Seriously??!

I find it extremely rude when someone walks into a room with 3 people sleeping at 8:30am, leaves the door open, makes no attempt to be quiet, and then starts up a conversation full-voice in the room. And I think its even more rude when its your roommate (who was also woken up by this entrance, knows how tired you are & seemed nice until now) who initiates the conversation with the new guy & when he apologizes for being loud, says "oh no don't worry" as tho she speaks for the sleeping people. And now you're irreversibly awake. That just makes for a great start to the day, don't you think?

Ah hostel living, gotta love it. *sigh*

Day 4 pt. 2: yawn

First of all, chick, don't tease me! That'd be a dream. If there's anyone out there who'd like to pay me for this or any other travel-related publication please speak up now. Or anytime. Please.

:)

Well, try & rush & don't-shower-just-change-your-shirt-and-reapply-deoderent as we might, we missed the harbor cruise. Waa waaah. But it really wasn't our fault; the boat was supposed to leave at 8 & it left at 7:30, just 5 minutes before we got there. We'll get our money back, but I'm still a bit dissapointed.

But of course we made the best of it. :) chatty roomie & aussie guy I met on the tour (who ended up getting a ticket for the cruise, switching hostels to ours & booking a bed in our room - no, he's not a stalker, he just wanted a cheap room & a friend, tho I admit it does sound suspicious) and I settled in at a gastropub in Darling Harbour. I had the salt & pepper squid - oh so delicious (but I gotta stop eating so much fried seafood) and aussie guys steak was so rare he had to send it back twice & got a full refund & a free drink.

We talked about our travels & watched the yahts come in.

Then we footed it over to Circular Quay (pronounced key - I've totally been saying it wrong) for a pint right between the bridge & the opera house. It was beautiful with the lights reflecting on the water, the city to the left & its icons to the right.

It was a gorgeous night with good people, but I was so damn exhausted. I think my go-go-go has got-got-gotten to me.

So we cabbed it back (another good thing about solitary travel: you can always take the cheapest mode of transport & you'll never be outnumbered in the bus vs taxi debate) and even as I type this, my eyes are closing.

So goodnight, good morning, whatever it is where you are.

Xo! n.

Day 4 pt. 1: on walkabout

Its not even 7am yet & I'm on a bus to the Blue Mountains. Sleeepy. Don't worry, guys, I brought my bug repellent band & it looks awesome! Wink.

First stop: in the Blue Mtns to see kangaroos! Found 2 Eastern Grey "happy hoppers" & watched them graze. Couldn't get too close bc, according to our guide Smokey, they are deadly. They can support their whole weight on their tails & then either deliver a rib-cracking kick with their back feet or reach out their front claws to punch you in the head (they actually do punch, right & left & even uppercut) or to literally gut you. Yikes. But they sure are cute to look at! Also, interesting fact: female kangaroos can be constantly pregnant - one in the womb, one in the pouch, and one around the neck! Let's be thankful we're not kangas, ladies!

Second stop: 2 hour hike to Wentworth Falls. THE steepest stairs I've ever walked. On the way down, I knew the way back up would kill... And it did. I'm gonna have some solid thighs & calves after all this hiking! :) But the falls were beautiful so it was worth it. We saw a blue-tongue lizard, white & yellow cockatoos (I didn't know they lived here!!) and a flock of black yellow-tailed cockatoos, which Smokey said are VERY rarely spotted. He also scared us with descriptions of the oh-so-many deadly aussie snakes & spiders. I'm now terrified to get near holes in the ground or in trees. *shudder* and just so you know, you should NOT suck the venom out of a snake bite; instead, wrap the whole appendage with pressure gauze & sit still til help arrives if possible. Not that any of us will ever have to use that info. :)

By the way, Smokey is the stereotype of an Aussie bloke - sinewy with long curly blond hair under a safari hat decorated with croc skin & teeth. Seriously. (pictured) But appearances aside, he's a great storyteller & very knowledgeable; I've learned a lot of interesting Oz history on this trip.

Then a nice lunch break where I talked to an English couple & two girls from Ireland. Both countries have been affected by the recession more than I thought - the Brits are on a 6 month "career break" (instead of layoffs, people are given the option to just take some unpaid time off - such a great idea!) and the Irish girls said that lines for jobs at mcdonalds are around the block, unemployment has gotten so bad. I had no idea. Count your blessings.

Third stop: 40 min hike through rainforest - not as tropical as I'd pictured - down to Katoomba falls & the Three Sisters (no not the Checkhov play, you nerds, its a rock formation). On the way we passed Witches Leap (leap meaning falls) but I think it looks more like a monkey (pictured). This is the land of monkey rocks! And we paused to enjoy a fantastic echo - Kooo-EEE!!

We were looking also for a liarbird but didn't find one :( so Smokey showed us a video of its mating call. This bird imitates all other bird calls AND the sound of frogs, chainsaws, nails into wood, cameras clicking and car alarms - all eerily accurate. Its a little sad which human sounds are in its repetoire, but its really cool to hear. I wish we'd seen one live. Oh well it was still a good hike.

Then, once we got to the bottom there, we rode the steepest incline railway in the world back up to the summit. Its actually an old mine cart they put seats in & it IS super steep. No seat belts, doors or safety bars (tho you are sort of caged in), and you go up the hill backwards, so you're staring at the ground as it drops away. I found it fun, not scary, but the girls next to me were screaming prayers in Celtic. It cracked me up.

Now I'm back on the bus heading to the city. As long as I can make it in time, I'm going on a Sydney Harbour Cruise with the hostel and my new roommate, a very nice (and super-speed chatty cathy) Canadian. So stay tuned...

Today I am so happy & grateful for:
~ my physical fitness
~ new sights, sounds & knowledge
~ other cultural perspectives on life & travel

Xo! n.

Chick's Challenge week 1: garden gnome

My roommate Chick has challenged me with a weekly Aussie scavenger hunt. My first assignment was to find a garden gnome & it has not been easy. After searching the city of Sydney high & low - even asking in shops (resulting in some strange looks) - I found it when I was least expecting. We stopped for brekkie (breakfast) in a Blue Mountain town & walking thru the park I almost couldn't believe my eyes! Found!! Not one, not two, but 5 gnomes (didn't take pics of all of them) complete with pointy hats! I know they're 2D but com'on, this has got to count. :)

What's next chick? Bring it!

Xo! n.

Day 3 pt. 2: nothing a little fresh air & exercise can't cure

From the moment I stepped on the hiking trail, my day got exponentially better.

At first I thought to myself: you know you're old when you prefer looking at marine life along a cliff walking trail to sunning on a trendy beach. Which is probably true but I've never really been one for trendy "see & be seen" places. So I wandered off the beaten path (or literally onto it) & it made my day.

All along the path are what I think are sandstone cliffs - they're smooth & solid & completely irregular & pockmarked, in all variations of tan/sand color. This one looked like a monkey face! (I took that for you, lu lu).

Unlike in America, Aussies seem to encourage exploration - all along the trail were breaks in the fence & even signs saying "if you touch the sea life, please out it back where you found it"! Back home it'd not only be fenced off but the sign would read "do not touch!" you better believe I took advantage of it.

Just outside Bondi, I walked out onto a rock ledge with thouands of pools of water; thousands of tiny ecosystems. I saw sea snails crawling around, little fish darting for safety, even one of those underwater Venus flytrap/anenome sorta things. There was even a tiny waterfall, which I, of course, stood under (only to realize later back on the trail that the source of the falls was covered in trash. Oh well, I won't die.)

A bit further along, there was an aboriginal rock carving/drawing of a whale with a fish inside it. Its hard to tell in the pic. there was a sign explaining it's from a myth of how the whale got its blowhole. Then I passed someones makeshift home junked together on the side of the cliff (pictured). Note the teddy bear. Weird.

Then came my absolutely favorite part, the place that turned my attitude around: MacKenzies Bay. None of my pictures do it justice. It was a steep drop from the trail to a flat, half-submerged group of rocks covered in seaweed, tiny shells, & crazy vegetation I've never seen. I wouldn't have gone down if there hadn't been a handful of people already enjoying it; even still I almost didn't - i hadn't yet completely shaken my cloudy mood. But thank God I did.

Pools of drinking-water clear water, ice cold even though shallow. Deeper tidal pools in brilliant aquamarine, lined with lush green grass-like seaweed. Inch tall cartoon trees or fuzzy towers of mossy green plants that seemed solid but squirted (spit?) water when stepped on. Areas of bright red seaweed & things I was afraid to step on. All the while, waves crashing over the rocks & swirling into the tidal pools.

It was so amazing & I felt like a curious, un-selfconcious 11 year old exploring it. To think: to some people, that's their local beach. So cool. People were jumping into the water but the current looked really strong so I stuck to wading.

I walked through & swam at so many beaches that were obviously only frequented by locals. It was great. I don't know why anyone would come to California beaches when you have water like this - clear, blue and full of life - at home.

In Bronte, there is a "Bogey Hole" which is a spot of ocean protected from the current by a natural rock barrier. Gorgeous clear water. Next to it is an "ocean bath" which is basically a pool filled with ocean water. I swam in both of them & saw the prettiest purple & yellow colored crab. I didn't have my camera on me but I watched it for a while.

Farther along the path is a massive cemetery right on the ocean.

After quite a few more beaches & cliffs & more stairs than I care to mention, I finally reached Coogee Beach. I'm not sure how many miles it is but it took me most of the day. To celebrate, I treated myself to the best fish n chips in Coogee, with lots of vinegar & salt and a Little Creatures Pale Ale (yup, ab, that was bc of the shirt you got me.) Yum.
The whole area reminded me of Montrey, CA. Similar foliage, the rock outcroppings & edge-of-the-world feel. Beautiful. What an unexpectedly great way to spend a day.

Today I am so grateful & happy for:
~ going where the locals go
~ being a dork who's into this stuff ;)
~ the joy really is in the journey

Xo! n.

Day 3 pt. 1: moody blues

Well last night did not end up being a early night in at all; I went out with the Germans & we drank "teapots" - an actual teapot filled with cocktail & you drink it in shot glasses (pictured). Then we danced like crazy. It was fab. A cute Irish boy walked me home. I went to bed at 3am.

Soooo I slept in a bit & its been a slow start to my day so far. :) just got on a train to Bondi Beach - the trains here are double decker! There's a stairway inside the metro car! Weird.
This trip is, so far, different from Europe in that although I'm meeting people at the hostel & hanging out at night, so far my attempts at inviting people to come exploring with me during the day have failed - everyone has their own plans in their own little groups. Its nice being on my own because I can do whatever I want & change my mind, but it gets old because there's no one to talk to. Yall are my constant companions, so thank you for that.

I'm in kind of a low mood - I actually thought I was going to the beach with friends today but that fell thru so I guess I'm a little dissapointed to be solo. Hopefully the ocean will cheer me up.

The waters beautiful but the beach is crowded with tourists. Not really my scene. I'm gonna pop into the water & then head on a hike over the cliffs thru 3 other beaches.

The hikes supposed to take 2hrs so I'm eating lunch first & just for Sarah, I got a chicken sandwich - but its greasy & not half as good as chick-fil-a. :( Should've ordered shrimp on the barbie ha ha.

Starting the hike, to be continued...

Day 2 pt. 2: at the top of down under

So I climbed the steps to the opera house (couldn't get inside) & walked Circular Quay, where I heard a guy playing the digeridoo. Then I still had an hour to kill b4 the bridge climb so I stopped into the modern art museum.

It was so cool.

Sometimes I'm not a fan of modern art; it just seems weird & pointless, but sometimes, like what I saw today, it is SO imaginitive & interesting.

There was a dark room with water falling & it looked like a projection but I stuck my hand out & it was really water! (I realize that doesn't sound exciting but it was so surprising!)

There was this neat campervan thing that almost looked like what hansel & gretle would vacay in. Inside were all these detailed kitschy things that made you feel like someone was living there & you'd just missed them.

There was a whole weird word made out of blown glass - beautiful venitian-style glass made into beings half-car-half-bird with human legs. So cool.

There was a whole wall of wire sculpture (pictured). :)

People probably thought I was crazy bc I was just walking around with this goofy grin, but it was so interesting to me!

Now I'm at the bridge climb spot, waiting to go. I was feeling nervous until I saw that a 100 year old woman had done it! That's living to the fullest. And if she can do it, I certainly can.

Done! I did it. I climbed the bridge. It wasn't as dramatic as I expected, but it was fun & quite an impressive view. The very top was, of course, the best - the wind made it feel dangerous, like I could be swept away in an instant (don't worry mom, I was attached to a safety line) but it was also fun when we were climbing over the water or the traffic & could look down to see waves or cars beneath our feet.

I don't think it was quite worth $200 (and you aren't allowed to bring a camera; the pics they take are $20+) but I'm still glad I did it. And the adventure of getting there was really the highlight of the day.

Now I'm hungry & my legs are tired & I don't feel safe walking back alone at night so I'm waiting for the bus.

Its funny, i seem to get lonely at nightfall. in the sunshine, the day is full of possibilities & I feel perfectly confident on my own, but when night comes I want the security of familiar faces & places. And someone to have dinner with.

I'm back in kings cross & despite the fact that I'm pretty sure I just passed a hooker on the main drag, I feel more comfortable in "my neighborhood". Looking forward to the Thai coconut chicken soup I just ordered. Mmmm...

Not quite as good as lemongrass but pretty delish & enough to eat tomorrow too. Back at the hostel & everyones tired. Listening to the American boys explaining our football to German boys who are eager to learn & drinking (strangely) Mexican beer. Might make this an early night...