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Published: December 22nd 2005
Christmas tree in Martin's place
Thius has to be the HUGEST Christmas tree I have ever seen... stood in the sunshine anyway!G'day all!
Well,... I've been in Sydney for almost a month now... and I still wake up on a morning and my first thought is... "oh my god, I'm in Australia!"
I thought I was dreaming the day I arrived at Sydney airport and stepped outside to get a bus, because the trains weren't running, and it was freezing cold and pouring down! And I actually had to pull out a jumper from the very bottom of my backpack so that I didn't catch a cold!
I thought I was dreaming when I woke up the next day and I had a stinking, rotten cold... grrr!
I thought I was dreaming a couple of days later when I stepped out into Martin place, just around the corner from where I was staying with Claire and Declan, and I was faced by this ENORMOUS Christmas tree... but I was stood there in shorts and t-shirt in 30 plus degrees Celsius heat!
I thought I was dreaming the evening we went up the Sky tower for Claire’s birthday (I’m staying with Claire and Declan, an Irish couple that I met whilst I was in Cambodia, and who have
Sydney harbour bridge from the sky!
A room with a view... well, that's if you live at the top of the sky tower! been living in Sydney for a couple of months already). As we went up in the lift, my ears popped and it was then that I knew that we were going to be up a fair height! It was amazing to see all the sights of Sydney from a bird’s eye point of view. I was able to spot the harbor bridge, the opera house, the cricket ground, the airport, even a concert going on in the Domain with thousands of little people all jumping around, and some fireworks out on the harbor! It was an ‘all you can eat’ affair, so I made the most and tried all the starters which originated mostly from Asia, then the pasta and chicken main courses in various sauces, and then the camel and kangaroo meat with a range of veg (yup… I’ll try anything … once!) Kangaroo is actually quite nice! It’s a really red meat with quite a strong, but not unpleasant taste. However, the camel was just a bit too tough, and I bet you didn’t know that they have camels here in Australia… yes they do! Just when the rest of the party thought that I had finished, I
Darling Harbour
Darling harbour from the sky tower went for my puddings… a choice of carrot cake, tiramisu, chocolate mousse, pavlova and chocolate cake… or all of the above :o) We then ended the night at a place in town called ‘Paddy’s tavern’ which was simply a sweat box with a live band and a place to dance the night away in an attempt to work off all the calories. Well, I’d eaten that much that I had to stay there until they kicked us out at 6am!
I thought I was dreaming the day I went to Bondi beach... got off the bus and just kinda stood there... "Oh my God, I'm at Bondi beach!" And the waves were soooooooooo huge... it was great fun watching the surfers... they make it look so easy! It was even more fun watching them stack it into a wave and thinking ... yup, if I ever take up surfing, it's going to be like learning to ski all over again!
I thought I was dreaming the day that we found our flat. Serena and I had rang a million places from adverts in the Sydney Morning Herald to adverts from the traveler's magazines in search of a decent
Hyde Park
Hyde Park lit at dusk from the sky tower place for us to stay; Serena, (a friend of a friend from uni - hey Helen!) and Heather and Debs from Thailand, and me. We went to have a look at the flat and couldn't quite believe our eyes when we saw the place. 2 twin rooms, with a shared bathroom in a flat sharing with another couple. The kitchen has a dishwasher and all the mod cons, the living area has a TV and DVD player, and there is a washing machine and dryer.... a couple of balconies and the real selling point - free use of the onsite pool and gym! Woohoo! (Since moving into the flat I’ve been having a couple of nightmares… only, I wasn’t sleeping… the other couple that we’re sharing the flat with; Amy and Dan, have had a couple of their friends staying … totaling 11 of us in the flat at some times. This doesn’t make for easy access to the washer and kitchen facilities… grrr!)
I thought I was dreaming the day we went to Manly beach. The weather was an absolute scorcher with a warm wind and rapidly running away ice creams from New Zealand Natural doing nothing to
Clare, Declan and Claire
Claire and Declan, the Irish couple that I met whilst traveling through Cambodia, and who kindly put me up in Sydney whilst I found a place to stay! cool us down. However, it wasn't the fact that I was at Manly beach (although possibly one of the most beautiful beaches in Sydney... so far) it was that we had made the decision to come here and not to Bondi that day, where there happened to be a sighting of a shark! EEEEEEEEeeeeeeeek!
I thought I was dreaming the day that I woke up and walked down my street at 7.30 in the morning and found INXS with their new front man (bit of a hunk!) playing live in what is literally my front garden! They played their new one a couple of times and then the good old classic ‘New Sensation’! Oh, and then I met the presenters from the morning television show that it was being filmed for and had my photo taken... it was like meeting the Australian version of Richard and Judy!
I thought I was dreaming the day I landed a job selling tickets for sightseeing cruises around Sydney harbor and from my 'office' I can see both the Sydney Harbor bridge and the Opera House! Oh, and my company vehicle happens to be $5 million worth of Catamaran! They even pay
Manly Beach
Check out those... waves! me to go out on the cruises so that I know what it is that I’m selling… 2 hours sat in the sunshine munching on my sandwiches whilst floating on one of the most impressive harbors in the world… AND getting paid for it! That’s why they call it a ‘working holiday visa’!
I thought I was dreaming the night that I went out with all the girlies from work to a new place that had just opened in town called ‘Minus 5’. This is the ‘coolest’ new bar in town where the temperature averages about minus 10 degrees (and lower). You had to get clothed by the staff in full ski coats, fleece lined boots and 2 sets of gloves before you were allowed into the bar (and this was supposed to be fun?! How am I ever going to impress a bloke looking like a mummified Eskimo!?). They then hung a thing around your neck that flashed and buzzed at you after 30mins to tell you that you had to get out before you froze to death! But it was soooooooooo cool! The whole bar is made of ice, from the chairs with animal skin on to
Sydney City
Sydney from the only way to see the city... the Harbor prevent you from sticking to the ice (!), to the actual bar, to the sculptures and the candlesticks and right down to the glasses that they served you the most potent vodka cocktails in! Which is fine, until you re-enter the warmth (about 25 degrees of it at 9 o’clock at night) which is when the alcohol hits you and you can’t co-ordinate your frozen fingers or feet to do anything so you end up looking like a bit of a cripple!
I thought I was dreaming the following night when the boss (Sam) took us out on the show boat for a meal, all expenses paid! It was such a treat! We got to sit in the best seats and try all the food! We started with an entrée platter that consisted of Kangaroo salad, smoked salmon, and oysters, then I had the chicken breast on a bed of mushrooms and linguine to follow, and we finished it all off with a selection of mini desserts including tiramisu, pavlova and carrot cake… all washed down with a couple of bottles of fine Australian wine!
I thought I was dreaming the night that we went down to The
Sydney Harbor Bridge
Does it not just look like a bigger version of the Tyne bridge, or is it just me?! Domain (a really large park in the city centre) to watch the open air carol concert with approximately 80,000 other people! Leo Sayer, Human Nature, the Australian Idol; Shannon Nole, Mickey, Minnie, Donald and Daisy, amongst others, and the one, the only, David Hasselhoff! Very odd singing about the snow in this temperature, but also quite emotional with everyone singing and swaying holding candles and getting in the festive spirit.
Well,… I think it’s about time that I woke up and got on with some work! I hope all is well with everyone... doesn't feel much like xmas here in the 30 degrees + heat, but it's fab! Just wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas, and a Fab New Year! Keep me posted with all your festive party gossip!
Miss you all lots, especially at this time of year,
Big hugs,
Clare x
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Louise
non-member comment
Hey Clare Well this sounds amazing, I really want to go to Australia, so I think I'm going to have to make it a trip soon! Glad to hear you're well and I wish you a very Happy Christmas!! Lots of love Louise