Jolly's Lookout

The meditation nest

Summer & Elissa teach one meditation class in Brisbane once a week but most of the classes are at their home which is sweet. It definitely makes for a more homey feel.  Such a great environment to be in. An open & loving space. After the guided meditation, when everyone was enjoying tea and a different assortment of snacks, is when I met Nick. Nick is a paramedic who lives up the street. He's also an avid hiker so he invited me to hike up to Jolly's lookout. Of course I'm game. 

We started at 7:00am and Nick's Dalmatian Tully tagged along for the adventure. 

Epic trees entering D'Aguilar National Park. A certain type of fig tree keeps growing up and around and over a long period of time you have this. 

The long journey gave us ample time for stimulating conversation. Nick talked about when he first started skydiving and eventually took the leap to basejumping. He said back then it was more of an expression of the human spirit rather than the ego with all the rules and regulations. That got me all perked up and interested. Here's what I would do. Take a solid basejumping course, skydive around thirty or forty times solo so I have a good enough understanding of how to control myself in the air, learn how to pack my own chute, have some very in depth conversations with experienced base jumpers like Nick, and then just go for it. No certification. No "300 skydives first" or whatever it is. Buy my own pack. And then say I'm in New Zealand, I just drive out to a remote cliff, or abandoned radio tower, climb to the top, make sure I have enough height and the wind conditions are ok, then take the leap, pull the string, purple parachute launches out, and then I land by my car and go about my day.

After a few hours we made it to Jolly's Lookout and we were graced with some great weather. 

You can't see in the picture but from this view, far in the distance, is Moreton Island and Bribie Island. Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in the world. 

The smell of this flower. Intoxicating citrusy sweetness. (I should patent that name for a gelato flavor)

Nick also told me about a ten day meditation experience he had at a Buddhist center. No talking. No technology. Two meals a day. Meditation spread out in few hour chunks throughout the entire day. Everyone has their own little bed. Repeat for ten days. At the end they ask you to donate or come back as a server next time. Sounds like a totally unique experience. The kind of stuff I'm into. I was stoked to hear they have these centers all over the world. I plan to have that experience sometime in the next few months. It continues to blow me away how many opportunities are available world wide, but rather than costing money, it just takes some symbiosis. You know, like if you have chickens, you take care of them like family, and in return you get some high quality eggs.

On  the way back I looked ahead shocked for a moment, watching a baseball bat sized reptile walk across the trail, and apparently it was a very small one. 

Oh  the infamous Cockatoos, with their maddening screeching screams. Most people know not to feed them, especially if they are around your house, because if there comes a time when you stop, they will literally start destroying your house. Cockatoos could be likened to raging hormonal teenagers. 

The hike ended up being around 12 miles, and I couldn't think of a better way to break in my new hiking boots.

I went with Elissa to pick up her youngest daughter Silva at school (she's starting home schooling next year) and loved seeing how this particular public school functions. Kids with no shoes. Breaks for mindfulness and water fights. Imagine that? An actual school taking breaks for mindfulness. These Auzzies man. They're onto something big here. 

Planet Straya' Round 2

I'm greeted by three beautiful Chinese women, their light blue outfits matching the seats and carpet of the plane. I'm flying with Xiamen airlines this time around, with a stop in Shenzhen, Fouzhou, and then Sydney. I like this already. I sit down next to an older Chinese couple. After take off they switch seats to an exit row. Yes. I now have an entire row to myself for the thirteen hour flight. I check the map and notice we're flying over parts of the world I've never seen. Alaska, the Bering Sea, Russia, Sea of Okhotsk. I have a rest and when I get up we're flying over The Bering Sea and a very remote part of Russia. I look around and not one person is looking out the window. What? We're flying over raw untouched land for as far as the eye can see. I guess those artificial pixels are more interesting.

As  we hit the ground in Shenzhen I'm amazed how they can land when it's so foggy I can't even see the airport. The first class people get off the plane and then a flight attendant weaves in and out of the isle all the way to me and says, "come with me." Two men in suits are waiting for me and at this point I'm thinking, "what in the hell is going on?" So I ask, "what's goin' on??" No response. They can't speak a drop of English. Did America flag me cuz they had to put my bag through the security x-ray three times and then personally search it? Maybe this is about the ridiculous amount of herbal and nutritional goodies I brought with me? Who knows. They take me to a separate part of customs and make some gestures to sit here. I deduce that it's either about the herbal medicine or the fact that I have to get a 24 hour visa while in China. It's probably about the visa, even though it feels like they are detaining me. Finally I pass through, and yes it's about the visa. Geeze.

I enter the main part of the Shenzhen airport and the architecture is insane. It takes me a while to find my airline because I'm a clueless American. Security is trippin' out about my bag for the second time. Here we go again. They make me take out all my liquid extracts and everything is fine, but they say in body language and gibberish that I can't take the iodine through. And I'm trying to explain I take it for my thyroid as a nutritional supplement. That does nothing. The security guard is walking away with my iodine and I say, "Woah woah woah! Nuhhhh uhhh." I find someone that speaks Chinese and English and have him explain that this is ok. Boom baby. I'm good. Eat my dust Shenzhen security.

I land in Fouzhou and on the bus over to the main part of the airport I realize I was literally the only white dude on the plane. Now I have an almost twenty four hour layover, so I find a nice series of seats to lay down on and sleep. After kinda sorta sleeping for an hour or two at a time and reading I see a Chinese massage store. Nobody speaks English but I find out the uber deluxe package is 298 yen (about $55) for eighty minutes so I figure why not? After laying down a guy walks in and well that's a let down. A little later as he is literally punching and slapping my back, I'm just in my head like "What is this? You call this a massage???" Ironically I was just reading a book on the ego and here I am judging away because his massage techniques were different than what I've experienced before. I finally just let go and let the man do his job. It was painful at times but I left feeling pretty good. Right when I got out two Chinese women were giggling to each other looking at me. They said a few words in Chinese to which I said "I speak English", then I heard "Yu Handsum." Ah ha.

Waiting for the plane to board feels like an eternity because I'm exhausted but if I fall asleep I will miss the flight no doubt. The ten hour flight goes slowly but quickly at the same time. It's nice to be able to speak some English to people again. Unfortunately I didn't get a window seat because there was an amazing sunrise over northern Australia, and we flew into Sydney from a different angle this time and it was absolutely stunning. My most favoritest big city ever. I'm so happy to be here again. How can you really know how much you love something until you let it go for a while? If happiness could ever be an external location, it would be Australia.

I call the Auzzie bloke at the baggage claim "Sir" and he immediately says "don't call me sir," and then ends the conversation with a joke about Chinese J-pop. A prime example of why I love the people and the culture in Australia so much. They speak their mind. Straight up. None of this airy fairy oh I'm so scared to offend you or hurt your feelings so I'm gonna hide back in my lil shell and spout a bunch of nonsense I don't mean and hide it with a smile. I'd call that TooPolite Syndrome. When I die people will know I lived authentically without fear. Speaking of death, what a waste of money. I don't care if my ashes are put in the compost bin, fed to the fish, or dumped out of a plane over Australia. My body will not sit in a coffin perfectly clean, and if someone does that, the wrath of my soul will destroy it, then put on some groovy disco tunes to lighten everything up.

Back to the story. I'm in the bathroom, and I feel like a grease monkey. Security back in America took my toothpaste so I have to use some soap/shampoo, but it's all good cuz it's Dr. Bronners. I brush my teeth, wash my face, clean my hair, then get on my knees to use the automatic dryer. Someone walks past me and bursts into laughter. I'm like a wet dog getting dry under the blower. I don't care how I look to other people I just want to freshen up a bit!

Now I'm waiting in line to get my ticket to Brisbane talking with some dudes going up to Thailand for a month to do some Muay Thai, and after about an hour in line the lady at the desk tells me I'm at the wrong airport. What! I need to take a train or bus to the domestic airport, and I'm running low on time. I start booking it, cruize past some of the same parts I've already been back in March, find the bus, make it to the right terminal, get lost temporarily, get taken to the front of the line, and I see that my plane has been delayed slightly. Wow that was close. I'm sitting down, so sedated and tired from being up for about four days now with little sleep. Great state of mind to people watch. Are these people real? Or just projections of my subconscious? Let's find out. I sit next to a guy skyping someone from his iPhone. He finishes up and we start a conversation. He's an older Auzzie, and he just got done skyping an American. Would you look at that. In fifteen minutes we talk about everything from politics to differences of American and Australian culture, to where he grew up (Papua New Guinea), to where he's travelled. Again, why I love the Australian people. That openness and chill-ness and brutal honesty really turns me on. About Trump he said Australians don't like people who are full of themselves, and the main difference between politics in America vs Australia is that even though Australia has some real looney politicians, no one cares. Mmmm my kind of people. Focused on living and enjoying life. The hour and fifteen minute flight up the coast to Brisbane is magic.

Exiting the plane onto the tarmac I always feel like a King. It's sunny, slightly humid, and just perfect. Before I know it I'm in a taxi. My driver is from the Himalayas in India. After a quick fifteen minute chat I have arrived. It's my first time couchsurfing as a guest. I weave through the tropical rainforest that is his front yard, make it to the door, yell in, apparently no one hears me, so I walk around back, and two dudes greet me with the biggest grins ever through the window. Then I meet William who is downstairs chillin' in his room. William is my host. Long blue hair with a blue beard and joker shoes. Class. I can't make it much longer so I talk for a bit, take a shower, then pass out into oblivion. I wake up and it's dark out. I arrived on a good night. It's supposed to be the biggest moon in like over a hundred years, man. The dudes offer me dinner and I'm admiring the house. The decor is wild with hand drawn paintings over the walls and some of the furniture, hundreds of pictures, and all sorts of other goodies. A few harmless little lizards are creeping along the walls.

I wake up at sunrise to the sound of my favorite kind of tropical birds. Everyone else is asleep so I enjoy some exploring around the local area. I found an exercise park which I love. Getting a workout in outside, free of charge. When I get back it's only like 6:00am. What? Apparently the sun rises around 4:30am. All the fellas head off to work or school early on, except me and William. He's outside going through some rosemary from the garden. I offer to help and for the next few hours I get to know him while we clean the home. This guy has unreal life stories. Working at a casino as a dancer in South Korea, a doctor diagnosing him with cancer then later he found out the doctor had the wrong name, after he gave away most of his possessions of course. Will is one of a kind. I really feel bad for the people that only hang around those who are of similar background or beliefs. You know, there's a whole world of awesomeness outside that lil tiny bubble.

I had to be at the Ferny Grove Station to be picked up by my next host, so me and Will made a lil trip out of it. I have some time before we leave so I go for a walk around the park and strip off most my clothes to roast on the pavement for a while. A car full of people stop near me and ask if I'm alright. I look over and smile, "just soaking up some rays thanks." Will is a solid tour guide showing me parts of downtown Brisbane. A big city had sex with a sub-tropical rainforest and gave birth to Brisbane. That pretty much sums it up. We hit up China town where he picked up some herbs, enjoyed exploring an intoxicating chocolate shop named Noosa Chocolates, where we sampled chocolate covered freeze dried strawberries, pecans, honeycomb, and other delights. Will has the sickest blue wallet I've ever seen with three little eyes on the top made out of Kangaroo skin. He's contacting the woman who made it so I can get a royal purple one.

We  sat and talked until my train arrived then I was off. I'm feeling so elated about everything that I'm dancing on the train most of the way. It was a fairly quick ride to Ferny Grove. I had the instructions of where I'd be picked up, but of course had to wander around a bit to find it. There she was. Summer was already there. Summer is the daughter of Elissa who is the workaway host I connected with before I left to Straya'. Man, this is the dream. Cruizing up to Mount Nebo (a close community of about five hundred people who live on top of a huge mountainous hill), windows rolled down, slightly cool breeze, and nothin' but smiles. I learned of her most recent travels to India swimming in pristine glacier water high in the Himalayas and studying Yoga. The Himalayas in North India have been on my must see places now for a while, and talking with her and the taxi driver just solidified that even more. We stopped at a park because she had a chiropractor appointment across the road so I read for a bit then noticed an organic food shop. I had to check it out, and it was just the kind of place I could spend hours. Needless to say I left with a little box of organic goodness. As we're riding up the dirt road to their home on top of Mount Nebo, sippin' on my lemon ginger kombucha, I'm so freakin happy. Talking with Summer about nutrition and meditation and yoga (both of which she teaches) I can already tell this is exactly the kind of place and environment I need to be in right now.

After 45 min we made it to "The Rainforest Home" and I met Elissa and the chickens and their two cats Nina & Siris. Elissa is so warm and welcoming. To my delight, she has a roasted leg of lamb and potatoes for dinner already ready. I'm still super jet lagged at this point, so I'm feeling a lil loopy, but the food is delicious and while I eat Summer and Elissa are going over everything for the meditation class for tonight. I met Eden, another one of Elissa's daughters, and the first thing she said to me made me seriously crack up. "Would you like some shitty healthy cookies or some delicious unhealthy cookies?" I tried to take a nap but it wasn't working out so I melted onto the couch outside. I was watching Siris stealthily sneak up the hill to scare away some Cockatoos, and Elissa smiled as she walked past me. "When I read your profile I knew you were a kindred spirit," she said.

Nina the little fluffball. 

Siris

On the drive into Brisbane for the meditation class Elissa put on some of the flossiest beats ever, and I was sitting in the back speechless. She is like a forty year old version of me in the form of a woman. We setup everything. Candles. Incense. Circle of pillows. I noticed the sign said "CTFO meditation" and I asked Elissa what that stood for. "Chill The Fuck Out!" Ha! To which I replied, "that's fucking awesome." Summer and Elissa started doing airplane and I was speechless again. Elissa looked over at me and said, "You have been smiling. All. Day." "You're doing airplane! That's part of my childhood!" The meditation class was easily the best one I've ever been to. Summer and Elissa are amazing. They intertwined the topic of our relationship with food into it, and at one point with eyes closed Summer painted a picture of a blueberry. The soil. The sun. The rain. The farmers. The truckers. The shop. And then when we opened our eyes there was a plate with one blueberry and one homemade chocolate. It was really a beautiful way to deepen appreciation for something that we all often take for granted. Food.

The next day as Elissa was explaining the work duties I was speechless again because this experience and environment is a near perfect manifestation of the dreams I wrote down earlier this year. Although the dreams were for my future family. It all applies here, and well, this is my Australian family.

No religion - ✔
Immersed in nature - ✔
No phone - ✔
Highest quality food and herbs - ✔
Amazingly loving & spiritual environment - ✔✔✔
Clean water (filtered rain water in this case) - ✔
Animals - ✔
No television - ✔
Interest driven home schooling ✔
Open space to travellers and friends from all over the world ✔

And Elissa designed this home and it's about 30-45 min away from town (both of which I wrote down as well).

Hence why I already extended my stay to the end of December.

Before I came to Australia this time I meditated on my last adventure here. City hopping every week is exhilarating and intense, but at the same time it can potentially lack depth, so this time around I wanted more depth in my experience and relationships.

It's the possibilitiy of dreams becoming a reality that makes life interesting