Excerpt: Secret Confessions of a Backpacker (Laura Watts)

Something a little different today: I'd like to give a very warm welcome to Laura Watts, author of Secret Confessions of a Backpacker.  Laura has kindly agreed to supply an intriguing extract and also talk about her new book.  I'd like to wish Laura every possible success with her writing and I hope you enjoy her post.[image error]

Excerpt: Secret Confessions of a Backpacker (Laura Watts)

I suppose some people might say January is the best time of year to go on holiday; you can escape returning to work after the Christmas festivities, and escape the gloomy mid-winter weather too. But I was about to embark on far more than just a holiday: I was about to go on the adventure of a lifetime. And better still, I was going to be accompanied my dearest friend, Julian.

Julian and I had been firm friends for many years'. We had met in high school, in second year to be exact, as the result of a carefully thought out seating plan. Only our French teacher didn't realise this plan would backfire on her, as we spent most lessons just talking. I think the logic behind such an arrangement was that if the teacher sat all the girls next to the boys, then conversation wouldn't exist. After all, at that age the girls didn't dare look at the boys, never mind talk to them. But this wasn't the case for us; Julian loved speaking to anyone, especially the girls as he was one himself. However, he didn't admit to being gay until he was seventeen, and I wasted three years' being hopelessly in love with him.

I fell in love with Julian for his cheeky chappy nature. He could do practically anything and get away with it. You couldn't stay mad with him for long, and he was always there for me too. In the summer, we would spend our evenings hanging out in the field near his house, and in the winter we cuddled up together watching films.

So here we were now, in the airport, waiting to see what adventures would come our way on the other side of the world.

'Do you think they'll have the weather reports right?' he asked me.

'I don't know,' I replied, 'but seeing as it's mid summer over there, the weather can't be that bad.'

Julian laughed, showing a set of fading white teeth, discoloured by endless years of smoking.

'I tell you one thing, Laura. I'm not looking forward to this flight at all. It will be hell going without a fag for fourteen hours.'

I smiled at him affectionately. 'Yeah well, just let me know when you want your nicotine patches changing.'

On this Sunday evening, I watched the watery sunset disappear and darkness gently envelope the sky. The airport was busy with travellers returning from luxury weekend breaks, dashing here and there, anxious to return home for an early night before heading to the office next morning.

Julian and I sat in a bar, away from the endless flow of people. Julian's second favourite thing to do, next to smoking, was drinking. And when I was with him, I was in a constant haze of boozy smelling smoke. Through this mist, I could just make out a clock on the opposite wall. It said 7.50 p.m., and seeing as our flight was at 8 p.m., I thought we had better head down to the departure gate. Julian, however, was in less of a hurry to move. He assured me we still had time for one more drink. I sighed as he walked over to the bar to get his last refill.

Although he had been my best friend since high school, I wasn't sure whether he'd also be my best travelling partner. After all, while it was true we got on well, it was also true we had little in common. Julian liked to booze and smoke, and play poker, and I was virtually T-total in comparison and liked to stay healthy.

As we boarded our plane, a real sense of excitement grew inside my stomach.

'Hey,' I said, suddenly. 'Aren't you really excited? I can't believe this is happening!'

'I know,' Julian replied, his bright eyes sparkling. 'Do you want the window seat?'

'No thanks,' I screwed up my face in disgust. 'You know how much I hate flying.'

Tuesday 8th January

The scorching heat hit us as we stepped off the plane. The pilot had said that it was 31 degrees outside … at 9 o'clock in the morning! After two and a half minutes in this enervating heat, my make-up was starting to slide.

'Ugh, it's going to be a long summer if it carries on like this,' I remarked to Julian. 'I'm not going to be able to go out if I look like a clown. Look at the state of my face!'

We made our way to the immigration queue. I was beginning to feel uneasy as I thought of all the stories I'd heard about people being turned away. I knew this was unlikely to happen to us, as we both had the official visas but I still felt on edge. The security staff took our passports and eyed us up and down before letting us go through.

We hailed a cab after spending what felt like an eternity at the carousel, waiting impatiently for our luggage. The taxi driver gave us some rather helpful advice on our way down into Sydney's city centre. He told us what the best attractions were and which areas to avoid at night. And that was when it hit me. We were going to be here for the next twelve months: we had to make it work.

As we pulled up outside our hotel in Kings Cross, Julian pulled $50 from his wallet and handed it to the driver. I stepped out of the car and heaved my bag up the never-ending block of steps to the reception's main entrance.

The hotel was capacious with an excellent air-conditioning system but all I wanted to do was find my room, unpack and have a much needed shower.

An hour later we were standing at the bus stop waiting for the city sightseeing tour. We were looking forward to seeing Sydney's main points of interest and we figured this would be the best way to do it. As we waited for the bus, I could feel the sweat seeping out from the pores around my neck, sticking my hair to my skin.

'I don't think you should have had your shower,' Julian smirked, as he spotted the droplets of sweat on my nose. 'I think it was a complete waste of time.'

'Tell me about it,' I growled, stepping onto the bus and climbing upstairs. 'Let's hope the breeze on the top deck will help dry me off.'

As we sailed down the main street of Sydney, we were keen not to miss a thing. I pointed my camera at everything, carelessly clicking away. We went past the harbour bridge, the opera house, and the Botanic gardens.

After spending our day sightseeing, we decided it would be a good idea to pick up some groceries for the next couple of days. Although we intended to treat the first couple of weeks as a holiday, we couldn't afford to eat out all the time. Restaurants and cafés were so expensive, and already I had spent $50 on food in just one day.

'So, where do you fancy shopping then?' Julian asked, looking at his travel guide for inspiration.

'I don't mind. Anywhere that's cheap. Otherwise if we continue to spend a fortune, I'll have to start taking my clothes off for money.'

Julian let out a guffaw of laughter at this statement, but little did I realise then how true it would become over the year ahead.

Thursday 10th January

'Here's an interesting fact for you, Jules.' I looked over the magazine I was reading.

'What?' he asked, mildly distracted as he applied suntan lotion to his already burnt skin.

'Energy is measured in kilojoules over here, not calories.'

Talking of calories, I had a feeling I was consuming far too many. The tops of my thighs were beginning to rub together, as a result of excessive walking. I hadn't realised I would be on my feet so much, but I guessed that came with the territory of being somewhere new; you wanted to explore the place as much as possible.

Julian smiled at me, flicking down the cap of the sun cream. 'Are you ready to go to the opera house now?'

It was mid-morning before we reached the eminent building. We wandered around it, watching the boats on the river. Then a sudden thought struck me. After we had done all the sightseeing, then how were we going to spend our time? We couldn't afford to stay in Sydney if we weren't working, as everywhere was so expensive. I suppose it didn't help that I felt so unmotivated. If there was anything we needed to find out I left it for Julian to do, as I couldn't be bothered.

Don't get me wrong, I didn't wish to be back home or anywhere else for that matter, but I think what overwhelmed me the most was the fact that everything in the city was so spread out. Back in Belfast, life had been so easy because the city was so small, getting around places was simple, but here you only had to walk to the next street and you were exhausted: it took half the day!

Travelling can be hard; it's not as romantic as some people may think. The reality of it is you're in a strange place, a long way from home. Everything is new to you and you know absolutely no one. Travelling is all about making the most of opportunities, and to do this you have to socialise as much as you can. Being vivacious is not what defines me: I have always been a bit on the misanthropic side and I am aware this is my major downfall. I can be quick to judge and rather opinionated, sometimes projecting these feelings onto other people and, therefore, concluding that we are all the same. And I know I'm hypocritical, as I don't like being judged myself, especially by those who know nothing about me, so that's why I prefer to keep myself to myself.

Another  thing that works to my disadvantage is that I look young for my age. People think just because I look innocent and vulnerable, they can play me for a fool. Trust me, folk don't mess with you half as much if you look tough and have a teardrop tattooed underneath your eye.

Friday 11th January

We'd been in this country a grand total of three days now and I had already visited a cash machine to check my account balance. I couldn't say exactly what it was that made me feel so perturbed, but I felt like I was going to run out of money in no time.

'Will you stop stressing,' Julian said to me later. 'We'll be fine.'

'We might be if we head out into the bush, skin rabbits and make fires,' I retorted defiantly. Julian's amused expression was irritating me.

He choked back on a giggle. 'I can't believe you're so worried. You've brought twice as much money as I have and look at me … I'm not worried at all.'

It was true: I couldn't deny that. I was cautious about spending money anyway. But now I was travelling and money was flying out of my account in all directions. There wasn't anything I could do about it either, not unless I wanted to return home; I would have to keep on spending. Julian, on the other hand, was spending like there was no tomorrow. He was still in holiday mode; it hadn't dawned on him yet that we would be here for a longer than two weeks. Anyway, I thought, as I tried to comfort myself, it's better to be frugal about things than to blow your whole bank balance within one month.

We spent the afternoon hunting for alternative accommodation. The hotel we were currently staying in was nice for a couple of nights, but it was way above even Julian's budget to stay there long-term.

'Okay, so here's what I've found so far,' he beckoned me over as he scrolled down the page. We were in Sydney's main library as I'd suggested the Internet access would be free.

'So there's a couple of decent looking hostels' around here then?' I looked at what had appeared on the screen in front of me.

'Yeah, there seem to be. Look at this one. It's right in the city centre with a roof-top swimming pool and it's only $35 a night.'

My eyes nearly popped when I heard this information. All things considered, it sounded fantastic.

'So do you want me to book a few nights there then?' Julian asked.

'Yeah. I'll have to dig out my bikini,' I smiled.

Saturday 12th January

Today's first challenge was going to be tough and character-building, I thought to myself as I surveyed the endless blue skies and the sunburned skin of the people around me.

We had to leave King's Cross and head for central Sydney to check into our new hostel. It was a long trek there I had to admit, but I refused point-blank to call a taxi: I thought it would simply cost too much. After ninety minutes of walking we arrived at the hotspot hostel. It was more like a five star hotel than anything else, with everything a traveller could possibly need. The Internet café was on the first floor along with the restaurant. The spacious kitchen and the television area were on the second floor. The swimming pool was on the roof, as previously mentioned, complete with a sauna and a BBQ area. The hostel was great but I wished our room could have been bigger. I squeezed in through the tiny dormitory door and looked round for a place to put my bag. Six enormous bunk beds took up the entire room. The ceiling was so low, anyone sleeping in a top bunk had to watch they didn't bang their head getting up. A horrible sinking feeling descended over me; were these the conditions I would have to get used to over the coming year? I quickly realised this was the norm in the backpacker circuit. Most travellers were only looking for a cheap place to stay and this is what you paid for.

We spent most of the day just settling into our new digs. The hostel seemed to be full, the building overflowed with people milling about here and there, but no one seemed very friendly. Everyone was either alone or in pairs.

I flopped down in a chair and waited for Julian to return after having his fag outside. There was a surfer dude sat in the chair opposite me, but at first I didn't really notice him, as he was engrossed in his Lonely Planet travel guide. I watched him intently for five minutes before he looked up and smiled at me. I smiled back, wondering whether he would initiate conversation.

'You have a very nice smile,' he eventually said, putting down his book. He shook my hand, introducing himself almost in a formal manner. He too was from the south-east of England, and he spoke endlessly of wanting to join the police force when he returned home. He was a nice enough guy, but there was something about him that I didn't quite like. He ended up telling me he had a high success rate when it came to pulling women. I don't know whether that line was supposed to make me want to fall into bed with him, but it failed miserably. I tried so hard not to laugh at his pathetic chat-up lines, but I couldn't stifle my giggles so I made my excuses and left.

Sunday 13th January

I spent the morning alone to reflect upon the night before.

My life seemed to revolve around meeting two types of men: those who would try almost anything to get me into bed; and those who I found irresistibly attractive in every possible sense.

The Boy from Belfast opened up every emotion, every sense in my entire being, and in my eyes, he was absolutely flawless. I met him on a night out in a bar in Ireland, listening to a live jazz band. He had struck up a friendly conversation and I became instantly hooked, fixated on his divine Northern Irish accent. He was warm and gentle, kind and considerate: I was in awe of him.

So you can imagine how heartbroken I was when he told me, a couple of weeks later, he'd rather just be friends. We had shared some pretty intense conversations before then and opened up to each other almost instantly. He told me he didn't want to get close to someone in case he got irreversibly hurt, and that explanation was something I admired most about him. It took strength of character and a whole lot of courage to tell someone the truth, especially when it might not make you look or feel good. The vulnerability on his face as he told me this, just made me want him all the more.

A loud knock on my dormitory door disturbed my thoughts. I took a quick look in the eye hole to see Julian standing there.

'Hi, Laura,' he said with a lovesick expression on his face. 'Are you coming out with me and Steve this afternoon?'

Steve was another traveller Julian had met the previous night while I was being chatted up by the surfer dude. Despite knowing him for less than twenty-four hours, Julian seemed keen to spend as much time with him as possible.

'Yeah sure,' I replied, 'I'll just get my bag.'

I locked my dormitory door before we headed down the hostel's corridor. 'So how's it going with Steve then?'

'Pretty well thanks,' Julian replied, 'Although I'm still not sure whether he is gay or not.'

I laughed. 'Well, if he is, you'll be in there like a shot.'

We knocked on Steve's door, waited a while for him to find his wallet and then headed off towards the harbour bridge. Standing by the water's edge, I felt at ease with our surroundings.

'We'll have to climb that one day,' Julian remarked. For a split second, I thought I'd misheard him.

'You what?' I spluttered, feeling a rising panic. 'You're joking aren't you? People don't climb that, surely?' I stared at the bridge; it suddenly appeared a lot bigger now. Julian looked at me, his face full of eagerness. I still thought he was having me on, that this was just another one of his impetuous ideas. 'You really want to do this?'

He nodded. 'Why not, Laura? It's entirely safe. You're attached to the bridge by a safety rope at all times.'

I sighed, looking straight up at Steve. He was grinning from ear to ear, no doubt highly amused by my facial expression.

'Don't look at me,' he said, 'I can't do it, I'm off up the east coast in a few days' time.'

I sighed again, this time turning to face Julian. 'Looks like I have no choice then, does it?' I fished out a wad of notes from my bag. 'Go and book it before I change my mind.' With that, I sealed my fate: the climb was booked for Tuesday.

Monday 14th January

As the first week drew to an end, I'd become very comfortable in Sydney. I'd had Jules with me for almost the entire time and I was beginning to get used to the constant company.

As an only child, I always had my own thoughts and ideas, so I never needed anyone else to get through life. Most of the time I couldn't rely on people to be there anyway, so when I had gone to Belfast alone, it didn't bother me. In fact, I relished it and had an amazing time over there. There are pros and cons to every situation and being on your own means you can be entirely selfish: no one else's needs come into consideration.

However, it can be lonely at times and company is nice when you can find it. So, just when I had got used to Julian's company, he announced that he wanted to spend the entire day with Steve.

'It's his last day in Sydney,' he sighed, 'and then I'll probably never see him again, unless we meet up together later on.'

I frowned, struggling to see why he was so bothered at this early stage. 'Okay, but do you really care?' I sat up from my supine position on my bed. I'd been enjoying a rare lie-in when Julian disturbed me.

'Of course I do; I can't believe I've met someone so special this soon.'

I gave a wide-eyed look of shock, suddenly alarmed at how carried away he was getting. 'But you've only known him a day!'

'Two days,' he said, defiantly. 'And I really like him too.'

'But you've only just found out he's gay and already you're dreaming of your first flat together!'

Julian looked hurt by my stentorian tone but I didn't feel the need to start apologising now. I was only trying to look out for him; I just didn't want him to waste his entire Australian experience on this one guy.

Tuesday 15th January

Planned to have a restful day today in preparation for the big climb that hung over my head like, well … a … bridge.

We booked our first day trip out of the city to the Blue Mountains that morning, and then I tried not to spend the rest of the day thinking about what I would be doing at 6 p.m.

It wasn't that I didn't want to do anything exciting with my time here in Australia: I did. I wanted to have plenty of adventures; I just didn't see climbing that bridge as much of an adventure, that's all. For someone who loathed heights and even hated climbing the stairs, I just knew I wasn't going to enjoy it.

Julian was ebullient when the time came, but I was definitely less enthusiastic. We signed the forms to say we weren't prone to fainting fits or had any history of sudden heart failure. As I checked off the boxes to say I was in optimum health, I couldn't help but think this climb would be more strenuous than previously thought. After all, we were about to go up the main feature of Sydney's skyline.

We waited nervously in the changing room for our guide to present us with our safety equipment and suits. He helped us to click on the belts that would attach us to the bridge at all times. Once we had put on our boots, he made one last safety check before letting us out on to the platform that overlooked the bridge. I was first in line, right behind the guide. I think he placed me there just in case I froze half-way up the ladders. If that was the case then I couldn't get left behind.

'Okay, can you all hear me?' he bellowed, looking towards the people at the back of our group. He clearly wanted everyone's full attention. 'As you can see from here, there are a series of ladders to climb, followed by more platforms and so on.' He looked at my pasty face, 'Are you okay? You've gone pale.'

I nodded, desperately hoping my vertigo wouldn't kick in half way up. I would be mortified if I did actually faint, especially after signing that disclaimer. My guide looked me up and down; I wasn't sure whether he believed me.

'She's fine,' Julian chirped, 'aren't you, Laura?'

I forced a weak smile. The blood was pumping so much around my ears I could barely hear them.

'Alright then,' he replied, still looking hard at me. 'If  everyone's okay, we'll get going.'

Climbing the ladders wasn't so bad after all. They were only short with railings either side so I had something firm to hold on to. As long as I didn't have to look down I was fine. I wasn't that bothered about going up anyway, it was the coming down that worried me more.

It was windy when we neared the top and I was almost blown off the final ladder. We stepped out on to the top of the bridge and surveyed the amazing sight, before posing for a photo to prove we had completed the climb.

Heading down, there seemed to be twice as many steps as there were coming up, but I felt proud that I had managed to conquer the challenge.

Wednesday 16th January

I looked out of my dormitory window at 8.30 a.m. Thanks to my early night I had awoken refreshed, alert and ready for more adventures. Positive feelings raced through my veins; I couldn't wait to start the day. The only downfall to the situation was the weather. I looked up into the sky and watched the rain fall hard. Raindrops hit the ground with such force they bounced back six inches into the air. The oncoming clouds only seemed darker than the ones overhead, and there were no signs of things improving, so I decided to spend my day by the pool. A place where I could get just as wet and have twice as much fun.

On the roof, I felt fantastic. I had hated climbing that blasted bridge yesterday, but I had managed to do it and I was so glad I did. The experience had given me a real sense of achievement and a massive confidence boost.

It was fairly busy by the pool; it seemed that everyone else had the same idea as me. I got into the water and swam around for a while. It felt strange to be doing something active and not sweating as a result. I hated how sometimes you only had to step outside for five minutes before you needed another shower. Perspiring could also make you feel so unattractive; no self-respecting person would want to be seen with anyone who had a face like a mirror and a body so sticky it felt like treacle.

As I was just about to push back off the wall to do another fifty lengths, I noticed someone watching me. He was by the BBQ area wearing some very tight speedo shorts. His body was incredibly lean and muscular, and he had a very distinct face. I smiled at him and he returned it. I turned away and started to swim, but I could still feel his eyes on me. I didn't want to start staring; that would have been too obvious so I paused against the wall again. He saw my subtle sign and came over but instead of approaching me, he walked over to the other side of the pool and made a clean, crisp dive into the water. I was shocked by how professional the manoeuvre looked and then I was even more surprised when I felt a pair of hands grab my ankles.

He shot to the surface and laughed when he saw how taken aback I looked.

'That was quite an entrance. Don't you know how to enter a swimming pool normally?' I gasped, desperately trying to regain my composure. He looked a little puzzled and I wondered just how much of my language he understood; he didn't look particularly English.

'You have a very nice tattoo,' he said in an accent I couldn't quite place. He traced the outline with a finger that was feather-light. I shivered as I looked down at his hand on my arm.

'What exactly does it mean?'

'It's Mandarin for bravery,' I smiled, brushing away a stray piece of hair from my forehead. I was suddenly beginning to feel breathless.

'Ah, I see. You're brave?'

My heart was starting to pound now, as I couldn't believe he was talking to me. I didn't know whether it was my imagination working overtime, but his fiery eyes seemed permanently fixed onto mine. I gave him a coy smile. 'Well yes, I'd like to think so. I climbed the harbour bridge yesterday.'

He nodded as if to tell me he understood this time. Looking straight at me, I could almost hear the air between us crackle with electricity.

'Where are you from?' I enquired.

'The Pyrenees.'

So that explained the strange, foreign accent. No wonder he looked so unique; he was a mixture of French and Spanish with whatever else thrown in.

He spoke of his job as a paramedic: how a career like that taught you the true value of life. I listened intently to his tales, admiring him as a person for being able to cope with a position like that. As Tom continued to talk, he revealed himself as a true free spirit. He had so much personality, I couldn't help but feel drawn to him. He told me I was rich, as I had so much time left in my life (hopefully) and that's what made me so wealthy. I smiled broadly at that analogy: it was a good way to put things. He definitely seemed to be my sort of person.

'Come and join me in the sauna,' he said as he climbed out of the pool, the chlorinated water shimmered on his body. As I followed I couldn't help staring at his perfectly toned body, a body more suited to a stripper than a paramedic.

After forty minutes in the sauna, steaming, Tom suddenly got up and left. I stayed put for the next ten minutes, expecting him to come back any second but he never did, and when I went back into the pool area he was gone. Perplexed, I looked round for a while. We'd just spent the last five hours together and then he had left without a word. His enigmatic nature left me wanting more.

Find out more:

L.K. Watts:     http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lkwatts

Blog:  http://lkwattsconfessions.blogspot.com 

 

To purchase book: 

Smashwords  http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/54060

Amazon.co.uk  http://amzn.to/lL0Cjj

Amazon.com  http://amzn.to/mnaL1Q

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