More Noosa News

Fear not: this month will not go by without a post. As you might have gathered from the lack of updates, not much has happened.
I’m still staying at a hostel here in Noosa — admittedly against my will. Summer season has started, which also means Noosa accommodation is no longer affordable. Must have something to do with Noosa being one of the most expensive places in Australia and a major holiday hotspot. With prices jumping to up to 95 dollars per night at the beginning of October, I had to extend my hostel stay for about 12 nights — until mid-October — so I can finish my work hours at my job (more about that later). The price is beyond reasonable for a hostel (with a construction site out back, so forget peace and quiet).

I’ve been looking for a room to rent for a few weeks now, but so far, a decent option has eluded me. A shame, really. I’d love to stay in Noosa longer — having found friends, Pia and Erin, with whom I enjoy occasional outings and copious amounts of frozen yoghurt. (At this rate I’ll soon level up a pant size if I don’t take up exercising again.)

The Job Front

I had started working as a waitress in Noosa but only got very few hours. Next up, I actually got two jobs to replace waitressing. One of them was working as a dishie and sandwich-prepper at a joint with several restaurants in the area, jumping between three of them. This segment is written in the past tense because cleaning dishes for a few weeks flared up my kumara-related wrist injury and gave me a free helping of tennis elbow. So much for that. To be fair, there were enough screw-ups with my pay and mysteriously docked hours at that place that I’m at least glad I won’t have to keep chasing them anymore. After I get the last pay, that is. Would be great if stuff like that didn’t require constant vigilance and follow-ups on my part for once.

Luckily, I still have my other job at an ice cream/hot dog van — at least for a few more days. On rainy days there’s no work (that’s the downside). But I actually really like working there. Not just because the hot dogs, ice cream, and iced coffees are top-notch, but because it’s a reliable, relaxed, and appreciative work environment — and the boss is cool.

The $220 Jellyfish

What else has been happening? Well, I saw two extraordinarily expensive jellyfish. Each of them cost 110 dollars. If you’re confused, allow me to clarify. I wanted to go swimming with whales a few weeks ago for the proud price of 220 dollars. Equipped with a wetsuit, fins, and lots of excitement, we all went out to sea. We saw quite a few whales from the boat already, and the swimmers were let into the water plenty of times to seize the chance to swim with them.

After the 7th time of hopping into the water, being pushed in all directions by 1m waves, and climbing back into the boat (with considerable effort — the waves were a pain…), I (and the others) had still failed to spot a single whale. At this point, I was so seasick that I was incapable of further attempts. (I enclosed a video of the waves - might not look like much, but I assure you it was…) I sat down (didn’t even make it to the seats) and focused on the horizon. Luckily no one tried talking to me — I couldn’t have responded in a way they’d have appreciated.

The crew didn’t give up and, of course, on the 9th and 10th attempts, the others actually saw whales in the water. The observers on the boat saw them too — it wasn’t hard if you were able to stand up. Unlike me at this point. All I saw were two jellyfish… But! I took the liberty of drawing what the event would have looked like. Enjoy!

Car Sale Chaos

There was another incident that almost ended with me calling the police.
I had the chance to buy a car — a Landcruiser. I got the insurance sorted, the seller and I agreed on a price, and we set a time to meet. Then, the night before the sale, I got a message from the couple saying they’d changed their minds and were going to give the car to someone else who had already paid a deposit. All while fully knowing I was ready to buy.

Then came the plot twist: I could still take the car — for 400 dollars more. At this point I was convinced the whole thing had to be illegal (spoiler: it wasn’t, at least not here in Australia). Frustrated but still hopeful, I agreed. They cancelled the other guy’s deposit (which was illegal) and came to Noosa for the sale. I checked the car, drove it, all seemed fine — until the payment part.

We had agreed on a bank transfer, but suddenly things got complicated. A third I paid straight from my Aussie account. The rest was meant to come from another account of mine, but that would have slapped me with several hundred dollars in transfer fees. I hadn’t expected that — stress, 45-hour workweeks, and unfamiliarity with Aussie car-buying procedures don’t exactly make for a sharp mind. Together we tried finding alternatives, but then he started pushing for the money to go into a foreign account instead, and on top of that he expected me to cover not only my own transfer costs but also his withdrawal fees. That’s when the whole thing went from annoying to downright dodgy.

The more I hesitated, the more aggressive he became. His girlfriend tried calming him down, but no luck. I felt very unsafe and finally decided to back out of the sale. I asked for the part I’d already transferred back. He refused, she agreed, and the whole thing escalated to the point where I was about to call the police.

Luckily, Pia — one of my roomies — turned up at exactly that moment to check on me and gave me backup. In the end, they returned most of my money. Most, not all. He kept 100 dollars for himself as “compensation” — illegally, of course. But I let it go. Consider it the price of peace of mind — and 100 dollars’ worth of “lesson learned” tuition fees…

Wildlife Spotting

To end this post on a positive note: from the deck of the hostel (with a view of the forest) I can spot the occasional water dragon and monitor lizard (see pics), and plenty of bluish butterflies! If I’m not working, this is usually where you’ll find me — observing the animals. Mind you, I have yet to spot a snake. These buggers are harder to find than I thought!

I also set out for some night-time photography - but the light pollution around Noosa was way too strong for what I was going for. But still. Could have been worse. ^^Lue lisää