Day 8 (Rest - Hobart)

Today was the perfect rest day. I didn't do to much, besides eat a lot of junk and laze around. It was aided by the great sleep I had last night and the great dinner that my foe friend put on for Task and I.

I caught up on a few things today, organising Uni for when I return to Melbourne at the end of my trip.

I picked up the extra part for my tent, which was great. Now I can sleep easy again knowing my tent will be set up properly.

Later on this evening I went to a local gig in Hobart with Louise (my foe friend) and brought along another guy I met in a hostel here in Hobart earlier today. The guy from the hostel was from Taiwan, but he is a surfer who has been living here for a few months and has adopted the Australian style well. Together we were easily the most main stream looking in the bar. The crowed was very alternative to say the least, a real raw Indy scene. A lot of b.o in the air, dreadlocks, if the clothing wasn't mono-coloured such as black or another dark shade it was checkered or sporting some form of activism that could be easily seen. In theory this scene should have been my ideal crowd, but I still felt somewhat out of my comfort zone. I must admit I prefer this scene then the wannabe pop, rich white kid mentality, that exists around most Melbourne clubs. The thing I realised here though is that I am not trying to fit in a scene, merely just doing what I think is best - good music, comfortable clothing, healthy living and appreciating the environment, which in turn means adopting a natural lifestyle. No other strings attached. The only thing that really connected me in the bar, besides my coast monkeys tee shirt with a small Sea Shepard logo on the back- which is more stylish then promoting activism- was the joint respect towards the natural environment.

I thought about it, it would be great if this appreciation and respect for the environment carried over to all scenes. It is not something that needs to be categorised as a trend, fashion or style as this only limits genuine sustainable growth. A friend once told me that at least these crowds, even if not genuine, are encouraging environmentally benign practices. This down fall though is it will not be an effective generational change, if like other trends that have came and gone in the past. Although for some reason I think this environmental scene is here to stay..

Tomorrow plans are to check out aboriginal office and ask a few questions, hopefully check out the Truganini reserve and organise a few other things.