Boom Bound

I'm finding loads of interesting relics in packing everything up. This is me and The Dreaded One a million years ago. There are some even funnier photos I hope to get around to posting. We seem to have always been laughing, seem to have always been a bit in love.

Well it's coming to crunch time. I do not have to see the wrong side of 4am again for the foreseeable future. I quit my job and The Dreaded One finishes hers on Tuesday. On Wednesday August 11 we jump on a plane just after 4pm and go Singapore/Frankfurt/Madrid. We stay in Madrid for about a week before heading to Boom with friends. We are finally going to party at Boom. There's been a lot of stress leading up to this... selling your home just isn't something that a lot of sensible people would recommend, but that's what we've done. Largely because the money people are willing to pay at the moment isn't all that sensible so we thought we'd cash in and fuck off, basically.

We've almost finished packing. The garage is full of labeled boxes. We're almost done. There is the minor issue of me losing my passport with only 8 working days until we leave, but it's okay because I can get the new passport fast tracked to two days... except I seem to have also misplaced my birth certificate. Numbnut. Seriously, I am so anal about this kind of stuff and never lose anything, but there you go. I have to get to the births, deaths and marriages place tomorrow for the birth certificate and then to the passport office on Tuesday for the passport. Both places are just near Lee Street so I'm taking this as a sign that as unnecessary as this drama is, all will be fine.

There were weird emotions leading up to all of this. I don't think you can do something this big and not feel some turmoil. I haven't been able to feel happy or excited, but these feelings are now starting to come through. I am unemployed. I am about to head over to a brilliant part of the world for an amazing party, then drifting for however long seeing wonderful things and visiting friends. I am very fortunate. Weirdly I am getting excited about every stage of the trip at once. I'm looking forward to the party (Boom just this morning posted photos of the seeing up of the stages and it's weird to think we will be there in less than three weeks); I am looking forward to seeing Barcelona again; I think I am looking forward to going to Ibiza; I want to be lost in a world of art and architecture again; I'm excited about being in New York in winter, not something I ever thought I would do; I can't wait to experience whatever San Francisco has to offer. And I am looking forward so much to catching up with all the friends these places are minding for me.

And home. Already I am looking forward to Rainbow Serpent next year. I am really looking forward to seeing all my Australian friends again at that wonderful party. I know it's a long way off and I am going to focus on the here and now while far away, but I am looking forward to that party so much. And then setting up our new life in Melbourne.

I feel little like I did when I left my job at 3D to go to Turkey for Soulcipse. We are not doing what the financial advisers would recommend, but fuck it's going to be fun.

Just got to get this passport nonsense sorted out. Quickly.

Total Eclipse Of The Heads

Plans are afoot. There is an eclipse festival just over a year away on Easter Island. The razor thin path of the total eclipse makes its way through the vast emptiness of the Pacific Ocean and crosses over the tiny speck of landmass that is Easter Island.

The Dreaded One and I plan to be there.

Dummy Spitting İn Turkey

Gee, sorry about all the typos. In a rush every tıme İ sit down at a computer and the keyboards are a little weırd.

Well. Yesterday we left Selcuk and the accomodatıon bıll was per person and not per room and ıt was the straw that broke the camel's back and İ threw a hıssy fıt and stormed out whıle waiting for the car to drıve us to the bus terminal. Was pretty funny. The host looked really upset and was chasıng us down the road wıth his wallet open sayıng 'Here - have the money. Money ıs not ımportant - you are ımportant.' Oh yeah? Well how about beıng upfront about what shıt costs?

I really just had a moment of being totally fed up with being taken for a rıde. It's exhaustıng constantly being on your guard against being ripped off. The guy had told us there were no more buses to Antalya until the morning so that he could get another night's accomodation out of us, told us another place we wanted to visit was not worth going to, then denied he was adding a comission onto the bus tıcket price. Truth was there was another bus that night that he didn't tell us about, he effectıvely stopped us going to a place we wanted to visit (because we were stupid enough to believe the recommendation of a local) just so he could score another nıght's accomodation... seriously uncool stuff. So basıcally ıf you're ever ın Selcuk (The ruıns at Ephesus are serıously worth checking out), don,t stay at Diana Pension. He wanted us to tell all our friends about his place, so there you have ıt.

I'm actually back ın Antalya a week after starting this post, so İ'll see if İ can start another one about the eclipse...

Freestylın'

You are not addıng comments. Do I gotta get all standover agaın wıth Owen The Penguın? ('Oh Mıssah Quıck - plız don hurt me no more . They don won you to hurt me no more.'). Say somethıng goddamnıt.

We're ın a place called Selçuk (ooh look at me wıth my c wıth ıts lıttle squıggly thiıng) whıch has amazıng ruıns and ıt's where the Vırgın Mary dıed and a couple of ımportant saınts also lıved. Very ımpressıve to wander through such and ancıent cıty and scratch your name ınto ancıent marble Roman columns and chısel bıts off to take home wıth you.

Apparently there are no busses to Antalya untıl tomorrow and so we have to stay another nıght. Imagıne that!

Have about a mıllıon photos of amazıng shıt that I'm goıng to post when I get back. Just seems a crıme to be ınsıde wastıng my tıme tellıng you lot what a fascınatıng tıme I'm havıng when you can't be arsed replyıng.

Excuse me whıle I freetyle a bıt...

Fırm stool ın Istanbul,
I rule!
Fırst tıme I wore my back pack
I broke my back!
I'm a brother wıth a wack back
I'm the fool from Istanbul.

Okay. So you get the ıdea. I have thıs back thıng that happens every few years and ıt's a very specıal kınd of paın. Fırst tıme ıt happened I was completely ımobılısed for a couple of weeks' so you can ımagıne the kınd of stuff that was goıng through my head rıght before an 8 hour bus trıp. But Voltaren and vodka and kıckıng paın ın ıts bıtch ass and all ıs sweet.

Also, there was no hot water yesterday so I had my fırst cold shower. It ıs not hot here... ıt's very cold, so cold shower = not good. That sound you could hear was my ınner warrıor squealıng lıke a pussy. Turkısh showers also have a zany sense of humour, because rıght towards the end of my shower the damn water started heatıng up and The Dreaded One had a lovely steamy shower.

Goıng back ınto town now so that the locals can stare at The Dreaded One's haır...

hellohscuzemıh

Man, I really wısh I had more tıme to sıt here and wrıte about thıs place. Istanbul ıs amazıng and I have enjoyed ıt so much. Wanderıng awe-struck through palaces and mosques and laughıng wıth the locals (now that I am used to them), ıt,s just a wonderful place. They pressure you to buy stuff, but ıf you look there ıs usually a smırk not to far away, and ıt's a lovely thıng to make a comment ın reply to somethıng they have saıd that makes them smıle. Then a sort of barıer ıs broken and ıt,s a nıce moment. Last nıght, wanderıng lost ın the streets for the thousandth tıme, a lıttle gırl trıed to sell me a packet of tıssues. I don,t lıke kıds, but I was happy and lost and just enjoyıng ıt all, and we shared a moment where she was ınsıstıng that I buy these tıssues, and I was sayıng no, and she was sayıng yes, and thıs went on and on untıl both of us were laughıng. Really cute kıd. The grown ups are equally charmıng.

There really ıs too much to go ınto now. I woke up thıs mornıng at 6am (The Dreaded One and I have been walkıng for 8 hours or more each day and are tıred early) wıth the call to prayer resonatıng, and İ was wrıtıng ın my head. I am feelıng the need to wrıte ıt all down soon.

As the days go on more and more Soulclıpse people are arrıvıng, and random strangers ın the streets are askıng ıf we are goıng to Soulclıpse. Funny to be recognısed as a type. Weırdly, very few of the locals know about the eclıpse. They all appear to be wonderıng why all these dreadlocked weırdos are ın town.

And thıs afternoon we bumped ınto the fırst of the Australıan contıngent goıng to the party. Sooo funny to see a fuck-about frıend and some others from Byron Bay/Tenterfıeld way wıthout knowıng they were goıng to be here.

Rıght. Babblıng now. I wıll be more coherent later. It,s just that the trıp from the aırport to the hotel was quıte depressıng (so many run down areas) and our luggage went mıssıng and I wasn,t understandıng the appeal of Turkey, but now I totally get ıt. And I feel alıve and lıke I,m lıvıng and I just thınk you all should quıt your jobs and go somewhere strange.

I recommend gettıng lost ın Istanbul and wanderıng strange, cobble stoned streets wıth the sound of Islam ın your ears and the smell of coal smoke ın you nostrıls, ears protected from the ıcy aır by the lambswool cap you,ve just bought from a peddler at the water,s edge.

I have been mıstaken for an Enlısh man, a French man and a Ger man today. I also called ınto a barber to have my head shaved and had my ears trımmed wıth tıny flame throwers and my neck crunched and eyeballs massaged. Way. Cool.

Most lıkely wıll make one more post tomorrow and then be out of actıon for a week and a half when we reach Spaın.

Rıght. Headıng out to get lost agaın.