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.