Sydney

d 86--13/04/09

SYDNEY!! well a lot of travelling to sydney ....12 hours on a coach in fact but luckily we're back on the westernised side of the world so the coach is spacious (as spacious as a coach can be) the seats are comfy and made of r anormal sized person the people dont stare at you in a pervy manner and there is also a dvd or 2 on the way. Arrive in Sydney 9pm, raining cats and dogs ..find nearest hostel quite nice right by the train station and the dorms are in old train carridges next to the platform....might close the curtains. Change clothes quick smart as off to meet Johnny (Katie's favourite we met in Kuala Lumpar) at the bar just a block away. We have some beers, get chatted up by some boys who are gay and clearly in denial and as well as this think that the line "We australians are really forward....can I kiss you?" is going to work....my repsonse "English girls are really shy" ...no kiss mr forward australian. Meet another nice man English this time Sam think he might have played rugby but not really sure because after the jug of vodka something he bought Zoe and me I couldn't really remember whoops. We dance a bit more drink a bit more and then whilst Zoe tires I find a friend to play minesweeper with another English man named Martin...not sure who suggested the game but genius getting drunk for free and the best thing is that unlike the forward australian and sam he doesnt expect a kiss from us brilliant we run around dance and get a lot of drinking done ---good lad! Food on the way home --standard procedure.

d87--14/04/09

We relocate hostels today nearer the harbour and also cheaper we are hoping. We find one next to the metro station seems ok but the room does feel like you should be doing some kind of illegal drug in there oh and prostitues use this hostel for business and there are a couple of shaking twitching dodgy characters about the place too. The sign which greets us in the room suggests we call the police if we find any random people we don't know who appear in our room.....soem would be scared we overlook all this and think perfect free breakfast and free dinner!!!

Meet Johnny in hide park and fidn out he has a job sorted so that he can now stay here for a year and work and travel, he's working for an entertainment company and sets up film sets and demonstrations etc...different everyday. Walk down to the infamous Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Stunnign architecture of the Sydney Opera House. Apparently it has been likened to mating tortoises but I liekto think it looks like a white armadillo. We stop for lunch by the water side in full view of the harbour bridge and of the opera house...EXPENSIVE pumpkin soup and lemon and lime tart too...scrumptious! We soon learn that that is not expensive it's just that we're not in Asia anymore where everything is always a pound. We walk around the circular quay to the Museum of Contemporary Art and admire the work of modern artists that have reverted to pencil drawings and paper as their mediums as well as the extreme japenese artist ont he 3rd floor who uses her psychological disorders to influence her artwork....basically she saw a lot of polka dots across everything in her life and some very disturbing sexual images. All walk through town to have a feel for the place and then walk the half an hour hill walk home...nothing compared ot the rainforests we've been in but somehow it still tires us out. Go for free dinner at The Gaff....well buy a cheap drink and you can have mash and chips and chicken and curry and lots of food that isn't pasta or banana pancakes.

d-88--15/04/09

Get up for free breakfast 1 mug in the kitchen and a coupleof bugs to dien with us ...nice!Katie goes to beach with Johnny and friends and Zoe CAz and I decide to get for a dya long walking tour of Sydney. We begin with an art gallery shwoing works fromthe 15th century to the 20th century lots of landscapes fruits andportraitsand a separate gallery for the history of aboriginal art some of which isinterestingbut I'm not personally a fan. We spend ourlunch in the botanic gardens surrounded byhundreds of bats hanging fromt he trees making a terrible racket and we soon notice that other critters hang from the trees too..MASSIVE spiders some aboe the pathways and some creeping round the corner sof the paths ......eeeeeeeek! WE chill out on the grass witha panini and listen to the bats and the owl sized parrots who are perched lower down in ther trees. WE walkround the route of the opera house get some sorbet andwonder down to Darling Harbour. there are big boats, yachts, decking and is all very touristy We sit in the gardens there and admire the people and odd statue sof sheep jumping thorugh curtains and what not. Waltz back to the hostel to meet Katie for dinner timefree dinner time along with a sly darquari to begin the evening. get a now standard goon on the wya home and drink and dress whilst waiting for Johnny to join us for wine time. Go to somekind of gold bar maybe wher of course because its mybirthday tomorrow I get lots of drinks bought for me courtesy of the girls Johnny and a new frined we make Marques who buys us several shots beer and vodkas. We then venture to world bar and for some reason I spend all the money I have in purse on buying everyone a round of drinks too....this is when I know I drank too much. but oh well ITS MY BIRTHDAY well by this point it was well into my birthday. We dance drinkadn shots make me feel ill but thats easily solved. We drinkmore dance more and we dont leave until we get asked to because one us fell asleep and was removed he he. Get 2 lots of food pizza spinach and ricotta pastry and then have a toothpaste fight ...why not ITS MY BIRTHDAY!


MY BIRTHDAY - day 89

wake up in haze of drunken hangover too late for free breakfast but it would never have stayed too long in my stomach anyway. We all go for a day of shopping fo ran outfit to wear tonight when we are going to the Opera house to see a play called The Alchemist which the girls kindly bought me tickets for. The shopping in Sydney is not half as good as Melbourne and even that was disapponting but we do eventually find me a nice black high waisted skirt for the evening ahead. We have some starbucks lunch and then find the one beutiful shop in Sydney ....a combination of Abercrombie and Jack Wills but not so poncy and much better....shame the beautiful boots in there are 90 pounds...shame I might have to buy them for New Zealand when we get further up north...whoopsies. Hangover kicks in and we have to return to hostel for an evening nap. WE get all dressed up and go for dinner....rump steak and mashed potato for me of courserare and dripping in the middle lovely also a cider too! Then to Sydney Opera House illumination against the backdrop of the harbour bridge. The Alchemist very entertaining comedy play about a swindeler or cousiner using his bosses house to cousin money out of various hilarious characters. I very much enjoyed it as did the others.

17/04/09

BlueMountians today....early rise 2 hour train and a bus to the skyride across the valley. It was hyped up a bit too much for us as when we arrivve the 2minute sky ride does not impress us at all...the view formt he other side of the valley though is magnificent...the three sisters rocks to the left hand side, rainforest carpeting the valley below and every so often a mountian poking its peak out of the trees into the blue mist created by the eucalyptus plants in the area....their oils cause all other colours to be absorbed and so only the blue is visible clouding the mountians. We bus it to the other side to climb down the steps onto the three sisters themselves and impressive they are standing tall amoungst the shrubbery ...apparently they were turned to stone in order to protect them form lurching men and the sorcerer who turned them died before he could turn them back. Have a look around the views and then take the very long train home. Free dinner. Sehs tiem smuggle goon into clb because we are super stingy nowadays and yet still we manage to spend a ridiculous amount of money . many a sicko inside the club but good music so why not and plenty of men about too for a dance or two. Jonnny meets uslater on ...no idea what time lots of dancing drinking annoying boys who think they're great. End of night go get some pies..return home and then 2 pies was not enough and have to go back out for 4 more...but a little pie never hurt anyone right?


18th apr- 20th apr

Massive hangover day find a friend sleeping on our loor...big andy...meet Jonny and ork mate qwho have pimped van with soem very comfy sofas in the back ....road trip to a festival we've found...a free one too more beer for hangover cure aand free food samples too and bands, bit of drum and bass and guitar competitions. lazy days and sun. Kings cross where we;'re staying full of the usual prostitue drug addict in our doorstep crew.
On Sunday meet up with RObbo form uni woop whoop....right on the steps of the Sydney Opera house. have some good catching up to do and some coffees to be had...visit some more contemporary art displays and another museum about the oldest part of Sydney- The Rock ...then discover the best cafe of my life...The Lindt cafe.. the most delicious hot chocolate I've ever and ever will have I expect...melted lindt chocolate and hot milk...yummy! Have a fabulous day chatting and hearing about the activities of everyone else back at home., really lovely to see someone familiar especially when we are on the other side of the world. Sad to see him leave even though its only been a day but someone has a long long flight to the UK. Katie and I shattered bed Caz and Zoe get rejected from a few clubs for no reason ...accidently find a strip club and reurn earl hours of the morning pizza and chips in hand.
Pack up on Monday in preparation for overnight coach to Byron Bay leave the room in an absolute state quite unacceptable and venture to Darling harbour in the rain for a bit of 3D cinema and the new animation form Pixar...Yes we are secretly about 12 but it was AWESOME and 3D! We return to the centre of town just to reassure ourselves that shopping in Sydney really is bad...it is and it took a couple of hours to confirm. Get soem rubbish dinner and tent he coach ...a night of restlessness and a million stops ...

---

---