Sydney... and Mardi Gras

Ok then, now we get to Sydney, the most famous stop-point on our short tour of Oz. Yeah, we're only here for a month, that's seriously short! We've met people who spend a year in certain cities before moving to the next. Couldn't be arsed with that like, but it would be nice to spend a bit longer and be less pressed for time. But to do that you need the money or you need to work. We don't have the money and we don't have a work visa. So it ain't an option. Anyway, less of that rambling. After exploring Perth and Melbourne we were aware that they were both nice cities but to be honest, and i'm putting this down to just how good the city is, i'd rather spend the day (or night) in Newcastle any day of the week.

Sydney is totally different. You get here, walk through the park and into town, down by the marinas, the harbour bridge, the opera house, and even if its clouded over you think 'Christ, Sydney's awesome'. It totally deserves to be the most famous city in Australia, and god knows why it ain't the capital. Yeah, maybe we haven't visited Canberra but come on! Who ever recommends going there??

We got there after flying from Melbourne with Jetstar, the easyjet of the southern hemisphere. Got to the hostel around 10pm and before we'd got in our room I got a text from Shelley saying 'Where are you? We're waiting'. So we had quick showers n got changed before heading out with Shell and Ben, her boyfriend who she's travelling round Oz with. Headed to World Bar in the Kings Cross area of Sydney where everyone from the hostel was gatherin and got quality deals on drinks, which ensured a pretty awesome night.

Ben & Shell

In the mornin we did the traditional sightseeing you have to do while you're in Sydney, and our hostel was in a great place to do it. We could literally walk out the door, through the park and botanic gardens and we were at the Sydney Opera House. We actually didn't go straight there, it was boiling so we stopped off for lunch at Circular Quay, a marina overlooking the Harbour Bridge, which was a pretty spectacular place to have a meal. When we eventually got to the Opera House (which is when you finally realise how far you are from home) we got some snaps before the clouds rolled over and Britain's traditional weather began. It always bloody rains when we go to tourist sights. This was a thunderstorm though, which was actually pretty impressive over the harbour. After getting bored with that we mooched back to the hostel for a siesta and suddenly the sun was out again, full heat! Maybe it ain't like Britain afterall. That night was a quiet one, started watching a couple of dvds that we bought while pissed on Koh Tao (anyone for Retrograde - starring Dolph Lundgren? Or Savage Planet? Ambulance 2? Or a documentary about the Thai King's dog that was murdered by the Thai Prince?). The bad doo was that they were in Thai, so that film-watchin sesh ended pretty quickly and we resorted to watching trash TV.

In the morning we got up 'early' (10am) and caught the bus with Ben and Shell to Bondi Beach. Was expecting a massive, long amazing beach but when we got there it was just a bay surrounded by the town. The sand was quality though and the waves were huge. Met a guy called John who Shell knows from home and he took us out surfing. We all opted not to wear wetsuits or rash vests. Why oh why. We could have been told before that if we didn't we'd all end up with red raw chests and searing pain in our nipples! Anyhow, surfing was fun albeit hard, all of us nearly drowned a few times and it didn't help that the surfboards were huge. We had a couple of bodyboards as well though, which are a hundred times more fun and require a hundred times less effort. We had a quality time though, and went for a drink afterwards in some members club where you needed an ID for temporary menbership... I'd left my valubles in a locker in the hostel so didn't have my driving licence. Instead had to blag it with a temporary PADI licence thats on a ragged piece of pink paper! John had none either but apparently doesnt have a proper ID other than his passport and has perfected the art of blagging in Australia.

Went out after surfing to a bar/club called the Gaff, which the hostel had ties with which allowed you free drinks. Moved back to the World Bar later on, where we met Nick, the guy who organises all the nights out for people in the hostel in return for free rent. What a deal! Turns out he's a mackem, and referred to us as Geordie scum, although when he found out I was born in Hartlepool he said 'F*ck man, thats even worse that!' Banter. He's also played rugby recently in the Guinness Premiership for Northampton, before knacking his knee, so as the free jugs of beer kept coming the inevitable rugby drinking songs kicked in. Went back to the Gaff after where Tom had his falling-off-the-bar-and-hitting-a-stool-incident. I wasn't gonna catch him! No injuries were sustained so its all good.

Nick

Ben, Geoff, Tom, Ryan, Peter

Next day was spent sleeping, followed by a book-reading sesh in the park, whilst lying in the sun. Can't wait to get the pics up so you can all see what we're doing when you're at work/uni/college! Might have said this before but the internet cafes n that in Oz are pretty poor, no usb ports in sight! As opposed to Thailand where they were everywhere. Thought this was the advanced nation... Anyway, that night was pretty chilled, just went for a walk by the marina, had a BBQ on the roof of the hostel and a game of poker. That was our last night we had booked in the hostel, and as the following night was Mardi Gras they were fully booked. In fact, everywhere in Sydney was fully booked. We had no beds.

Shell and Ben were the same, so the next day they headed to Bondi to book a room there, while we went looking for a hire car before planning our next move. Turns out the only available car we could find (few companies rent to under-21s, the few that did had no cars!) was some banged-up Hyundai which looked like it had been built from scratch in the time of the cavemen. Considering they wanted over $900 to rent it for 11 days we politely turned the chance down and booked a flight to Brisbane at 8 the next mornin. That was when we made the decision to go without sleep for the night, instead leaving our bags in lockers in the previous hostel.

Went into town about 5, had dinner in Darling Harbour, which was beautiful by the way, and visited the aquarium. By 7 the city was starting to get busy, as a parade was starting at 8. Now, I knew Mardi Gras was pretty camp and featured a fair few gays and that, but there was no need in what we saw at that parade. It was minging. And we had a limited view. Put it this way, at one point in the parade a bus went past with a load of old men in it with MAG - Mature Age Gays written on the side. This was followed by a cage of 'Dreamboys'. Christ. It was quite an experience but one we'd rather not have again. It's just wrong. Behind closed doors, please.

When we tried to escape from the gays and meet Ben & Shell at the hostel we made the fatal decision of going up the street as opposed to down it. Oh dear. We knew were were on the wrong side of the parade but didn't expect to have to mooch a few kilometres outta town just to get to the other side!! We made it to the hostel just as the other were leaving and got the free drinks wristbands, etc. Got into the Gaff, which was absolutely heaving, understandable considering it was Mardi Gras and they were open from 6 til 6. Had a great time, but got out about half 12 in order to try and catch the Liverpool v Man U game. You should have seen the state of the street by the way, i've never seen so much litter, it was a river of rubbish. They had to clean it by leading a line of police horses up the street with cleaners following!

Sayid, Alex and Ryan

Saw the match in the hostel, followed by the Arsenal v Reading match. Said goodbye to Shell and Ben, though we're sure to meet up again in England. Shell's been an awesome mate and we'll miss her for sure and Ben was totally sound from the off, quality guy, it was great to meet the both of them and it was wierd leaving for probably the final time. During the Arsenal match was when we started feeling the tiredness, and we were gonna get to sleep before some nutters came in and decided it'd be a good idea to watch the Big Lebowski at daft o'clock in the mornin! Good film, but it wasn't the time. So that's how the brawl started, Jack Bauer style, windows smashed, blood flowing, the lot.

Joking, but it meant we hardly got any sleep so were already knackered when we got the plane. In Brisbane we couldn't get into our room til 11, so we walked around the city and down by the river for a bit, feelin and smelling pretty bad. Met Marcus and Nick for lunch today though (two of our aussie mates who we met in Thailand). We've also hired a car (a better one, for less than $900) and tomorrow we intend to drive up the Sunshine Coast (jealous?) to Tim's beach house where we'll probably stay for a few nights (jealous some more?).

Pictures coming when possible. Ciao.

Peter