Blogs from Kings Cross, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Oceania - page 3

The flight between Santiago and Sydney went smoothly, despite the fact that I had to seat in the middle seats of the middle row in economy. A short stopover in New Zealand and finally arrived on Sunday 5th of February at 7 am in Sydney. Customs went fairly quickly and when that was done, from the airport I took the train to the home of my first host in Australia, Mark Ashley; last year I joined a community called “Couchsurfing” or CS (self-explanatory name). This community is basically a way to travel and meet locals, which enables oneself to stray away from the usual tourist paths. People may offer you a place to stay, show you around the city or meet up for a coffee or a drink. It’s a great way to meet people from ... read more

We decided to check out some areas of Sydney that we hadn’t been to before today, so it was another day of walking! We started with a walk down to Darling Harbour where we got an ice-cream and enjoyed views of the Cruise ship which had docked in the harbour. We then walked on further to the Opera House where we were hoping to see the Sunday markets, but they seemed to be missing that day! So we continued walking around the coast line, through the Botanical Gardens and around Farm Cove onto to Mrs Macquarie’s Chair and Mrs Macquarie’s Point. From here we continued around the coast line to Woolloomooloo Bay, passing the Andrew Charlton outdoor pool and on down to Finger Wharf. We decided it was time for a well-earned rest when we arrived, ... read more

Wow, can't believe I've been in Sydney a week already, it's flying by. I went to Bondi and loved it, although did get cold as quite windy. Lots of surfers there so was trying to pick up some tips. Can't wait to go back. Thought I'd be spending all my tine at the beach but I love just walking around finding new places and sitting in the gardens reading and relaxing. Actually starting to learn my way around the city now so don't always need my map anymore which makes me feel less like a tourist and more like I'm actually staying here for a while. (Still have to keep telling myself that I'm not just here for a short holiday and don't need to rush to do everything). Had my 1st Kangaroo burger the other ... read more

Day 13, 24/9/11 Bit of a lazy day today, took a walk to Kings Cross to see what all the fuss is about as everyone says its amazing. There wern't much there apart from a big Coca Cola sign - the one in Piccadilly Circus beats it though. Weather wasn't brilliant so went back to Hostel, bought some Goon - which is Australia's 'nickname' for cheap wine - and went out in the evening. Day 14, 25/9/11 Not much happening this morning, it was raining so slept in and slobbed about the hostel. Rain cleared by afternoon so took a walk over Sydney Harbour Bridge to see the other side - North Sydney. Few shops and cafes and a small kids funfair but a lot was closed as it was a Sunday. Skyped Mum, Dad and ... read more

Here is the impression I have of Australians: friendly, kind, generous, helpful people. Of course this impression is based purely on the 20-something backpacker crowd I met traveling in Europe. Far be in from me to deny the possibility that there are rude and unfriendly Australians around, but I never met them. Before I got here my preconceived notion of Australians was very warm and fuzzy. So let’s go with warm and fuzzy shall we? My impression of the city is of a bustling metropolis. It is amazing to me that this city was founded less than 200 hundred years ago. Since most cities in developed westernized nations are very similar in a lot of ways it is a challenge to explore them until you uncover the subtle differences that make a city unique. Sydney has ... read more