我們待在麥可交換食宿的農場之後,便決定至少停留兩個月工作與存錢。我們也終於遇到提供穩定工作的農場,是史帝夫的農場,我們在那採辣椒。
史帝夫的農場有四種我從未看過的辣椒品種(嬰兒辣椒、鐘型辣椒、大辣椒與長辣椒),也有南瓜、大黃瓜,跟一些香料植物如九層塔與蔥,但跟台灣有點差距。我們大部分的時間都在採嬰兒辣椒,但有時候也要做些農務如插苗播種與除草,這些工作很費體力,因為我們必須蹲蹲起起或是用力揮鋤,因此採辣椒的時候可以說是最輕鬆的了,即使那也會使頸肩酸痛。
鐘型辣椒 好像燈泡
直梗辣椒
插完的苗
我很喜歡這農場,雖然時薪並沒有很高(才12,遠低於以前唐尼布魯克的16.5),但全是因為史帝夫。他養了兩隻成天玩樂的臘腸狗,還有一些山羊與豬(然後殺來吃,真是不忍去想像);如果野鳥太吵,他就會射殺牠們(吃掉或是給狗玩);他也會給我們跟麥可家不同的免費蔬果,這就是在農場生活的好處---可以得到很多蔬果卻不用花什麼錢;而且在史帝夫農場裡住的員工還有我們之前也在唐尼布魯克遇過的台灣女生,真是有緣。
太吵會被殺的鳥
史帝夫很怪又很多梗又很悶騷:他很愛碎嘴,每次我們在擦防曬油的時候,他都要一直唸「化學成分」、「有毒」;如果上班沒有提早五分鐘到,他就會說「下午好」,他不會被蚊子叮的原因是「我移動太快了」,如果工作太粗重,他就會脅迫我們休息。他說他與眾不同---他的確是,他六十歲,蓄著跟流浪漢一樣的長鬍長髮,酷愛賽馬與釣魚(如果我們放假,不外乎這些原因),最奇妙的是,他的國籍是克羅埃西亞,一個非常不熟悉的國家,所以他有一口我聽不懂的口音。但無論如何,我們在這裡都很開心,氣氛一直都很輕鬆愉快。
事實上,在找到史帝夫的農場之前,我們在上個農場得到了人生不可抹滅的收穫。以往是菲律賓人來台灣做事,這次是我們在菲律賓人家下採青椒與四季豆,錢沒賺幾個,以合約制計算每小時才賺澳幣五元,比台灣少不說,還被沙蠅咬個半死---那是一種小小黑黑的蒼蠅,無孔不入的鑽進我們袖口褲管腰際,只要被尿液灑過的地方會出血疹與極度發癢,尤其當身體溫暖的時候,所以我們一度必須在睡眠時癢起床數次,讓身體降溫、抓癢以及擦藥。這症狀持續兩週,真是來澳洲最慘回憶!現在是好多了,但是疤痕仍然停留在身體各處:脖子、手、腳、腿、腰腹或是任何停留過的地方。光是我的身上就共有兩百個胞---我還不是最慘的一個,只能祈禱再也不要遇到這種倒楣事,並希望這些疤痕可以淡去,不然就嫁不出去了。
沒賺幾毛的四季豆
沒賺幾毛的青椒(臭)
青椒田
沙蠅的傑作
在卡那封的這個月,我們徹底過著澳洲式生活,最常見的就是BBQ派對,這個月就吃了三次:第一次是鄰居為我們舉辦的歡迎會,他釀了酒還做了生魚片,但在場只有我們敢吃,其他澳洲人嘆為觀止,這也是在澳洲第一次拿起筷子,而鄰居釀的酒,原料百百款,有芒果、橘子、香蕉、甚至是辣椒,都很香醇特殊;第二次是在史帝夫那給同事慶生與另一位同事的歡送會,史帝夫殺了他的豬還獵了袋鼠來烤;第三次是去一家工作過的越南人農場吃BBQ。不管怎樣,在澳洲的每個人不論國籍為何,都愛BBQ。
生魚片
BBQ就是這樣
鄰居舉辦的BBQ 
史帝夫家的BBQ
要走的比利時籍同事超幽默
史帝夫又在亂蓋
越南家的BBQ 啤酒暢飲
這個月在麥可去菲律賓見女友兩星期的期間,我們負責看家,餵他的兩隻狗一隻貓與三隻鸚鵡,牠們都很親暱,我們還給狗洗澡,因為牠們身上都是跳蚤。麥可的農場有檸檬樹、葡萄柚,也讓我第一次看到真正的無花果樹。我們很享受在這裡的時光,實在是非常澳洲!而且這些人都很有個性很有梗,想到就覺得好笑。
會講話的鸚鵡 這就是小鳥依人
兩隻老拉拉
一隻老貓
左 無花果(超好吃) 葡萄柚
天天有檸檬汁喝
洗狗
這是像大黃瓜但不是的ZUCCINI
我們會在卡那封待到九月初,然後便北上遊玩至達爾文,再下切澳洲到世界中心看烏魯魯,九月二十八的時候,由墨爾本飛回台灣。
英文版如下 跟中文一樣 可以不用看(因為寫了 還是硬要放)
The seventh month in OZ After we stayed in Mike’s farm, we decided to stay more than two months for working and saving money. We finally met a farm provides stable works, it’s Steve’s farm, we pick chilies here. Steve’s farm grows four kinds of chilies I never saw before (baby chili, bell chili, red hot chili, and straight chili), pumpkins, zucchini, and some herbs such as Brazil and spring onion. Most time we pick baby chilies, but sometimes we do farm works like planting and weeding, those need much strength because we have to squat down or hoe hard. So picking chilies would be the easiest work---although we got sore shoulder. The farm is attractive to me; in fact the fee is just ok, but because of the boss Steve. He has two cute sausage puppies playing all day, he also feeds some goats and a pig, (then kill them for food---I can’t image that), when the birds in his farm are too annoying, he will shoot them (to eat or let puppies play), it always shocks us. He also gives us some free vegetable and fruits, that’s the benefit of living or working in a farm; we can get varieties of foods but spend nothing. And we also met some other backpackers live here, even some of them are Taiwanese we have met in Donnybrook before.
Steve is such a strange but nice guy; he is loquacious, every time we put on sun cream, he keeps saying“chemical”,“poison”; he would say “Good afternoon”if we do not arrive 5 minutes earlier; he never gets fly bite because“I move too fast!”; he might force us to take a rest if the work is too hard. He says he is the black sheep in the crowd---he is--- he is 60 years old and having long hair, he loves horsing and fishing(that’s the only reason we have holiday);the most special is his nationality is Republika Hrvatska, a country which is too far away for me. That makes him have a special accent I barely understand. Anyway, we have great time here, the atmosphere is always fun.
In fact, before we changed to Steve’s farm, we got survivor from the last farm; we picked green pepper and beans by contract equals average 5 per hour, that’s even less than in Taiwan. And the most impressive is, we got bites by sand flies, it’s a kind of small black fly which can fly into our clothes, after it spreads it’s urine, we felt extremely itchy, especially when our body warm up, ones upon a time, we had to get up several times during sleeping for scratching and putting on medicine. The situation continued about 2 weeks, how terrible experience it was! It’s better now, but we still can see those scars on neck, hands, legs, back and everywhere it passed before. I got about 200 bites and wish never get anymore.
This month in Carnarvon, we live in Aussie country style, the most common way is having a BBQ party; we had three times, the first time was held by our neighbor to welcome us, he made some nice wine and sashimi not Aussie but only we dared to try, it’s also my first time used chopsticks in Australia, by the way, the wine are varieties made from mango, orange, banana, even chilies; the second time was to celebrate a coworker’s birthday and the other one’s far ware party in Steve’s farm. Steve killed his pig and hunted some cangloo for BBQ; the third time was prepared by a Vietnam family we have worked for, anyway, in Australia, everybody loves to BBQ no matter where he is from.
Mike was away to Philippine for 2 weeks, that time we took care of his farm, we feed animal including 2 dogs, one cat and three croaky birds, they are sweet and we took the dogs a shower because of the fleas. In Mike’s farm, there is also some other plants such as fig, lemon and grapefruit. We enjoy the life here. It’s the real Aussie living style!
The next plan is leave Carnarvon in the beginning of Sep, then go north to travel, down middle to see Ululu---the heart of the world, then I will back to Taiwan from Melbourne on Sep, 28.