Stackin' it a year on...
Yes it really has been THAT long. One whole year ago I stepped onto a flight to Rio and now… I’m in Australia’s highest resort- Charlotte Pass. Got here about a month ago and it seems like I’ve been in this weird time warp forever. Mentioned in the last blog that J and myself were headed here to work a ski season and save some spondulies for the trip homeward. I have gone from Tropical Cairns and Queensland to the Snowy Mountains of New South Wales. Its freezing and I no longer have a tan- unlike the UK, I hear, which is uncharacteristically ROASTING.
Anyway this is the deal :
Charlotte Pass is only accessible by snowcat. So we bussed it from Sydney to Jindabyne, got a ‘snow tube’ to Perisher Valley and then the snowcat to Charlotte Pass.
Charlotte Pass has…
11 lodges
1 Office
2 Restaurants
1 Pub
1 Road
5 Ski Lifts (2 of them closed)
Anyway this has all been a bit of a culture shock for a city slicker ‘mover on-er’ like myself. We have literally been stranded here and I can say this is the first time in 7 months of living in Australia that I have been truly immersed in Aussie culture. I am one of only five Brits living in the village, aside from J, there is Richard the Essex boy Chef and another girl from Sussex. On Tuesday night there was much excitement at the arrival of Geordie John. Family orientated, Charlotte Pass is not the hive of activity that Ski resorts Perisher or Thredbo are.
But it has its underbelly.
The Pulpit Pub is the place everybody slinks into regardless of if they like it or not. Amongst the instructors, ‘lifties’, chefs, admin and chalet staff, there are negotiations of free lessons, selling of second hand gear and of course the total incestuous ness of all the little snow skanks trying to pull each other, talk about the pulling of each other, and the heart breaks of those who should not be pulling each other. It did throw a good 80's Fancy dress party though.
A new discovery, that might get me stoned by some, is that a lot of that Famous Aussie Humour is well, rather basic. Irony and sarcasm seem to go right over their heads in a very American way and the main source of amusement seems to be repeating the ‘in’ catchphrases ‘Feed it’ ‘Drill it’ and ‘It’s all going on’. This can also be verified by the question ‘Is it all going on?’ and I wonder why it’s asked so much because clearly in our little village, alot it isn’t.
Our head Chef, Shooter, is currently wearing me down by repeating all of that lot while I’m doing the dishes and also constantly asking me, to every song played on Australia’s beloved Triple J radio station, ‘This is your favourite song isn’t Lesley?’ I think with the aim of driving effing crazy. Sometimes he sneaks up on me when I’m in the chiller getting something and SCREAMS to scare the bejesus out of me. I snuck up on him the other day with a metal dome thing and spoon and banged the hell out of it til he probably got tinnitus and had a heart attack. Bloody loon.
Also I have noticed that while Aussie blokes generally have ‘normal’ names like Steve and Michael (our Chef, Manager and Dishie respectively) the girls in our lodge are called Bree, Brooke, Michal… not a Jane or Jenny amongst them. There is even a Liftie, lovely geezer though he is, called Chanse. Anyway I digress, but you know what I mean don’t you?
So, having had a month to adjust to all of that, I can honestly say I’m really enjoying myself here. Got me a snowboard and boots dontcha know and by jove, I think I’ve got it. Spent the first two or three attempts going down the slopes on feet and shoulder blades- a bit like a crab- dismayed and despairing- because I just could not stand up on the thing. In my defence I have never been on a piece of snow sport equipment in my life but God it was frustrating. But now, well I can heel to toe like a MoFo and I’m really getting into it. It’s funny because I thought Id learn to surf in Aus, not snowboard, and I’m surprised at the amount of Aussies who are really into the snow. Mental note to self: I really need to get me some travel insurance. Ha. I am COVERED with bruises- once I banana slipped on ice outside the lodge and landed on my head, once I stacked it really bad. And landed on my head.
So to end my ‘One Year On The Road’ anniversary blog entry I can say that the old homesickness has crept in a fair bit this month, and I miss y’all heaps. Seen a fair old bit around the globe but it’s true that it’s the people you meet, who make the experiences so much better. Holly & Siri in Brazil, Ben, Claire and Nick in Bolivia, Mish in Peru, Phil, Jacinda, James, Anne, Aisling, Joe, Jean, Lynn, Ross and Alan and Irish David(!) in Argentina, the ‘Christopher’s’ (French and Bavarian) in Chile, Claire (Amsterdam) Rachel, Sophie and all of the Kiwi Ex bus in New Zealand, Thanks to James Le Sarg and Marcus ‘Dirty Sanchez’ for the free digs and laughs and thank my LUCK for the ‘Sydney Crew’; Lucy, Heather, Ian, Sam, Mark, Onlika, Matt, Marcus, Kerry & Chris and Mark the Hairdresser plus the call centre slave pals Janine and Irish David AGAIN.
And Jason, of course.
What’s lovely about this lot is that I’m going to see them all again- mostly in England. Then trips to Scotland, Ireland, Holland and Sweden to see the rest, when I can afford…
But to my lovely pals and family at home I can tell you it’s where my heart is, and you know who you are. But for now and for the next 5 months, I’ll just keep on doing it for the fans…
Anyway this is the deal :
Charlotte Pass is only accessible by snowcat. So we bussed it from Sydney to Jindabyne, got a ‘snow tube’ to Perisher Valley and then the snowcat to Charlotte Pass.
Charlotte Pass has…
11 lodges
1 Office
2 Restaurants
1 Pub
1 Road
5 Ski Lifts (2 of them closed)
Anyway this has all been a bit of a culture shock for a city slicker ‘mover on-er’ like myself. We have literally been stranded here and I can say this is the first time in 7 months of living in Australia that I have been truly immersed in Aussie culture. I am one of only five Brits living in the village, aside from J, there is Richard the Essex boy Chef and another girl from Sussex. On Tuesday night there was much excitement at the arrival of Geordie John. Family orientated, Charlotte Pass is not the hive of activity that Ski resorts Perisher or Thredbo are.
But it has its underbelly.
The Pulpit Pub is the place everybody slinks into regardless of if they like it or not. Amongst the instructors, ‘lifties’, chefs, admin and chalet staff, there are negotiations of free lessons, selling of second hand gear and of course the total incestuous ness of all the little snow skanks trying to pull each other, talk about the pulling of each other, and the heart breaks of those who should not be pulling each other. It did throw a good 80's Fancy dress party though.
A new discovery, that might get me stoned by some, is that a lot of that Famous Aussie Humour is well, rather basic. Irony and sarcasm seem to go right over their heads in a very American way and the main source of amusement seems to be repeating the ‘in’ catchphrases ‘Feed it’ ‘Drill it’ and ‘It’s all going on’. This can also be verified by the question ‘Is it all going on?’ and I wonder why it’s asked so much because clearly in our little village, alot it isn’t.
Our head Chef, Shooter, is currently wearing me down by repeating all of that lot while I’m doing the dishes and also constantly asking me, to every song played on Australia’s beloved Triple J radio station, ‘This is your favourite song isn’t Lesley?’ I think with the aim of driving effing crazy. Sometimes he sneaks up on me when I’m in the chiller getting something and SCREAMS to scare the bejesus out of me. I snuck up on him the other day with a metal dome thing and spoon and banged the hell out of it til he probably got tinnitus and had a heart attack. Bloody loon.
Also I have noticed that while Aussie blokes generally have ‘normal’ names like Steve and Michael (our Chef, Manager and Dishie respectively) the girls in our lodge are called Bree, Brooke, Michal… not a Jane or Jenny amongst them. There is even a Liftie, lovely geezer though he is, called Chanse. Anyway I digress, but you know what I mean don’t you?
So, having had a month to adjust to all of that, I can honestly say I’m really enjoying myself here. Got me a snowboard and boots dontcha know and by jove, I think I’ve got it. Spent the first two or three attempts going down the slopes on feet and shoulder blades- a bit like a crab- dismayed and despairing- because I just could not stand up on the thing. In my defence I have never been on a piece of snow sport equipment in my life but God it was frustrating. But now, well I can heel to toe like a MoFo and I’m really getting into it. It’s funny because I thought Id learn to surf in Aus, not snowboard, and I’m surprised at the amount of Aussies who are really into the snow. Mental note to self: I really need to get me some travel insurance. Ha. I am COVERED with bruises- once I banana slipped on ice outside the lodge and landed on my head, once I stacked it really bad. And landed on my head.
So to end my ‘One Year On The Road’ anniversary blog entry I can say that the old homesickness has crept in a fair bit this month, and I miss y’all heaps. Seen a fair old bit around the globe but it’s true that it’s the people you meet, who make the experiences so much better. Holly & Siri in Brazil, Ben, Claire and Nick in Bolivia, Mish in Peru, Phil, Jacinda, James, Anne, Aisling, Joe, Jean, Lynn, Ross and Alan and Irish David(!) in Argentina, the ‘Christopher’s’ (French and Bavarian) in Chile, Claire (Amsterdam) Rachel, Sophie and all of the Kiwi Ex bus in New Zealand, Thanks to James Le Sarg and Marcus ‘Dirty Sanchez’ for the free digs and laughs and thank my LUCK for the ‘Sydney Crew’; Lucy, Heather, Ian, Sam, Mark, Onlika, Matt, Marcus, Kerry & Chris and Mark the Hairdresser plus the call centre slave pals Janine and Irish David AGAIN.
And Jason, of course.
What’s lovely about this lot is that I’m going to see them all again- mostly in England. Then trips to Scotland, Ireland, Holland and Sweden to see the rest, when I can afford…
But to my lovely pals and family at home I can tell you it’s where my heart is, and you know who you are. But for now and for the next 5 months, I’ll just keep on doing it for the fans…
posted by LesAlanos @ 8:08 PM
0 comments
