WEEK 1 & 2 SYDNEY!!!!
Day One:
I arrived at Sydney airport at 6.35am, luckily I had slept well on the plane (I seem to be able to sleep anywhere but that's another post all together) I had booked with the group 'Oz Intro' for my first week to get to know people and they pick you up from the airport. They booked my accommodation for me which was 'BASE' hostel on Kent Street. I could check in straight away but when i arrived at my room (around 8am) everyone was still fast asleep and the room was pitch black. Not wanting to disturb anybody I put my luggage in storage and set about to have a look around the neighbouring streets/areas of my new home. I checked out Darling Harbour which was a short walk and as I was completely hopeless, having no sense of direction and no working phone in this country I saw alot more of Sydney in one go, due to getting lost.
14:00 I made it back to the hostel and went to my room. I was in a 10 bed shared dorm which was great to meet people. They invited me along to Coogee beach and it was such a beautiful day, along I went. Unfortunately after a few hours spent with them I realised they weren't my sort of people and I made my way back to the hostel. A few problems arose:
- I didn't have a Opal Card (A cashless transport card you put money on. You tap on and off buses/trains and it calculates the cost of your journey) I asked a local how to pay and she was most unfriendly. I ran across the street to a corner shop who luckily still sold single journey tickets.
- I had no idea where I was and no phone for GPS. A kind gentleman told me where to get off the bus at the Town Hall and I made my way to where i thought the hostel was.
- Faux Pas no3. I had left all the hostel details and contact numbers in the dorm. I went into a few coffee shops to ask if they knew where Base hostel was and no-one did, In the panic of trying to find it I had forgotten the street name. I ended up stood outside the Apple store in Sydney center crying. I finally turned on my data roaming, got the hostel number and they directed me back. (I was literally around the corner)
22:00 I arrived in bed safe and sound, surprisingly not jet lagged either. I had seen the beauty of Darling Harbour and Coogee beach, but went to bed with a heavy heart wondering if I had made a huge mistake coming travelling.
| Coogee Beach |
| Darling Harbour |
Day Two:
Yesterday in the bathroom I had met a girl and we got chatting, she too was travelling on her own. We exchanged facebook details (I didnt have an Aussie number yet) Before going to bed, she had messaged inviting me to Manly Beach in the morning. I would have to get up early to catch the ferry across. I couldn't wait so my alarm was set for 8am.
I woke on the Sunday excited and a little nervous. I was thankful to be out and having something to do and share the day with, I was also glad she had been travelling for a few months and knew her way around. I filmed all my journey and documented it on Youtube so I had my trusty GoPro in hand along with beach gear and off we went. It was a day of learning for me, even silly little things like how to kitchen works in a hostel (ie. fridge rules etc) I bought an Opal card as any journey on a Sunday is $2.50 where as it should have cost me $14+, how to get to a from Circular Quay which is where the opera house is, my first journey on a train and lots of other little things.
We had a brilliant day on the beach chatting about travelling and her experiences, what i wanted to do while I was here and plans for the future. We saw two lads she knew on the beach and spent the rest of the afternoon chatting, drinking beer and playing pool with them. If this was travelling I was very happy and intrigued to see more. That evening we went out for a few drinks with some others we had met. What a brilliant way to end my second day, tomorrow was the start of Oz Intro and I couldn't wait to meet my group and join in the activities.
