Learning to Drive on the Other Side of the Road

DAY: 14
LOCATION: Brisbane, Cairns

If Levi’s goal in setting me up with his friend in Brisbane was to have me fall harder for him, it succeeded on all levels. Chris was kind, generous, authentic, open, intelligent, vegan – exactly the qualities I looked for in a potential boyfriend’s friends. After all, “he who walks with the wise becomes wise, but the companion of tools will be destroyed by douchiness.” (The Amy Main Version of Proverbs)

We met for breakfast at Sanitarium Kitchen. While I would never call veganism a cult, there is definitely a sort of understanding that goes without saying, a psychic connection that fosters immediate intimacy. Oh, you don’t eat animals either? Give me a hug and let’s talk about the childhood trauma you’ve never confessed to anyone except your therapist!

Okay, so maybe Chris and I didn’t get into the sources of our egoic issues, but only because we were short on time, and there was a lot to be covered. We began of course with veganism, and established that we chose it for the same reasons: health, animals, environment.

“Alright, here’s the question I’ve been dying to ask since Levi told me about you,” I leaned in closer. “How do you justify working in coal?”

He smiled. “I know, right? Well, I’m sure he gave you the same answer, that everything we do in the modern world runs on energy. But honestly? I have my wife and two kids to support. I do it to survive.”

Fair answer. Couldn’t argue with putting food in your kids’ mouths. Heck, I was scared to leave my job in commercials and it’s just me and my cat! I mean, ideals are great until you’re starving. Even I would eat bison liver in the tundra if push came to dying, a la Leo in The Revenant. Not that we couldn’t find other jobs a little closer in line with our values, but I understood his point.

“Maybe we could get a group and move to Byron?” He suggested, reading my mind.

“I don’t see why not! Get our sustainable vegan community living on.”

We ended up not eating at Sanitarium and walking around downtown in search of an acai bowl. Once again, everything seemed to be closed, but it hardly mattered – our conversation was riveting. He gave me a whole host of new docs and books to dive into, like Racing Extinction and The Lucifer Principle.

After covering all the macro world problems and finding a place to eat (the downtown Vege Rama), we finally brought it back to a more personal level.

“Yeah, so, I barely know Levi, but he seems like a pretty decent guy. Emotionally stable, has his shit together. My ex had these dramatic outbursts, where he’d get so angry at me and we’d get into these yelling fights,” I confided.

“Oh no, Levi would never yell at you. He’s got a really calm demeanor, just takes everything in stride. He’s definitely a good guy. I’m just trying to convince him to quit smoking cigarettes.”

“He smokes??” I laughed. “I would not have guessed that!”

“Oh, just socially on occasion. He’s definitely not a smoker,” he elucidated.

“Ha, it’s fine. I’m more concerned about eating meat. I’ll work on that, you work on cigarettes,” I joked. Mostly. I’d been learning to accept my loved ones dietary choices, particularly my parents, but deep down I wanted my partner to be vegan. Not that Levi was anywhere near my partner, but you catch my drift.

Chris checked his phone. “Oh wow, it’s already past 10! Should we call you a cab for the airport?”

“It is?? I could talk to you all day!! Wanna just walk me to a city bike station? I’ll hop back over to my Airbnb and Uber from there.”

“Wow, you are the poster child for the sharing economy!” He exclaimed. “That’s really impressive that you’re just out here on your own, making it happen. You’re a brave woman. I’m glad Levi put us in touch.”

I was thrilled. Especially since Levi had confirmed Singapore with me earlier that morning. This was happening. Just one more stop in Australia – Cairns.

It was a quick flight, with spectacular views of the reef (I always sit window). Like Byron, the weather forecast called for rain everyday, but as I’d learned that didn’t mean anything. There’d been rain, but there’d also been plenty of sunshine. That said, I hadn’t booked my Great Barrier Reef trip just quite yet.

On the ground, I retrieved my luggage and approached the Europcar desk. I’d rented a car in a foreign country only one other time –in Rome with a friend to drive the Amalfi coast. I was super nervous about driving on the left side of the road in a rental by myself, but I really wanted to do day trips to the Daintree Rainforest and Port Douglas, and the prices were really affordable.

“Looks like you made the reservation in Cairns City and not at the airport,” the cheerful employee informed me. “You can take a bus in.” Whoops.

It was sunny when we pulled out of the parking lot, but pouring by the time we’d driven the 6km into town. I felt grateful to be getting a car to move about in.

“Would you like to add insurance for $40?” Carl asked me as he processed my reservation.

“Nah, my credit card company covers me up to $75,000, thanks though,” I said.

“You sure? They’ll charge you $4000 for any damage if you don’t,” he gave me a look that made me scared. My stomach churned. Don’t rent this car! A voice inside screamed. Shut up voice! I can drive on the left, I’m a good driver! Another voice yelled back.

“Nope! Chase has my back.”

“Great, then I’ll take you to your vehicle,” Carl led me to the parking lot.

I groaned. A brand new Yaris – with a stick. Not that I couldn’t drive one – my first two cars were manuals – but again, everything was reversed, and it felt weird. (I’m telling you, parallel universe.)

I only stalled once on the 3km drive to my Airbnb, a minor victory in the torrential rain. I parked and waited for a minute, hoping the deluge would let up. It didn’t, so I got out and ran up to the house. At least it’s warm, I thought, my clothes already soaked.

A large woman sat on the deck, with a lively Chihuahua in her lap. He jumped down to lick me. The woman said nothing.

“I, uh, is Carrie here?” I asked.

“Nope, but Kyle’s inside.”

I took it as an invitation to enter, and opened the screen door. A tall, wild-maned man got up from the couch. He reached out and shook my hand.

“Where are your things?”

“In the car, I wanted to wait until the rain let up to bring them in.”

“It won’t,” he said, and headed out to my rental to grab my suitcase. He was very… no-nonsense.

The house had that crunchy-granola-lived-in vibe to it. A well stocked kitchen with bowls of fresh fruit, a pool in the backyard with laundry hanging from lines, a sweet handwritten note from Carrie welcoming me to my new home. It really did feel like being at home in these Airbnbs, and made traveling alone so much less daunting.

By the time I’d settled in and made a trip to the grocery store, the torrents downgraded to a reasonable sprinkle, so I walked the block to the esplanade. More epic Australian landscape. I spent two hours slowly making my way to the pier and back, watching the clouds morph and sun set. If I’d felt like I didn’t have to do anything in Brisbane, I really didn’t have to do anything in Cairns. This was it – the ocean, the rainforest, nature. My heart breathed a sigh of relief, but my brain was going to take a little longer to unwind.

“There you are,” Carrie greeted me with a hug when I returned. “We just finished eating, but would you like some dinner? There’s pumpkin and kale.”

“And one last piece of tofu! Sorry, we ate it all it was so good,” the nymph-like creature at the dining table chimed in. “All vegan.”

“That’s so sweet of you, that would be amazing,” I sat down and Carrie handed me a plate.

They asked me questions about my journey and my life, and I tried to answer them as best I could.

“I don’t really know what I’m doing honestly. I guess that’s why I came on this trip. I’m hoping to get a clearer picture. It’s all really new to me, but I feel pretty strongly about veganism and spirituality.”

“If I weren’t going camping tomorrow I’d take you to a vegan restaurant and introduce you to the local scene,” the nymph answered. “It’s what I’ve devoted my life to here.”

We talked for another hour. Like Samantha, these strong, grounded women both inspired and intimidated me. They seemed so far up the mountain, and I felt like a child choosing which path to climb.

“You’re young, don’t worry, you have time,” Carrie said, picking up on my energy. “It feels like a lot right now, but you’ll figure it out. You’ll see. Just stay open to the things that are coming to you.”

I nodded, thinking of all the people I’d met so far, in only two weeks. Audrey, Callum, Jenny, Levi, Chris, Brittany, Sam – all on their own journeys, figuring things out in their own ways. It really was just the beginning of my adventure.