Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Update 2.full

Okay, funsters, here is the rest of the update, now that I've got some internet time on my card again!

You got the surf update. The rest of Noosa proved to be quite a learning experience. This experience came in the form of the other people I was staying with. If you are looking for Americans in Australia, go to Noosa. That's where they're hiding. In one hostel, split among two rooms, were six Americans: myself, two girls from California, one girl from St. Louis, one girl from New York, and a guy from Maine. It was hanging out with them that I learned a few things about travelling. First, I learned that I am very glad I am travelling alone. The times that we all went out together, we tended to hang about as a group and talk about American things--the news in the States, our respective lives back home, etc. When I struck out from the group and did my own thing, I was much more likely to engage with the locals. And every time I went out on my own (say, to dinner) I received an invitation to share a table, or share a drink with a crowd. I met lots of very lovely people doing that, and learned about how life is outside of my own little bubble. (A lot of similarities, and some differences, too).

Second, I learned that many other people are REALLY crazy. A lot of the Americans (one in particular) claimed that they came to Australia to find answers. To what, they didn't know. All they knew was that they were going to do all sorts of things (one day of surfing, one day of hiking, one day of meditating in the mountains), in the search for these answers. I'm not sure how they were paying for this operation, as they didn't have a working holiday visa, and were there for several months, but that wasn't my business. They seemed shocked that, after my tale of how I got there, that I wasn't searching for answers of my own, but rather, just here to enjoy life and all it has to offer. The statement "I did my soul searching, already, thanks," just mystified that crowd. I didn't have time to help them find answers to questions they hadn't defined, so I didn't hang around that crowd a whole lot.

That was Noosa.

On to Sydney!

Sydney is a very charming city. It's big-huge, really, when traversed on foot and bus, and four days isn't nearly enough time to see it all. I spent the first evening getting to my lodgings--by the time I got plane and train sorted, it was rush hour, and getting dark quickly, and ended up walking from Central Station out to Glebe. This wouldn't be a bad walk if it were just a ramble, as it's only 3 or 4 km. However, this distance became huge when loaded down with 50 lbs. worth of stuff and sporting two blisters (earned in Noosa). I was not a happy girl by the time I arrived, and so I just stayed in and vegetated the first night. The first full day in Sydney (Tues), I decided to strike out and aquire opera tickets and wander around the city and see what it had to show me. I successfully navigated the bus system, and stumbled upon Hyde Park Barracks, a museum dedicated to the history of the City and the different roles the building had played over the years since its construction: convict barracks, legislative building, and records storage. It also documented the archaeology and restoration of the building to its' present museum state. I wandered around the courtyard, and stumbled upon a group of schoolchildren in a tour group, learning about how the earliest settlers lived..and the were all wearing slop shirts (1860s cut--history dork!) and making bricks out of wet sand. The difference between what these children were doing and activities that you would have schoolchildren do in the States was astounding. (For the record for the Aussies reading this, it would depend on the site, but would likely be some sort of farming activity, though the convict colonies were S. Carolina and Georgia, so they might be making bricks there) Then again, you might find something equally eye-opening at a Civil-war era site that didn't apologize for slavery. Tough to say. At any rate, the museum was interesting, aside from the choice to include mummified rats in the displays (I understand they made a mess of the building and made the lives of the occupants hell, but do you really have to include the mummies?)

From there, I wandered up and found the Opera. I went up to the window to get my ticket, and was quietly informed that if I bought a backstage tour of the opera for $35 (which I wasn't going to do, despite being mildly interested), I could get any ticket for that night's show for $50. For reference, the cheapest seats for the opera started at about $100, and after Noosa, I was looking for a deal! I dashed over and got my tour ticket, then came back and scored a seat in the stalls that normally ran for $198 for a mere $50. Woohoo for that! And I got a very interesting tour of the Opera to boot. I was glad I did it, in the end. It went into the details of construction of the opera, and took us through all the different concert spaces. In addition, we got to wander in and listen to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra rehearse (Sans-Saens cello concerto) for a few minutes. It was really cool stuff. There was another tour that took you all through the backstage, but it was only once a day, starting at 7am, so no luck there. While on the tour, I ran into a couple other tourists (a comedian from Los Angeles and a tourist from Germany) and we ended up wandering around together for the tour and having lunch afterward. It was quite pleasant.

After all that, it was time to return home, clean up, and get back for a 7:30 show. I wore my cute new Fluevogs, along with a really great dress I got at Kohls (great because its a wrinkle-free jersey). While sipping champagne and watching the lights from the ships move about the harbor before the show (It was the Sydney Opera, how could you not??), I was chatted up by two little old ladies who commented that they loved my shoes. They came to the opera often, because they loved the music and loved watching all the people. There's no dress code at the Opera there, so it provided ample opportunity for "what on earth are they wearing?" moments. :) You could see everything from formals to converse sneakers and jeans. One of the ladies runs a bed and breakfast three doors down from the hostel I'm staying in.

The opera itself was wonderful. It was just the way opera should be: beautiful music, beautiful singing, decent costumes (Fidelio is set in an 18th C. Spanish prison, there's not much room for pretty), and HORRIBLE acting to match the overdone story arc and absolutely over-the-top lyrics. I'll definitely seek out some opera in Raleigh.

After the show, I was hungry, and wandered into the only shop serving that late (10:30pm). It was a Guylian Chocolate shop, and I thought "I'm on vacation, why the hell not?" and ordered myself an incredibly decadant dessert for dinner. And another glass of champagne to go with it. While waiting for my death-by-chocolate dinner to arrive, I was invited to share a table with three very charming women: Imalayah, from Sydney, her friend (name???) visiting from the Phillipines, and her friend's aunt Tess, who also lives in town. Within minutes we were laughing like we'd known each other all our lives. One of the lovely serendipitous moments that could only happen because I was travelling alone...

Today was a trip to Bondi beach, to see the place where all the Beautiful People play. It was cool and windy, and the water was pretty cold (I checked with my toes), but the surfers were still out in full force, and they looked to be having a pretty good time. I'd seen pictures of the place on Christmas day, when every square inch of sand is covered by people with their coolers and inflatable Christmas Trees (I could do Christmas like that), but the beach was much more empty today. I was surprised by how small the beach was--maybe 100 yards long, and surrounded by a rock outcroppings upon which townhouses perched. What it must be like to live that close to the ocean, far enough south that you can live reasonably certain that you won't be blown away by a hurricane/typhoon? Seems amazing to me.

At any rate, I'm out of time (again), having spent the entire hour writing this, so I shall return in a couple of days for another update!

Up next: the rest of the day at Bondi, and a daytrip out to the Blue Mountains. Then on to Tassie!

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Sheet in ze boosh

Well, that was the words of Stefan, the French surf instructor...that to surf well, one needs to look like they are "taking a sheet in ze boosh, not ze Eiffel Tower" This wasn't my problem with surfing. I had lots of other problems! The last two days were really instructive, and it was good, because the waves got progressively harder as the time wore on (nature's doing, not the school's)...I got up once or twice, but in general just struggled. Surfing, I have decided, is REALLY HARD. It didn't help that I am a switchfoot, it seems--I surf equally poorly with both my right and left foot out front. Sort of like trying to bat right or left handed...I was switching back and forth. I'm not really surprised that I was doing this, as I do it for lots of other sports (tennis, bowling, etc), and so I knew that it would probably be frustrating (if I let myself be frustrated)...but I didn't care. I was out, having fun playing in the ocean, so all was well. But my instructor got a bit frustrated, because he couldn't figure out what was making me so horrible at the whole thing. In the end, though, I think I'd like to try surfing again...I suppose I'll have to head out to the Carolina coast when I get back.

Noosa in general: I heard (once I got there) that iwas one of the top three most expensive streets in Australia. I believe that...Sydney is cheaper! One can dine on The Rocks (bayside views of the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge) for the same price or a little less than what is found in Noosa. It's insane.

Well, the Internet cafe tells me I'm out of time. I have lots more to say, but it'll just have to wait until tomorrow.

Bec, signing off

Friday, August 14, 2009

Australian Trip Update 1

Well, here's the first update from Aus.

The plane ride was very, very long. I was sort of successful in my attempt to sleep all day in an effort to ward off jetlag. I slept on both legs across to LA, and woke up feeling pretty alert and awake, but grungy. I had 5 hours to kill in LA, and spent the better part of them looking for a shower so I could clean up and change into the sweats I had brought for the long flight (I thought wearing pyjamas on the plane might be a bit much...). This turned up as a fail, with everyone telling me "sorry, there's no showers available at the airport." *sigh* So instead, I spent 5 hours pacing the terminal, as there wasn't anything interesting to look at. Also, if any of you are looking to make money somewhere, may I recommend opening up a yoga space in the airport? That would be awesome, and it's something I'd definitely pay to use!

Flying on the huge jet was interesting. I sat behind the wing, which is fun for me, as I like looking at what the wings do (dork!). So I found it very interesting that it was so difficult to feel all the normal things one feels when flying--the wheels leaving the runway, the g-forces in your seat as you climb, the bumps from crossing layers of air..none of that came through that big jet. it was like flying in a plane padded by jell-o. At this point, it was midnight CA time, and I was feeling pretty tired. I managed to stay up through the dinner, and then watch one of the movies on offer--Mary and Max, which seemed particularly apropos. It was an Australian animated film that A-M worked on. :) I can't give a particularly good review of it here, as I was too tired to pay proper attention.

Brisbane was interesting. It seems to me the entire city is under construction. There was a lot going on near the hostel, and also a lot on the bus ride up to Noosa. I spend the day in Brisbane at the Lone Pine Koala Sancutary, this little wildlife sanctuary (that's half the price of the zoo...) that has all sorts of local animals. It worked out well as I was in a jet-lag-induced daze, and so nothing more was required of me than to stay awake, walk around, and look at the animals. I saw the world's most poisonous snake (with a pane of glass between me and him), and got to hold a koala (and get my pciture taken with her) and pet the kangaroos (who were being lazy and hanging out under the trees). The koala felt a bit like a sheep--he was wooly and and felt like a bit like a sheep. The kangaroos had wiry fur and felt like horses, but with longer hair.

I spent dinner at some local backpacker pub, and ended up finding myself entered into a pool competition after playing one good game (and winning) against a local guy. Now Patsy knows that I'm an inconsistent pool player at best...and lost the next match by a long shot. It was pretty pitiful. Ah well, such is life.

The next day (friday), I took the bus up to Noosa. It's about ~100 km northwest of Brisbane, and is this cute little resort town. Even in winter, it's exorbitantly expensive, so I'm not sure how much shopping I'm going to do. I found an adorable dress at an Indian import shop, but they want $100 for it. It's cute, but I don't think it's that cute. Even if I could wear it every day (it's looks exotic, but not "costumey", so I could wear it to work). I wandered about the beach, took a nap, and then went back to get ready for the surf lesson.

Surfing was a lot of fun, even if I spent most my time falling off my surfboard! We were given wetsuits, so it was chilly getting in, but once I was in there and moving around, I was just fine. I struggled with getting up to a standing position, and did more falling off when I was half-way there than anything else. I think I was thinking about it too much, and the way that we were being taught to stand wasn't working so well with the way my center of balance works. I talked to the instructor about that a bit after a break, and was shown 2 or 3 alternative methods. I tried one of those, and while I still fell off, I had much more control until the last second when I fell. I finally picked my wave, got going, and stood up the very last time around. So the advertisements were right: guaranteed standing by your first lesson. *grin* I'm glad I have two more lessons, though, as I can now do something with it! I'm not too sore, either. My shoulders are a bit tired, but I'm not aching like I thought I would be. The swimming prior to coming helped a lot.

Today, I'm headed out to Eumundi, the next town over (10 min. bus ride), to go to the open-air market, and then will head back for another surf lesson. I think I'll spend the rest of the afternoon then hiking through the national forest that's next door to the hostel. It's nice that everything close!

Have not been eaten by a shark, have not been hit by a car.

Next update: somewhere in Sydney!

Monday, August 10, 2009

Ain't nothing like the last minute

Hey everyone, so I'm keeping this short, because I'm leaving in 12 hours and I'm still not done packing and, well, an update is low on the priority list. I know you procrastinators would say that I have oodles of time. It'll all get done...but a headache is starting to set in, thanks to the combination of no sleep and caffiene from the past couple of days. Sleep may win. I'll fight back with a couple of movies and some sudoku.

Anyway, this is where updates will be posted. I'll try and get to it every few days, whenever I have a bit of time that needs killing. I'll post pictures as I am able, but I'm not making any promises.

See y'all in September!