Posts tagged sydney
That's a Big Ol' Island
Chris said it right. Our descent into Sydney revealed a coastline that seemingly never ended.
Looking at our itinerary, we knew we were heading for an ultra-modern, powerhouse of a hostel for the evening. Wake Up Sydney wins international hostel awards and being two travelers who love to find the hidden gems and steer clear of the easy path, we were very skeptical we’d enjoy this stopover.
But when Christian, the general manager, awaited our arrival out of customs, we got the pleasant surprise of seeing the personable side of the institution. He dropped our things at the hostel after hooking us up with all the amenities and took us for a drive around a very wet coastal city.
Chris instantly fell in love with the place, which called to mind his home in the Bay Area. I was just plain blown away by the sheer size and expanse of the harbor, surrounding houses, buildings; it was all so cosmopolitan…and huge!
“There’s where Russell Crowe lives, up on that entire top floor.”
“Here’s the best view in town of Harbor Bridge and the Opera House.”
“This is where the massive New Year’s Eve celebration occurs every year. The place is absolutely packed and rowdy. We’re already booked up for the holidays!”
It probably didn’t make it easier coming from a remote Fijian village, but I was more in culture shock of Sydney than of little old Nakavika.
Christian offered to take us out for drinks that night and give us the opportunity to see the Opera House become alit by an evening light show, and it was our best intention to make that happen. But, a lack of sleep, a pile-up of work, and a need to shop and eat stopped us from doing Sydney right.
We’re both determined to return; needn’t we worry. And neither should you.
Saving Coin in Sydney
Sydney is the wild child of world-class cities. Oh yes. It blends the deliciousness of Hong Kong with the nightlife of New York, the posh nature of Paris with the glitz of LA, and (what am I talking about?) they have kangaroos! That’s right blokes and sheilas, we’ve gone Down Under!
One of my favorite parts of this quick jaunt was my stay at the Wake Up! Hostel. Seriously, check it out. When I was there, we had a raging party David Hasselhoff themed. And while I love the scenery of “Baywatch” (Pamela), I was very stunned by the skyline of Sydney (complete with the roaring Opera House and Harbor Bridge). Last time I was here, I was actually able to climb that thing. None of those acrobatics on this jaunt, though!
So I met with two friends over here from my previous adventures – Kaylie and Megan! Kaylie took me out for an American food as popular as baseball, beef burgers, and ‘baby on board’ bumper stickers – Mexican!
Thank god for that. I was running low on the burrito-meter.
And Megan took me to the subject of this short – the zoo! I was able to chill with some cheeky critters, see some old pals, and head for good times (all around). Oh, I’ve been meaning to mention this for a while.
While I’ve been out and about, I’ve been using this great little thing called the ISIC card.
Here’s a tab of what I’ve saved (in Sydney alone):
- Money Transfers: $15.50USD
- Zoo Ticket: $4USD
- Train Tickets: $2USD
- Breakfast: $3USD
Just imagine, that’s only from my Sydney expenses. When I get a chance to do my final expenses, I’ll let you know how much I saved by using the internationally-recognized student ISIC card. That means more money for gas, books, and trips to Wal-Mart. Oh yes. Don’t forget those. Later kids!
Sydney Fun
Well, folks – it’s that time: time for my last tour of the World Traveler Internship. And it’s true – that’s a huge bummer. (I’m sorry…did you just say school starts in less than 3 weeks? I’ll ignore that comment, thank you.) However, I’m thrilled that my final country of exploration has been so exciting every step of the way. It’s true what people say: Australia really is a land of fun in the sun, adventure activities, and otherworldly landscapes.
To all the guys out there who would like to travel Australia – I’ll have you know that my group of 33 people was comprised of 30 females and 3 males (all of whom were dating women on the trip). That means that each time we rolled into a new town, 27 single ladies climbed out of our sexy bus to wreak havoc on the surf boys there. You realize what this means, right? They could be wreaking havoc on you! Oh my, what fun. Although I’ve heard not all trips are quite so heavily skewed in the male:female ratio, there still tend to be a fair few ladies on board…so guys, strike while the iron’s hot. And girls, don’t be deterred because of the number of females; we all had a blast. There are plenty of single, sun-kissed fellows at every stop. =)
Now that I’ve got your attention, it’s time to share a bit about the adventures I had along the way! But first, I must reiterate a point I made in an earlier blog: connecting with people along your travels creates invaluable experiences and a fantastic world map of contacts for future trips. Why do I mention this now? Because our first tour stop was Sydney, and since I had a few days there on my own before the trip, I was able to reconnect with a group of girls I met on my tour of Eastern Europe. We four gals had a fantastic time tearing up their hometown, hitting up the Opera Bar (which gave an unparalleled view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at night), walking the piers, and impressing local Italian eateries with our appetites. How cool to have a group of ready-made friends in a foreign land!
After my time in the shiny, impressive city of Sydney, I boarded the bus for a long first day of driving. The landscapes along the way were beautiful, and we did the whole “getting to know you thing” as we flew across the east coast toward the Myall Lakes. Our Host Meagan (aka Magic Megs) and Tour Leader Leigh introduced themselves and each proved immediately to hold a vast expanse of knowledge as well as a terrific sense of humor. Their banter and chemistry kept everyone on their toes, and the group immediately established an open attitude (which is essential to travel).
We arrived at the Myall Lakes around late afternoon to a fantastic little bunch of eco-friendly villas. Now, when I say eco-friendly, I don’t mean “sparse and boring;” in the case of this place, eco-friendly stands for “environmentally responsible mixed with a whole lotta chic and modern.” I’m telling you: those villas were the jam! I dropped my stuff in my villa and immediately took the the water in a kayak, splashing about and admiring the fading afternoon light with my lovely Norwegian kayak partner Helena. We paddled around in pursuit of rare birds, raced the sun to the horizon, and then climbed ashore just as the sherbet-orange of sunset began to streak across the sky. We joined some others on the docks to watch the sun dip beneath the deep green forests on the other side of the lake, and then we rested a wee while before joining the others for dinner.
It’s important that I note now how delectable every meal Megs cooked was. Since most meals were provided on the tour, the host holds the job of cooking and we’ll just say that Magic Megs is as talented as her nickname would suggest.
Whether it was steak, stirfry, kebabs, or seafood for dinner, the feasts were always vast…and I may or may not have gotten seconds nearly every night. Anyway, we had a delicious dinner and fantastic conversation as we all got to know one another. We shared about our cultures (there were passengers from England, Scotland, Wales, the U.S., Holland, Norway, France, and Germany, and the crew was from Oz!), took photos of the stray possum that managed to climb a rafter overhead and then just look confused for quite some time, and then we called it a night in order to prepare for the travel day ahead. All in all, it was a fantastic beginning to what would become an incredible adventure.