Outback Country

I arrived in Sydney last night after a decently pleasant flight from New Zealand. I had enjoyed my time in Taupo, especially white water rafting though I twisted my knee, but it was time for me to continue my trip. After spending the last few weeks in a small town, Sydney is quite a change – it has all the hustle and bustle of a truly cosmopolitan center.

After arriving at the airport, I waited almost an hour for the shuttle bus driver to take me to the hostel because she was waiting on more people. God forbid she drives just one person. Honestly, it was 8:15 at night – how many people did she think needed to be taken to hotels? After a few more people joined the shuttle (I found myself trying to coax people into the van just so we’d leave) I finally arrived at my hostel around 9:30 last night.

As far as appearances go, the hostel seems to offer every amenity one could want – internet, café, bar, lounges, etc. – but I’m not particularly pleased. For starters, they stuck me in a room with 6 guys, the kitchen is dirty and too small to accommodate the volume of people passing through, and the reception desk attendants hover on the verge of rude. I forgot to add that my room isn’t even fit for pigs, which isn’t the hostel’s fault but I’ll blame them anyway. I’m rooming with the dirtiest people I’ve ever met, especially my bunkmate who from the look of things deemed himself the lord of the room. His stuff is absolutely everywhere, covering every inch of space within a 5 ft. radius of the bed, hanging from every available railing, and sitting on top of the entire “communal” table. I want to take it all and dump it on his bed. (Side note: When I got back to my hostel today, there was a note on my door that our room is to be cleaned by the staff. I guess they got the hint when I asked to change rooms.)

However, the hostel does have one of the most helpful travel desks I’ve ever seen. The travel agent provided me with so much information on activities that my head was spinning – in a good way. I’m now very excited to start my Australian adventure, whereas beforehand I tired at just the thought of planning another country-wide trip.

After I went food shopping today, which by the way I’ll have to stop eating bananas because they are so expensive here, I decided to walk around and get a feel for the city. My roommate, Michael (not my pig bunkmate), and I made our way to Sydney Tower, which has the highest observation deck in the southern hemisphere towering 250m over the city. We looked out over Sydney from the observation deck and participated in the OzTrek, a cheesy simulated journey through the different areas of Australia. It was more funny than informative, but better than sitting at the hostel I guess. Sydney reminds me a lot of Auckland or Wellington in New Zealand, but I suppose all cities tend to look alike after awhile. There aren’t many variations on tall, brick buildings and crowded streets to set a city apart from another.