I recommend: Surfing Spot X, partying with nobs and listening to Triggerfm

First: Why is uploading pictures SO freaking slow!?! I’ve taken a few movies but forget that.

In any case, will sit down at the freeeee internet cafe later and grab a coffee, but for now, just a quick update.

Sitting in a little cafe in Byron Bay right now, waiting to go to a new hostel: The Arts Factory. Otherwise known as “the hippie commune in Byron Bay.” I checked it out yesterday though, and it’s sick! One room is even a double decker bus. Plus a huge, awesome bar, restaurant and movie theater. Oh yeah, AND a pool, AND a hot tub AND a sauna. It should be a nice 4 days! Then Friday I’m off to Surfer’s Paradise…please, someone tell that to TDons!

In any case, after leaving Sydney Thursday we headed up to Surf Camp in Arroway Bay. Met some cool people (pix TK, hopefully if they upload), and we’ve been palling around here ever since. Our lovely driver, Trigger, played cheesy music the entire way hence TriggerFM.

Surf Camp was an experience, to say the least — upon pulling in the first thing we saw were the instructor’s nobs hanging out. Lovely. (I didn’t actually see it, but some did.) It was a Hawaiiaan themed party that night, so we all had leis on, though the instructors opted to wear little Hawaiaan dresses as well. Partyed a bit, ran down to the beach to have another party by a bonfire, then to bed. The next day we were up at 6:30 to eat breakfast, then go down and learn to surf. I did OK, not great, not terribly bad. Maybe I’ll take another lesson in Surfer’s, but we’ll see. At this point I think it’s more about getting out there, finding a good learning spot and practicing and practicing and practicing some more.

Byron is gorgeous – I can see why people never leave. Today I biked up to the most eastern point in Australia, up by the Byron Lighthouse. This afternoon it’s the beach and snorkeling!

Holy-Abseil!

Fact: The Blue Mountains are known as the Blue Mountains because the Eucalyptus trees that grow there give off a blue gas. When you see them from afar, the entire range looks blue. Hence, dun dun dun: The Blue Mountains.

Another Fact: The Blue Mountains are not actually mountains — they’re plateaus. A few million years ago the tectonic plate moved, pushing up all the land below. Eventually the valleys were carved out by water.

And then…Another Fact: I abseiled down a waterfall yesterday.

I spent Monday and Tuesday up in the mountains — only an hour a half outside Sydney, but literally a world away. Quiet, idyllic, slow. Two days was enough J

I stayed at the YHA up there, and it was so nice it actually felt more like a hotel than a hostel. Huge dining room, beautiful reading room, wide open common room filled with comfy arm chairs and couches; it was a welcome change from the frenetic pace of base, the hostel (my home!) in Sydney. I even had a room all to myself.

Monday we did a few hikes, saw the Three Sisters rock formation (look up that aboriginal story, it’s a good one) and rode the Scenic Railway, the steepest railway in the world. More like a slow roller coaster, if you ask me. You’re basically completely vertical with the mountain…but it’s, you know, a train. Had a bit of a wander (one of my favorite English sayings!) around Katoomba (the town) and stumbled across this gorgeous old hotel, the Carrington. For all of you engaged peeps: this place would be sick for a wedding! I’m pretty much obsessed with it.

It’s ironic how home pops up all the time. New York Slice pizza, I heart NY T-shirts, etc. etc. Even up there in the mountains. I went to the TV room later that night to try and catch Californication (I’m addicted), but a bunch of people were already there watching Something’s Gotta Give. I stayed for a bit just to ogle the Hamptons scenery (and Diane Keaton’s boobs) before going to bed. In a room full of foreigners, it was nice to be able to watch the movie thinking, “I’m from there!” I was probably the only one in the room who’d ever been.

Tuesday I paid a ridiculous amount of money to abseil down the side of a cliff, then climb over rocks and pools in a wetsuit along the canyon floor. Remember Fern Gully? Yeah, it looked like that. I almost expected fairies to pop out of the moss. We jumped into rock pools, slid down mini-waterfalls on our asses and then abseiled down the front of Empress Falls. Pretty ridiculous, but a good time. Facing a jump down 10 feet into a pool of water also helped me come to the important decision that I am not bungy jumping.

Good trip, but it would have been better if one of you guys were there…as much as I loved tour guide James and Swiss dude Pius (that’s a joke) it would have been way better with YOU. So…someone come down and do it with me next time!

Pix on Flickr!

Beach Buddies: Nathan and Lara

There were so many more, but I didn’t take pix of everyone!

Englishman, 26, staying in Sydney to work for a while, then heading off to Perth. Does not like photos taken with his shirt off.

I sat down next to Nathan at breakfast one day, and we’ve been friends ever since. He and a bunch of people met me at Bondi Thursday. He was the only one who went in the water with me!

Lara (though she insists you say “Laura” not “Laa-ra”) is from Florida and on a world tour. She’s at the end of her journey now and definitely not too happy about it.

Steve

First drink of the night.

Emily, Emily, Emily! Emily Z’s awesome friend Steve was kind enough to take me out Thursday night to a listed event at Spectrum. Made me miss her terribly, as it was all punk-rock kids. I felt like I was on Warped Tour.

Awesome tunes by DJ Joel Madden, though for some reason everyone was huddled around taking pictures of him instead of dancing. Dance, people! No Nicole in sight, though I was looking.

Kiwi Daniel

He bent down so I could be taller

First of all, Kiwi Dan is 6’4.” I usually do not mesh well with those over a full foot taller than me. But whatever.

I met Kiwi Daniel at trivia Tuesday night and we bonded over our mutual love of UK arena soft-rock. Yay Snow Patrol! Yay Coldplay! Yay U2!

He’s been my music-buddy — Bulletin Bar, Surry Hills Fest, etc. He just texted me to go to the beach, because it’s beautiful outside, but I’m being productive and doing laundry and blogging!

The one and only: Bondi Beach

It amazes me that some travelers do not read the paper. I understand if you’re in a foreign-language speaking country and you literally cannot understand the paper, but if you’re English-speaking, then: hello!?! Of course you read the paper. So, I knew, though many others did not, that Thursday would be the perfect day to go to the beach. Some others went on windy Monday, or chilly Tuesday, but I waited ’til the red hit 80 degrees Thursday, and I was off.

Gorgeous beach; beautiful, blue-green clear water; soft white sand; little red-roofed houses dotting the hillside — I cannot believe this exists right outside a huge metropolis. It’s unbelievable. I can see why people never leave.

Briyah

Chillin’ on the grass at the Surry Hills Festival.

My personal “in the know” tour guide of Sydney! ASME gal, features writer, all-around cool girl.

Now I can say I’ve been to the Opera House for a launch event (hello first Aussie press pass!) and kept up with Californication.

Her awesome roomies, Stirling and Natalie, below! Magnus, their other roomie, is fantastic as well, so I’ll have to snap him sometime soon.

Urban Jungle: ART

There’s a festival going on in Sydney right now called “Art and About.” Basically, the whole city has turned into one big art installation, and it’s fantastic. There are art bulletins on the lampposts all over the city, temporary art spaces hidden in little laneways, bars with live music and Djs that magically open and appear in other little laneways (Bulletin Bar, below), and a huge “Sydney Life” exhibit featuring huge canvas photos all down the middle of Hyde Park. My favorite is “Tree,” what our cities are in danger of becoming.

The portraits at night. 

Bulletin Bar at night. Part of the “Live Lanes” exhibit. 

I <3 Sydney

It’s surreal. Sitting on my bed here at Base Backpackers on Kent Street. Surrounded by my 6 roommates, all moving about, whispering in various languages about their plans for the day. It’s still dark in here at 11 a.m. — after all, it’s still a Sunday.

For a taste:

Jennie: Sydneysider pictured earlier; sleeps to my right; loves to put toy snakes in my bed.
Karen: Irish lass who sleeps to my left; cannot decide where and when she wants to travel. But, we think we’ve got it down: January, to Western and Northern Australia. Woohoo!
Alex (I think) and Robert: New Swedes who popped in yesterday. My first non-Commonwealth roomies, yay!
Alice: Shy Asian girl up to the right; I don’t know where she’s from. Haven’t talked to her much, but seems nice. Took a liking to Karen.
Alex: Over in front of me, by the door; pretty girl who texts a lot and likes clubbing — perhaps this is why we haven’t said more than, “Hey.” English accent….don’t know much more than that.

It’s funny, remembering how it felt to walk into this place with Tarina. We looked at each other, basically freaked out about being “alone” and went out with our tour-mates. The thing is, you are never alone here. Never, never, never! Actually, this will probably, at some point, get quite annoying. But for now, it’s great. There are always new friends coming to stay, it’s almost like a game. Every day Jennie will come home from work and go, “Did we get anyone new!?”

Of course the hostel has got nights planned every day of the week, so it’s easy to meet people there in the bar next door, or even down at breakfast. I’ve met Nathan, Jen, Daniel, Nick, Paul, Brian, Cass, Lara, etc. etc. etc. just “having a wander” or a bite around here.

So, I’m sure everyone wants to know, what have you been DOING in Sydney???

Don’t worry folks, I’ve been a good little tourist. I have:

—Walked across the Harbour Bridge (with Brit Tom)
—Been inside the Opera House (with Briyah for a function)
—Gone to exhibits at the Library of New South Wales, NSW Parliament, Hyde Park and the Barracks Museum. (With Karen.)
—Gone for a long run along the harbour in the Botanical Gardens. Gorgeous.
—Seen Joel Madden DJ a club. (With Steve, thanks Em!)
—Attended a day-long music festival in Surry Hills. (With, uh, everyone! Felt like I was at Lolla again!! Fabulous)
—Sat in a café for three hours on just one mocha latte.
—Wandered around the Queen Victoria Building (a huge mall in the center of town, across from my hostel). While inside, attempted to weigh myself on a scale in the bathroom department. No dice — it said I was 22 KG (40 lbs). SIGH.
—Jumped in the waves at Bondi Beach. (Did NOT get sunburned, woohoo!)

All in all, it’s been amazing. I love this city, and have already booked my entire trip out of here because if I hadn’t I wouldn’t leave. Already I’m getting yelled at for missing another big music festival next weekend.

So I’m off, because I have to go, otherwise I never will. Monday and Tuesday I’ll be up in the Blue Mountains (at a gorgeous 5 star YHA hostel, I can’t wait to show you guys), Wednesday back here, then Thursday I’m off to surf camp, then Byron Bay and up, up, up.

I’ve already booked a 3-day camping trip (you sleep on the beach!) in Fraser Island, a sailing trip around the Whitsunday Islands, a four-day scuba course at the idyllic Magnetic Island and a rainforest jaunt up to Cape Tribulation. It sounds like a dream, and I’m sure it pretty much will be.

Now I’m off to book my flight back down to Sydney from Cairns, so I’ll be ready and waiting for my dad to get here so we can do NZ! Even as I’m writing this, it barely seems real. Who gets to do this stuff all at once, really? It’s amazing how many Europeans are here versus Americans. As a people, we really just don’t travel. I think it’s really sad. It’s totally normal to do a career break and go backpacking for the rest of the world. Everyone is in their mid-20s, I’ve even met a few early 30s travelers. It just seems crazy to me that more Americans don’t do it.

Anyway, it’s amazing to be able to just live life doing only what you want to be doing, only focusing on making yourself happy. It’s liberating. No work, no responsibilities, just fun all the time. I highly recommend it

Jennie, Gethin, Tarina and Tom

Jennie: “Lives” with me in my hostel room @ Base Backpackers. She’s the shit — talkative, sweet, funny and was offically our Sydney tour guide 5 minutes after arriving into town. One of my favorite Sydney-siders and roomies already! Is having boy problems with a guy-friend who obviously wants more, but can’t get over the fact she doesn’t want to sleep with him. She called him out on it on the phone last night in a fantastic conversation Tarina got to hear first-hand. Hmm…where have I heard this before? (You know who I’m talking about, lady!)

Gethin: One of my Oz Ex buddies. Traveling up the coast for a few weeks before heading home. Sweetie pie from North Wales who does the best rendition of the famous Aussie poem “The Man From Snowy Mountains.” If you ever have the chance to have a Welshman read you this poem, I strongly suggest you do so. Did the famous Harbour Bridge climb yesterday after I justified the price to him numerous times. I’ve yet to find out if it was worth it, but it better have been! Has been with Lisa for only 5 months, but she’s cool he’s here

Tarina: Oh Tarina! My girl left this morning for surf camp and I miss her dearly already. This crazy Canadian from Vancouver is traveling up the east coast for 3 months, though I’m pretty sure she’ll fall in love with a surfer boy in Byron Bay and stay there the entire time. That is, if she doesn’t run back to Ben in Melbourne. What happens if you meet a hot Aussie the first week you get there and he wants you to come stay with him and you actually want to? Girl left Melbourne to stay with him for 4 days, then met up with us on the way to Wilson’s Prom. She seemed so sad, so I said hi and we bonded instantly. (This is probably because she told me all about Ben and how he was in bed within the first 30 seconds of our conversation.) Have gotten pissed with her 3 times already. Oh…Sunday night. I love her because she did karaoke with me with little to no begging Night ended in a sauna singing #41 with her guitar at 3 a.m. A night I’ll never forget. Miss her already.