:: Wog Blog ::

:: WHAT AM I THINKING ABOUT? ::

:: Monday 15 November 2004 ::

DAY TWO:
218010 on the clock and now we are in Byron Bay. Nice beaches and that. But jeez, bongos, men wearing skirts with their hair half up and half down, too tight speedos, that godawful sound of Combie vans that makes you think the world is coming to an end, and, get this, the back room of the pub on the main drag, totally given over to anti-Bush crockumentaries. I shit you not. Needless to say when I asked the staff whether they would be screening anything to present a contrary view I got a blank look.

Pathetic. It is group think here, but with beautiful beaches. Best thing about the place, but, and it really is good, is 'Fins' restaurant where seafood is done with mucho Portugeezer influences. Absolutely beautiful setting, wonderful staff, fabulous wine and a kitchen that is very innovative without being riduculous, if you know what I mean. Three thumbs up.

So, wh'appened, what was seen on the road for Day 2? Well:

- a certain Big Banana in Coffs and certain Big Prawn in Ballina. The prawn is fading badly in the solid sunlight and that gives it a kinda ghostly appearance with the big black glassy eyes of hate and loathing. Fantastic;

- could of double names, Bogila Bogila and Bom Bom very nice. Couple of them bridges that do the opening thing, very cool, a huuge mosque, in fact maybe two of them, in Woolgongatha or someplace (I work entirely from memory and that is not always reliable....ahem). I shouted out a Happy Eid ... but no one answered... Yuk Yuk. [Not Mosques, dummy. Sikh Temples. Thanks for the e-'s pointing out this error - W]Anyhoo

- for the premier highway of the country the Pacific outside of Port Macquarie sucks. It is a two lane part blacktop part holeyholeness for much of the way plus roadwords were being done in bits so there was actual stoppage. Thank Jeebus I was in the Mazda. If I was in my daddy's Alfa Romeo it would have boiled over so fast it might just have evaporated in yesterday's heat. You know, there are actual towns on the Pacific Highway so there is this ridulous 110 limit 50 limit 110 limit 50 rubbish adding hours to what should be a top drive. Grrr. Still, but, the towns are interesting....in a drive by kinda way....(I know that sounds mean but I am a pale easyburny kinda gal so getting out of the car is not an option I look upon lightly. It's gotta really intrigue me to get out of the car.)

- another Stude, this time a perfect truck driven by a supercoolngroovy young couple, but that was it for the interesting car stuff. The day was an evil Duel-type day on the roads with this huge truck bearing down on me scaring me to pieces. It was not actually me that the Truckman hated, it was the red ute in front of me. I saw the ute merge right back into the single lane forcing Truckman to hit the brkaes a bit and then it was on for young and old. The truck, get this, kept pulling out to try to over take...on windey bits, all aggressive and awful, with the tray just swingin', urgh. It was downright awful work. Made bearable by heavy duty Junior Brown on the stereo. You cannot be scared if you are listening to 'My Baby Don't Dance to Nothing but Earnest Tubb'.

- Still no Shell Optimax. What the..?

- cane fields were spotted, which was deeply cool, cos my Pa did the cane cutting thing when he first came to Oz. Standard wog life in the 50's. Plus I had a kinda Larson moment. Why there was a mound next the road orunno, and why there were about twelve cows on the mound orunno either. But they saw my li'l red MX5, they huddled with their heads all together, and then they all turned towards the car and followed it along for a bit. Off the mound. Like, what is that about, eh? I was thinking 'what, have I got a flat or something?' then I kinda thought, hmmmm, need some radio to keep me normal, all this sunlight and whitelines making me craazy, I think maybe my eyeballs might be getting tanned.

- missed a bit on my arm just inside my elbow. I do not want to achieve the great Oz driver's arm, you know the deep tan. Then I would have to get wog neck, you know where just the head and arms are tanned but the rest is lilly white. Not a good look. But I missed a bit. Grrrr.

- today Mullumbimby, Murwillumbah and Brisvegas. Whooo hooo.

More from the road tomorrow a.m. And thanks for all the emails. Who knew there was that much love for 38 Fords?

:: WB 1:47 pm [link+] ::