up behind me as I walk through its paddock. 

Work work work

With the weather being great these past 10 days, I've finally been getting some harvest work done.  Hooray, long hours.  When ever I log on to Facebook, I like to check on whats happening in the fast paced world we live in (albeit I only ever learn what people had for their breakfast), and what people are doing.  One thing though that always stands out and makes me chuckle, is when people complain about being tired or over worked after a 40-50 hour week.  Granted that when I was back in Guernsey living the life of the average office worker, the sound of working more than my contracted 9-5 made my skin crawl.  But after 2 years in Australia, 50 hours a week doesn't sound that bad at all.  Let me explain the kind of hours I have been working over these 2 years:
Cattle work : 6am-6pm = 12hours a day = 6days a week = 72hours a week
Divemaster Taka : 6am-8pm = 14hours a day = 5 days a week = 70hours a week
Harvest work : 7am - 11pm = 16hours a day = 7 days a week = 112hours a week
OK, so harvest work being the hardest of all, it does only last for 3-4 weeks at a time, so its not too hard.  Some of you may think this is an over exaggeration, whilst others that I have worked with may say that is less than what we actually do per week.  I vow never to complain about a 50 hour week ever again.

Now as today is wet and rainy, only had a half day today (lol, 7 hours), which gives me plenty of time to update my blog and do my washing.  The exciting life I lead.  Being in harvest puts me back in the controls of a combine harvester, although this year she is a lot smaller and older than I'm used to, but still fun.  One funny thing is that when harvesting, constantly surrounded by hawks watching as field mice and crickets run out of the path of the harvester, to which they quickly dive bomb and collect for themselves.  Clever animals using out machinery to hunt with.  And another thing which is very common out here in central Queensland, and also any outback kind of land, is whirlwinds (picture below).  They happen everyday, sometimes big and sometimes small, where the wind will suddenly form a mini twister and move for hundreds of meters.  Not really dangerous, as winds don't get too strong, just really cool to see.  I watched as a whirlwind went over my ute last week, sucking up all the rubbish out the back and spreading it over vast distances, awesome!

So this job I am on finishes in a week or two, and after that, will move on to another job.  Tim, who I worked for last harvest, has called me repeatedly asking for me to come back and take his harvester south as a solo contractor.  Just like last time, moving around the country on my own with a harvester going from job to job, really really fun.  As Tim took a long time to pay me my final wages, I set him some 'requirements' for him if I was to work for him.  How funny is this, an employee setting his employer requirements.  So I'll let you know how that turns out.

Speak soon :D

Mud, Sweat and Ideas

Whats this? 2 blog posts in less than a week, there must be something wrong.  Yes, I'm bored!

Sitting in my room in my lovely new house, frustrated at the poor weather, it gives me time to think about what I want to do.  I dont think I am ready to come home yet, now I have my PADI instructor cert, I want to use it.  In Thailand there are opportunities and I have friends there, people I want to see again.  As long as I can afford to get there and have backup money, it's where I want to go.  But the question is, for how long and what next?

Here in Clermont, my job was to do harvesting, but at the moment its raining and way too wet.  So at the moment, just hauling out hay bales and delivering them around.  Its alright, fun to be back behind the wheel of some trucks again, but not working that many hours, still 60 hours a week, but not the same amount as a full on harvest.  But we'll see, hopefully it will pick up.


Visa wise, mine expires on the 4th, but I have had meetings with immigration and as long as I get in contact with them on the 5th, I will be transferred on to a bridging visa until I leave end of December. 

Now as I continue my travels to another country, my blog title although being initially unimaginative but accurate, will now be obsolete.  So what shall my new blog title be? Leave your answer in the comments section below.

All good things must come to an end, so better things can begin!

So as my time in Australia comes closer and closer to its end, sitting on a 14 hour train ride to my next job, all I have to pass my time is so low quality movies on the TVs, and time to think about what I have been doing these past 2 years.  I started with a list of accomplishments I hoped to achieve, and albeit it some I have completed, I have done things I never thought possible.  Never did I think I would end up becoming a Scuba Diving Instructor, find a new passion in life as a photographer, drive huge trucks and road trains for a living, be as successful as I have been with agricultural work, and meet so many interesting and great people.  The thing that people don't realise before they come here, is that Australia isn't just a holiday, it's pure opportunity, to try new things and find your calling.  Although I have to leave, Australia will never leave me.

My last post was again a while a go, and at the time I was still working at Scubapix and the Underwater Photographer aboard Sea Quest, the best job ever.  Since then I have finally become a PADI Open Water Scuba Instructor, hooooray!  The courses and exams were hard, but I can only imagine that my first few students will only be harder still.  Now as it has taken so long for me to achieve my instructor level, I have not had a chance to teach courses, but not to worry, wont be long until I do.  Also Scubapix now no longer work for Deen Sea Divers Den doing their photography, which means there is no more work.  Now although I would have loved to continue with photography, it couldn't have come at a better time, as now it's wheat season again, time to make some real money. 

This brings me to my train journey, from Cairns to Mackay then in land to Clermont, time to get behind the wheel again.  Being my 3rd wheat season, finding work is laughable, I call my agencies, tell them what I want, and then chose which job I want from their list. Easy.  This next job is once again driving harvesters and truck work, starting Friday for approximately 5-6 weeks.  Now as my visa expires before then, as I have spoken with immigration, they are kind enough to give me a bridging visa until the end of the year to raise a bit money together, very kind of them.  Plan so far is to work hard for the next month and a half then back to Cairns for christmas, and then, well, I have a few options.

Now depending on how much money, I have a few options.  My main plan is if I raise enough money for equipment, living costs and emergency money, its back to Thailand for me.  After a lot of research and phone calls, Koh Tao has no underwater photographers, and no rental cameras available anywhere.  So what if an enthusiastic freelance photographer with all his own gear and a fleet of low cost rental cameras turns up with enticing commission schemes for stores that advertise my products.  My aim, to deliver rental cameras early in the morning, spend the day taking and selling photos on the dive boats, and collecting rental cameras in the evening.  Now sounds all well and good, but if anyone can pull it off, hopefully I can.  Now this plan will will only come about if I save a fairly sufficient amount of money for security, cant be going on a whim and a prayer.  If I don't raise enough it's most likely going to be either New Zealand or Guernsey for me, hopefully not the latter.

So I leave you, still unsure as to where I will end up in the next of months, but lets be honest, isn't that why people go backpacking in the first place?

My diving life

I may not be an instructor yet, but so close I can taste it.  I'm writing this blog, sitting in my own private corner on SeaQuest (our day boat), in preparation for another fun filled day on the great barrier reef.  Instead of following in the footsteps of all the other instructor trainees and Divemaster hopefuls, all seeking out work in a town over run with staff and not enough customers, I am now an underwater photographer.

Finally back in Australia, after a mad ordeal with Air Australia going bust 3 days before I fly, Cairns is not as warm as I remember.  Immediately I start work as a Divemaster on the live-a-board vessel OceanQuest, with duties such as dive guide, snorkel guide, mooring work and general deck duties.  My working week consisted of a 5 day 4 night stint on board, working 5:30-21:00 every day, most of my weekend was spent sleeping.  Although always visiting the same 10 dive sites, it is still some of the best diving I have ever done.  Some of the best experiences have been when night diving, taking divers under water in pitch black conditions with a torch for their first time, the smiles on their faces make my day.  Sharks, turtles, sting rays, moree eels, nemo, all these wonderful fish are there everyday to see, you can see them 1000 times and they are still amazing to see each time.

All the while, I had been living in Cairns Beach House Hostel, a cheap hostel and managed to get a private room for $15 a night, which was very useful when Freya arrived in Cairns.  Freya arrived 3 weeks after me, and being a dive instructor herself, immediately started looking for work.  Although it took a while, she started work on Fitzroy Island, which is one hour away on the boat.  A couple of weeks a go, we moved out of the hostel in to a shared house, which is a lot closer to Deep Sea Divers Den (my dive centre), and is a lot better than living in a hostel in every way.

2 months on, its coming to the time where I finish working as a Divemaster and start my instructor courses and exams.  My only problem is, that I dont have enough money for the exams and PADI fees of $1100, Scubapix (the photography company that work on SeaQuest) were looking for someone, so I started working for them.  This is great, work on the same boats, but I'm my own boss on here and do my own thing.  Another great thing is solo diving, as I carry a small back up scuba tank called a pony bottle, I dive on my own, awaiting other divers so I can get snaps of them with Nemo or Wally (a Mauri Wrasse).  Wally is a huge fish, who loves to be stroked and cuddled by divers, a brilliant photo prop :D  Also some turtles here love their back scratched and will literally bump their bums in to you to scratch them.  My plan now is to continue on with my photography, and when I have enough money saved, do my instructor exam, but probably continue on with Scubapix, I love this job.



I now formally promise to update my blog a lot more often than I have been, if only with more pictures and a small update.

The Koh Tao Effect

It always seems that I start each blog entry with an apology for the time it takes for me to post a new entry.  This is no different, although this time, my lack of updates is for different reasons.  Koh Tao, the promise of a more relaxed and enjoyable side of Thailand.  Although relaxed and pretty much all about diving, there is always madness in paradise. Thankfully nothing terrible seemed to happen to me, as with all the warnings I had from travellers who had previous been to thailand, I spent most of my time being cautious.  With all things Thailand, you have to have your wits about ya.

So now I am a DiveMaster, woo hoo!!  Now that was one tricky nut to crack.  Past 5 weeks, have all been workshops, tests, training exercises leadership skill, etc......  Afterwards though, I have much more confidence in my diving and feel ready to start leading divers and training divers.  With my DM, I can do some training, but non of the mainstream courses like open water or advanced, that will come when I become an instructor.  One thing I regret though, is not taking more pictures of my time there.  KT (Koh Tao) is a very pretty place, with the whole feel of a small fishing village.  But with diving all the time, going out for food and drinks and spending time with Freya, getting the camera out never seemed to pop in to my mind.  Master Divers, the dive school I was with, couldnt have been better.  Unlike all the big dive resorts on KT, Master Divers is small and not based on giving students a fun time.  They are there to teach divers, and teach the properly.  Dont get me wrong, they were the nicest bunch of people I have ever met, but with them I feel as though I am more of a respectable diver than if I was with another dive resort.  When searching for my dive school, time and time again, Master Divers came up as the highest quality with the highest rated testing scores of all the dive schools in Thailand.  If I were asked to recommend a dive school, they would be my number 1 choice any day.

Whilst I was with Master Divers, I was not the only DMT (Dive Master Trainee) there, at one point there was infact 8 of us.  This made it interesting, as to keep us keen on being better divers, the Dive Master with the highest scores wins a new mask and snorkel at the end.  With 7 of us starting at pretty much the same time, this made it fun.  By the way, my new mask and snorkel is very nice :D  As with us all doing our course together, it meant we were a close group of friends, always going out together and looking out for each other.  

 KT is a cheap place to live, for £12 a day you can have a private double room with shared hot water showers, full english breakfast, a thai dinner and a beer or two at the end of the night.  The problem with this, is that its all that more tempting to go out on a mad one, eat at fancy places, go on trips and do all these fun things.  The thing is, although KT by day is quaint and chilled, by night it changes in to something completely different, its easy to get lost in the excitement.  After a while, the party buzz wears off, and thats when things become more fun, spend more time at the beach, or in a restaurant with friends.

With all good holiday stories, they always involve a girl.  Met Freya through one of my instructors, he brought her down to our bar, and thats where I went to say hello.  Funnily enough, turns out she lived across the hallway from me, I just never bumped in to her.  A great way to escape the madness of Koh Tao, is to spend your time at Freedom Beach with your girl.  As Freya was due to leave Koh Tao but didnt know where to go next, she decided to come to Australia with me.  Being a dive instructor herself, Cairns fits perfectly.  She leaves KT in a few weeks.

Koh Tao has given me some of the best times in my life, its a place that changes you.  I'd like to think that I would visit it again, but I feel it would just tarnish my memories of my time there.  If you plan to visit KT, as with anywhere in Thailand, have your wits about you.  Its a fun 'care free' place, filled with excitement and great people, but with all places be prepared, its a wild ride

 Full moon party :)

 Full moon party :)

 Freya

 Richi, a Divemaster working for Master Divers and Whi the boat bot

 Jim, instructor Donny and Chris

Jersey Jim, finally, someone from the channel islands, even if it is Jersey