Adelaide/Gold Coast

So we drove straight to Adelaide and unfortunately the person we were going to crash with bailed.  We ended up getting an over priced hotel with a tv that only seemed to play Two and a Half Men...I'm pretty sure that means it should be free.  The next morning we woke up and went to the beach.  It was cloudy so there wasn't a lot to do.  We gambled on pokies a little bit (made $20) and started heading back to Melbourne. The stops to see relatives along the way were a lot more fun than Adelaide since I got to meet more locals.  I even got to hold the biggest crab I've ever seen in my life.

We got back and took it easy the next few days.  I was heading to Gold Coast at 7:30 AM on Sunday and James was planning on going out the night before for his bday.  We all went out to Fed Square and basically drank all night, got a taxi home at 5 AM and I grabbed my bags and left.  Already being up for 24 hours, I didn't feel too good when I had to wait in line to check my bag.  I got on the plane shortly after and flew away to Gold Coast. 

It was only a 2 hour flight so I didn't sleep much.  I landed in Gold Coast a zombie.  I grabbed my bags and walked out of the airport.  It always feels like you're doing something wrong when you walk out of an airport instead of catching a ride.  I walked about a quarter mile and found my hostel. 

Before, I had been a little nervous of my first time backpacking alone but today I was too tired to have emotions.  I met my two roommates shortly after, Marcus and Alessandro.  Marcus was from Australia and Alessandro was from Italy.  Alessandro wanted to be called Axel.  Probably after the rockstar?  I didn't go to sleep so I ended up staying awake for about 40 hours.  There was something definitely off about Marcus.  I could quickly tell he was a compulsive liar which should have brought up more red flags.

The next day I wandered Gold Coast and ended up running into Marcus.  He had been drinking all morning and was getting drunk fast.  He convinced me he had won $3000 at the pokies but suddenly only had $100 dollars...more red flags.  We went to the casino and he proceeded to bet $5 a spin on the slot machines.  Luckily, he won but I would quickly realize that a drunk schizophrenic with money was a lot worse than a broke drunk schizophrenic.  Marcus had convinced himself that the other people in the casino were out to get him so we left.  There's not enough red flags on earth for this guy...

Axel was quickly getting tired of Marcus as well.  Marcus would constantly wake Axel up in the middle of the night to see if he wanted to smoke a cigarette (Axel's cigarettes of course).  Marcus went out the next night and drank more and more with the money he had won.  I wouldn't call it an exaggeration if he drank close to 30 or 40 drinks throughout the day.  He came back a mess.  He had blown all his money, bought some fake looking silver necklaces and shoes.  He kept turning on the lights and calling drug dealers just mumbling "Ya...Ya...Nahhhhh".  I'm pretty sure it was just an answering machine.

He kept listening to the same rap song on loop.  The song had great lyrics of course.  A thousand "niggas" and "bitches n' hoes" and you have yourself quite a refreshing take on the world.  I watched as he just ate it all up with a glaze of sweat on his face.  The same old loop replaying and this guy just surrendered to it.  It's sick how that music is targeted towards insecure guys like that.  On a lighter note, I couldn't help but be envious of one aspect with Marcus.  The guy has around 30 drinks and I didn't see him go take a piss once.  If I have a teaspoon of beer I'm going every 15 minutes...  My bladder must be the size of a shot glass.  Is that sick that that's what I think about when I see an alcoholic with severe problems?  Yes... 

The next day, Axel and I changed dorm rooms while Marcus was out drinking and gambling...at 11 A.M.  As I write this Marcus still hasn't returned.  Yesterday he pawned off a $2000 laptop for $400 and lost it all.  I imagine he was pawning everything else off today as well.  That is the recipe to get robbed if you ask me.  Axel and I prepared for a shit storm when Marcus returned but then Axel got a random job offer from an old lady.  She wanted Axel to plant trees on her farm 30 km away.  It was good because unlike me, Axel was here to make money.  He described the situation in Italy, which was very disappointing.  It reminded me about America.  The old lady offered to drive him there and let him stay the night at their Asian house on a farm.  It sounds like an adventure but there's one big problem...   Now it's all on me with Marcus when he returns.  We'll see what happens...till next time.