Sydney- back to civilisation

---

Hello friends! As those of you have been reading this have probably realised, I have not been on internet very much over the past few weeks, and I am VERY behind on my blog! I didn't quite realise how much "in the middle of nowhere" the south pacific really was before setting out on my journeys. It's literally on the other side of the world from London, and let's just say the lines of communication are not quite what I am used to.

Since Wednesday I've been staying with my friends from Oxford- Simon and Jeannine and their lovely children Max & Tilly. It's been so great to finally be with friends in a nice comfy house with all of the creature comforts of home, things like hot water whenever you want it, a washing machine, fridge full of food, people who understand what you are saying, and public transport that includes scheduled routes. There are even stores here that sell things that you want! Syndey is a great place, I really like the little bits of it that I have seen so far. It's chilly though here- I am wearing my trousers & a raincoat- which is a complete difference from the island heat.

Oh- and my first night in Sydney, as I was getting ready to turn off the light at 9pm (I didn't get much sleep on my trip from Samoa), I saw a movement out of the corner of my eye, and there is this MASSIVE hairy spider on my bedroom door. I almost did a little scream, it was seriously the biggest spider I think I've ever seen. I didn't know what to do, so I got a tupperware container & managed to trap it in there. I put it in the kitchen with a note for Jeannine, and in the morning was awoken by Max's little squeals as he looked at the big spider in the container! I decided to take it out & release it in the park somewhere, and ended up going to the Botanical Gardens by the Opera House. There was a park ranger (she was actually a botanist) who told me my beautiful specimen was actually a huntsman spider, and a little one! If that was a little one, I really don't want to find a big one! I let it go in the bushes, and it was much happier than in the plastic container. After the gardens, I did the Sydney Opera House tour, which was actually really cool- I hadn't realised how amazing the interior of the building is, it's so stylised & really beautiful. I'd have loved to go to a performance in the main hall, but it will have to wait until next time I go.

Photos of Sydney


PS- My experiences on this trip have been amazing so far, and I hope to update this blog in the next few days before I head off to the north pacific. I know that all of you want some photos, so I will try to put some up. Here are a few of Syndey so far, but I will work on including some thoughts & photos of the south pacific. Thanks for your patience with this, I hope to be able to convey the beauty of the places I have been.

---