It all started when I arrived at the Auckland airport at 3:45am Monday morning. I stood in line to check in and discovered that I needed a visa (even though I was only going to be there for a few days). I had no idea! I started to panic a little bit. "What if I don't get one? What am I supposed to do? I paid for these tickets and now I can't use them?!" I rushed over to the customer service counter trying to remain calm. Two minutes and $30NZ later I had a visa to Australia that didn't expire for one year!
I boarded the plane with so much excitement I thought my heart would burst. The flight was only three hours so I sat back and enjoyed "Yes Man" and an episode of "The Simpsons". Before I knew it, I had arrived. I tried to book myself a rental car but the fates were against me. I arrived at the airport with no hotel reservations, no car reservations, and no contacts in the entire country. Scared? I wasn't at all. I found a wall filled with hotel advertisements and free phones to make reservations. So I started calling places and I found a hotel/hostel for $69NZ, breakfast included! "Single room, shared bath" DONE I got the directions and I was on my way.
I boarded a train that took me to Circular Quay (that name didn't mean anything to me either until I got on the ferry) where I bought a Day Tripper (unlimited bus, train, and ferry rides all day for only $17AU) and headed to my accommodations. It was when I was on the ferry that I fell in love.
I looked to my right and I saw this
I looked to my left and I saw this
I wouldn't ever want to leave. I alighted my ferry in Kirribilli and found my hotel without any troubles.
...found the unisex bathroom with four toilets and three showers and thought, "This is a first for me." No problem! There were locks on the doors and it wasn't like I was going to be showering with a man. So no worries! I went back to my room, grabbed some stuff, and headed out on the town.
First things first, the Sydney Opera House. What a magnificent structure! I didn't pay for a tour because I was striving for cheap (hence the tiny hotel room and unisex bathroom) so I gave myself a tour. I stopped stranger after stranger to take some pictures for me (that is one of the downsides of traveling alone; self portraits can only capture so much scenery).
I actually TOUCHED the Opera House!
After I had my fill of the amazing place and realized that I had just fulfilled a little dream of mine (I have always wanted to see the Opera House in real life) I started meandering down the streets, trying to get to the Harbor Bridge. I happened upon a few street vendors instead and wandered around for a while. Once I found the bridge I toyed with the idea of paying to walk across the top. I discovered that walking over the top of the metal arch would cost more than my accommodations for three nights and decided that I wanted to keep my right arm and leg, so I settled for walking along the foot path. Good thing I settled for the foot path because I received a free hug from a nice smelling, yet not so good looking, young man who was offering free hugs that day.
Beginning my walk
A view or two
Some of the incredible structure
Once across the bridge, my stomach began to growl so I found myself a little cafe where I enjoyed some chips, a chicken bacon avocado burger, and a diet coke. After filling myself with fuel I headed down the street where I sat on a bench on the harbor and proceeded to read my book, "To Sir, With Love" that I had bought from a used bookstore in Hamilton just days before. I had already accomplished two of the main things I wanted to do while in Australia and I wasn't quite sure what do to next. So I hopped on a bus. It didn't matter where the bus took me because I didn't have to pay extra for it. I just rode around the city and looked at everything there was to see. The route ended at a little harbor.
I used the toilet at the little harbor and discovered this:
I didn't know syringe deposit boxes existed!
I took the bus back to a grocery store and bought myself some food for dinner and lunch the next day. It started to pour rain so on the way back to my hotel but I quickly stopped at an information booth to gather some information for my plans the next day. Information in hand, I headed back to my hotel and was in bed, lights out, and asleep by 9:00.
I woke up Tuesday morning trying to decide what to do with myself. I wanted to go to the Blue Mountains but the weather wasn't supposed to be good and I was tired and I didn't know exactly where I was going or what I was doing. After much deliberation I thought, "Stuff it! I'm in Australia, every one's really nice. I'll get it figured out." So off to the Blue Mountains I went. I boarded a train to Katoomba and a couple hours later I hopped on the Explorer Bus which took me from site to site, all around the park. I hopped off here and did some walking and then I hopped on there and did some more walking.
That's the Australian bush right behind me
Spectacular views from Lady Carrington Lookout
A neat-o flower. It took me a million tries to get this picture right
The Three Sisters
Julie is on the left (she's the tallest), I am in the middle (middle child, middle height, fattest),
Kim is on the right (she's the shortest)
Me and the Three Sisters
You may look at this picture and think "Wow! I wonder how many times she had to pose to get it just right?" Well, I will have you know that this was my first attempt at a picture with me and the Three Sisters.
Impressive, eh?
Another waterfall I didn't have to hike to
I hadn't taken an ugly photo for a while and my face needed to stretch
I am blocking the waterfall; that wasn't on purpose
As much as I don't enjoy tramping, I decided to go for a little one anyway
I actually chose to hike to this waterfall
Bridal Veil Falls
Here's another naked tree that did have bark, it's just slowly stripping off somehow
A look out point
I crossed this bridge. Can you tell how far down I would have fallen?
A panoramic view from the lookout
By the end of the day, my feet ached and I was ready to be back at my hotel. I pulled back into Sydney at night. What a sight to behold!
The sky was cloud covered and every now and then a flash of lightning would light up the sky. I found my way back to my hotel just before the rain began to pour. I slept quite soundly in my little dorm room.
The following morning I decided to head to the showers in just a towel (trying to keep my clothes dry and off of the floor was too much of a chore) and as I walked into the bathroom I almost ran into an older Indian man who was only in a towel, too. I felt pretty awkward. Come to think of it, I don't know why because we had towels on. We were naked under our towels but how is that different from being naked under your clothes every day? I thought about it as I washed my hair and I just couldn't seem to draw any conclusions.
I packed up my stuff, checked out, and moved on to find my other hotel, the one I booked before I left New Zealand. This hotel was a little more expensive ($80AU) and breakfast was included, but it was lame. This hotel was situated above a pub and it was more of a bed and breakfast. Luckily I was able to drop my stuff off before actual check in time so that I didn't have to carry it around the city with me. I purchased another Day Tripper and took a train to Carlingford to take some pictures of the Sydney Temple. When my train arrived in Carlingford, I wasn't quite sure where to go. I knew what street it was on but I didn't know where that street was located. I walked over to the Chemist (pharmicist) and asked for directions to Mosely Street. He had no idea where that street was or which direction I should walk. I tried another tactic. "Do you know where the Mormon Temple is?" "Oh yes! Yes. Just up the street. Walk up the hill and down the hill and you'll see it. You can't miss it. It's quite a walk...at least 1.2ks." 1.2ks? Not a problem! That's less than a mile so I wasn't worried in the least.
The temple was beautiful! For one reason or another, all of the elders were there. I said hi and asked one of them to take a picture, and that was the extent of our interaction.
I was excited to use the bathroom and fill my water bottle at the visit center but much to my dismay I learned that Sydney doesn't have a visitor center. So I walked around the distribution center instead. For future reference, they don't have bathrooms or drinking fountains at the distribution center.
And I shared a bathroom again but there weren't any awkward encounters this time around.
I acquainted myself with my room and tried to decide what to do next. I still hadn't seen Bondi Beach so that was my next adventure. I decided that I couldn't be bothered with changing and once I got to the beach there wouldn't be anyone to watch my stuff anyway so I skipped the togs and headed to Bondi fully clothed.
What a beach! The place was absolutely covered with people. Sun bathers, families, surfers, body boarders, lifeguards, etc.
As the sun got lower in the sky I decided to walk from end to end. On one end I found a little kiddie pool that gets filled when the tide is high and becomes exposed when the tide is low.
...and then made my way back the other direction via the surf.
Consequences of the sunset
I walked past a few people playing this game. I can't remember what they called it. Bat ball or Beach ball or Sand ball...something like that.
I returned to my hotel after dark, not feeling nervous at all. I ate dinner at my hotel and decided I wasn't ready to go to bed. So I hit up the Sydney Aquarium. (Thank goodness they're open late because I wanted to do something and going to pubs alone just isn't my scene)
I wandered around and was a little disappointed. I didn't have to pay full price because the Day Tripper gave me a little discount. I did see a platypus so that was pretty cool.
Nemo, Marlin, and Dorey
A really ugly animal that I can't remember the name of and can't be bothered looking it up. It was their new exhibit though. Pretty cool I guess...
They had a few underwater tubes to walk through and I saw lots of sea life. It was similar to what they have on "Jaws 3", but I didn't think it was as cool as I remember it being on "Jaws 3"
A sea turtle
A shark
A sting ray
Some other swimmers
They had some glass to walk on that allowed you to see the water below. Things like this make me nervous...
I learned that the best way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is by their teeth. Crocodiles' teeth turn upwards and downwards and you can see in this picture that the animals teeth go up and down outside its mouth. Alligator's teeth fit inside its mouth. So this is a crocodile
After my fill of the aquarium I slowly returned to my pub/bed and breakfast. As I walked across the Pyrmont Bridge, I realized that I wanted to freeze time. I looked at the city around me and remembered that I am not a city gal, but realized that I had fallen in love with this place. As spoiled as it sounds, I was not looking forward to going back to New Zealand.
At the airport the next morning, the ticket agent asked for proof that I would have a way out of New Zealand. I didn't take that information with me! Was it possible that my wish had been granted and I would get stuck in Australia? Nope. She directed me to the customer service counter where they were able to print off my itinerary for Wednesday. With proof in hand, I boarded my plane and headed "home".
I was amazed that I never once felt lonely or sad that I was by myself. Sure there were times that I thought, "If only there was someone here to take my picture..." but for the most part, I was perfectly content to wander the street of Sydney alone. I have never really wanted to live in a city, but I would live in Sydney in a heart beat. Like I said before, I don't know how to explain it. I just love it. I was impressed with small things like how great their public transportation system is. I thought Kirribilli was a really cute part of town. The Opera House sends off some kind of magic that drew me in right away. Everyone I talked to was incredibly friendly and helpful. I'm going back someday. I will go back to Australia in the future. I will make it back for some reason. Hmmm...actually...I wonder how much they pay teachers in Sydney...
I looked to my left and I saw this
I looked all around me and I knew this was it.
I wouldn't ever want to leave. I alighted my ferry in Kirribilli and found my hotel without any troubles.
The Glenferrie Lodge
I settled into my little room...
...found the unisex bathroom with four toilets and three showers and thought, "This is a first for me." No problem! There were locks on the doors and it wasn't like I was going to be showering with a man. So no worries! I went back to my room, grabbed some stuff, and headed out on the town.
Australian money (which I didn't have a whole lot of)
The Sydney Tower during the day
The Sydney Tower at night
The Sydney Tower during the day
The Sydney Tower at night
First things first, the Sydney Opera House. What a magnificent structure! I didn't pay for a tour because I was striving for cheap (hence the tiny hotel room and unisex bathroom) so I gave myself a tour. I stopped stranger after stranger to take some pictures for me (that is one of the downsides of traveling alone; self portraits can only capture so much scenery).
I actually TOUCHED the Opera House!
After I had my fill of the amazing place and realized that I had just fulfilled a little dream of mine (I have always wanted to see the Opera House in real life) I started meandering down the streets, trying to get to the Harbor Bridge. I happened upon a few street vendors instead and wandered around for a while. Once I found the bridge I toyed with the idea of paying to walk across the top. I discovered that walking over the top of the metal arch would cost more than my accommodations for three nights and decided that I wanted to keep my right arm and leg, so I settled for walking along the foot path. Good thing I settled for the foot path because I received a free hug from a nice smelling, yet not so good looking, young man who was offering free hugs that day.
Sydney Harbor Bridge
Beginning my walk
A view or two
Some of the incredible structure
Once across the bridge, my stomach began to growl so I found myself a little cafe where I enjoyed some chips, a chicken bacon avocado burger, and a diet coke. After filling myself with fuel I headed down the street where I sat on a bench on the harbor and proceeded to read my book, "To Sir, With Love" that I had bought from a used bookstore in Hamilton just days before. I had already accomplished two of the main things I wanted to do while in Australia and I wasn't quite sure what do to next. So I hopped on a bus. It didn't matter where the bus took me because I didn't have to pay extra for it. I just rode around the city and looked at everything there was to see. The route ended at a little harbor.
I used the toilet at the little harbor and discovered this:
I didn't know syringe deposit boxes existed!
I took the bus back to a grocery store and bought myself some food for dinner and lunch the next day. It started to pour rain so on the way back to my hotel but I quickly stopped at an information booth to gather some information for my plans the next day. Information in hand, I headed back to my hotel and was in bed, lights out, and asleep by 9:00.
I woke up Tuesday morning trying to decide what to do with myself. I wanted to go to the Blue Mountains but the weather wasn't supposed to be good and I was tired and I didn't know exactly where I was going or what I was doing. After much deliberation I thought, "Stuff it! I'm in Australia, every one's really nice. I'll get it figured out." So off to the Blue Mountains I went. I boarded a train to Katoomba and a couple hours later I hopped on the Explorer Bus which took me from site to site, all around the park. I hopped off here and did some walking and then I hopped on there and did some more walking.
I didn't have to hike to this waterfall, that was kind of nice
That's the Australian bush right behind me
Spectacular views from Lady Carrington Lookout
I saw this tree that looked naked and I thought it was interesting that it didn't have any bark
A neat-o flower. It took me a million tries to get this picture right
The Three Sisters
Julie is on the left (she's the tallest), I am in the middle (middle child, middle height, fattest),
Kim is on the right (she's the shortest)
Me and the Three Sisters
You may look at this picture and think "Wow! I wonder how many times she had to pose to get it just right?" Well, I will have you know that this was my first attempt at a picture with me and the Three Sisters.
Impressive, eh?
Another waterfall I didn't have to hike to
I hadn't taken an ugly photo for a while and my face needed to stretch
I am blocking the waterfall; that wasn't on purpose
As much as I don't enjoy tramping, I decided to go for a little one anyway
I actually chose to hike to this waterfall
Bridal Veil Falls
Here's another naked tree that did have bark, it's just slowly stripping off somehow
A look out point
I crossed this bridge. Can you tell how far down I would have fallen?
A panoramic view from the lookout
This is the falls from where my hike led. Quite a disappointment
You can see the disappointment etched on my face. If you look closely, you can see the falls to the right of my chin. LAME
You can see the disappointment etched on my face. If you look closely, you can see the falls to the right of my chin. LAME
By the end of the day, my feet ached and I was ready to be back at my hotel. I pulled back into Sydney at night. What a sight to behold!
The sky was cloud covered and every now and then a flash of lightning would light up the sky. I found my way back to my hotel just before the rain began to pour. I slept quite soundly in my little dorm room.
The following morning I decided to head to the showers in just a towel (trying to keep my clothes dry and off of the floor was too much of a chore) and as I walked into the bathroom I almost ran into an older Indian man who was only in a towel, too. I felt pretty awkward. Come to think of it, I don't know why because we had towels on. We were naked under our towels but how is that different from being naked under your clothes every day? I thought about it as I washed my hair and I just couldn't seem to draw any conclusions.
I packed up my stuff, checked out, and moved on to find my other hotel, the one I booked before I left New Zealand. This hotel was a little more expensive ($80AU) and breakfast was included, but it was lame. This hotel was situated above a pub and it was more of a bed and breakfast. Luckily I was able to drop my stuff off before actual check in time so that I didn't have to carry it around the city with me. I purchased another Day Tripper and took a train to Carlingford to take some pictures of the Sydney Temple. When my train arrived in Carlingford, I wasn't quite sure where to go. I knew what street it was on but I didn't know where that street was located. I walked over to the Chemist (pharmicist) and asked for directions to Mosely Street. He had no idea where that street was or which direction I should walk. I tried another tactic. "Do you know where the Mormon Temple is?" "Oh yes! Yes. Just up the street. Walk up the hill and down the hill and you'll see it. You can't miss it. It's quite a walk...at least 1.2ks." 1.2ks? Not a problem! That's less than a mile so I wasn't worried in the least.
I headed in the direction in which he pointed and before I knew it I had ascended the hill and Moroni was visible.
The temple was beautiful! For one reason or another, all of the elders were there. I said hi and asked one of them to take a picture, and that was the extent of our interaction.
I was excited to use the bathroom and fill my water bottle at the visit center but much to my dismay I learned that Sydney doesn't have a visitor center. So I walked around the distribution center instead. For future reference, they don't have bathrooms or drinking fountains at the distribution center.
I went back to my hotel to check in and settle in. The room was small, but it had a fireplace!
And I shared a bathroom again but there weren't any awkward encounters this time around.
I acquainted myself with my room and tried to decide what to do next. I still hadn't seen Bondi Beach so that was my next adventure. I decided that I couldn't be bothered with changing and once I got to the beach there wouldn't be anyone to watch my stuff anyway so I skipped the togs and headed to Bondi fully clothed.
What a beach! The place was absolutely covered with people. Sun bathers, families, surfers, body boarders, lifeguards, etc.
I picked a spot and read in the sand while I sipped my Diet Coke from Hungry Jack (Burger King).
As the sun got lower in the sky I decided to walk from end to end. On one end I found a little kiddie pool that gets filled when the tide is high and becomes exposed when the tide is low.
The Kiddie Pool
I climbed around the rocks...
...and then made my way back the other direction via the surf.
Consequences of the sunset
I walked past a few people playing this game. I can't remember what they called it. Bat ball or Beach ball or Sand ball...something like that.
I returned to my hotel after dark, not feeling nervous at all. I ate dinner at my hotel and decided I wasn't ready to go to bed. So I hit up the Sydney Aquarium. (Thank goodness they're open late because I wanted to do something and going to pubs alone just isn't my scene)
I wandered around and was a little disappointed. I didn't have to pay full price because the Day Tripper gave me a little discount. I did see a platypus so that was pretty cool.
The backside of the platypus. It was a lot smaller than I expected it to be!
Nemo, Marlin, and Dorey
A really ugly animal that I can't remember the name of and can't be bothered looking it up. It was their new exhibit though. Pretty cool I guess...
They had a few underwater tubes to walk through and I saw lots of sea life. It was similar to what they have on "Jaws 3", but I didn't think it was as cool as I remember it being on "Jaws 3"
A sea turtle
A shark
A sting ray
Some other swimmers
They had some glass to walk on that allowed you to see the water below. Things like this make me nervous...
I learned that the best way to tell the difference between an alligator and a crocodile is by their teeth. Crocodiles' teeth turn upwards and downwards and you can see in this picture that the animals teeth go up and down outside its mouth. Alligator's teeth fit inside its mouth. So this is a crocodile
After my fill of the aquarium I slowly returned to my pub/bed and breakfast. As I walked across the Pyrmont Bridge, I realized that I wanted to freeze time. I looked at the city around me and remembered that I am not a city gal, but realized that I had fallen in love with this place. As spoiled as it sounds, I was not looking forward to going back to New Zealand.
At the airport the next morning, the ticket agent asked for proof that I would have a way out of New Zealand. I didn't take that information with me! Was it possible that my wish had been granted and I would get stuck in Australia? Nope. She directed me to the customer service counter where they were able to print off my itinerary for Wednesday. With proof in hand, I boarded my plane and headed "home".
I was amazed that I never once felt lonely or sad that I was by myself. Sure there were times that I thought, "If only there was someone here to take my picture..." but for the most part, I was perfectly content to wander the street of Sydney alone. I have never really wanted to live in a city, but I would live in Sydney in a heart beat. Like I said before, I don't know how to explain it. I just love it. I was impressed with small things like how great their public transportation system is. I thought Kirribilli was a really cute part of town. The Opera House sends off some kind of magic that drew me in right away. Everyone I talked to was incredibly friendly and helpful. I'm going back someday. I will go back to Australia in the future. I will make it back for some reason. Hmmm...actually...I wonder how much they pay teachers in Sydney...
4 comments:
What a brave traveler you are! I'm so jealous of your experiences!
OH I AM SO JEALOUS RIGHT NOW!! I was really excited to read about your adventures because I went to just about to every place you did and oh how badly I want to go back! Perhaps they need accountants in Sydney along with teachers?
Your account made me nostalgic, probably because you visited and photographed so many of the places I did. I too loved both Sydney and the Blue Mountains--can't beat names like Katoomba. Hey, you even trekked in the Blue Mountains enought to feel it. (I was sore for 3 days after my trekking there!) Those bare-naked trees and the ones with peeling bark are gum trees--we call them eucalyptus.
WOW that sounds like an awesome trip! It was so beautiful there...I totally wanna go! We actually have an opportunity to go next summer (i think) for my hubby's work where we'd live there for 3 months .... oh how I would love that!!! sounds like you're having so much fun!! live it up while you can sister!
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