Sydney - Part I

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We arrived in Sydney quite late after surf camp and 7 of the 10 of us decided to check in to the same hostel, Footprints Westend, which is on Pitt Street, and in the middle of all the action. We went to China Town for a slap up meal and had a few beers, but I called it a night early doors and hit the sack.

We were in Sydney for 4 or 5 days before we headed to Melbourne, and knew we would be back in Sydney for a week before going to Fiji, so decided to take it easy and do the Blue mountains and the harbourside on our return. We spent a lot of time going to the local bars and clubs that Will had frequented during his 2 1/2 month stay in Sydney before. Our hostel was selling these voucher books called the 'Gospel' for $5 that had free drinks in 10 bars. It was my genius idea to purchase two each of these to help with the lack of funds that we were all experiencing.

Dan and I decided to visit the Aquarium, Will having already seen it, and they had a duck billed platypus there which was wicked. Normally he just chills out under a log, but for us he was zipping about his tank, and Dan had to drag me away in the end. They had some pretty mean looking nurse sharks as well as some huge stingrays, but after experiencing so much diversity during our diving, I found the reef tanks a bit tame. That said, it was only $22 with a VIP discount, and if you have a bit of time to kill, it's well worth a visit, just for the platypus.

The world famous Bondi beach was also on the agenda, and although I was disappointed with it the first time I saw it a couple of years ago, the weather was gorgeous this time around, and it was less crowded than at Christmas time, and the water was warmer. We then did a coastal walk recommended by lonely planet all the way to Coogee, which is also a popular jogging track (making us all feel very lazy). The views back to Bondi were awesome, and Coogee itself is a very trendy suburb, with some nice bars and hotels to chill with a pint. We all decided upon a fish and chip supper wich was excellent.

The rest of Sydney, including the Bridge and the Opera House would be saved for when we returned.

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