The Land of Aus
Trip Start
Apr 20, 2009
1
Trip End
Sep 10, 2009
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
I know it has been forever since I last wrote one of these... I almost didn't remember how to do it!
Well I landed in Sydney from bangkok oh a couple months ago. At first I met up with a couple of friends I had made when I was in Bolivia. Its always good to know at least a couple people when you get to a new place. I spent the weekend with them and their friends but on the weekdays they worked so it was a bit lonely and boring. I didn't want to do anything touristy at first because I was waiting for Laurie to arrive. She wasn't planning to come for another 2 months so I figured I needed to work or volunteer or something to use up my time. Then just like that I was approached in my hostel if I wanted to work and I said yes. I didn't even need to look it just fell right into my lap! It wasn't the flashiest job. I was just going door to door (something I never thought I would do) raising money for a charity. I wasn't planning on sticking with it for longer then a week but somehow I stayed for 6... I blame it on my co workers. I made a lot of amazing friends which kept me with it, and sometimes it could be very entertaining. You wouldn't believe half the things people say to a stranger at the door.
Sydney is a beautiful city! The people are a lot more "posh". I definitely didn't feel like I fit in with my jeans and a hoodie, but all that meant was that I had to update my wardrobe!
When Laurie finally arrived we hit up all the touristy things. We took in a show at the opera house called spontaneous Broadway. Funniest show I have ever seen! The performers take cues from the audience and then they make it into a musical so its completely inprove making it that much more amazing! I would highly recommend it! We also went on a city tour, went to the zoo, beaches, shopping and we even made a trip out to see the raved about "blue mountains". I am not too sure where the mountains were .... I guess coming from Canada it is hard to compete. don't get me wrong it was beautiful to see but what they call mountains we call rocks.
While traveling I have got used to the way the rest of the world parties but poor Laurie was thrown right into it! Every weekend being out till 6 am instead of the typical 3 back home really took her by surprise. It is a different scene then back home tho. I normally wear jeans, a tank top and flip flops or skate shoes... here they wont even let you in with flip flops! I was forced to buy dresses and heals! Also, I don't believe the bars back home even offer champagne where as here you can buy it by the bottle. I must say I have never drank so much champagne in my life!
It was really hard to leave Sydney since it was the one place I settled down for longer then a week. It was nice to be in one spot for a while and I think it was what I needed after SE Asia. It was also nice to actually be able to develop friendships... although those friendships made it super hard to leave and I might not have if I didn't have Laurie with me.
We did get out tho and made our way to Melbourne. There was a bit of a mess up when we arrived - didn't realize that there were 2 different airports. We did manage to find each other in the city tho so it worked out! We did a couple of tours while we were there. One was a drive along Great Ocean Road which was very beautiful. Unfortunately we had gale force winds that could blow you right over so it made it a little difficult to appreciate the scenery as much as we should have. We also went on a hike to find some wild koalas as well as feed some birds. On the second tour we fed some kangaroos which was pretty cool. It was the first time I was up close and personal with a kangaroo (besides some road kill) I even attempted feeding an Emu but those birds scare the shit out of me! After one peck that came at me so hard it felt like its beak was going to go right through my had, that was the end of that! We also went down to the beach to watch the penguin parade. It was so cute seeing all those little guys running from the water to their homes on shore! Definitely and experience... I just wish it wasn't so cold!
With our tickets we were given passes to go up the tallest tower in the southern hemisphere! do do do! I know there are not that many tall buildings in the southern hemisphere but its their claim to fame! We did get a good view of the city which was nice but I wouldn't recommend it if it wasn't for free. They were asking $30 for an adult to go up and also go into this glass box they pushed out of the building. Again not really worth it. But it was free so I wasn't complaining!
We also decided to hit up an ice bar one night. It was actually pretty cool to see. The whole bar is made completely of ice! Its not the biggest space but the walls and chairs, tables, bar, glasses etc were all made of ice. With the $30 it costs you to get in... they provide you with a jacket, gloves and boots to keep you warm while in there and you do get a free drink to try out one of the ice glasses! You only spend 30 Min's in the actual ice bar but thats all the time you want to spend since it is freezing. It did make me feel a little at home tho!
The people in Melbourne are more relaxed and definitely not as "fashion forward" as the people in Sydney but the city itself wasn't all that appealing to me. It just seemed like one giant concrete jungle. Maybe in the summer it would be better because you could retreat to the beaches but in the winter it just seemed depressing.
After a week in Melbourne Laurie left me to head back home to warmer weather. I cant believe how fast the time flew by. The day after she left, I caught a plane to Tasmania which is where I am right now! After complaining about the cold you are probably wondering why I went further south.... well I am not too sure... I am freezing my ass off! I landed in Hobart and so far thats all I have really seen. From what I can tell tho... it is a very beautiful place with a lot of character. Almost all of the old buildings/houses are still in tact and have been converted into either hotels or office buildings, making it much more interesting then most modern cities. I have booked a 3 day tour starting tomorrow to make my way around Tasmania. Then I fly back to Melbourne to catch my next flight to Brisbane and the warmth!!! I am pretty excited!
I will try and be better with this whole blogging thing so you can expect my next one within the next month!
I love Australia!!
