As you've probably already guessed, the wheels on the plane didn't fall off and we landed safe and sound in Sydney. Getting to the hostel was easy, and I fell asleep within a few seconds of hitting the pillow when we got there.
The hostel itself is fantastic:
And the room isn't too shabby either:
And just for info, here's what we're hauling around. Mine's 18 kilograms of total hell. It's also orange:
There's a tonne of things to do in the hostel itself. Facilities include a swimming pool on the roof, a sauna, three communal kitchens, a huge dining area, a library, an internet cafe (two of them), a pool table, and a cinema that screens a different movie each day (todays film is 'Muriel's Wedding' ...ah well) which vends out free popcorn to guests. This is somehow one of the cheaper places to stay in Sydney, despite all the above. The atmosphere here is great. There's a lot of old couples, really old couples, and the usual gap - year types hanging around that are all eager to have a conversation and dispense something they've learned about the city or where they're headed next.
In terms of local amenities to take advantage of, there's about three sex shops and a 'MONEY LENT 2 U' personal loan service nearby. If I need five grand and a rubber suit, I'm very well catered for. All the big supermarkets such as Coles and Woolworths (yep, Woolworths. Not quite the same as England's version though. It's still open, for example..) are all within easy walking distance and thankfully I'm quite familiar with the area since the hostel's about three minutes from where we stayed last year. Lynne's also well aware of my sense of direction and is always there to make sure I don't stroll down a dark alleyway full of people with dragon tattoo's to ask for directions. Most people think she's always holding my hand because she's affectionate...
We haven't quite had any breathtaking adventures yet, but we've had some really lovely strolls through the city and the royal botanic gardens (the park adjoining the Sydney Opera House). On our second day here I ate my bodyweight in Chinese roast pork and duck at BBQ King, a restaurant which hasn't changed it's decor since the 80's which was originally made famous by the owner being kidnapped by the Triads and the good fortune of the press telling everyone about it. It's now better known for the good food and terrible service (while eating there the waiter moved me out the way to steal our serviettes, salt, and pepper so he could give them to someone else) The food is worth the service though, trust me.
We also took some time out to visit the Powerhouse Museum. The museum describes itself as at forefront of Sydneys attractions: an exciting, educational, and innovative experience that allows people to interact with science, technology and nature:
Here's how interesting it really was:
Yup. THAT interesting. The only thing I found exciting was the big reproduction of the robot that says 'DANGER WILL ROBINSON!' in lost in space:
The only thing that caught our attention for longer than eight seconds was the arcade machine that had pacman on it.
Ah well.
My only negative news so far is the fact I lost my camera charger - a replacement cost about $150 (about £100), and the best and cheapest I could find, believe it or not, cost me 55 BLOODY POUNDS. You can make a good living in Australia fleecing British tourists. To be honest, living here is far from cheap. If you wanted to pick up a bottle of coke, it works out as about 2 pounds. chocolate varies but you won't be spending much less than a quid for a single bar. Thus the reason I'm living off of pot noodles from chinatown. Chicken and prawn ones. I might see how much it costs post pies and a banana loaf and give my parents a ring.
I'm conscious of the fact I'll need to get a haircut soon. The only person I trust besides an actual barber is my dad, and he's about fifteen thousand miles away. So short of paying my dads airfare out here, I'm slightly concerned I'll be asking for a short back and sides in chinatown and ending up with a mohawk. Will update when haircut is carried out.
Here's a few pictures showing what we've been up to so far - check out the pictures of the rainbow lorikeets, birds which are as popular as pigeons but a million times cooler:
We're heading to Tasmania tomorrow, an island to south of Australia (see the route map for more details!) We've booked a car and a few days stay at a hostel nearby the airport, and Lynne's taken the liberty of finding things to do while we're there. There's quite a bit of hangglidng (although not normal hanggliding - it's attached to a zipline that goes across the tops of the trees in a rainforest - don't worry mum!) and there's quite a few markets and things where I'll be trying as many free samples as humanly possible. I'll definitely be checking out Port Arthur, a derelict prison from the 19th Century and Mount Wellington, one of Australia's highest peaks which 1.) Isn't that high and 2.) Not that climable. It's more of a nice walk. Stop worrying, mum.
I'll update you all soon - hope everythings ok in England!
Lots of love,
Paul
PS: THE SUSHI HERE IS AMAZING!
...not to gloat or anything. Sean.
PPS: DOUBLE DECKER TRAINS!
Best idea ever - and the seats can face any way you want!
