Australian travels with Becaroo!

I've been a pretty bad about writing in this nifty little blog lately, b/c I've actually had some essays due, imagine that. It was actually more painful that usual to have work due, since I haven't actually had to turn anything in since December.

More importantly, onto my stories about my travels in Australia!

Friday April 14:
I hitched a ride to Christchurch, where my plane was to depart the next morning, with 4 other people from the 480 complex: Jane, Adam, Colin and Ellie. Jane drove, and we stopped at the Moeraki Boulders (huge bulbous-shaped rocks on the beach) an hour and a half into the trip. We hit up a fish and chips place once we got to Christchurch, which is the typical NZ and Aussie meal, but a bit too greasy for my taste. The white fish they use is actually baby shark from what I hear, called lemon fish. Oh, and 'chips' are really thick fries in NZ and OZ. Anyways, we hung out at Jane's friends house in Christchurch, and when I told her friends I was from Cleveland, they started singing "Cleveland Rocks" to me. I had no idea Drew Carey was that big...ridiculus. Later, Jane dropped me off at New Excelior Backpackers Hostel, where I shared a room with some English girls. I wish I would have never seen the movie Hostel, b/c I was quite scared staying there alone...

Saturday April 15:
The next morning, I took a bus to the airport and flew to Auckland (1 hr) and then Sydney, a 3 1/2 hour flight. The flight was smooth, probably due to the copious amounts of Shiraz I drank... I was really excited to see Becky though, and she met me at the gate with a "Welcome Lucinda to OZ" sign, haha. Becky's apartment is located in North Ryde, a suburb about an hour north of Sydney by train and then bus. I met her roomies, a Canadian (Ester), and two Americans (Sarah and Rachel), one of which is a J-student at MU. Later that night we took a bus into Sydney and hit up Cruise bar, which is right on the harbour, with a perfect view of the Opera House and Harbour Bridge at night...STUNNING. After living in sparsely populated NZ for a few months, it was overwhelming to be in such a big city again (4 million), with skyscrapers, lights and traffic. Upon hearing our accent, the bouncer at Cruise bar wouldn't let us in b/c he was too excited to talk to us about his love for America, haha. After that, we met two friendly Aussie guys, one of which (Jono)was exactly how I pictured an Aussie: friendly, crazy hair, tight pants, cowboy boots and a big belt (that said 'Nebraska' on it). I was quick to pick up on the fact that Aussies LOVE the US, seriously. More so than kiwis. Becky and I then walked around the Harbour for a while and then rode the bus back.

Sunday April 16:
Easter! (Becky got me a bunny with chocolate!) The whole trip we thankfully had gorgeous weather, most of the time it was between 25-28 degrees Celsius (much warmer than good ole Dunedin). We took the bus into Sydney again, and walked below the Harbour Bridge, walked to the Prime Minister's house, John Howard, where there were tons of police who were expecting a riot later that day. We walked across the Harbour Bridge and then around the Harbour, where we listened to aborigines play didgereedoos, and saw "statues" posing for money. We also went to the Rocks market and then the Opera House, which I didn't realize was actually three separate buildings. Next was the botanical gardens, where we saw (and heard) Flying Foxes, which are huge fruit bats that hang from the trees. I loved seeing the exotic birds, trees and flowers! We then walked to Darling Harbour where were got 'corn on a stick,' a popular thing in NZ and OZ, and watched two circuses that for whatever reason were set up for the public. Afterwards, we walked to the Chinese Friendship Gardens, where Bec and I dressed up like Chinese Royalty. I've never had more fun playing dressup in my life!!! We then hit up Paddy's market, which had a bunch of cheap Aussie stuff for tourists, and then we got flat whites to reenergize us. For dinner we met Emily and Rachel, both from MU's J-school, at Pancakes on the Rocks, which was, as Will Ferrell would say, ScrUmTrilleScent! We headed back to Becky's, watched some Ellen Degeneres standup (my fav!), and then walked to Macquarie Uni to check our email. I was quite excited b/c I received an email saying that I was elected VP of Meetings for Ad club next year!

Monday April 17:
Bec and I woke up early, took a bus and then a train (2 hrs) to Katoomba to see the Blue Mountains. We checked into our hostel, the Flying Fox, hit up a fresh fruit market, and hiked to see the Three Sisters. I'm not quite sure why its called the Blue Mountains, b/c it looked more similar to the Grand Canyon than actual mountains, but it was very pretty nonetheless! The Katoomba Cascades were cool as well. We then walked back into the tiny town of Katoomba, ate some Thai food, and returned to our hostel. I actually met a guy that was staying in our room from Avon, which is only 20 mins. from Lakewood!! It was a low key night, and we read by the fire in the hostel, which was a really laid-back, cozy place. (painted in really bright fun colors!)

Tuesday April 18:
Becky and I hiked in the Blue Mountains again, this time conquering the Giant Staircase and Furbur Stairs, easily the most stairs I'll ever walk in my entire life, whew. We then got kebabs, which are also a more common in OZ and NZ, and hoped back on the train to Sydney. Like the old ladies we are, Becky taught me how to knit, and I taught her how to crochet, which we subsequently did on all of our train and bus rides. That night we saw Walk the Line with Becky's Aussie friend Meredith.

Wednesday April 19:
Becky and I flew into Ballina, and took a shuttle to Byron Bay, a hippie surf town right on the beach. We stayed at the Arts Factory hostel, which has hands-down been the coolest hostel I've ever stayed. It had a very 70's feel to it, everyone was very friendly, there were murals everywhere, a Buddha bar, a cinema, arts studio, pool, hot tub, volleyball court, and "make your own didgereedoo" station. We headed into town, and I'd make a bet, there's probably no place in the world with more hippie shops in such a tiny area, seriously. However, for Bec and I it was perfect! We hung out at the Buddha bar early on, watching Cockadoo Paul's didgereedoo and guitar perfomance, and then won a free surf lesson from Mojosurf. (The crowd voted us as doing the best surf pose) We played pool, went into town, where we randomly ran into some American boys that Becky lives with in Sydney. We all went to Cheeky Monkey, which was packed with people, more of who were dancing on tables than on the ground. It was there that I found out that not only does NZ love the 80's, but so does Aussie! Thank god Becky was alright after falling off a table during "Living on a Prayer!"

Thursday April 20:
Like I said before, the Arts Factory has a 70's hippie vipe to it, so you could imagine how high everyone else got since it was 4-20. Becky and I walked into town, laid out on the beach, and then when to Mojosurf for our free surf lesson. We took a van with ten others from around the world, to Lennox Head beach, 20 mins away. Our instructors, Dan and James, had much better advice than my last surf instructors in NZ, and I got up on the first wave. Not only can I get up now, but I can ride the wave all the way in, it was such a gratifying experience! For dinner, Becky and I got mexican food, which tasted anything but mexican, haha, and then met some nice Israelis in the pool back at the Arts Factory. Later that night, there was music and a drum circle by the pond.

Friday April 21:
Woke up at 5am and took an Arts Factory van to the lighthouse on the hill in Byron Bay, where we walked to the "easternly most point in Australia" to watch the sunrise. It was quite the picturesque scene: the lighthouse, the beach, the sunrise... gorgeous. Afterwards, we packed up our stuff, shopped a bit in town, took a shuttle to the airport and flew back to Sydney. We took it easy for the rest of the night and watched A Very Long Engagement and Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. (with TimTams, delish!)

Saturday April 22:
Beach time!! We took the bus (once again) to the Harbour, then took a ferry to the town of Manly. We checked out the market for a while and then laid out on the beach, although the wind was a little chilly. After that Becky accidently got her ATM card stuck in an ATM b/c there was already a card in there, and in the meantime we randomly came across Brandon, another MU J-student studying at Macquarie. We got some Copenhagen ice cream and then took the ferry back, conveniently at sunset...ahhh. Becky, Brandon and I bought Toohey (a popular Aussie beer, but, let me note, different to NZ's popular beer, Tui) and watched Gladiator at Becky's.

Sunday April 23:
Sydney beaches, day 2! We took the bus to Bondi beach where we did a three hour coastal walk, passing probably five different beaches along the way, and finally ending up in Coogee. I found it funny how many pools I saw throughout my time in OZ that were right next to the ocean. It was a very "romantic" walk, and we decided Becky should get married there, that is, if she decides not to rebel against the institution of marriage. Oh, earlier that day, we saw kangaroos at the wildlife center on the Macquarie campus!

Monday April 24:
A nightmare. We woke up early and took a bus and then a train to the airport, however, our flights to NZ were different, so Becky and I split up once we got to the airport. I'm sitting waiting for my flight to board, and next thing I know, the flight attendant is announcing my name. I went to the desk, and they told me that Becky's ticket, which she had bought online, never had gone through in the computers, and therefore, she didn't have a ticket to NZ. Not only had Becky's ATM card got cancelled a few days before, but somehow that day she lost her credit card...hence, she didn't buy a new ticket to NZ, and took the three incidents that had happened in a matter of two days as a sign telling her not to go to NZ. After arriving in Christchurch I called Becky, and although we both were realllly bummed out that our plan to travel in NZ for a week was shot down, we both decided to travel around NZ in a few years to make up for it.

So I there I was, alone in Christchurch, at Charlie B's backpacker's hostel. I later decided that it was better that Becky didn't come to NZ, b/c the subsequent days that we had planned for traveling, were cloudy, and it never stopped raining. I'm really not joking: Dunedin's airport got closed down because of the flooding that was happening in the area, the Leith River was overflowing, and on the news, they declared it a "civil emergency." (although I thought that was dramatic) My time is Christchurch was tainted by the crappy weather and the fact that my plans to show Becky around this beautiful country were ruined. However, the two european girls (Danish and German) I was dorming with in the hostel really made me feel better. It was basically the three of us chatting in our beds like twelve year olds having a slumber party, talking about our different experiences in NZ.

Tuesday April 25:
Anzac Day, a national holiday in both NZ and OZ, commemorating the soldiers who died in WWI fighting as part of the ANZAC (Australian and New Zealand Army Corps).

I woke up early in hopes of going up the gondola to see the mountains, however it was rainy and cloudy, so I just walked around the town until I was too soaked to take it anymore. I ended up reading all day in a coffeeshop (where these two Christian American older ladies were overjoyed to talk to an another American) until it was time for my shuttle back to Dunedin. I met a really nice kiwi guy on the bus who I had dinner with, and I finally finished the scarf I was knitting, which I ended up giving to Alexis.

Although my trip came to an premature end, I had a very memorable time with Becky in OZ!