the good land of australia
where barbies mean good meat, not plastic dolls
[the color for massive posts]
MY OZZIE EXPERIENCE--the abridged 10 day version (because there will definitely be more to add)
day 1: arrived in brisbane. somewhat overcasty--but i still loved how the city was organized. i think i have a thing for cities near water:
anyway, i decided early on that i would go to lone pine sanctuary my first day (home to the largest population of koala bears in the world!). and so i took the bus there--and IT WAS SO FUN OMG i didn't think i was really into zoos...but interactive ones where you get to go into the animals' habitat are way cool.
so firstly i fed the rainbow lorikeets:
there were heaps of people and birds. everywhere. crazyness.
and then i went into the kangaroo habitat. they are SO CUTE!
there were heaps of people and birds. everywhere. crazyness.
and then i went into the kangaroo habitat. they are SO CUTE!
they were pretty curious around humans:
and around bears as well ;p
then there were the wombats! i was really excited to see them because they're so chubby and cute...but they were all sleeping. i mean, they were still chubby and cute even while sleeping...but i wanted to see them wobbling around:
and of course...the koala bears! i got to hug one for the price of 15$...but that's okay because it goes towards research and eucalyptus trees to feed them! and i get a photo i suppose. good times:
and there was this cute little baby koala!
and then there were these random birds. i didn't think they were that special...but one said hello to me and poopoobear:
and one surprised me by saying 'buh bye!' as i walked by:
and one surprised me by saying 'buh bye!' as i walked by:
and this one's just cute and chubby-faced:
i met a couple there and we had dinner together and exchanged numbers. i should have grabbed a photo...but oh well. jei and trixie. anyway. the bus ride back was beautiful...we went over the bridge and since it was night-time the city lights and full moon illuminated the river. that night (as well as many others) i slept at ben's sister's place--thanks angela & lenan!
day 2: i figured out the public transportation system this day--and their public transport is pretty damn good. i love it. i took the bus and train to the gold coast down to surfer's paradise:
day 2: i figured out the public transportation system this day--and their public transport is pretty damn good. i love it. i took the bus and train to the gold coast down to surfer's paradise:
it's almost like 3rd street promenade in terms of look and feel where all the shopping is...but down by the beach it's different. you have beach, and then you have skyscrapers. i was just chilling on the sand looking out at the water...and when i turn around behind me i get this drastically different view:
and to my left and right:
and as you can see, the weather wasn't ideal beach weather. i guess it is winter afterall. i wanted to do some surfing but decided to save 40 bucks and some shivering. till next time, gold coast.
so anyway, i just went shopping, bought stuff :( and took the bus and train back.
later that night i met up with jei and some of his friends for a night out in town. we took the train to brunswick, where the night life is supposed to be. basically, it's a strip of bars and clubs and seemingly 24-hour food, and then around the corner you have some more bars and clubs. needless to say, i have never been so discriminated in my life--the jandals (i mean sandals) that got me into every club in auckland prevented me from going in most of the clubs in brisbane. i didn't even pack nice shoes. *sigh* anyway--this was the only bar/club that let me in (RG's):
we had fun anyway ;)
day 3: woke up pretty late...took the bus into the city, ate, and shopped around. i was soooo excited when i found out that australia has targets!!!
the font is different though--it's not as cool as the font in the states...which is reflective of their clothing as well. i was looking forward to buying some cute mossimo tops or a cute bathing suit...but nah. nada.
so after shopping a bit i decided to take a bus out to mount coo-tha, which is supposed to be a really good lookout point for the city of brisbane. it wasn't too shabby:
wasted some money on a not so good mocha there. chilled around and watched the sky changed colors...but didn't get to stay for the full sunset because i had to catch the last bus back to the city.
did you know that in australia burger king is called hungry jacks?? copyright issues--the guy wouldn't sell the name of his burger joint..so we got hungry jacks. reminds me of jack in the box...
anyway, i called it an early night and came back to angela's house...just in time for dinner! i helped her cook (ie i made a simple salad) and she made some yum pork chops. here we are right before our meal:
and afterwards i joined her on the couch for shrek 2. i've already seen it and i didnt think i liked it that much..but it was actually pretty enjoyable the second time around!
day 4: moreton island adventure!! i was afraid the weather was going to be crappy, but thank goodness it was perfectly sunny and warm. so i took a ferry out to moreton island--it went down the brisbane river and then into the open water to the island
as soon as we got off the boat, they were feeding pelicans:
now these pelicans were crazy huge..with really scary eyes:
anyway. the main reason i wanted to go here was so i can snorkel the tangalooma shipwrecks--here's an aerial photo i found online:
and to my left and right:
and as you can see, the weather wasn't ideal beach weather. i guess it is winter afterall. i wanted to do some surfing but decided to save 40 bucks and some shivering. till next time, gold coast.
so anyway, i just went shopping, bought stuff :( and took the bus and train back.
later that night i met up with jei and some of his friends for a night out in town. we took the train to brunswick, where the night life is supposed to be. basically, it's a strip of bars and clubs and seemingly 24-hour food, and then around the corner you have some more bars and clubs. needless to say, i have never been so discriminated in my life--the jandals (i mean sandals) that got me into every club in auckland prevented me from going in most of the clubs in brisbane. i didn't even pack nice shoes. *sigh* anyway--this was the only bar/club that let me in (RG's):
we had fun anyway ;)
that night i just crashed at their bachelor pad. very comfy couch...perfect for the following lazy sunday
day 3: woke up pretty late...took the bus into the city, ate, and shopped around. i was soooo excited when i found out that australia has targets!!!
the font is different though--it's not as cool as the font in the states...which is reflective of their clothing as well. i was looking forward to buying some cute mossimo tops or a cute bathing suit...but nah. nada.
so after shopping a bit i decided to take a bus out to mount coo-tha, which is supposed to be a really good lookout point for the city of brisbane. it wasn't too shabby:
wasted some money on a not so good mocha there. chilled around and watched the sky changed colors...but didn't get to stay for the full sunset because i had to catch the last bus back to the city.
did you know that in australia burger king is called hungry jacks?? copyright issues--the guy wouldn't sell the name of his burger joint..so we got hungry jacks. reminds me of jack in the box...
anyway, i called it an early night and came back to angela's house...just in time for dinner! i helped her cook (ie i made a simple salad) and she made some yum pork chops. here we are right before our meal:
and afterwards i joined her on the couch for shrek 2. i've already seen it and i didnt think i liked it that much..but it was actually pretty enjoyable the second time around!
day 4: moreton island adventure!! i was afraid the weather was going to be crappy, but thank goodness it was perfectly sunny and warm. so i took a ferry out to moreton island--it went down the brisbane river and then into the open water to the island
as soon as we got off the boat, they were feeding pelicans:
now these pelicans were crazy huge..with really scary eyes:
anyway. the main reason i wanted to go here was so i can snorkel the tangalooma shipwrecks--here's an aerial photo i found online:
anyway--the lady that booked my ferry ride assured me i could go do that snorkelling tour, but it turned out that the tour started before my ferry got there. so i said, fuck that, i'm going to go out there on my own. they said that the tides were pulling out so it would be dangerous for me to swim out there..so i decided to just rent a kayak and check it out myself. of course i picked the pink one :)
everything was so beautiful that day! the silhouettes of the shipwrecks after about 15-20 minutes of paddling:
it was so crazy when i got up close--there were so many ships! i just kayaked around all of them for a better view of them all:
they advised me not to bring snorkeling gear since i wouldn't be able to secure my kayak and it might float away. i was stupid and listened to them. anyway, i secured my kayak cleverly so i could walk around on the shipwrecks:
and around the decks i walked carefully (good thing i brought my jandals)--it was sooo fun!!
after getting a cut on my foot..i decided to not self timer photos. aqua/beach shoes would have been great here...but i really cant complain
anyway--it was heaps fun and i really wanna do it again. it was actually so much better without the tour because i had the whole thing to myself, and i felt all adventurous! and maybe like a pirate...but not really..it was more like exploring something and imagining what kind of people were on these ships and how the ships ended up like this. it's that feeling where you kind of forget what decade you're in and it's just you and something of the past and you're finding a balance between the two. i mean, these shipwrecks may have been put there intentionally, but there must be a story behind every shipwreck. anyway, it's a cool feeling :) if i were to try and turn those feelings into a picture, it would look something like this:
slight bummer that i didn't get to do any snorkeling, since the wrecks are good artificial reefs for the fish. now i want to kayak around, snorkel, and dive random shipwrecks around the world. and then i want to research about them. be a true explorer! it's ok, this was my first encounter, my introductory shipwreck. rest assured, there will be more. at least i got to kayak inside part of the ship...it was pretty fun even though i just went in and out :D
man. good times. anyway, i paddled back to the resort..and on my way back a sea turtle was just floating by. i was sort of shocked because i didn't expect that...it was bigger than the size of my head! after of moment of dumbness i turned around to chase after it for a photo..but then he got scared and dove into the water so i couldnt see him anymore :( while paddling i also discovered a cloud shaped like a seahorse with a unicorn. i'm not crazy. look harder:
and then one of those scenic flight planes took off...yeah can't afford to do that
well i got to the beach, and the water was CLEAR AS and the sun and ripples made very mesmerizing designs in the water/sand:
so i laid out for it a bit and it felt soooo good--i miss beaching! and laying out in the warmth of the sun. poopoobear liked it too:
and the beach was just beautiful...with palm trees!
that was an awesome day...some shout outs:
day 5: my last morning in brisbane. packed up and said goodbye to my host family for those 4 days and the comfy bed:
and then had a quick last look of the city:
very artsy as well:
and then flew to the whitsunday coast via jetstar! so i was on the plane...and there were such pretty clouds so i decided to take my camera out and take a picture. except i couldn't find my camera. i freaked out and the worst part was that there was nothing that i could do because i was stuck on the plane. flight landed...everything was hot and humid from the tropical weather, rushed to get my backpack and it wasn't in there either...i just thought, fuck...this can't be my second camera gone in a year. so i got a transfer to arlie beach and stayed at a cheap crappy hostel and called angela. she was at work, so i left a message, and decided that food would make me feel better. 5 cookies, a bowl of spaghetti, and other unhealthy things later...angela calls and confirms that i left the camera on the bed. WHEW!! :( i swear i'm not a ditz i'm just extremely forgetful :(
so that day i bought a disposable underwater camera and ate a lot of food. i bought a calling card and talked to danny so he could make me feel better (i love you thanks!) i also explored all of arlie beach..it was really small. there's this cool lagoon for people to swim in because the beach has a lot of stingers (dangerous jelly fish) so it's unsafe to swim in the open water..unless you have a stinger suit i guess. there's been so many cases of stinger attacks. anyway, i pulled up some internet photos of arlie beach and the lagoon:
and then had a quick last look of the city:
very artsy as well:
and then flew to the whitsunday coast via jetstar! so i was on the plane...and there were such pretty clouds so i decided to take my camera out and take a picture. except i couldn't find my camera. i freaked out and the worst part was that there was nothing that i could do because i was stuck on the plane. flight landed...everything was hot and humid from the tropical weather, rushed to get my backpack and it wasn't in there either...i just thought, fuck...this can't be my second camera gone in a year. so i got a transfer to arlie beach and stayed at a cheap crappy hostel and called angela. she was at work, so i left a message, and decided that food would make me feel better. 5 cookies, a bowl of spaghetti, and other unhealthy things later...angela calls and confirms that i left the camera on the bed. WHEW!! :( i swear i'm not a ditz i'm just extremely forgetful :(
so that day i bought a disposable underwater camera and ate a lot of food. i bought a calling card and talked to danny so he could make me feel better (i love you thanks!) i also explored all of arlie beach..it was really small. there's this cool lagoon for people to swim in because the beach has a lot of stingers (dangerous jelly fish) so it's unsafe to swim in the open water..unless you have a stinger suit i guess. there's been so many cases of stinger attacks. anyway, i pulled up some internet photos of arlie beach and the lagoon:
but yeah..i wanted to go play in there but someone told me that they fish out so many condoms in that thing. so i decided that it was better that i didn't go in. plus i sat down on a bench and i looked over and saw a used condom. so gross. but in a small town with crazy travelers, beaches, bars and booze and wet t-shirt contests every other day...i suppose it didn't surprise me that much.
i met a girl from chile at my hostel and we talked for awhile about a lot of things...i miss south america!! but australia is awesome ay ;p
day 6: woke up and checked out of my hostel...and continued to walk around arlie beach, even though there wasn't really anything to do. there's a boardwalk down along the coast so i took a stroll down that--pretty nice (oh yeah, from now onward these are photos from my disposable underwater camera):
the skies were still pretty grey and the weather didn't look too promising. i went to the port to board the boat--i was supposed to be on the tallarock III but apparently there was some work being done on it so we got to go on the romance...which was twice the size and newly renovated--so yay! here's a picture of it from afar in the waters...looks like a crazy pirate ship huh?!
that's probably my favorite picture. anyway, all 21 of us piled in on the boat and got settled, went through the logistics and safety and all that jazz, and set out for the whitsunday islands. the ride was horrible, with 3 meter waves and we were rocking back and forth with water splashing onto the boat. i can't recall how long it took...but i felt pretty sea sick.
after we arrived at hook island, we had a nice steak dinner! i met half of the people on the boat that night (most people went to bed early sick or something) and had my first lamington...it's an australian dessert...spongey cake covered in chocolate and coconut flakes. i loved them and had 11 of them by the end of the trip even though i don't really like coconut. most people had 3...
anyway, sleeping was fine..there was rocking here and there but i pretty much passed out.
day 7: despite the talk of very bad weather...this day actually seemed pretty good! i mean, we weren't basking in the sun or anything, but the wind definitely died down and we had the occasional breaks of sunlight.
my first disappointment of the day: i couldn't do my introductory dive because i had asthma as a kid...and i think i had ear surgery too. but as a crappy result, i need a medic to certify that i'm ok to dive or some crap like that. bummer.
BUT of course i got to do some major snorkeling!! and i was really excited for this because it's the GREAT BARRIER REEF!!! one of the seven natural wonders of the world...and rightfully so. here are the girls all stinger-suited up, so the stingers wont get us:
and here i am in the water. hello
see all the stripey fish around me?! SO COOL! some of them were really colorful too:
the photo quality wasn't all the great..but you get the idea. these fish were more photographic than the ones in hawaii. i took way too many photos of ugly fish on that trip.
and even if i didn't get the fish, the coral diversity was amazinggg!!
pictures don't really do it justice...especially mine. i wish i had my digital camera!! :(
anyway, so yeah we snorkeled around for a bit..and then we went back on the boat for lunch. i met some cool english girls and roomed with them--here they are on deck waiting for lunch
and then there were these gigantic flat fish around our boat
since the weather conditions were better than expected...we were able to to go whitehaven beach!! it's an all white SILICA sand beach..the sand is so fine they use it for microscopes and stuff and you can clean your silver with it :)
my disposable couldn't quite capture it's beauty..but everything was so white. the sky was so light because it was overcasty..the sand was white, and the water was such a light pale green at spots, and just light bluegreen every where else. it was so cool! i didn't wear my bathing suit bottom because i didn't think i would swim because it was cold...but the water was so warm me and a friend just stripped and went for a swim anyway :) and we saw sting rays! it was crazyness. even poopoobear liked it
anyway, we got back to the boat and had the MOST AMAZING DINNER EVER! pot roast with gravy, roasted pumpkin, wedges, sour cream, and peas! sooo good. then we had our one hot shower..that felt good...and then came the drinking :) everyone brought so much alcohol...i didn't really think about it (i'm a recovering alcoholic) but people were giving me wine left and right...my weak spot. so at home we call franzia the placenta...but here they call it goon. you slap the goon. because it's in a bag.
and then...we all got dressed up in our sheets for our toga party. it was soo random and such a great idea. i wish i had pictures but my underwater camera didn't have flash...a friend is going to email me the pictures later i think. anyway, we were in togas playing all these drinking games. one involved making animal noises. another involved kissing the pink little pig ;p
anyway--great night of exposed unmentionables, people hooking up, and just having a jolly ol time with everyone :)
day 8: this was our last day on the boat..we were all pretty bummed about it. but at least the weather got really good that day (too little too late..but overall the whole trip was amazing!). in the morning we were feeding some fish off the side of the boat..they were these huge fish that were super flat but large as the span of my arm. then we went to shore for some more snorkeling! i decided to finish my camera off...even though i should have saved some shots for people. damn. i always end up taking too many photos of fish/coral...lol
yeah i don't think the visibility was as great as it was the first day. but i found a cool heart shaped reef!
oh yeah..and there was this one american boy on the trip that looked like jake gyllenhaal!
notice my huge as grin. haha.
*sigh* so then the trip ended..and i went with some of the people i met to go room with them at a nicer/more expensive hostel. twas worth it though. we just chilled and hung out...then went out at night, ate heaps, slapped some more goon and played card games. it was so crazy...i was swaying back and forth on the land..i guess i got used to the boat...i mean i was just standing still and everything was swaying for me...and so i started to sway as well. major headache that day :\
day 9: another beautiful sunny day in arlie beach...perfectly sunny but still there was this chilly southerly wind. i guess it's winter afterall. anyway, i spent the day with jill, a really cool irish girl i met on the boat, and rob and steve--two really fun english guys. i swear rob talks like a stoned surfer. there were so many laughs about that the night before. we all grabbed lunch, and they were sweet enough to walk me to my airport transfer. :D i love meeting people while traveling.
so i flew into sydney where it was pissing rain, and my friend ben picked me up from the airport :) it's crazy--ben and i first met in chile on the pachamama bus and we went to the kuntzmann bear factory together and climbed volcan villarica together..this was our group picture--he's the middle one in the stripped sweater:
and then we met again in cusco peru! it was crazy--i recommended a hostel for him to stay at and then later i met up with him...and then now again in sydney!
we went back to his place and i met his family--they were all really nice and warm. we proceeded to manly beach where we ate at a popular steak and ribs beachfront restaurant..and it was sooo yummm. we hopped around a few bars there and had a couple of drinks, then headed out to the city via taxi, since all the ferries were shut down due to bad weather... :( the ferry ride is supposed to give you some of the best views as well..bummer
we met up with his friend carl in the city, and dropped by a hotel where lenan was staying at--luckily he had a meeting in sydney so he was able to bring my camera...so YAY i have my camera back!!
so heres ben, me, n carl:
we hopped over near the kings cross to another club--it was a pretty fun night but i limited my alcohol because they were going to breathalyze me for the bridge climb the next day. so we went back home and i had a good night's sleep at his place :)
day 10: my last day! woke up early, ben drove me into the city so i could climb the sydney harbor bridge:
he was a real sweetheart for taking me in and showing me around and driving and all--thanks ben! so i did the discovery climb, where you climb in between the bridge not just on top so you can see more of the architecture. at the top we got an amazing view of sydney, the harbor, the operahouse--everything really! here's our complementary group photo:
and my climbing certificate...it has my name on it and the view we got to see..minus the totally clear sky ;p
our guide was really cool--he told us all these stories...from stories of people falling off the bridge during construction because they didn't have harnesses to how the people got angry about relocating the pub for the bridge (but not so much about the houses). the first bridge climb i heard about was auckland's...and then i decided that i'll do the sydney harbor bridge...and then when i was in brisbane i found out they had a bridge climb there as well. so i just thought that it's a pretty popular thing with all the bridges. but apparently, those are the only 3 bridges that you can climb in the world. go figure. oh yeah, here's my after-climb picture with poopoobear, still in the sexy jumper uniform:
anyway, after the climb, i went to the market down at the rocks. it was a really nice market..and i got myself corn on the cob, chocolate covered strawberries, candied nuts, and a present for my brother (HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY LEON!!):
then i walked down george street for awhile (main street in sydney) to go all the way to east sydney where the hard rock cafe is since my brother's new thing is collecting hard rock cafe paraphernalia...that was a longgggg walk. and i guess it was the queen's birthday or something so they closed down a good part of the street for priests n catholics or whatever
i reckon it's not an everyday thing that george street is free of cars. anyway, i wised up and asked around so i took the bus straight back to circular quay, where i took one last look of the sydney opera house. it's really stunning, really
and then i took the train to the airport. the public transport is so good! trains connecting to airports and all! and this train was fancy...two floors!
and then on the plane i watched 'wild hogs.' a stupid movie really, but i enjoyed it and it made me laugh. i was really bummed to go back to new zealand so soon..but i guess i only have two weeks left in new zealand and i really shouldn't complain.
day 6: woke up and checked out of my hostel...and continued to walk around arlie beach, even though there wasn't really anything to do. there's a boardwalk down along the coast so i took a stroll down that--pretty nice (oh yeah, from now onward these are photos from my disposable underwater camera):
the skies were still pretty grey and the weather didn't look too promising. i went to the port to board the boat--i was supposed to be on the tallarock III but apparently there was some work being done on it so we got to go on the romance...which was twice the size and newly renovated--so yay! here's a picture of it from afar in the waters...looks like a crazy pirate ship huh?!
that's probably my favorite picture. anyway, all 21 of us piled in on the boat and got settled, went through the logistics and safety and all that jazz, and set out for the whitsunday islands. the ride was horrible, with 3 meter waves and we were rocking back and forth with water splashing onto the boat. i can't recall how long it took...but i felt pretty sea sick.
after we arrived at hook island, we had a nice steak dinner! i met half of the people on the boat that night (most people went to bed early sick or something) and had my first lamington...it's an australian dessert...spongey cake covered in chocolate and coconut flakes. i loved them and had 11 of them by the end of the trip even though i don't really like coconut. most people had 3...
anyway, sleeping was fine..there was rocking here and there but i pretty much passed out.
day 7: despite the talk of very bad weather...this day actually seemed pretty good! i mean, we weren't basking in the sun or anything, but the wind definitely died down and we had the occasional breaks of sunlight.
my first disappointment of the day: i couldn't do my introductory dive because i had asthma as a kid...and i think i had ear surgery too. but as a crappy result, i need a medic to certify that i'm ok to dive or some crap like that. bummer.
BUT of course i got to do some major snorkeling!! and i was really excited for this because it's the GREAT BARRIER REEF!!! one of the seven natural wonders of the world...and rightfully so. here are the girls all stinger-suited up, so the stingers wont get us:
and here i am in the water. hello
see all the stripey fish around me?! SO COOL! some of them were really colorful too:
the photo quality wasn't all the great..but you get the idea. these fish were more photographic than the ones in hawaii. i took way too many photos of ugly fish on that trip.
and even if i didn't get the fish, the coral diversity was amazinggg!!
pictures don't really do it justice...especially mine. i wish i had my digital camera!! :(
anyway, so yeah we snorkeled around for a bit..and then we went back on the boat for lunch. i met some cool english girls and roomed with them--here they are on deck waiting for lunch
and then there were these gigantic flat fish around our boat
my disposable couldn't quite capture it's beauty..but everything was so white. the sky was so light because it was overcasty..the sand was white, and the water was such a light pale green at spots, and just light bluegreen every where else. it was so cool! i didn't wear my bathing suit bottom because i didn't think i would swim because it was cold...but the water was so warm me and a friend just stripped and went for a swim anyway :) and we saw sting rays! it was crazyness. even poopoobear liked it
anyway, we got back to the boat and had the MOST AMAZING DINNER EVER! pot roast with gravy, roasted pumpkin, wedges, sour cream, and peas! sooo good. then we had our one hot shower..that felt good...and then came the drinking :) everyone brought so much alcohol...i didn't really think about it (i'm a recovering alcoholic) but people were giving me wine left and right...my weak spot. so at home we call franzia the placenta...but here they call it goon. you slap the goon. because it's in a bag.
and then...we all got dressed up in our sheets for our toga party. it was soo random and such a great idea. i wish i had pictures but my underwater camera didn't have flash...a friend is going to email me the pictures later i think. anyway, we were in togas playing all these drinking games. one involved making animal noises. another involved kissing the pink little pig ;p
anyway--great night of exposed unmentionables, people hooking up, and just having a jolly ol time with everyone :)
day 8: this was our last day on the boat..we were all pretty bummed about it. but at least the weather got really good that day (too little too late..but overall the whole trip was amazing!). in the morning we were feeding some fish off the side of the boat..they were these huge fish that were super flat but large as the span of my arm. then we went to shore for some more snorkeling! i decided to finish my camera off...even though i should have saved some shots for people. damn. i always end up taking too many photos of fish/coral...lol
yeah i don't think the visibility was as great as it was the first day. but i found a cool heart shaped reef!
oh yeah..and there was this one american boy on the trip that looked like jake gyllenhaal!
notice my huge as grin. haha.
*sigh* so then the trip ended..and i went with some of the people i met to go room with them at a nicer/more expensive hostel. twas worth it though. we just chilled and hung out...then went out at night, ate heaps, slapped some more goon and played card games. it was so crazy...i was swaying back and forth on the land..i guess i got used to the boat...i mean i was just standing still and everything was swaying for me...and so i started to sway as well. major headache that day :\
day 9: another beautiful sunny day in arlie beach...perfectly sunny but still there was this chilly southerly wind. i guess it's winter afterall. anyway, i spent the day with jill, a really cool irish girl i met on the boat, and rob and steve--two really fun english guys. i swear rob talks like a stoned surfer. there were so many laughs about that the night before. we all grabbed lunch, and they were sweet enough to walk me to my airport transfer. :D i love meeting people while traveling.
so i flew into sydney where it was pissing rain, and my friend ben picked me up from the airport :) it's crazy--ben and i first met in chile on the pachamama bus and we went to the kuntzmann bear factory together and climbed volcan villarica together..this was our group picture--he's the middle one in the stripped sweater:
and then we met again in cusco peru! it was crazy--i recommended a hostel for him to stay at and then later i met up with him...and then now again in sydney!
we went back to his place and i met his family--they were all really nice and warm. we proceeded to manly beach where we ate at a popular steak and ribs beachfront restaurant..and it was sooo yummm. we hopped around a few bars there and had a couple of drinks, then headed out to the city via taxi, since all the ferries were shut down due to bad weather... :( the ferry ride is supposed to give you some of the best views as well..bummer
we met up with his friend carl in the city, and dropped by a hotel where lenan was staying at--luckily he had a meeting in sydney so he was able to bring my camera...so YAY i have my camera back!!
so heres ben, me, n carl:
we hopped over near the kings cross to another club--it was a pretty fun night but i limited my alcohol because they were going to breathalyze me for the bridge climb the next day. so we went back home and i had a good night's sleep at his place :)
day 10: my last day! woke up early, ben drove me into the city so i could climb the sydney harbor bridge:
he was a real sweetheart for taking me in and showing me around and driving and all--thanks ben! so i did the discovery climb, where you climb in between the bridge not just on top so you can see more of the architecture. at the top we got an amazing view of sydney, the harbor, the operahouse--everything really! here's our complementary group photo:
and my climbing certificate...it has my name on it and the view we got to see..minus the totally clear sky ;p
our guide was really cool--he told us all these stories...from stories of people falling off the bridge during construction because they didn't have harnesses to how the people got angry about relocating the pub for the bridge (but not so much about the houses). the first bridge climb i heard about was auckland's...and then i decided that i'll do the sydney harbor bridge...and then when i was in brisbane i found out they had a bridge climb there as well. so i just thought that it's a pretty popular thing with all the bridges. but apparently, those are the only 3 bridges that you can climb in the world. go figure. oh yeah, here's my after-climb picture with poopoobear, still in the sexy jumper uniform:
anyway, after the climb, i went to the market down at the rocks. it was a really nice market..and i got myself corn on the cob, chocolate covered strawberries, candied nuts, and a present for my brother (HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY LEON!!):
then i walked down george street for awhile (main street in sydney) to go all the way to east sydney where the hard rock cafe is since my brother's new thing is collecting hard rock cafe paraphernalia...that was a longgggg walk. and i guess it was the queen's birthday or something so they closed down a good part of the street for priests n catholics or whatever
i reckon it's not an everyday thing that george street is free of cars. anyway, i wised up and asked around so i took the bus straight back to circular quay, where i took one last look of the sydney opera house. it's really stunning, really
and then i took the train to the airport. the public transport is so good! trains connecting to airports and all! and this train was fancy...two floors!
and then on the plane i watched 'wild hogs.' a stupid movie really, but i enjoyed it and it made me laugh. i was really bummed to go back to new zealand so soon..but i guess i only have two weeks left in new zealand and i really shouldn't complain.
I ♥ AUSTRALIA
+ travelling solo ROCKS my WORLD
+ met my 2nd & 3rd fave english guys
+ kayaking is still my favorite water activity!!
+ i really want to give scuba diving a try now...might get certified in asia if its cheap
+ my new thing is finding out shipwrecks to explore. random, i know
+ i wanted to try kangaroo meat..but not anymore after playing with them in the zoo
+ i want to try crocodile meat...maybe
+ note to self: when in doubt, just take the damn pictures
+ i'm definitely going back
+ damage done: 1200ish AUD....sadness...but definitely worth it ;p
+ travelling solo ROCKS my WORLD
+ met my 2nd & 3rd fave english guys
+ kayaking is still my favorite water activity!!
+ i really want to give scuba diving a try now...might get certified in asia if its cheap
+ my new thing is finding out shipwrecks to explore. random, i know
+ i wanted to try kangaroo meat..but not anymore after playing with them in the zoo
+ i want to try crocodile meat...maybe
+ note to self: when in doubt, just take the damn pictures
+ i'm definitely going back
+ damage done: 1200ish AUD....sadness...but definitely worth it ;p
oh yeah... i remember why i wasn't going to go to australia in the first place: it would be winter when i would be able to go. but i forgot (as usual), and flights were cheap... so i went