Happy New Year!

Many of you are probably wondering "What happens in Sydney during New Year?" Awesome, is the answer. Awesome happens.

There are many expensive parties you can attend, if you buy tickets far in advance. Having backpacker status, of course, restricts us to the cheap and last minute. One festival we almost hit, and which had tickets available last minute, was the Sunburnt Christmas at Bondi Beach. This is Christmas Vegas-style. Since we were away from our families and friends and had no tree, no presents, no holiday music, and no ugly sweaters, we figured we might as well party on Christmas Day to keep us from the holes of depression. Unfortunately, our plans were foiled by lingering drinks with friends on Christmas Eve. Oops.

So New Year's was to be our big night out. The plan, much to my dismay, kept getting pushed to the last minute until the night before - and when none of our friends had come up with any plans, I made the executive decision. We would pack a picnic and leave early, 10am as we heard this was appropriate to get a good spot, go to the Royal Botanic Gardens and watch the fireworks, followed by champagne back at the hostel and then dancing all night at whatever club had a short line and would let us in.

I woke up totally jazzed the morning of New Year's Eve and went for a jog to prepare my body for a night of intense drinking and dancing in high heels. The time was 8am. I took a beautiful jog down the Butler Stairs, around the marina in Wooloomooloo Bay, and into the Botanic Gardens to see how the line was shaping up for the celebration that night. I kept getting pushed around by these fences that seemed to pop up overnight all around the park, which usually has half a dozen entrances. By the time I reached the main entrance I was floored to discover thousands of people already waiting in line. Many had the haggard appearance of having spent the night in the park so they could secure the best possible bit of grass for the fireworks show. Completely disgruntled I ran back to the hostel. On my way back up Butler Stairs I remembered this tiny park at the end of Victoria Street that I had jogged through a few days ago and which had a beautiful view of the harbor and Opera House, and most of the Harbor Bridge.

Waiting to get into the park for fireworks

I reached the park and was pleased to discover no one waiting in line. After speaking to the helpful Security guy, he informed me people started lining up around 3pm. Well, things were looking up. We met up with our Canadian friends and hit Harry's Cafe de Wheels, a famous Australian pie shop. Have we mentioned before how much the Aussies love pie? Oddly enough (we thought), there are not many fruit pies, but rather, beef pie with traditional Australian red sauce, chicken and mushroom, chicken curry pie, and beef, cheese and bacon. Toppings include mashed potatoes, gravy, and mashed peas. It sounds weird, but my god it makes sense immediately when you taste it. There are pie shops all over Australia and your visit here is not complete without sampling a pie. However, Harry's is The Pie Shop, and people from Russell Crowe to Elton John to the cast of American Chopper have tasted their pies.

Our back alley in Sydney

Around 3:00pm we got in line for the small park at the end of Victoria Street. We were among the first twenty people, and happily began drinking and playing cards until the park opened. We took turns running out for dinner, and then napped for an hour or two before the show started. We had a pretty good view of the harbor and, despite being told by a few locals that the fireworks were "just fireworks" I was pumped. One of our friends had itchy legs while we all napped and sent us a text one hour before kickoff, letting us know he found an alley "with almost no people" and an amazing view of everything. We'd have to stand, but there was a great view and we should go meet him. After spending hours trying to secure this patch of grass, I was reluctant to leave, but we took a gamble and set out to meet him. We arrived in a small back alley, fully packed with drunk (but happy) people, tourists and locals alike, smoking, cavorting and laughing. It was actually the perfect way to celebrate New Year's. The fireworks were INSANE. Fire was coming off skyscrapers, across the harbor, off the Opera House, from barges in the harbor, and spilling off the length of the bridge itself. I have never seen fireworks like these in my life. Everyone in that alley was part of one memory, it was magical.

Excited to keep celebrating, we dressed up and popped champagne back at the Orginals. The nice thing about hostels is they always have deals with the clubs and you can usually get free entry somewhere. So we went all the way across the street and danced all night. It was the best New Year's ever.

Finding Nemo

This morning we are super excited because we'll be visiting the Sydney Aquarium. We figure it will be fantastic given it's proximity to the Great Barrier Reef. We wait in line for ever to get in and have plenty of time to study the map, and our approach. First up: the platypus. The photos on the wall show them to be much smaller than I thought, not the same size as a beaver but rather more like a big kitten. Unfortunately the little guy is shy and we don't get to see him. We do see a very cool crustacean exhibit with giant Japanese spider crabs. And yes, Nemo and Dori are present as well. The best part of the Aquarium is the tunnels. There are two of them, one houses the Dugongs (big sea cows similar to the American Manatee), and the second is home to a startling variety of sharks. It's feeding time for the Dugongs and we watch as platters of lettuce are tossed into the tank. Poor Dugongs, if I had to eat lettuce for my whole life I'd charge the tank. I'm sure that's just what they eat.

my most adorable cupcake

The tunnels are glass so you feel immersed in the water with the sharks swimming all around you. It would be creepy, but they're very graceful creatures and it's beautiful to watch them. Large manta rays are also in the tank and you can see them from an angle you might not get in the wild. There are informative posters throughout the Aquarium about the sharks, each one carefully lists human fatalities. I thought this was stupid (did I mention the 20 foot Great White replica that's absolutely horrifying?), until I noticed the majority of the posters listed no fatalities for most of the sharks. I guess what this really says is most people lose a limb but not their lives. I find comfort in an adorable yellow cupcake topped with a sugar crab.

We walk back through The Rocks, one of the oldest town centers in Sydney. It began in the 1800s with 'shanghaied sailors' and now it's booked for wedding photos. We saw two weddings getting photographed while we walked around. It's a nice pedestrian area with old storefronts and lots of shopping, restaurants, and bars. Beautiful views of the Harbor Bridge and the harbor itself.

Harbor Bridge from The Rocks

On our return to the hostel we decide to hit the bar with our buddy. The hostels are fantastic because they have groups going out to specified bars each night, usually with free entry and a free drink. Again, never a lonely dull moment. We head around the corner to World Bar. From the outside it resembles a mini-mansion from Cuba, complete with palm trees and excellent outdoor lighting to accent the building's facade. Once inside, we are crowded into a small bar. We bump into an English guy from our hostel in Byron over a month ago - I love Australia. This happens all the time, so fun. Everyone is ordering a teapot (cocktail served in a teapot with colorful little shot glasses for sharing), so we jump on board. We discover there are 4 floors and just as many bars in this house. The bottom floor is the Apothecary, where you order from a small bar resembling a pharmacist's counter from the 1800s. Skulls, things in old jars, red velvet drapes, and high-backed old leather banquettes decorate the space. We are on a mission to see each room. This place is super fun, and totally crazy. We walk three blocks back to the hostel and crash.

At World Bar

Seattle, we have beer!

It finally happened, and it was amazing. Yes, I found proper beer!

Here in Sydney we took our first trip to Manly. Manly is (I believe) considered to be part of the city of Sydney. Let me tell you, however, its a bit far from the center of town. It took us two trains, and a 40 minute ferry to get there. When we arrived however, it all became clear how worth it, it really was.

There on the shores of Sydney Harbor, overlooking Manly Wharf, is the 4 Pines Brewery.

This place would be right at home in any Seattle neighborhood. Large wooden rafters, indoor/outdoor seating, great food, and wonderful, flavorful, microbrews!

It was amazing.

I salute you, 4 Pines Brewery. You've done things right. Your beers are fantastic. All the way from the Hefe', to the Porter; and believe me I tried them all!

Did I mention the food? It was awesome.

I will find you again, and I will love it just as much, 4 Pines Brewery. You made my day. My week. Hell, you capped 2011 off miraculously!

We're back in Byron Bay now, its 2012, and the beer is shit.

It was fun while it lasted.

A Day of Leisure in Sydney

Strand Arcade

Bon & Bon chocolates

We wake up and hit the pavement, out to explore a new city. We're really not sure where we're going, so I suggest we go shopping, and then wander through the Royal Botanical Gardens, and that's what we do. Down in the tunnel we decide to get a 7-day travel pass that allows us to go by bus, train, or ferry anywhere we want within city limits. This turns out to be an epic decision, as we use it at least twice every day. We hop a train to Town Hall and wander to George Street where there's a pedestrian zone filled with shops. The street is lined with people, but few Christmas decorations. Street performers fill the area with music. There's an arcade from the late 1800's, a relic from Victorian Sydney called The Strand, that retains much of its period charm. We're captivated by a fine chocolate shop out front, Bon and Bon, and enjoy a few truffles on the promenade. The center reminds me of Pacific Place back home, decked out with twinkle lights and a giant tree at one end.

Sydney Harbor from the Royal Botanic Gardens

Bottle Tree

The Royal Botanical Gardens act like Sydney's Central Park. A large greenscape in the middle of the city snuggled up to the harbor. We are entranced by the beauty of the skyline against the park and could easily spend hours here...a picnic, a football, and some friends and you have a great afternoon ahead of you. We are wandering through admiring monolith gum trees, tropical bushes and a rather oddly shaped bottle tree, when we find ourselves amongst a group of people staring up into a tree. We look up and see about a hundred dozing bats. UGH! These are not your cute little flappy-winged devils but giant house cat-sized creatures. Apparently the Royal Botanical Gardens are home to over 22,000 flying foxes. I won't be coming here at sunset, when they all start flying around in search of food. I quickly find a new place to stand, not wanting to be buried in guano, and console myself with a delicious ice cream bar. We had seen ads for this "Golden Gaytime" bar and had a good chuckle, and then when we were told to try it from a friend it hit our must-do list. The bar was ok, but the wrapper was a jolly good time. We brought it with us all over the city taking photos. Immature, but what can you do?

Dinner at Thai Lemongrass

We decide to treat ourselves to a dinner out and head to Darlinghurst, one of the Sydney boroughs, for some affordable cuisine. It's an adorable neighborhood with row houses and a wide selection of mom-and-pop restaurants. We are in the mood for Thai and settle into a pair of wicker armchairs on the patio at Thai Lemongrass and "perv." I laughed out loud when I saw this on a bar sign (my bar actually) in Byron: "Come in for a drink and perv all day." Roughly translated this means people watching :) After dinner, we did what every good hostel kid does at night and head to the hostel courtyard for beer and friends. An Englishman is serenading a table with his yukelele, and he's actually quite good. Never a dull or lonely moment at a hostel.

Hostel Courtyard

Bondi Beach on A Not-so-Beachy Day

Our good friend, who's a Sydney local, gave us a list of all the places we have to see in Sydney. The Bondi-Bronte Coastal Path was one of them. It takes a short train and a bus ride to get to Bondi (pronounced Bondai, like bonzai with a "d"). The beach is a beautiful curving crescent littered with humans and the water is packed to the gills with surfers. Lifeguards are busy keeping the swimmers in one zone and the surfers in another. Bondi is where the famous Australian lifesaving program originates and is home to the world's oldest surf lifesaving club. You can now find a surf lifesaving club (house for the lifeguards as well as a restaurant, bar, and sometimes nightclub) at every major Australian beach.

 

We had been planning on a surf, but these are strange waters to us and a huge swell just came in from a cyclone out at sea. Since I'm still recovering from my latest surf mishap, we decide to wait for a calmer day. This was decided after we already dragged our surf boards down the subway and onto a crowded bus, only to turn around when the surf looked poor and take the boards back home. Business idea for anyone who can swing it: we need surfboard storage lockers at the major beaches around Sydney - since you can't surf in the city proper. No one else seemed to be dragging their boards around so I assume they're staying at Bondi or Manly and not in the city like we are.

Icebreakers Pool

We're back in Bondi for the coastal walk. The path takes you around the cliff edges all the way down the coast. Many people use this as a jogging trail. Beautiful trail. We start at Bondi Icebreakers, a public pool of sorts seated on the edge of the sea. They have these saltwater pools at most of the beaches around Sydney, where giant waves at high tide splash into the pool. Exciting stuff, we wanted to go for a dip but were too cold. Sydney is having the coldest December in 51 years. The trail follows 2.2 miles of coastline and finishes at Bronte Beach.

We catch a bus back to Bondi and meet up with our friend for drinks and tapas at Bondi Hardware. We weren't sure what to expect, maybe we were meeting at the hardware store and she would take us to a bar somewhere. Or maybe this was the bar. Both, it turns out. Two weeks ago the bar opened in what was formerly the local hardware store. They've paid homage to the previous tenants with clever menus posted on planks of wood and gear-driven graphics. Awesome drinks and good food. They even whipped up a strawberry lime mojito for me when it wasn't on the menu. There are no mojitos in Australia - or maybe I've been going to the wrong bars :)

It's Christmas Eve, so naturally everyone our age is in the bars. The Aussies are not big on celebrating the Eve (not much for Christmas in general, really), I blame the heat and sun. Our friend takes us to a favorite local dive, Bondi Beach Road Hotel. It's a typical Aussie pub: part hotel, bar, and restaurant. It's packed with locals - you can tell by the singlets, messy bleached hair complete with trucker hat and thongs (if you're lucky, many places allow bare feet). The walls are covered with relics of the early surf lifesaving club. We meet a crew of people and have a pretty good time.

Hello Sydney!

Our first night at The Originals in Sydney has been awesome, can't wait for more adventures! Chris and I were just reflecting how much we enjoy city vacations - usually followed by too much walking, great food, beautiful views and lots of interesting stories. But, we'll start at the beginning.

Our journey begins at 11:55pm on Thursday night. We shuffle onto the Greyhound bus, paying an extra $30 to bring our surfboards with us. The 13-hour bus to Sydney is under way. I then magically fall asleep for 9 glorious hours, waking up for a pit stop at a gas station playing praise-the-lord Christmas music at full blast. This is alarming as it's the first time we've really been exposed to Christmas so far (aside from Woolies, which is all decked out), and we constantly forget it's December. Another two hours and we're crossing the bridge over Sydney Harbor, viewing the Opera House and a beautiful skyline that reminds us both of Seattle. Sydney is surrounded by water in much the same way.

We pile off the bus in Sydney, pleased to discover our boards have made it unscathed. A friendly bus driver is not only patient with our luggage, which nearly knocks Chris off his feet as he tries to get our surfboards through the tiny bus doors, but takes the time to tell us just where our hostel is. Note to self: do not take surfboards on public transportation!

Forbes and Burton

Our room is small, but only has 4 beds, and wonderful high ceilings. The beds are super cozy and the sheets are soft, I slept like a baby all night. This is rare in a hostel. Since it's the holidays, everyone staying here had to book ten days from Christmas through New Year's so hopefully we'll make some new friends. We venture forth in search of grub. We find ourselves in Darlinghurst at that weird hour between lunch and dinner when many restaurants seem to close. We're fortunate to find an adorable cafe, Forbes and Burton, with a big cushioned window where I can sip my ice-coffee and stretch out my legs in the sun. Chris and I are both entertained by the bathroom wallpaper, comprised of dirty poetry (see photo).

Wallpaper - aka dirty poetry

Upon return to the hostel, Chris is in need of a nap, having been awake nearly the whole night bus to Sydney. I'm too jazzed about exploring the city to sleep, so I'm off for a jog around the harbor. I jog a block or two down Victoria Street, then down a thousand steps (already realizing I will have to save loads of energy to drag myself back up these at the end of my run), and past the navy shipyard in Wooloomooloo Bay to Potts Point. I followed Mrs Macquaries Bushwalk under cover of Eucalyptus and Gum trees around Potts Point, where a busy Sydney Harbor and the Opera House pop out. The Opera House is smaller than I thought it would be, but proves an architectural marvel nonetheless. I follow the point to the Royal Botanical Gardens, where countless trails meander through lovely manicured lawns and tropical foliage. Behemoth white cockatoos squawk shrilly overhead. I pause to admire a particularly large gum tree when a statistic from Bill Bryson's In A Sunburnt Country (awesome book, read it) enters my subconcious: more people die each year from falling gum tree limbs than from shark attacks. True story.

Back at the hostel, we get ready for the barbie. Most hostel barbies consist of overcooked, wrinkled sausages with white bread and ketchup. Maybe a sad salad on the side. We're preparing for just such a meal, when we line up and discover the most awesome feast ever to be featured in a hostel. Everyone is loading up their plates as high as they can stack a potato and the food keeps coming. For only $5, we can eat 2 varieties of potato salad, a green apple couscous, pasta, garlic bread, crisps, salad, hamburger, sausage, grilled chicken, and more! All enjoyed on a crowded little patio with loads of happy people. As a backpacker, when you come across a phenomenon like this you indulge past the barrier of your waistband. Sydney is off to a great start.

Surf's Up!

Just a quick post - we have both had a few days off in a row, and have really enjoyed ourselves!

Krissy and Line - her Norwegian surf buddy

We surf nearly every day - which is amazing. Krissy has 3-4 weeks of practice more than I do, since I was dealing with a damaged ankle and couldn't get out on my board for a while. She's getting really good!

Byron is a lot of fun because we have made a ton of friends here! It's nearly impossible to go out for a surf, or indeed anywhere, without bumping into at least one person we know, and stopping for a quick chat. Yesterday we went surfing, and found our nearest beach to be pretty flat. After having a nice swim and doing some body-boarding, we decided to head to Tallows beach, where the surf is generally much bigger. Before we had made it 50 meters, we ran into a friend on the beach, also with surfboard, saddened by the lack of swell. So we dragged her off to Tallows with us! When we got there, we immediately ran into two more friends, and a nice guy that had brought with them. We rode out some WILD surf for an hour or so, then decided to have a barbie!

Ronan chefs it up with George, while our Italian buddy Nick entertains

The six of us all pitched in for a TON of food, a case of beer, a good few bottles of wine, and proceeded to have the most amazingly relaxing and enjoyable afternoon! One of our cohorts is a Frenchman, and a chef at one of the nicer restaurants here in town, and oversaw the preparation of a fantastic feast! More food than anyone could eat, and all of it amazingly delicious! We did wraps, with curried chicken, spicy steak, TONS of guacamole, sautéed veggies, a citrus yogurt sauce, and more! With significant dedication, and nearly five hours of effort, we managed to work through all of our drinks and most of the food, then decided to cap the night of with a trip to the Buddha Bar! All in all? One of those perfect Aussie summer days, that really can't be beat by anything in the world.

Today we were surfing on the Shipwreck, our nearest beach. It was really an awesome morning. We got up for an early-morning surf session since Krissy had to work at 11:00 AM. The sun was shining, the water warm, and there were dolphins out enjoying the surf with us! At least three of them were cruising around, coming within 3 feet or so of here we sat waiting for the next set of waves. We both rode well today too, and no major wipe-outs! One time, right as I turned to paddle back out after riding a nice wave in, I saw Krissy dropping off the top of a 5-6 wave for a wicked ride! I am catching up quick though, she had better look out!

Life is good in Byron Bay.

the fragrant and lovely Frangipani flower

Sydney, here we come!



Home sweet home!

Well, it's been fairly quiet here on our blog lately. I guess that is both good and bad...

Here's all the good:

We have settled down a bit, and we now feel that we are officially living in Byron Bay, rather than visiting.

Our new room

We are renting a room in a house that is quite close to work, and the beach, and are out of the backpackers hostel! We are a bit sad to miss all the people we meet at the hostel, and we LOVED their beautiful pool, but will still visit. :-) That said, the house is wonderful. We have a real kitchen, oven and all, and it isn't shared with 200 of our nearest friends... We have actual space in the kitchen to put our pantry items, and fridge space for all our stuff!

We have our own room, a big bed, and two pillows each!

Both of us have been working a pretty good amount, which is nice because we need the extra money to go to Sydney!! That said, we find plenty of time for sun, surf, and friends.

Yes, we are all booked (travel and accommodations) for our trip to Sydney! We leave Byron around midnight on the 22nd and return on the 2nd of January. Its a witheringly-long 13 hour bus ride to Sydney, which will not be pleasant. That said, we are very excited to spend Christmas and New Years in Sydney. We have made lots of friends so far in our travels, and a surprising number of people have similar plans, so we will be meeting up with a ton of great people while we are there!

We are excited also to be coming back to Byron after the new year! We had originally planned to stay in Sydney when we went down there, but have loved it here so much we decided to come back for another couple of months.

It is a hard place to leave, after all.

Last weekend they had a big market, which was just a block from our new house. We walked all over, ate some good food, and enjoyed some really good music! Here's a shot of us at the market... Sadly I am horrible at taking pictures of us. I can usually get us both on screen, which Krissy is less good at, but I can't manage to do it and look natural/smile at the same time. Oh well, guess I'm not perfect.

Oh yeah, I was doing this good and bad thing here... but I guess there isn't anything bad to report. It's all good here, so as they say here - No worries, mate!

With that in mind, I'll close with a rad picture of something very Aussie which I found in the store the other day...

Man Size Kleenix - They were huge! (And awesome)