Last night I slept in a comfy bed, ate breakfast on a verandah, went for a run, had a warm shower, washed my clothes and am now sitting on a plush couch in front of a massive flat screen. Who knows how long until this is life again.
Nic and I had a tumultuous week. On Saturday, we decided it was time to buy a van. Not just to drive, but to live in. You see Nic and I are going to explore the coast and stay in camps and national parks along the way. It is a very popular way of life here and we found heaps of vans on gumtree (their kijjiji). So, we rented a car from ½ price car rentals- a smashing robin egg blue Hyundi Getz which looks like a tuna can on wheels and we were off. For only $118 for the weekend- we were content.
We drove to Brisbane as this is where Mandy & Dee live. A nice 4 bedroom house that has all of the things we take for granted. We did no hunting the first day as the boys scoured the internet and drank beer while Mandy and I talked babies (no rush here- I say this while Nic is having an intense play with 8 month Lyla- but neither our bank account, my waistline or Nic’s sleeping patterns are ready- check back in 5 years) and drank beer. After a great meal, we went to bed excited for our travels the next day.
We woke up and made our plans to see 4 vans. An outfitted (has all of the camping, bedding & cooking gear) goes anywhere from 4000-7000 so originally we thought we’d buy one like that. Well, our travels on finding a van included Nic administering first aide to a 40+ woman who cut her hand with a whipper snipper (and later inviting us to stay the night for a BBQ), getting lost about an hour away from where we wanted to be (turns out there is coloumbus court and coloumbus crescent), riding around in our teeny getz with 2 Frenchman who could speak little to no English, got yelled at by an angry business woman because we took a parking spot in which I ended up giving her a toonie to alleviate her anger by missing out on a customer buying a one dollar coffee and this was all mixed in with punctuated music/dance breaks, McDonalds and getting honked at by drivers who were less than impressed with our navigational driving. The roads here are incredibly stupid- a roundabout every 3 minutes. They even had a picture of it trying to get people to take the toll road- it looked like Medusa’s hair (snakes) with one straight road in the middle.
After A LOT of deliberating, we could not agree. Nic had decided he would prefer to buy a cheap van (that had yet to be roadworthy or registered) and outfit it ourselves and I just wanted to go in a more expensive unit that was ready to go. So, in the end we compromised and bought nothing and went home to Mooloolaba---- it was a very quiet ride. We stayed in the hostel that night… our final night as it turns out- as we decided early the next morning that we would stay in Brisbane at Mandy & Dee’s until we found “The One”. All the vans are here so we needed to be too. So, yesterday morning, Nic told the hostel and firstly I don’t think they even noticed we were gone and secondly, they didn’t care that we were leaving. We set off back to Brisbane with all of our crap. We got here around 2 and scoured the internet again even though we both really were so so so sick of looking. We saw a listing that had no picture and was asking 1,500. Now, this was a steal of a deal because it had it’s roadworthy and registration for 6 months meaning it had to be in decent condition. So off we went. I did tell Nic in the car that I had a feeling this was it….
And once we saw him- we were pretty certain. We took it for a test drive and then gave the lady a thousand dollar deposit. It’s got a large wheel base, tinted windows, runs well and has a high roof. Apparently perefect for living in your van. She had no idea how much more money she could have got. We had to fight out another guy who wanted to see it immediately (probably because he saw the profit that could be made). So we pick up Herb later today. He’s a handsome fellow- dark green (like my old Jimmy and Nic’s old GB--- fate). Nic is going to set him up in Dee’s laneway and we should be off soon. We just need to buy his essentials. As long as Herb doesn’t have any drastic body damage while in our care- we should easily make 5000 when it’s time to sell. Turns out our compromising (even though we didn’t talk for an hour) will end up paying for our backpacking trip and then some.
I am really fond of a daily shower and Nic thinks I’ll totally hate this in 2 weeks…. And he’s probably right, but he is so excited and he does a lot of great things for me, so embracing the camper within is the least I can do for him. I intend to make sure we stay in parks only- but I have the feeling Armstrong will try and avoid this every night. However, I think it’ll be super fun and it’s the cheapest way to see Australia when you’re paying for a wedding, and a down payment for a house. I’d probably be more reluctant if hundreds of other travelers weren’t doing it. Unfortunately, Herb can’t come to Fraser Island with us because he lacks 4X4- but that is what I am MOST excited for as we make our way to Cairns.
I’m actually excited about it too. I don’t know how often we’ll be able to contact family & friends but I told Nic I’d like a power converter in there if possible and he seems pretty hellbent on making me happy- so I imagine he’ll provide. My parents are probably completely shocked that I’ve went for this and Mom, you’re probably worried about my wellbeing. Literally, I can’t tell you how many people do this and we won’t be in any danger (unless we don’t stay in the parks). We are definitely staying in a resort on Christmas and I imagine we’ll check into hostels every now and then- so have no fear. Nic is currently building up the inside and later today we are going to “Crazy Clarks” for some “interior decorating”. This place is like our version of the dollarstore but better- they have pillows and throws (which are actually quite decent).
A HUGE thank you to Mandy & Dee for letting us stay here while we set up. Hopefully we can do the same for you in the near future in Canada.
Shout outs to welcome Alexis! Nic’s brother Matt and girlfriend Chelsey welcomed their daughter to the world on Sunday. Congrats guys.
Peace out brothers.
Love, your hippy friends- Shauna & Nic.
love your life!
ReplyDelete