It's Been 10 Years!

Wow, we've done a lot since 2000.

It's getting cold

So it's getting cold here, but cold is a relative term. My house doesn't have heat (or A/C), so it can get a little chilly at night. It's been raining a lot lately (11 of the past 13 days). I've been working a lot, as usual. I have been going down to the water every chance I get on the weekends but it's not as beachy. I found my new favorite spot in Sydney – it’s called La Perouse. It’s right on the tip of the bay and is one of the first places where Captain Cook landed in Australia. There’s a great hiking trail that leads to cliffs where the waves crash below you, hardly a person in sight. I have spent hours walking around the ledges, climbing down the rocks and just sitting, watching the water.

I think I've hit my stride with this whole solo living abroad thing, and look forward to solitary time on the weekends doing things like this. A few of my coworkers have invited me to hang out but I find myself turning them down more so that I can find a spot on a rock on one of the many secluded parts of the coast and just read a book, listen to music or watch the surf. If anything has changed about me over the past seven months of living abroad, that would be it.

On another rainy Sunday I didn’t have anything to do, so I decided to try my luck at Taronga Zoo. To get there I had to take a bus and a ferry, which I knew was a big gamble in the weather. It was only drizzling, so I said to myself that if it started pouring I would just turn around and go home. The weather teased me all of the way there, and after the short ferry ride I was committed. I asked the ticket counter lady if the animals would be out – she just laughed and said that they really didn’t care if it was raining or not (it sounded like a sales pitch). One thing – the ticket is $45 but if you show your bus/ferry pass, you get 10% off.

I couldn’t tell you the last time I went to a zoo – it would probably have been with my parents 15+ years ago, I really have no idea. I walked inside and got a map and was instantly happy with the decision to come. The place was fairly empty and there was a feeding going on at the giraffe pen. Of course the Australian animals section was the best, and I got my picture with a frisky emu that was walking around humping little kids (while their parents laughed). The coolest parts by far were the lion and tiger pens, which were enclosed by glass to let you get within inches of these massive cats. I got some great video that I’ll try to post on YouTube along with pictures that you’ll see below.

Coogee life

Home life is going well so far. Although Jonah (the dog) kind of smells, it’s nice to have someone to run and wrestle with when I have time. Danni can get a little too tipsy on the weekends, but she’s a very genuine person and has brought me into her group of friends. We also got another flatmate recently – Andy, a pommie that’s been living in Sydney for a few years. His French girlfriend is also slated to move in with us in 4 weeks when she returns from studying back home. Andy is a really cool guy that is very willing to pay for drinks when we go out, very rarely going ‘shout for shout’ as they say here. We both work long hours but get along great when we actually see each other.

Mostly I have been taking the bus to work, which is both a pain and relaxing. It takes about an hour in total and involves hitting a connection – if the first bus is on time it’s another half hour before the next one arrives. A taxi only takes 20 minutes for the ride. The only good part is that I can jam to my iPod to my latest favorites: The XX, Florence + the Machine and Civil Twilight… oh yeah, and then there are always those fortunate chances to cross paths with people you become friends with.

I sit in the same seat on the bus every day and have come to recognize most people that take the same route as me. It’s not a heavily populated area of the city and is mostly industrial, so there are always empty seats. One day a girl in aviators, a business skirt and a tattoo on her foot gets on the bus and says something in a detectable American accent. I took note but didn’t say anything to her. It turned out we got off at the same stop which was a big coincidence, considering the road where I work.

After a few days of saying nothing, I finally introduced myself as we got off the bus. Her name was Natalie and it turned out that she lived around the corner from me. She was from San Diego and moved here short term with her college roommate after they graduate. They were both finding odd waitress and temp jobs while they traveled around Australia.  We made a point to meet and chat on the bus over the next week and quickly became friends. I met her friend, Jenna, as well when we went to see Iron Man 2 at this cool little theater in The Spot. It’s an area of restaurants in Randwick about 15 minutes’ walk away from home. We’ve been out to the CBD and King’s Cross together, as well as randomly run into each other at the Coogee Bay Hotel since then.  See this pic of Jenna, Nat and me a few nights ago.

My friend Laura connected me with her aunt, Carol, who is from Georgia but has lived in Sydney for a while.  Carol invited me to her Texas Hold 'Em Party at her house in Mosman, on the other side of the Sydney Harbor and in uncharted territory for me.  I took a bus and then a cab to get there, and ended up having a great time.  Their night ended fairly early since it was a neighborhood, so I met up with the Cali girls in King's Cross.  If I haven't said it before, I'll say it now.  Go with girls whenever you go to places with cover - a lot of times you will get in free (especially when one of them bites the bullet and makes out with the bouncer, ha!).

I decided to go to the Sydney Aquarium on rainy Sunday last week since there was nothing else to do. I must say that for being on the water I expected more. But then again, the Georgia Aquarium is comparable to no other. There were a few cool animals that I had never seen, but for the most part I was unimpressed. I also had a ticket for the Sydney Tower. If you look at skyline view shots of Sydney you can see that it gives you a great view of the city. I think it costs $35 by itself, so I wouldn’t recommend it unless you buy the multi-attraction ticket like me. Since it was a rainy day the sunset view wasn’t that great and I only spent 20 minutes at the top.

On the way home I walked by a shop and saw a pair of Aasics that I really liked. I went in and picked up the shoes, expecting them to be a bit more expensive just like everything else in Sydney. $165, WHAT??? I really liked the style, but not for that price. I came home and looked them up online in the US: $70. I didn’t get the exact color I wanted, but I’m willing to sacrifice that for $95 in my pocket. I ordered and delivered them to my parents’ house for my upcoming trip home.

Another highlight is that I attended my first Australian Rules Football game, or 'footie' as they call it.  The Sydney Swans played the Fremantle Dockers.  Swans?  Really, Sydney?  You named your mascot The Swans?  The Hissing Swans or the Devil Swans I might let pass... Danni had an extra ticket so I went with all of her friends.  I really wanted a shirt that said SWANS across the front, but they didn't have anything worth the money.  I'm still on the lookout and will try to find something before I come home.

The Bike Snob

Here's a really entertaining post from "Bike Snob NYC," a great blog I've been reading for about a year or so.  It makes me hope Atlanta will be more cycling friendly one day... and wish that I had time to buy a bike and cycle in Sydney!

Also, Happy Mother's Day to all of the mommas out there.  I wish I could hug mine, so give yours 2 for me!

STWBTT - Best Of: Travel

Whenever I travel I try to note down and remember all of the cool places I visit.  When I get back home, I blog about it not only for my own memory's sake, but to give friends that want to visit suggestions.  This page is a collection of all of those posts.

• Central America
• Panama (TBD)
• Costa Rica (TBD)

• Australia
• Great Barrier Reef
• Melbourne 
• Sydney

• South America
• Santiago (TBD)
• Mendoza (TBD)

• Europe
• Belguim (TBD)
• Holland (TBD)

• United States
• Kentucky (TBD)
• Atlanta (TBD)
• California (TBD)
• Los Angeles (TBD)
• Orange County (TBD)
• Dallas (TBD)