Goon-ers!

I never thought I'd suffer a culture shock in Australia but the 'traveller' scene's left me wanting to flee the country as soon as possible (ish).

It's a whole different ball game compared to my 5 months round Asia and to be honest it's not one which I came travelling to experience. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing against Australia or the Australians, I think the country and people are gorgeous but a large percentage who've been visiting it need a good kick up the arse and a poke in the eye with a pointy stick. For god's sake you're not at home, this is not just a long pub crawl; don't waste your chance to explore the world by spending every night drinking cheap shit wine. You lovingly name it 'goon' and then complain you haven't the money to explore the country properly. You spend all your money on beer then get a crap job for 2 months in the same place just to buy more goon. You only move on every few months because you stay in $30 hostels, eating $10 meals where that same $40 would last you 5 days in Laos and you would have your eyes opened to so much more.

You sit in a dirty hostel kitchen surrounded by condescending signs telling you 'your mother's not here to wash up after you...' and the 'kitchen fairy doesn't call here any more' and then nick your neighbour's milk because you cant be arsed to walk 2 minutes to the nearest shop. Does this not tell you that you need to get out of that place and wake yourselves up? When you get shouted at late at night in the street for being 'f*cking noisy backpacker scum' that perhaps your not actually experiencing a culture but instead alienating it? This may seem like a way to extend university life but for the rich kids and mummies boys out there come on, this is not the 'University of Life' you collectively convince yourself it is. If you want to piss your money up the wall do what I did, do it in the UK for as long as you can and then when you're ready for something new get off and do something more interesting, you'll never regret it.

Now don't get me wrong, I've spent a dozen nights in hostels and several of them pissed out of my head but where's that gotten me? I've spent far too much money and haven't seen as much as I could have done. Any longer and I'd end up getting a crap job to save up for my next bus ticket! Nah, I'm taking what I have and getting off to South America as soon as I can.

Finally I know this is a bit of an Ade rant but I have to repeat I've loved my time in Australia and when I've had the best times it's been with Australians and not backpackers. I'm having a pop at East coast backpackers and I know this is a cheeky generalisation to make but the stars I've met have not shone in the numbers they have in the last few months and that's for sure. Perhaps if I was travelling up the coast in a van, taking my time as so many do then I would meet loads of interesting souls. Perhaps is a word being used a little late here as I'm actually writing this from New Zealand!

Perhaps next time I come I'll just stick with the Australians; it is after all their country that I came to visit.