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Published: January 28th 2006
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Sat 31st Dec - Mon 9th Jan New Years Eve was like no other I’ve ever experienced before. It started off with me going over to Susan’s for dinner with the family and watching the 9pm fireworks…how family orientated is Oz?! - fireworks for kids! Anyway, after disposing of the children (into bed and not a wheelie bin!), Susan and I went down to the harbour to find a good vantage point for the proper fireworks to see in the new year. It was busy but not in a claustrophobic way - it was all so easy, we went down to Milsons Point on the north side of the harbour and met up with Shamilla (another of Susan’s mates), smuggled in a bottle of bubbly and sat down on the wharf and waited. When midnight came, the fireworks exceeded everything I had hoped for…they were amazing and I couldn’t believe I was watching them…seeing in the new year on the other side of the world. After talking about wanting to do this for the last few years, I was finally here… watching the most amazing fireworks ever!
As some of you may have experienced…I am a soppy cow and
Happy New Year!!
Absolutely stunning - that's how close we were! saying goodbye to the past year on NYE has always brought a tear to my eye, so on the other side of the world, the tears didn’t fail me!...I found my eyes slightly moist to say the least! What can I say…I’m just an emotional person!! Anyway, managed to take a few snaps of the fireworks through tears, so I have something tangible to remember it by!!
I was also invite to a proper aussie barbie at John and Elsa’s home, where we had some gorgeous food - snags, burgers and the mandatory shrimps on the barbie! From the Sydney Fish Market and luckily cuz it was drizzly, the fish market didn’t smell too bad, on a hot day, I think I would have passed out from the fishy smells! eeeww! Oh and Elsa made the most amazing fruit pavlova…I had 2 helpings - would of have more, but that would look greedy, so I had a slice of pecan and custard pie instead - which was equally yummy!!
Anyway, managed to get drunk on champers and wine, then headed back to the city to meet up with Erika, her sister Bianca and her friend to carry on
the drinking! This is the life!
There were a few days over the 2 and a half weeks I was in Sydney where the heat was unbearable - it was over 44ºc - it was like walking around in an oven!! I intended to do the Coogee to Bondi cliff walk, but I think I would have died from heat exhaustion after 10 mins! So instead, went round to Susan’s, where she has a swimming pool and jacuzzi…how cool is that?! We spent all day lazing round the pool, listening to music, reading and having the occasional dip in the pool to cool off! I’m having the time of my life here!
To expand my list of gigs I’ve been to (clocking up quite a few now!), I managed to get tickets to see The Zutons playing at the Gaelic Club...they were bloody fantastic! The venue was small and intimate and I was practically at the front…although moved to the side sharpish when everyone started jumping around like lunatics! What an awesome gig!!
Met up with Susan and her mates again, this time at The Horizon Bar at the Shangri-la Hotel - yes…I know…I can hear you
all sighing with despair at my flash packing antics - but it was really nice u there, the bar has the best views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House! I had a cocktail (or 2) called “p.s I love you” it was deelish! won’t tell you how much it was, but let’s just say you don’t get much change from a $20 bill for each cocktail!!
Made a trip out to the Blue Mountains as well. The tour group stopped off at Featherdale Wildlife Park and I fed the kangaroos, wallabies and had my picture taken with a koala. I’m looking a bit stunned and scared in it cuz I was sure he was gonna attack me!! Eek!
We also stopped off at Leura Falls which was stunning and then off on a little trek - not of the same type as Mount Sinai - pausing at various points for a few Kodak moments with the Blue Mountains in the background. But the prized sight of the Three Sisters was shrouded in mist and fog, just my bloody luck! - oh well, I’ll just have to come and visit it again. I stayed overnight in Katoomba and
made a visit to the Jenolan Caves the next day…and how cool were they?! Check out the pix… I’m sure they’re like the ones in Cheddar, but somehow they just seem cooler in Oz!! The scenery getting to the caves was amazing! The thing which struck me was the vastness of the country (and I haven’t even done the middle yet!!) The rolling hills (mountains) went on for miles - hundreds of them, I’m sure! - as far as the eye can see…trees, grass, mountains…gulp…this place is massive!
I’ve done some fab things in Sydney, and there are still loads I haven’t done yet - I’m saving those for when I come back in March - the Bridge climb (thanks AXA), Coogee to Bondi cliff walk, Hunter Valley wine tasting, Palm Beach where Home and Away is filmed! I can’t wait!!
So, with itchy feet (not the fungus variety) getting the better of me, I decided it was time to move onto my next destination…onto Melbourne. Ellie and Hannah (girls I met in KL) were putting the pressure on for me to go and join them, so I booked my coach ticket to go down to Melbourne.
Jessica and Paul...
...we're about to take a dip in their pool - reason for the weird googles!! I was feeling a little apprehensive about the coach, National Express and Lady Egypt have not given me a great experience of coaches…thoughts of my legs being crushed or developing deep vein thrombosis on the 12 hour journey started to plague me!! Aarrgghhh!...It’s longer than the flight I took from Singapore to Sydney for god’s sake!! That coupled with the incessant chatter of a smelly backpacker was almost enough to make me stay in Sydney. But off I toddled, with my rucksack on my back like a little tortoise, and a sports bag in my hand (stuffed with all the rubbish I’d managed to accumulate in the last 2 and a half weeks!!) to catch my coach.
To my relief, the seats were actually quite comfortable and I had more leg room than BA has for their World Traveller Plus seats. I sat back and relaxed, watched Miss Congeniality 2 and then dozed off listening to my ipod and before I knew it, I was in Melbourne!
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