last day in Syndey and Bondi Beach

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Well here I am. Finally in Australia. I haven't had much time to write because I have been caught up in the excitement of adventuring around Sydney.

My flights were rather good. I realized that airport food wasn't as bad as I was dreading after being able to survive on food form residence for three years. I found it quite intriguing how similar and yet different everything was at all the airports I visited. I know that it is hard to judge a country by seeing as much as you can inside an airport but it granted me some insight into what I could expect.

Arriving in Sydney has and still does seem surreal. I can't believe I am finally here. I was so excited and then dreaded coming here that even sitting on the beach seemed a little too out of place. I have some lovely red burns from the areas I missed with sunscreen. They only sell SPF 30 down here because the sun is a great deal stronger then we are used to in North America. I thought that Sydney smelled quite funny upon landing, I soon realized it was because they had just got the carpets cleaned outside my plane so once I managed through that hurdle it became quite a great adventure.

I had completely forget that here they drive on the other side of the road, therefore all of the doors are on the other side of the vehicles in the vans and such. I still look the wrong way when crossing the street and have o make a conscious effort to look both ways when crossing a street, even a single lane of traffic. The drivers here definitely aren't as courteous as back in Canada either so it means I have to air on the side of caution.

Despite the numerous differences, it is comforting to be in a society that I can relate to and understand despite numerous differences. The general idea about public transit, hostels, food, tipping and even crossing the street have many similarities but just as manny differences as I am used to. Even the coins are counter intuitive because the fifty cent piece is almost three times a big as our toonie and the two dollar coin ins half the size but twice as thick.

I apologize because my thoughts are all over the place and I am merely trying to relay some pertinent info to all of you.

So yesterday I landed in Sydney, found the shuttle to my hostel and went out to a local pub with the other hostellers to meet people. I didn't last too far in the evening due to lack of sleep on the plane but I was able to wake up around 8:30AM without any aid and headed to the beach once I explored the area. We headed to Bondi beach which is one of the premier beaches in Sydney and took a coastal stroll across it and two adjacent beaches. There were beautiful limestone cliffs that were eroded in very vuggy, elaborate shapes. The beautiful Pacific Ocean and waves ideal for surfing making a comforting crash onto the shoreline. It was quite a beautiful sight once we hiked up on top of these cliffs and were able to see the beaches and the throngs of people that packed themselves onto them. It was the perfect day to spend my first day in Sydney on the white sandy beaches. I went with a dutch girl and a frenchman I met in the hostel and I was quite glad to see they shared my excitement in the adventure. I realized that with friends you have memories to share, but when you share the experience with strangers you only have stories and it is difficult to relate your experience to others.

I am getting tired and this post is beginning to ramble to when I have more time on a computer I will give you a proper update but in the mean time this must suffice. I will close saying that despite this has been one of the scariest experiences of my life leaving everything I know and love, it has been one of the best chances I have taken so far. I can honestly say that after one day as I have and keep learning a great deal about myself.

P.S. I apologize for the lack of pictures to ensure that these posts continue to make you envy me here but as I do not have a laptop YET, I cannot upload my pictures.

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