Hectic Times In Australia

I didn't realise how accustomed to India I'd become, Perth was a shock.


Why are the streets so clinically clean? Where are all the people? Why is everything so expensive? Why are the hostels full of longstaying Irish? Why are people fighting? As if the stuggling to adjust wasn't already challenging enough, stomach trouble hit in a way not before seen. Tom first then me just as badly.


The 23rd of December, the day we were flying to Sydney at midnight, was a very low point. Checked out of the hostel by 10am we spent the day in the city hiding from the sun, never far from a toilet, being bothered by the most bothersome flies I've ever seen, feeling too rubbish to contemplate trying to attempt anything. By early evening we needed a change of scenery and spent the remaining six hours waiting at the airport.


The purpose of the three day Perth stopover was to scope out whether to go back and spend more time there later. It served that purpose well, I'd rather go to Luton.


Things instantly improved when we arrived in Sydney and we were picked up at the airport and Christmas kicked in. Following a family meal and present opening on Christmas Eve we set off down to Engadine and Cronulla for more celebrating on the day itself. I reckon we had about five christmases altogether except that I missed the last one through sleeping. The hospitatility from friends families was spectacular, I wish I'd been in condition to enjoy it more but on the day I also made a trip to the doctor, after the initial perking up at the joy of not being in Perth it was clear my insides were still in some serious turmoil. The drugs I was prescribed had things pretty much sorted out within a few days so I'll move on from the subject.


With Clint and Jill's wedding approaching we weren't the only English in town and things were planned for us all covering most days, I'll summarise.


New Years Eve was spent at a bar next to Darling Harbour, no view of the bridge but plenty of fireworks all the same and stacks of boats going in and out all extravagently lit up.


Followed by camping for a few days a few hundred kilometres north at a nasty site in South West Rocks. Our large group wasn't popular with the management. They tried to kick us out the day before we were due to leave, and continued to complain on the last night on the grounds that laughing was heard after the 10pm quiet curfew. It's not quite how I thought Australian camping would be.


Clint's bucks day was an early start to get to the party bus, setting off down the coast with various pub stops and a house bbq at Wollongong. On return to Sydney we dropped in at a dog track then headed to a late bar. The damage for the group was just one broken bone, Pete's nose being the victim of an unfortunate rock throwing incident.


Days like that take a bit of recovery, so it was several days off before the next trip where Tom, Andy and I hit the road to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains. We visited the Janolan Caves, taking a great tour of the Lucas Cave, viewed the Three Sisters, ate well at a series of excellent cafes and had an evening celebrating Andy's birthday in some style.


The wedding was a fantastic weekend staying at a vineyard, on the day itself taking in surfing (for most, but after seeing Tom unable to get out beyond the breaking waves then get caught in a fishermans line I decided it probably wasn't the right conditions for me to have a first go) and a round of golf before an outdoor ceremony in the afternoon, reception, then a party till the early hours.


The last day was spent out on the river from Cronulla with two 'party pontoons'. The weather wasn't too special but the company was good and the day passed quickly, mostly moored up in a small bay jammed with jellyfish, which are a bit odd to swim amongst until you get used to it.


That brings to an end a memorable and expensive few weeks and now it's rucksack packed for the long trip round South East Asia, starting out in Kuala Lumpur with a big vague picture but no detail. We'll come up with something.

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