Adventure 2013: Bondi Beach

I could have lumped this into my Sydney post since Bondi Beach is a suburb of Sydney… but you see Bondi has it’s own fond place in my heart now. Naturally I had to give it a whole post of it’s own. 

I had been maybe sort of planning on going back to Big Hostel to stay my last night in Sydney. But Charles had suggested I go see Bondi Beach. And I’d heard that it was a pretty cool place to go from a few other people I just hadn’t gone because it was kind of out of the way and you had to take a bus there. But I figured why not I’ll make it an adventure.

My first step to getting to Bondi was taking the Manly Ferry. Out of the way hells yeah. But that was another thing I had heard was the thing to do in Sydney. Since I was already on the north shore of the harbour it wasn’t that hard to get over there. You see as I stood there waiting for the bus into city centre I saw there was also a bus to Manly. So I was like F it I’ll start at Manly. 

It was so worth it! The views from the ferry were amazing!

And it’s always the best feeling to be on the water. It’s just so clearing and lovely when you’re on a boat. I bought a bus ticket to Bondi and took the 333 bus right into the heart of Bondi. I had googled hostels on the ferry and there was a cheap one I was tried to find close to the beach. I couldn’t so I ended up going to the first one I had passed. Bondi Backpackers. It was right on the main road. And the only thing between the front door and the beach was the street and the beach parking lot. Here’s a view from the boardwalk. My hostel is up there in the middle of those buildings.

It wasn’t the nicest of hostels but it did the job. I just needed somewhere to sleep.  Because really Bondi was such a cute place that I was happier being out and about.

My first order of business was to go on a cliff walk. It was really pretty! Like so pretty. A wee bit of a work out but worth it.

I put my feet in the Pacific for the first time. And it was warm considering it was winter.

Then I found dinner aka a muffin and coffee and sat out to watch the sun set.

It was as I sat on a bench breathing the sea air that I decided I was going to move to Sydney. Well more specifically Bondi Beack. It’s still my plan by the way. I’m manifesting the money and everything lining up so that I can move there in May. 

After breathing a bit more fresh air I went back to my hostel and cuddled up for sleep.

Originally I had wanted to drive from Sydney to Gold coast. When I had told Charles that I was going to drive he was like even I wouldn’t attempt that. Now mind you Charles loves driving, it’s his favourite mode of transport. so when he said he wouldn’t try driving in Australia, because they drive on the opposite side of the road, I let it get in my head. So I had booked a cheap plane ticket up. And it was cool because my hostel arranged a cheap airport shuttle for me. But since I wasn’t due to take off till about 15h40 I had till 13h30 to see more of Bondi. 

I walked around a bit more. Then as I was climbing around on the rocks I was struck with the urge to take off my shoes and hop in the water. So I rolled my pants up and waded around on the rocks enjoying the water and just chilling out for a long while. When I was dried and had my shoes back on I grabbed a bite to eat before fetching my suitcase and heading to the airport.

The final stage of my adventure was about to begin. I had thought things were winding down… little did I know the best was yet to come.

Cheers,

Adventure 2013: Sydney

My adventure to Sydney really started with the train ride up. I caught the 8h30 train from Melbourne Central. Trains are one of my favourite modes of transportation. 

They aren't always fast as my 11.5 hour ride to Sydney proves. But there is just something slightly magical about them. You can see the world pass by. What I liked most about this particular ride was first the names of some of the towns

Cootamundra

My personal favourite Wagga Wagga

And I saw my very first wild kangaroos! And a lot of them. I look out of the window at this one field and there’s just a bunch of kangaroos watching the train go bye and I was throwing the biggest fit of excitement and smiling like mad. The businessman next to me just looked at me with this half disgusted look on his face as I bounced in my seat. But come on they were real live kangaroos!

I arrived in Sydney Central right about 20h00 and I felt a little thrown off. You see I hadn’t booked a hostel for the night and well it was almost bed time. So I pulled out my phone and googled to see where the closest hostel was. Seeing that there were quite a few on Elizabeth street within 5 minutes of the station I set out. The first one I walked past I didn’t like the energy so I kept on. And not 5 minutes from the train station I found Big Hostel. 

Honestly it was one of my favourite hostels that I’ve stayed at so far. It was clean and there was always coffee and it was just nice. So I was glad that I stumbled upon it. For dinner that night I had ramen. I didn’t feel like going much further then the 7-Eleven. 

When I woke up the next morning I was ready to take on the world. After all I was in Sydney Australia! So i headed north on Elizabeth Street till hit Hyde Park...

 I meandered past Saint Mary's cathedral... 

Past the Hyde Park Barracks....

The Old Mint building...

The Hospital...

With this cute little statue outside. So apparently if you toss some change in, rub it's nose, and make a wish it'll come true. So I did. Why not? I'm a dreamer and a wisher.

And then I turned my sites on seeing the Opera House. Now in the United States we know Australia for two things Uluru (Ayers Rock) and the Sydney Opera House. So when I walked over this little rise and first caught sight of it I realized how far from home I really was...

I just stood there for a while just seeing this icon and I realized that i was in Sydney Australia. This is the farthest I had ever been from home. It was like I had just accomplished this impossible feat. Two weeks ago I had been in London and now I was on the other side of the world in a new city staring at the one thing that defines Australia. So naturally a victory dance was called for. Lucky for me no one saw me punching the air and repeating "I'm in Sydney fucking Australia!"

After my little fiesta I walked closer to the Opera House but still in the botanical gardens. It wasn't time to venture right up to the Opera House yet... my poor system couldn't have taken the overwhelming shock of excitement. Instead I opted to see the gardens and walk around Farm Cove.

I got to see the Government house

 And Mrs. Macquarie's Chair

 I sat in it.... no biggie...

 Then I decided it was time to go see the Opera House up close so it was time to walk back around the cove.

 But photo time first..

I don't know what it was about the Opera House but it was just so exciting to walk towards it

 After soaking in the epicness that is the Sydney Opera House I made my way to Circular Quay... aka the heart of Sydney.

Then over to The Rocks. I'd heard that this area was the oldest part of Sydney. After going to the museum it's very true.

 The Rocks website informs us that “The Indigenous Gadigal people inhabited the rocky headland and surrounding shoreline for thousands of years. Then in 1788, Australia's first European settlers-British convicts and their overseers-claimed the land and built their camp atop the sandstone cliffs. The Rocks eventually grew from an open-air gaol into a vibrant port community. Its colourful history-filled with tales of ‘shanghaied' sailors, rough gangs, and gritty life-can still be traced in the many surviving buildings from the last two centuries.”

So essentially everything is crammed onto tiny winding streets and it's just really cool to wander around. But I didn't wander for too long. I got it in my head that I wanted to take a stroll on the Harbour Bay Bridge... So I did.

On my way back down I decided to go under the bridge. 

There's the remains of an old fort at the Dawes Point park. To those without an imagination it's just a bunch of ruble. But to me it's a place to let your imagination run wild. This is history right here!

Next stop was the Observatory...

By the time I finished wandering around the Observatory and made my way back to Circular Quay it was getting dark.

I decided on Ramen again for dinner... I didn't feel motivated enough to actually cook for myself. Now something that I thought was really funny was the fact that to American Uni students Ramen is a staple food because it's so cheap. Australia has their dirt cheap Ramen too... but they also have Cup Noodles which are dirt cheap in America. So I had to laugh when I saw how expensive they were here.

I had enough time to snap a few more pictures before catching the bus back to my hostel.

After I made my classy Ramen I went to my room to read. And to be honest I got insanely lonely and a tiny bit homesick. I’d been fighting it most of the day and sightseeing distracted me for the most part. But when you’re alone in a hostel dorm it can’t be pushed off for long. This usually happens at one point or another when I travel. And normally I suffer through it or message my friends and family. But well the time difference was a bummer because I was 14 hours ahead so everyone was still asleep at home and that just compiled my loneliness. So I bothered Charles. And honestly that half hour or so that I talked to him made me so thankful to have him in the same city as me. It killed the worst of my I-want-to-cry-in-a-fetal-position loneliness. I probably owe Charles a hug for helping me out of that…

I was greeted the next morning by rain. I took it as a sign to have a relaxed morning and just chill out. So i sat in the common room and cruised the web for the whole morning.

The rain cleared up just before noon. In an effort to be productive I suited up and headed out.
First stop...Paddy's Market where I got some tasty fruit. 

Then I headed up the bustling George Street. Sine I realized I had missed some main sites on the street.

Like the Town Hall

And the QVB... Queen Victoria Building 

Darling Harbour was my next stop...

I don't know if it's always that deserted and boring. I'll just say it was the threat of rain that kept everyone away. It was still kind of cute though. And I walked past the Chinese Gardens

On my way back to Big I stumbled upon China town. As I walked down the main pedestrian area I saw people queuing up in front of this window. Being the curious girl I am I got in the queue and soon saw that it was for cream puffs. I've never had cream puffs let alone fresh ones. But they were cheap so I got 8 for $2 and ate them on the walk back to my hostel.   

 They were really delicious by the way. Like insanely so. And for dinner I made calamari in lime sauce over rice noodles. Marvelous and tasty.

Now don’t go about thinking that I’m a good cook. I pretty much cheated on this dinner because I picked up the calamari in lime sauce at Woolsworth already prepared. All I had to do was cook it and add the noodles. But I did find out that rice noodles are the shit!

That night I had every plan to go to bed early so I would be well rested for class the next day but it was sort of like trying to go to bed early on Christmas Eve. I eventually fell asleep, obviously, because I was up early the next morning. 

I had my tasty breakfast of toast and cereals. Then I checked out. Stored my suitcase. And caught the bus to class. 

Even though I’d seen the Opera House I was still just barely realizing that I was in Australia. I had people in the classes think it funny how excited I was to be in Australia. But really it was something epic and exciting for me. I always seemed to realize that during the classes. But my stay in Sydney wasn’t quite over since I hadn’t fallen 100% in love with the city yet… that came on Monday…

Cheers,