5 Months Down! 19 Left!

Well y'all, I've been abroad for 5 months now! Acquired a few new skills, met heaps of legit people, learned a lot about myself, and seen generosity on a scale I didn't know existed.

I long ago passed the mark for "most days away from home", that record keeps getting set each day. And I now  find myself in a weird in-between place. You can ask a backpacker, "hey how long have you been away from home?"

And there are only two responses that really matter: 1- A REALLY LONG TIME like two years/ever since I left college in 1983 or 2- A REALLY SHORT TIME like 8 days/my plane landed 30 minutes ago. And here I find myself at 5 months. Neither a huge amount of time, or a small one. When people ask me how long I've been abroad... The conversation shifts away from that topic because it goes nowhere. 

Enough about that: Australia job wise was mot exactly the land of golden honey that i was lead to believe it was, yet I'm happily employed for NFI(Northern Furniture Installations) and I'm doing heaps of different things. What NFI does- furniture installation for huge office buildings. Big work surfaces. Not as easy as it sounds, the desk tops easily weigh 80lbs and we install heaps (like 75 or more) at a time. Once Paul reads this I'm sure he'll correct my numbers but we're gonna roll with that for now. And with each of those there are cable trays to screw on, electrical wire to attach, and all manner of schananigans to attach the legs(which can be in multiple pieces)... All of which has to be hand carried after being loaded and unloade into a truck. So I'm working out daily, which is a good thing! And I even get paid for it!!

I cannot stress enough how amazing all of my friends here in Brisbane are. If it wasn't for these people I would most likely have moved to a different part of Australia by now. This list includes but is not limited to: Paul, Claire, Andrea, Noa, Em, Brody, Kane, and Katey. The road is not being a lonely place right now, and for that I am hugely faithful.

I am sad to report that I still haven't been camping or backpacking in this country yet. I am still really keen to go but can't seem to line it up right.

Before I leave! I'd like to share something! On the BlogSpot tools for me as the author of this blog I get to see what search words people may have used to get to my blog!! So if someone googles "Steve Crosby New Zealand" my blog would come up and I would know what words they searched to lead them to my site! Recently very many interesting thing have been searched: "hitchhiker Steve" "hitchhiker from New Plymouth" "Abel Tasman Steve". So .... if you met me on the road please email me! I would love to say hi! SteveGoesAbroad@gmail.com 

If anyone has any questions please shoot me an email! It always brightens my day when I read an email from back home! 

Until next time!

Happy Trails!

Steve

Getting Plugged In

Well I've done it. I've moved in here in Brisbane.

I think Brisbane is going to keep me very happy for the few months I'll be spending here. I have been in Brisbane a full 3 weeks and I've managed to make some great friends, learn the city pretty good, find a very nice church, line up a temp job, and am in the interview process for my more long term job.

So! Friends in Brisbane! On the Tuesday after my first Sunday here in Brisbane I went to a CouchSurfing Social Event. Depending on the size of the city and the amount of people in any CS community sometimes the CS ambassador to that area host social events, usually at a bar type place. Brisbane does fortnightly meetings on Tuesdays. At this event I ended up meeting 4 awesome people: Paul(AU), Claire(UK), Noa(BE), and Andrea(IE). They invited me to go climbing with them the following day and I've been hanging with them ever since (Noa left to go work on a farm but was replaced by a girl named Katey(yeah you wanted to know that right?)). We go climbing an average of 3 times a week! And I can't really explain how happy that makes me. We climb together, hang out together, and have all become surprisingly good friends over a short amount of time.

The City! Brisbane is an amazing city. It's 2 million people and change, and pretty spread out. I love the public transport system here, some people hate it, but I try to look on the sunny side (At least I don't have to walk) It's taken me a while to learn the city and I know there is still tons I don't know. But, I can get from my place to anywhere people want to meet and back (with the help of the internet every now and then) via the bus system. Most importantly I can get where I need to rock climb all the time, a place stereotypically named "Kangaroo Point". The city has tons to offer to make sure I never get bored. Usually I don't like big cities(Some could argue that this still isn't), but this is defiantly the largest city that I have still liked.

Church! Keperra Baptist- Thanks to Em Aitkin (Russia mission trip friend mentioned in last post) I have gotten plugged in and am loving it here. It's not the biggest church but it has a good heart and is full of genuine people. I've only gone to a hand full of services and event type things, but I'm being welcomed and am sure that soon I'll be a regular. Thanks to Em being awesome- She has already talked with the appropriate people and wants me to help with a youth camp in September. So that combined with my continued appearance at other church functions will hopefully get me felling nice and at home ASAP :)

Temp Job- So Paul, the guy I met at that CS social event, gave me a job! He owns NFI (a furniture instillation company) and is currently letting me do warehouse work- organizing bays, cleaning the warehouse, unloading and loading shipments, inventory.... that kind of stuff. He is currently in the process of selling his business and I am currently looking into a job closer to my house, so this is definitely a temp job. But it's a nice temp job that I am familiar with thanks to my previous warehouse experience.

More Permanent job! Bunnings (Pretty much the Australian version of a Lowes) There is a Bunnings a block from where I live, and Robyn (the lady I am renting a room from) suggested that I apply there. Apparently they liked my application and gave me a phone interview! I ROCKED the phone interview, made a joke, rocked the "foreign" accent and now I have a group interview on Tuesday. And I know once I get face-to-face I've got the job! Unfortunately, yes, I did have to trim the beard. I know I know, it was a sad day. But I would not have gotten the job with the crazy beard I had. So I trimmed up some and am looking forward to working at Bunnings!

I love feeling plugged in here in Brisbane. It makes me happy that I have a community of good friends who are active and nice people. I am very excited to be part of a rockin church. Australia is treating me very well so far. I have yet to go camping (Something I hope to fix within the next two weeks). Several of my friends are currently traveling abroad including my good friend Connor Lawson who named his blog Connor Goes Abroad - No idea where he got the name but I am really looking forward to reading it!

I hope this blog post finds you all well and I look forward to hearing from you!

Take Care
Happy Trails
Steve

PS- New Twitter: @SteveGoesAbroad and New ICQ # 670274477

That Time I Got Extremely Excited About Moving to Brisbane!

Well Hello There!!

It's an exciting time in Steve Crosby's life. I have been in Australia almost 3 weeks. And I've been busy. So, even though amazing adventures haven't been had, as far as climbing on mountains or swimming below a waterfall goes... I am ecstatic about life...

Upon arriving in Australia, Chris from CouchSurfing picked me up from the airport and made my time in Sydney as good as it could have been! Chris is one heck of a CS host. He understands the plight of backpackers and does everything he can to show you a good time, let you relax, and keep Sydney light on your wallet. After staying with Chris for a few days, I received a warming invitation from Sarah Mirela (a friend I met in Russia back in 2006). Sarah extended the spare room in Phillips house in Gold Coast (a city about an hour from Brisbane). Phil is Sarah's boyfriend who she now lives with. My time with Sarah and Phil has been amazing. In keeping with the legit hosts I've managed to find, Sarah and Phil are some of the nicest and most inviting people around. I've been on complete vacation since I arrived in Australia and I'm having a blast. Fireworks shows, fun days out, hanging out with their friends, and just relaxing in an amazing house.

But it can't all be fun. So, while relaxing in paradise. I managed to secure a place to live in Brisbane through an old friend, Andrew Fainges. I ran into Andrew at a get together on Anzac Day(April 25, My Birthday) that was being hosted by a dear friend Emily Aitken. To be clear, I know Sarah, Andrew, and Em all from a Russia mission trip in 2006. And I'm glad that I already have friends in Brisbane. I have obtained my RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol), something important so I can now be a bartender in Queenstown (the state that Brisbane is in). I have also started looking into churches in Brisbane that I can get plugged into, many look like great churches with young adult programs. The CouchSurfing community in Brisbane is very active so I look forward to going to community nights and meeting other locals and travelers. Also, I've been looking into ceramic studios that I can work at. I've gotten a few promising emails back from studio owners. Most who feel, at a minimum, I can put in enough work for free studio space and materials. So I'm getting back into ceramics, a hobby that I have missed dearly. And who knows, maybe some more money on the side from selling my work if that option presents itself.

While I love traveling, it isn't free. So I got my Work/Holiday Visa and am stoked about putting some money back in my pocket so I can travel again another day (soon). From what I hear, jobs in Brisbane are not hard to get and all pay very well. (Minimum wage is $16 dollars an hour)(Hopefully I won't be getting minimum but even if I do I'll still be able to save up good money)

Why Am I So Excited? Because, while I LOVE traveling, I also really love making friends and being part of a community. Something that I have been missing ever since leaving the University of Alabama. So, in the interest of making my 5 months in Brisbane as fun as possible, I'm preparing to get plugged into the CouchSurfing community, church groups, a ceramic shop, and work (wherever I end up working, hopefully a bar).

Traveling is fun. But it's not all happy-go-lucky and off-into-the-sunset times. Sometimes you need to plan out what you're going to be doing to make sure you have a hoot. I planned out New Zealand really well and had one HECK of a time. And now I've got a plan for Australia, so I'm confident I'll have a blast here too!

Thanks for all the birthday emails guys! My trip around the world would be nowhere near as rewarding without all of your constant correspondence, encouragement, and prayers. Special thanks to Zach Helton, Kathy Steele, and Dad and Mom for sending me care packages! I haven't received them yet, due to being on the other side of the globe but I can't wait for them to get here!

I would also like to give a special shout out to anybody who is considering traveling themselves. I have received a couple of emails recently from different people who have been reading the blog. I want each of you to know: Traveling can be a unparalleled experience in terms of rewards, friends, and inner insight.

I move into my new place on Sunday! Wish me luck, keep the emails coming, keep the questions coming, and care packages are always amazing(my new address will be given to anyone who requests it!)

New Zealand- A Review

If you are friends with me on Facebook you already know that I am in Australia! And now that I am here I find myself thinking fondly about my time in New Zealand. So I thought I would do a review- one tailored specifically to backpackers, young people, or anyone traveling on a budget.

0-5 stars?

The People: 5 stars

Across the board the people were ridiculously nice, and super accommodating. Most people are really good to talk to in any setting- from day to day interactions to in depth discussions. Imagine meeting somebody you want to hang out with every time you say hello to somebody. Look back at my hitch hiking post for some more on that!

The Places: 5 Stars

I cannot stress how beautiful NZ is- words, pictures, movies- none of them do it justice. There are so many places to find amazing views. Scenery that has no equal. It doesn't matter where you go, sure, some places are different than others- but few places are really better than others in NZ- just a different kind of awesome. Forest, rivers, mountains, beaches, cliffs, lakes, snow, sand, sea- NZ has legit places to offer in all categories.

Travelers Accommodation: 4 Stars

Backpackers/Hostels in any city you go to are not hard to find. Average price is not to bad- usually between 20-26$ NZ per night for a 8 person dorm room. Prices jack up close to airports or in tourist areas as can be expected. I didn't stay at a huge amount of hostels in NZ but the ones I did were mostly nice, clean, secure for belongings, and fun places. The camp grounds are usually clean, cheap, and have a great community feel.

Transportation: 3 Stars

A vast majority of the traveling I did was either by hitchhiking or hiking. And it was super easy. And while most of you reading this will never hitchhike anywhere, maybe not even in NZ, the other modes of transportation in NZ are great. The bus system can get you anywhere as can the trains. The only reason for the less than awesome 3 stars is the price. Most bus routes and train tickets are a bit more expensive than I'd like. Cars are also easy to purchase and worth it if you're wanting to see a bunch of different areas in NZ or are gonna be spending a long time in NZ.

Prices: 2 stars

New Zealand is unquestionably expensive. Fresh food from Pack N Save is the best way to get food. Beer? 16 bucks for a drinkable 6 pack. Tobacco? 15 bucks for a pack of cheap cigarets. Petrol aka Gasoline? $2.30 per liter! (4 liters in a gallon FYI) Everything is pretty pricey in general. Going to NZ? Buy everything you can in the states. Especially outdoor equipment of any kind. Camping, hiking, anything at all- USA quality and prices are better. I would suggest REI.com. While hostels aren't to pricey, and cheap food can be found... It all adds up

Fun Level: 5 stars

If you're willing to look hard enough, go off the beaten track, or try new things out- New Zealand could be a great place for you. Tons of fun things an opportunities to really experience joy.

Giving NZ an average of 4 stars!

I loved NZ thoroughly just really was surprised by the prices. Now I'm in Australia- Staying with a CouchSurf host, Chris, in Sydney. Soon I'll be getting up to Brisbane and celebrating my birthday! All I really want for my birthday is emails from friends!

Y'all Take Care,
Steve

New Experiences in New Places

Internet far from a sizeable town can be very hard to find- but I managed to find some!

So, what's been goin on? I've done loads of camping, hiking, climbing, and all other sorts of outdoor fun! Ive been staying busy, losing weight, an relaxing heavily. Now I'm at a host in Decanter Bay- outside of Little Akaloa. Haven't hear of it? Surprising because it is a very large town. They almost have 50 people now. It's an amazing location. Far from tourist. Beautiful bay-

Sorry for my email list people you get to read this next bit again!--

Decanter bay. A long bay with steep hills on either side. It only has a beach at low tide, at high tide the waves crash on the rocks that roll around slowly turning into sand themselves. At the mouth of the bay there is a row of rocks that dog legs left from the right. The rocks are tall spires showing the only evidence that the ridge used to extend into the sea. They have iconic sharp shapes that any local could recognize instantly. Looking from the beach to sea they do not block the view, instead the compliment it. It takes about 30 minutes in a sea kayak to get to them from the beach. Once on the rocks themselves they change nature entirely. On a heavy swell day it is one of the more terrifying experiences I have endured. Big waves crashing on the rocks from the sea side, each time one hits you realize that the rocks are not solid. Instead they are covered in tubes that have slowly eroded for who knows how long. Each time a big wave comes, parts of the wave of rushed through the tubes and dozens of blow holes erupt with spray. It's awesome. Literally. It fills me with awe.

The host here- Brad and Marie- emailed me to request that I come work for em- it came at just the right time. Right as I was starting to look at my bank account. Yes- I am over budget- NZ can be expensive- luckily I have my Australia Working Holiday Visa now so I'm not really worried! I allowed myself to splurge one to many times. Back to being strict once I get to Australia!

For my last days in New Zealand I've decided a nice place with good work on the beach would be nice! Been doing a lot of digging holes, transplanting plants, harvesting just about everything, and eating tons of animals. Lot of chainsaw work to come- I'm very excited about all of that!

However, sadly and happily at the same time, in one week I will be moving to Australia. I will miss this country for sure. But I am very excited to move to my second country. While my world wide trip is 3 months down, it doesn't really feel like I'm really "under way" so to say. I feel like moving from one foreign country to another will really make me feel more like my trip is going along. It's kinda snuck up on me. I remembered to revise my visa and make CouchSurfing plans and email people and everything but next week I'm flying.... That just hit home again.... 7 nights from tonight Ill be falling asleep in Australia. Stoked.

I have been receiving a lot of emails that always keep me very happy. I even received 4 books from my cousin JJ for my kindle app! Shout out! I know my trip abroad could not have been as successful or fun without all of you. Thanks so much!

Before I leave NZ I will try to do one more post and make it a good read! What do you want to hear about NZ guys? Ask and you shall receive!

Take Care!
Steve

The Abel Tasman

Howdy Y'all,

A couple people after seeing a few pictures wanted to know more about my time on the Abel Tasman. So what I'm gonna do is take the passages from my journal and put Em here and see if it makes for a good read- right before I left for the Abel Tasman I was hosted by a super nice guy named Dave- he used to work for DOC(the department of conservation- the people in charge of many outdoors things including the Abel Tasman) and can do the Abel Tasman in his sleep most likely-

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3-11-13 20:43 Abel Tasman Night 1 (54) Bark Bay (M)

1 of 3 things is true. 1: Dave underestimated the weight of my pack. 2: Dave over estimated my ability as a hiker. Or 3- Dave is a dirty liar. The "5 hour" hike from Marahau(Mar-aw-hoe) took 9. But it was totally worth it. Bark Bay is legit. I met two really fun people here. Chris (American) and Anna (Norwegian) are two really nice people and Anna, after seeing my hammock, asked politely to sit in it, and then to sleep in it. So we have all become friends quickly. I knew Chris was my kinda backpacker when he pulled out a bottle of wine from his pack and offered me some! Dinner was AMAZING.( Uncle bens rice w/ canned chicken.) Especially after a long day. Little proud of myself- parts of me wanted to stop at the last camp ground. My pack might be heavy- but my nights are nice :) Gonna go read Matt Lamberts email now! Sore, tired, headache- but full and with good people.... Happy

3-12-13 20:51 Abel Tasman Night 2 (55) Awaroa (T)

Great morning, said bye to Chris and Anna, got a pretty late start. The suck started way to early today. A steep long climb 1/2 hour away from Bark Bay. Stopped on a bench and who do I see but Alex! A friendly Belgium guy, my age, good ish English. We met yesterday at lunch at Anchorage Bay, and today we had lunch together at Onetahuti(on-ah-tah-hoot-ee). Nice guy going the same direction- not same pace but I catch him at each stop. Today after a really rough start I learned I need to be more positive- usually never a problem for me. Man it was a slow day though. I got a lot o encouragement on the trail today. Never like people saying "you got this bro", but instead I was encouraged by seeing others going opposite me- for some reason it helps. Especially tonight when a group of 20 kids and 4 teachers rolled ino the hut. The adults with them are very nice and hey- if kids can get from Mutton Cove to here in a day- surely I can do the reverse! Early morning start tomorrow- if we don't hit the tidal crossing at 7 we will be stuck here for 12 hours!! Read Kate and Gingers email tonight. Such a long day- great way to end it though- nice people at the campsite- emails from home- warm soup simmering now. Gonna sleep hard tonight.

3-13-13 17:52 Abel Tasman Afternoon 3 (56) Mutton Cove!!! (W)

Today could literally be the best day of my life. I'm at Mutton Cove!!! This'll be my last night on the Abel Tasman- 50 kilometers and change so far- a couple hours hike tomorrow and I'm all done. Not only that- but while in Totaranui(random village along the track) I got a shower! Put on clean clothes! And very randomly got wifi from the DOC office. Found out my work visa for Australia was approved! Aaaand that Stephen Merritt dedicated a song to me at Search called "Dude I totally miss you"- seriously made me smile so much. Mac and cheese and chicken soup- mixed together- was awesome for lunch. Me and the Canadian guy who's name I never understood are being bros right now. Sharing food and being proud in our accomplishment. Awaroa to Mutton Cove- a good day. Beautiful cove- writing on the beach- full stomach. Dog tired. And happy.

---------------------------------------------

After I woke up it was a small hike to the finish. A hitch later and I'm in collingwood- the most north you can go on South Island pretty much. Stayed in a cheap- but very nice...ish camp ground.

That's pretty much the main story of the Abel Tasman. Lot of fun and would suggest it to anybody. Lot of great views- pictures do none of it justice. I just loaded up with more food and fuel- about to hit up another trek and start it all over again. I love this life. It's hard at times no doubt. Sometimes I get pretty rough at myself for being not as positive as I should- kinda vicious cycle really. I find that the grind hits my spirit before it hits my back- if I stay positive I know I can do more.

I find myself often thinking of Sir Ernest Shackletons personal motto:

"By endurance we conquer."

Y'all take care, I've got another track to do!
Steve

That Time I Got Kicked Off a Farm

It's been a whole since my last post and for that I apologize. Thing were pretty hectic for a minute there but luckily things are under control now!

How the hectic started: so there I was. New Plymouth, New Zealand. Hanging out with my good buddy Jack Henderson who I met in the states last year via CouchSurfing. Long story short- we had a great weekend together and then I went on to my next farm location.

So this farm was being run by the most conservative family I have ever met. Backstory- I am from Mississippi- been Christian for a long time- conservative family- homeschooled till I was 13- went to University in Alabama- have spent a huge majority of my life in the "Bible Belt". These people were way more conservative than I am used to. Part of the reason I asked to stay with them was because in their farm profile it said "Christian Family" and I thought it would be nice to be surrounded by Christians. Because recently my places have not been so I thought it would be refreshing. They were very nice people and the kids were lovely!! Such nice kids! At least the 7 that I got to meet. Oh yeah- they have 11 children... So- I did loads of chainsaw work for them. Like- a ton of chainsaw work. 3 solid days worth. Nothing but. Good work too. So I'm pretty sure I messed up and essentially got myself kicked out when........

We were playing risk. Gathered around the board game. When the son(Johnny)(the rest of the kids were girls) asked me who the tattoo on my left deltoid is for. I told him it was for Tino(if you don't know the story of Tino I will fill you in later if you'd like)- a buddy of mine who is no longer with us. He said "I'm sorry" and then we kept playing the game. As soon as Johnny asked about my tattoo I saw the look on the other kids faces. The "sweet Johnny broke the ice on asking Steve about his tattoos" look. And the questions starting poring in. "Why'd you get that tattoo?"..."do other people like it?"... "Aren't you afraid of what it'll look like when you're older".... For a few minutes. I responded patiently knowing that they were young kids. (I think Johnny was the youngest at the table at about 12-13.) And right when, for the first time, I was getting tired of defending my tattoos it happened. The question I've heard before and always responded the same way: "the Bible says Christians shouldn't have tattoos" and I replied "Yeah but 4 verses later it says we should stone homosexuals"....

.....

So. Johnny says "oh" and we get back to risk. Two minutes pass. Two. Very uncomfortable. Long. Minutes.

Johnny, "What's a homosexual?"
.......
Me,"a gay person..."
Johnny, "what's gay?"
Me panicking. Realizing I have said WAAAAAY to much, "I'm not sure I should be the one to talk to you about that...."

I waited till the dad got home- told him straight away that his son will most likely be asking him about homosexuality... Just a heads up.

So, that was on Wednesday night. Friday morning I was supposed to go up Mount Taranaki and come back Saturday afternoon and spend a few more days there. Thursday night at dinner the dad pretty much says "Hey Steve, you're going up the mount tomorrow right?" "Right" "how's about you just don't come back."

So I got asked to leave 3 days earlier than I had planned and they didn't share their Internet so it was pretty rough finding a place to stay for a little bit.

That story ended up being way longer than I planned. After that Me and Klara(who I will describe in detail on my next post) stayed with Jack again before starting to head south!

So later I'll post about my most recent adventure on the Abel Tasman Track. I hope none of you respect me less after that story!