Apartment hunting

Wow, it’s been a hectic week. So, about the apartment... I limited my search to Coogee because it is near to some of my coworkers so I can get rides in the morning, near things to do and places to eat, and most importantly, near the beach. My only catch was that I needed to find a furnished room, which ended up being harder than I thought it would. Whenever I got a chance at work I called real estate agents and responded to postings online and only came up with one hit - $400 per week (very average for Sydney) for a one bedroom place. Since that was pushing my company’s budget, I started looking into shared apartments.

I only came across one in the area so I sent an email inquiry. Dani, the leasee and I talked a few times and agreed upon an interview time.  I took a bus from work to Coogee and walked to the house.  The hills of Coogee and the fresh ocean air reminded me of Valparaiso.  I walked up to a fairly old house and a black lab greeted me at the door. +1.  There's nothing really impressive about it, but it felt comfortable.  I probably wouldn't Dani was a really relaxed girl, exactly what you'd expect a person to be like when they live in a beach town.  We got on really well from the get-go.  +1.  The bedroom for rent was big and furnished, nothing fancy but liveable for the next 6 months.  +1.  Oh yeah, and it takes less than 10 minutes to walk to the beach.  +5.  That was enough for me and I got a pretty good vibe from Dani that she was interested in picking me for the room.  A few days later we locked things down and I moved in over the weekend.

Over the weekend I had one goal and one goal only - to hold a koala.  I heard from someone (now I don't remember who) that said the Sydney Wildlife World.  I made plans to meet up with Chris in Darling Harbor on Saturday, but we still had Friday night to think about.  We made it back out to the Cross and had a little trouble getting into the bars.  There were a lot of people out that night and a lot of dudes.  I found a few girls by themselves that were cool enough to let us accompany them to a bar (unfortunately, that was the only way to get into those places when a lot of people were out).  We hung out with them all night and until they ditched us and took a taxi without a word.  Shady.

Even so, no worries, mate.  I walked around downtown Sydney for a bit and then met up with Chris again on Saturday and we hit up the Sydney Wildlife World.  I bought a ticket that included the Sydney Aquarium and Tower tour for $69 (at a significant discount).  It was pretty cool as the pictures show - especially the kangaroo pen.  Unfortunately there was no koala holding allowed and I later discovered that it is illegal to hold a koala in New South Wales.  Big fat fail.  It was still a good time and a place worth seeing if you have a few hours to waste.

As you can see, all animals in Australia are very laid back.