Movie stage XXII, XXIII, XXIV & XXV

It has never happened earlier on this trip that I slept in a bed 16 nights in a row with 12 different hosts. Friends, met people online or encountered on the street. In any case, everyone was open and helpful, so I had to send home 3 kg of excess food carried in my backpack.

Quite spontaneously I decided to go with a skateboard for the second time. The bike was too big and expensive for shipping, the distances between visiting friends were small, and I was riding a longboard in October - in addition I lost my phone, so I have practically no videos and photos from this stage. In this way in Byron Bay I picked up a skateboard, instead of the planned bike.

Years ago in Bolivia on the first day of skateboarding I gave the board to a random passer-by, because the bearings were simply falling apart. This time I did a good research and the machine was indestructible - apart from a solid construction, soft wide wheels, and a stable board hung low to the ground (low drop), which make long rides easy. Even though I didn't swap my legs while skating (the left one was always pushing), my muscles didn't hurt, the average speed was about 9km/h, and I skated over 500km in total during both stages.

At first I was ashamed of my riding, so I crossed Byron Bay with my board in my arms. On the outskirts I began few pushes, and a great surprise because I started to ride very confidently, quickly, even the turns worked out for me. Sometimes, however, I overdid it because three times the skateboard escaped from under my feet uncontrollably - always at excessive speed with obstacles in the form of a stone or uneven surface. I was full of fear whether the board would hurt someone or damage something.

The descents, however, remained miserable. So I sat on my butts, stretched my hooves forward and used the soles of my shoes to slow down the excessive speed, but the gps still registered 30km/h. On less steep descents I stood, and with my left leg I knocked off the momentum, only to go crazy at the end of hill. Regardless, I enjoyed it. Making the norm of 50 km per day was not a problem.

I finally made it to the state border. It was here that protests, arrests, examples of incompetence and bureaucracy during the pandemic took place. Fortunately, times were back to normal and I entered Queensland without any problems. Pleasant ride along the Gold and Sunshine Coast on flat bike paths, I was speeding like crazy. And even to make shortcuts via water canals, a kayak was also organized for me. I started having holidays from traveling - of course I didn't break any rules, but I stayed in the hospitality too often - sleeping in bed all the time, warm shower, good food, interesting company.

I was sitting on the couch and following reports when my friend Richard Barnes was just kayaking ashore to New Zealand, having left Australia 67 days earlier. I cried from the impression, what's a journey! I was angry with myself for such a relaxing approach, but on the other hand, I know that I need to slow down so the hot humid summer will pass before I enter the tropics, and above all, I don't enter the York Peninsula before the rainy season ends. Because then I won't ride it in anyway, I won't cross water by bike. Nevertheless, I was glad to be leaving concrete jungle again streight into nature.

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