Time flies when you're in Sydney!

I love Sydney! Yes I do! And I think it loves me too!

Its amazing what a little retail therapy and a big city can do. :) Although I've been here three times before, it's never dull and there's always more to do. Also helps that you know exactly where everything is and how to get there...




The weather's been a bit up and down, but even when its cloudy Sydney is great. I spent the first 3 days chilling and being a total tourist again - sightseeing hop-on-hop-off buses around the city, went to Bondi for the day - just saying that "Bondi for the day"... cewl! I strolled around Darling Harbour, George Street, and QVB. I did 4 loops on the monorail (because the Dutch person in me had to make the most of the day pass which is the same price as two singles...)

On the 29th I met up with a friend I'd met on my third day in New Zealand - Gillian - she happened to be coming back from Melbourne to Sydney for 2 weeks. I went to the Blue Mountains, which are neither Blue nor Mountains (won't bore you with the rest of the guided tour talk).


I did a few bushwalks while there to earn my lunch, waterfalls and cliffs aplenty! We saw the famous "3 Sisters" Rock formation near Katoomba in the heart of the Blue Mountains. Then we walked down into the valley following the Furber Stairs, basically 1020 steps down into the gorge, before capping the day off with a trip on the World's Steepest Railway (52 degree incline). Always better than doing the trip in reverse... railway down and stairs up!!!

My mind told me it wasn't vertical, after all, there's 28 more degrees to go!) but... certainly felt like it! When they put you in the train at the bottom, you're almost lying horizontal in your seat. Then the train drives up the mountain and you're basically looking out at the drop below with the mountain at your back. Truth be told, might not have been nearly as terrifying if I hadn't had my hands full with my coat, little rucksack, water bottle and camera... and been wearing linen pants that pretty much made the seat slippery as ice... I guess it's a much more relaxed ride if you can hold on and don't keep sliding off your seat. :) In any case - The Adrenaline Rush continues in Oz!


I've also been really lucky with roomies so far - series of very nice people that all knew how to use a toilet and weren't into extreme PDA's. I must admit, my standards for acceptable roomies have been lowered somewhat! However, I am starting to think I attract verbal diarrhoea - even when trying to sleep or obviously reading a book, they'll keep talking at me! ... but, I'm not complaining, no sir!