Internet is overrated, this will never be a success 😉 … well, it makes some things very, very easy. While being out exploring the world I definitely enjoy the ease to communicate with home, getting information about the places I visit and also find new people along the “road” with similar interests. Two platforms which come in quite handy for this purpose are Couchsurfing and Workaway. The first one is aimed to match travelers with hosts for short term stays, normally up to a few days, and exchange good company for a couch or a bed. The second one is for people who are willing to work up to five hours a day in exchange for accommodation, food and getting part of the daily life of the people who you stay with.
Through Workaway I encountered the Jones family, who invited me to their farm close to Condoblin, a small town almost in the geographical center of New South Wales. Arriving in the evening after an unnecessary long bus ride from Dubbo via Cootamundra – which is comparable to flying from Osaka to Honolulu via Auckland (an idea one of the travel agencies proposed to me) – I stayed two weeks with Tiffany, Max, Sue, Tim and Nathan on Boxdale. Not knowing what to expect coming to a place in the middle of nowhere – the last 15 km to the farm are gravel road – all my uncomfortable feelings quickly vanished by the direct approach of the family and the instant integration into daily life. Well, all but one 😉 … the insistent warnings about brown and black snakes transformed my walks at night into little mind adventures. However, it was not until the last day, when Friendly the cat brought a small specimen home so I could at least see one of those little dangerous creatures.
Staying in my own little train, a converted comfortable rail car with two bed rooms, a living room, a bathroom and a kitchen, the days on the farm started around eight o’clock. Depending on the daily needs I assisted in various tasks. The work to be done consisted of helping with the sheep and cows, weeding and lawn mowing in the gardens, taking care of and playing with the dogs, cleaning the pool, and, and, and … there are definitely a lot of things to do on a farm. One other task I enjoyed very much was cooking. Tiffany and I spent quite some hours in the kitchen preparing delicious feasts. I tried to bring as much personal cooking style in the Jones family and so they could enjoy Kaiserschmarrn, Apfelstrudel, pumpkin soup and some other less typical specialties 😉
All in all the time passed by much too quickly. From the first moment on I enjoyed the openness of the family and straight forward mentality to take me on board. I ask as many questions as possible to learn and better understand the challenges on their farm. We also had quite some discussions about how the world works and it was lots of fun to see the differences in thinking between people who normally live in very unlike environments. Once more on my journey it was a great pleasure for me to see how people can create a wonderful place to life together and invite others to stay with them.
Much too less pictures from Tiffany. 😉