Australia

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G'day! (actually i haven't heard anybody say that, but they do say 'how you goin?' a lot...)

It's been a bit colder in Australia, and it kind of looked like London when we arrived, it looking like England and was raining at the time. But since exploring a bit we have found that it has it's own little quirks.
The hostel we are staying at is called the Jolly Swagmans, which is in Kings Cross (the dodgy end of sydney). Really nice people and lots to do - Sky TV after being in Asia for 6 weeks was amazing!! Situated just around the corner from the tube station an within easy reach of the Opera House an Darling Harbour.

On the first day we arrived it was pouring with rain but i ventured out anyway an took a trip to Manly Island, making sure to stop off at the Opera House an Bridge for a quick snap. Then in the evening we went out an got to know the people from the hostel. Not a good night for Ruth though as she lost her driving license, key to our room and $30 that night, off to a good start!
The next day we went to the Sydney Aquarium and hung out at Darling Harbour eating cake and drinking tea (like proper brits) an discovered that eating an entire cheesecake all to yourself doesnt always turn out to be the best idea.. a productive day overall.

We both decided to do something in Syndey as a treat for ourselves, so i chose to go and see Edward Sissorhands the stage production at the Sydney Opera House, which is so good, and such a treat to go and see the Theatre itself, it's not as big as i thought it would be inside, but still quite dramatic and the show was fantastic!
Ruth's choice was to do a Sky Dive which she did yesterday and absolutely loved it. An if you ask her nicely, she might let you watch the DVD (it's got a wicked soundtrack).

After doing all the usual touristy bits and bobs, like the Botanical Gardens and the Quay and the City, it was time to take a weekend away to Adelaide to visit my Cousin Mark who lives there with his wife Julie and sons Luke and Jamie. It was a special treat for us as we got to stay in a hotel for the weekend and be completely spoilt with home cooked dinners, yum! (you have no idea how much i have missed roast dinners!) And we also got the grand tour of Adelaide and visited the Wildlife Park up in the hills where we got to feed Kangaroos and Emus and pet the Koalas! It was much colder down south, but an absolutely amazing weekend, and also got to see my girl Kylie who we met in Bali so went out for drinks with her to no other than The Exeter Pub!! (god knows why they would name a pub that but i did feel proud at the time). It was lovely to see my cousin and his family, but only had a few days there so headed back to Sydney for another week at the Jolly Swagmans.

This week was mainly spent indoors or staying around Kings Cross and going out for free drinks at the local bars, including singing Madonna on Karaoke night and winning first prize - oh yes we did! But we did go down to Bondi beach for a day an checked out the surfers, and despite it looking a lot like Torquay in this weather.. it was still brill to actually be on the famous beach an we couldnt have been to Syndey without going there really.

Overall, Australia has been cold but a fab experience, we have met so many great people an made loads of new friends. Looking forward to topping up own tans in Fiji now.

Toodles xxx

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