my new home

I would like to apologies my lack of blog posts as of late, it seems that living in a van has created one (very large) unexpected difficulty: charging my electronics. If I have a day that my netbook is actually charged, I usually spend the time catching up on facebook and emailing... sitting down to write about whats going on is becoming a rare luxury.

So, here a one that was started a while ago... and it seems now I finally have the time to complete and post it!!

Buying a van from other backpackers is amusing to say the least. We bought our van from two Italian guys, so with them and my German friend I seemed to be the only one that could understand the previous receipts of work done or follow what the mechanic said. (oh how I could have used that to my advantage, but I am a fair person and believe in honesty) I got to explain little things, like the difference between the tire and the wheel (and had to actually physically touch the objects to get some understanding from my pupils), and then bigger things, like translating an entire conversation I had with a mechanic (hahah, we walked out of the shop and they all had blank stares... It makes me wonder how other travelers who don't have a fluent English speaker do it.... perhaps that's why so many people end up getting screwed with their purchases).

Our van should be good... it doesn't look too pretty, it's an 89 Mitsubishi express van. It has somewhere around 310 000 km on it, but the engine was rebuilt 40 000 km ago. It's white, standard (which is a Canadian term... there was some confusion when I was telling my British friend), with a bed in the back (with storage underneath) and an area that's kind of a kitchen out the rear door (it includes a pump water sink with a 10 gallon tank, a cooler, a small counter, two gas stoves, and all the dishes and kitchen junk you need). We have a small table and two camping chairs to put outside. AND it came with a guitar and a diseredoo (neither of which we know how to play). Some other gems were found when we cleaned it out: two hammocks, a wet suit, a soccer ball (or football is what the rest of the world calls it), playing cards, a poker set, a mosquito net, a sewing kit, tools, bungee cords and straps, sleeping bags, pillows and blankets, a GPS, a small fridge that plugs into the cigarette lighter, speakers for an ipod, an inverter, a radio transmitter for iPods, maps, maps, and more maps, a lonely planet guide for Australia, Camp 5 (which is the bible for camping spots around the country), a few novels (not all in English), and food (mainly instant noodles).

all the junk we cleaned out

kitchen

storage

I found the original add for the van when I was cleaning it out, they posted it for $4500. Lucky for us (but not for them) Darwin is a better place to buy then sell. The guys were both leaving the country and needed to sell it asap (when the transaction went through, one was already gone and the other was flying out the next morning). They were asking for $3500 when we responded to the add... we paid $2800 for it (go us!). This price included the cost of getting the oil leaks fixed (which were multiple) and purchasing two new tires (around $1000). So the previous owners only walked away with $1800 (if you ask me, they should have sold it in Sydney where they could have gotten their original asking price!)

When we went in to get our new tires, we had to get the mechanic to show us how to get into the engine (which is under the passenger seat) and how to check the water and oil (I swear I can do that on a normal vehicle.... but this one is so different!). He offered us a free roof rack (yay!) but when we tried to put it on, the rust on the (umm... not sure the word for it... lips? Along the top) broke through. He said we don't have to worry about any leakage, but the roof can't support any weight, so no roof rack for us (very disappointing). When we were there there were three girls (french maybe) getting their car looked at... prospects were grim for them: they had $2000 of work that needed to be done (something about one of the tires falling off imminently among other things). The girls were close to tears... they said that was their second vehicle, and they had put a total of $10 000 into their cars as of yet. They couldn't put any more money into it, so they were going to have to sell it (happy that's not the car I bought!).

the rust hole

hidden engine!

We immediately commenced on making it a “girls van.” New bedding, flower pillows, pink curtains (that was a duvet cover that I sewed into curtains), and butterfly stickers on the outside. I am very happy with my new home. I think it will serve us well (as long as I don't burn the clutch out! ... and my brother very GENEROUSLY offered to fix it for free if I flew him out here.... hahhha).

Now we are dealing with the daily life of living in a van... Darwin is a difficult city to live in, they have lots of laws and regulations making it difficult. Campsites are around $40 a night (waaaay more that we are prepared to spend) so we squat at night in a hostel parking lot (that our friend is staying at) and go to the beach during the day (a place where we can set up our chairs and make food... until the authorities come and tell us to put it away... then they leave and we take it out again). If we get caught sleeping in the van at the beach (or anywhere really) it's a hefty fine (over $100 each... fines are all pricey here.. $400 for not wearing your seat belt!). Life is pretty easy though... we have a friend who does our laundry for free, we use the public bathrooms (also a Canadian term... others just say “toilets” ... sounds vulgar to me) for our showers and to charge our electronics (we unplug the hand dryer and plug in our extension cord then sit outside with our most expensive possessions while they charge),and we spend our days sitting around.

I have said it before and I am saying it again... I must find work. My finances are getting scarily low... but as of yet we have not found anything (mango picking wont start for another three to four weeks). Ideally we would like to work for a month before we head out of Darwin, but if we don't find anything by next week we may have to move on to Cairns. Luckily, our daily cost of living is only food (and there are $1 cans of spaghetti that we currently live off of... have I mentioned how awful my diet is now?? cans of tuna, cans of beans, cans of veggies... basically, if it comes in a can that's what I eat) and gas (also a Canadian term... everyone else says petrol) so, we should be able to survive off of very little for the time being....