Thursday, January 31, 2008

One hell of a walk

Yesterday I woke up early and decided I needed to engage in some kind of hardcore physical activity. I was feeling a bit lazy from the past few days of doing virtually nothing, and had heard about this 10K walk you could do from a a bridge near the city all around the cliffs eventually landing you in Manly Beach (which takes about 30 min to get there by ferry ride). I started my walk at around 12:30 and finished at 4:30. They say the walk takes 3 hours, but I had to stop and take pictures of everything along the way, so it took me closer to 4 hours to complete. It was a long, arduous, gorgeous walk through ever-changing landscapes. One moment you're hiking though a rainforest, the next you're walking along strips of deserted beach, the next, finding yourself on cliff tops with spectacular views of the harbor and surrounding islands. I had no idea the walk would be so beautiful, and I'm glad I did it yesterday because the rain is coming in sideways today and it's hard to even set foot outside. I fear we're in for another 5 days of torrential nastiness... Anyway, here is a sampling of the pics I took along the way:






Tuesday, January 29, 2008

How did this even happen?

Ok, something is bound to go desperately wrong soon, because, um, can we please take a look at where I'm staying? For FREE!



In all honesty, I was perfectly content to stay in the smelly, crowded hostel. I was totally ok with the fact that I was sharing a room with 6 girls, 2 of whom had guys over and kept us up half the night with their, um, talking? I was cool with the fire alarm that went off at 7am and forced us all out of our sweaty, sandy beds and into the streets yesterday morning. I really was! But as awesome as all that all must sound...I'm REALLY content with this new situation. I don't know how it happened, I wasn't even really looking, but I was checking out of my hostel this morning and had been procrastinating figuring out where I'd be off to next. Before I could even figure out my next steps, a girl I met here called me to tell me that her friend whom I'd met the night before at a dinner party had a roommate that was going out of town for 2 weeks, and that I could use the empty room. They live in a huge loft apartment on the north end of Bondi Beach. There's TV, FREE internet (I found a tiny spot on my bed where I can get a signal- a veritable gold mine for me), and a room all to myself!! It's almost too good to be true... but I'm here so it must be true. I would probably go so far as to say I'm giddy right now.

I also figured out my travel plans for the next few months, so that was very productive on my part. Next week, I'm off to Melbourne to tour the Great Ocean Road which is supposed to boast one of the most spectacular views in the world. After that, it's down to New Zealand for a month of canyoning, white water rafting, climbing volcanoes, swimming with dolphins, etc. Here's the tour I'm going on (sorry, I know this is cruel):

http://www.kiwiexperience.com/kitchen-sink-bus-pass.aspx

I'm so excited I can barely stand it. After that, it's back to Sydney to start a surfing trip that takes you up the coast to all these deserted beaches where they teach you how to surf for 5 days. At the end of that week, I'll be up in Byron Bay (a paradise, basically) right in time for the annual Blues and Jazz festival there. After that, I'll be heading up north into the tropics for a crazy 3 day sailing trip to what are supposed to be the most beautiful islands in the world. Then after that...well, I haven't gotten that far. Hopefully I won't be broke and living on the streets by that point, because at the rate I'm going, that's a distinct possibility. Good thing I have a work visa, cause I'm gonna need to use it. And soon.

Oh and one more thing...this is where I went swimming yesterday... pretty awesome.

Saturday, January 26, 2008

My first roo

Yesterday, I woke up at dawn (ouch) to take a trip into the blue mountains. These mountains are actually green, but the leaves on the trees emit an oil that creates a bluish haze when they sun reflects off it, hence the "blue" mountains. It's supposed to be very beautiful. Well, it was a pretty day when I woke up, but the weather took a nasty turn the higher we climbed into the mountains. What I saw were actually more like grey mountains. Fabulous. So it rained and rained and this is the only decent shot I got. You can see the smallest trace of blue in the background.



The best part of the day was seeing kangaroos! Nope, that isn't a dog in the background...this one was so lazy; just chilin in the grass. Nice life.



So that was quite a long day and I was so beat that I stayed in and went to sleep instead of going out on Fri night. I couldn't have felt more lame. Then Saturday was Australia day. It was really amazing...bands playing everywhere, sailboat races, barbecues, and the best weather imaginable. I met up with a girl from my first hostel and we hung out in the botanical gardens for the better part of the day. That night I went to a few house parties around the beach, and once again, kicked myself for not going out in the city. Apparently, one of the girls I had hung out with at the botanical gardens won the Miss Backpacker '08 competition, and all the girls had one hell of a time. I on the other hand was doing this:



Yes, that's a karaoke competition. In someone's apartment. I could have been killing off as many brain cells as possible at the dirty backpacker bar, but instead chose to kill off my vocal chords singing Son of a Preacher Man. It was pretty fun though.

I made up for my lack of drunkeness on Saturday the next night at a barbecue on the rocks of Bondi beach. What a blast. The guy who owns the apartment is paid to have models live in his place. Yes, you read that correctly. Paid. To have models. Living with him. The place is right on the beach, and I was just psyched to be meeting so many Australians (it's easy to spend a year here and never even talk to a local). This is a few of us on the balcony at sunset. Not bad at all!

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Caption this photo...

Last night, I went to a very strange, very disturbing party. It was a cross dressing party, and apparently, they are really into that here. A bunch of painfully straight men run around in dresses, all in the name of free drinks. I was totally confused, and figured only alcohol would set things right in the world. (It didn't.)


So I went kayaking in the harbor today on a little tour with the hostel to burn off the hangover... it was a perfectly beautiful day. We stopped at this little island in the harbor halfway through the trip and the following picture was taken. I won't even try to explain what is going on in this scene for fear of ruining the effect, so maybe you can take a shot...caption this photo, in all its strangness/gayness/baldness:



This one below is just a view of the harbor. Such a nice day. The rest of the afternoon was spent baking in the sun and then taking a nice long nap. Ugh, this is all such hard work. Waaaah...

Sunday, January 20, 2008

Now this is a storm

Two nights ago, I went to a low-key aussie house party. And by low key, I mean, not low key at all. In the main part of the house, there was a serious dance party going on. Everyone was really dressed up...apparently that's how they roll around here. Some were in costume for no reason I can decipher other than, why not? I looked a bit out of place in my shorts and flip flops, but no one seemed to mind. In the shed, they had set up blank canvases on the walls and people were drunkenly painting on them. Some of the stuff actually turned out pretty cool. 



I also met this great American girl named Katie. Funny how we three americans had found eachother in a party full of aussies! Kinda sad actaully, but I guess it makes sense. One very interesting thing I have noticed so far about the women here is that are very friendly, not nearly as catty and competitive as they generally are in NY. It's a nice change. They might still be judging you, but at least they are nice about it! 

So yesterday was a miracle of a day. The sun came out for the first time in 5 days, and the view absolutely took my breath away. I went jogging on a path around the cliffs and it's a good thing I didn't bring my ipod, cause my brain probably would have exploded from sheer sensory overload. It was a hard run and I had to limit my distance because I hadn't worked out in a week, but it was REALLY hard to make myself turn back. 

Here is a pic of my jogging path, although this really doesn't do the view justice.



After my run, I baked myself on the beach for much of the day, and after we came in, another storm came through the area. This one was spectacular... if we're gonna have rain, please let it be like this from now on! I ran outside with my camera and lenses (trying my best to keep them dry) and finally was able to get the kind of shots I came here for. I still have to learn my camera settings better so I can work faster and get better exposures, but here's what I got of the storm. I waited it out on the roof while it poured cause I had a feeling the sky would be spectacular when the rain had moved out of the area, and I'm glad I did cause I was the only one up there who got shots of the double rainbow that appeared when the sun came back out. I was so excited, I was squealing like a little girl (or like a pig, take your choice).







The contrast and colors are way better when they are not compressed for web, but you get the idea.

After the storm, I got myself together quickly to head out to the salsa congress. It took me 2+ hours to get there, and I had to take a combination of 4 busses and trains. By the time I got there, I had missed all but one performance, and although I didn't come specifically for the show, it would have been nice to see, especially after paying $45! At 10:30, the dancing started and it was REALLY fun. Truly one of the most amazing dance parties I've ever been to. I'm posting a video I took. The first half of the first video is of the kids that were there as a hint to you men reading this–start learning how to dance!! The women will LOVE YOU. Just look at them go! So cute, and already so successful with the ladies. The second half shows you what these parties are like and the kind of dancers that attend. Crazy outfits, nice people, all ages, races, etc. Now, getting home from the event was a nightmare. Sydney is not NY, and the trains all close down at midnight. Yikes. I had to take a $40 cab from the event which was at the Sydney Olympic Park (amazing place, but freaking HUGE) to the city, then find a way back to Bondi beach at 2 in the morning. I hiked the streets until I finally found a bus going back to the beach, but that taught me a lesson. Never venture into the Sydney suburbs after midnight ever again. It's just not worth the pain.

Friday, January 18, 2008

And the lord said...

I am hesitant to believe it, but the forecast actually looks promising. Really promising. At least after tuesday...and there may be a sliver of sun tomorrow with which to re-burn my nose. I have unfortunately, been feeling a little under the weather (sorry, had to go there). Jet lag only just now setting in + a stomach bug that seems to be picking up in intensity + miserable weather = one heaping dose of awesome. But all that aside, I'm still managing to have fun. I played poker last night in the hostel with a bunch of people from every end of the earth. I did rather well, though we weren't playing for money. Today, I ran some errands and got a mani/pedi and a 10 minute massage with my new friend Liat who will be in Sydney for a good while. Then, I had some tea! I know, it's almost too exciting to even write. But I mention the tea because a funny incident did occur mid-sip. This aussie guy came over to me and said I looked interesting, then asked me if I thought his shoes looked cheap. I told him they did, in fact, look pretty awful. So he sat down and inquired about the book I was reading and then asked what I did. I told him I was an art director back in NY, and he looked surprised. He then proceeded to tell me that he thought I was a carpenter. Um... really? I look like I might be a carpenter? Jesus (sorry, had to go there again). I mean, either he is not very smooth with ladies or this weather must really be wreaking havoc on my appearance. Probably a little bit of both.

So tonight, I can either go out to some Bondi parties, go to the salsa convention, or sleep. If my stomach continues on its rampant path of destruction, I think the salsa convention will be out. And if I don't make it over there, I will be SO MAD at myself. 

Thursday, January 17, 2008

rain rain rain

Argh, If I wanted rain and cold for 3 days and counting I would have just stayed in NY. I'm really hoping this weather clears soon, but all I see in the forecast for the next week is unrelenting rain and cloudy skies. I wanted to do all these cool tours, but I'd really rather not in this weather. I'm making the best of the situation though...last night I met these 3 girls in the hostel who were all traveling alone, and we totally hit it off and went out to the bars together. (Funny how that happens, you meet one in an elevator, another in the bathroom, and before you know if you're traveling to the bars with 10 randoms from all over the world who you just met a few min before). So we all got to talking and they are so warm and friendly. One is American (18 years old, just a baby), another is a 22 Danish girl, and the other one is a 28 year old from Finland. Yay, I'm not the oldest!! It's so funny, they are all experiencing the same growing pains of traveling alone...the lonely hours, the self-doubt, etc. Commiserating with them about the weather, the fears we have, the excitement was really eye-opening about how no matter where you're from, how old you are, you still share the same hopes and fears. They all just started their travels, so we're all in the same boat. One of them is doing this work-travel thing where you go to different farms all over the place and help out with the farm work, and they cover your room and meals. I think I'm going to try it. I just might milk a cow.


So we had a lot of fun, though I couldn't drink! Had too much cheap wine the night before and my stomach was not having it. Glad I'm getting myself a little crew here in Sydney...in only 3 days, not too shabby. Getting together with a friend of a friend today, and not much else planned except a nap and then prob the salsa congress tonight if I can muster the energy (how excited am I that one of the biggest salsa events in the world is THIS weekend!). 





Well, I'm leaving this hostel in a few min to head to one on the beach, though I see no beach days in my immediate future. What the F?

Tuesday, January 15, 2008

The hostel virgin

Wow, this has been a very long day! I’ve been up since before 5 am and haven’t had a lag in energy yet (it’s 10:15pm here now), which is somewhat disconcerting. Oh, the crash to come. Anyway, the hostel situation here is pretty good, though given the fact that I’m sharing a room with 6 girls it’s hard to figure out what to take with me, what to leave in the room, what to lock up, what to leave sitting out, etc. I find myself locking my bag up then realizing I’ve left my key card in there…getting it back out only to lock up something else I need. I’ve definitely spent the better part of this day opening and closing that damn locker.

I was however, very productive this morning and into the afternoon. I got into the city at 7:50 am, got a cell phone up and working, opened a bank account, got my visa in order, “laid out” at the rooftop pool (which is basically a puddle with a what might be the most uncomfortable bench ever created plopped next to it), and got myself oriented with the city by making every wrong turn humanely possible. Seriously, I’m surprised I didn’t accidentally fly to London given the current state of my directional sense. Even if I turn the map so that I’m walking in the direction it’s facing, somehow, I still manage to get it wrong 95% of the time. What can I say, it’s a gift.

So, I have no idea what to do with myself tonight, though I’ll be perfectly content to have some working wireless connection so I can play online for a while and book some tours for this week. I’m thinking about doing a 4 hour bridge climb tomorrow…that sounds appropriately painful for my 2nd day here. Though it may rain :( No rest for the weary. I’m thinking I’ll start getting really tired in abut an hour or so, then I’ll want to go to sleep and the door to our room will open and close 10 or 15 times between then and 1am. Could this be another ambien-aided evening? All signs point to yes.

In other news, the people I’ve met so far have been very nice, though it does seem to be help matters if I open up to them first (though I’m only speaking for the couple of people I’ve met in passing at the hostel today). And initiating conversation is fine by me…I need to start letting go of my New York aloofness anyway. Here’s a good a place to start as any. I am meeting up with some friends of friends in the coming weeks, but for now, I’m on my own. It’s kinda cool. Kinda surreal. Yep, I’m getting tired now.

San Fran Freak-Out

It’s official. I brought too much damn stuff. I thought I did well, but hiking up to Maura’s 4th floor apt with one somewhat large rolling suitcase and two smaller backpacks nearly took me out. The main bag was too heavy, and I really needed to get rid of one of my backpacks entirely. I decided to enlist Maura’s help…I knew she’d be sensible and far more removed form the situation than I was. Later that night, she saw me wearing the one pair of heels I brought and and just laughed at me. Ugh, this letting go process was already getting difficult. Bye bye cute heels. See ya later Deisel jeans. That one hot sundress? You took up so little space, and you will be missed.

And following on the heels of that letting-go process came Part II—my emotional letting-go process. I had a long crying bout my first night in San Francisco and a Sat morning so fraught with insecurity about my decision to leave that it’s safe to say I was wallowing in a pit of despair. But by the time we got some coffee and my jeans arrived via fed ex (I had left the one pair I really needed on my bed back in balitmore in my mad rush to get out the door), I started to feel the sadness ebb away and a renewed sense of excitement started to overtake me. I welcomed that feeling; the exhilaration of knowing that I’d planned for and was about to follow through with something that will ultimately be totally life changing. The reality of having allowed myself this time to explore my artistic passions was finally starting to make me smile. The tumult of emotions I’ve experienced in the past month is difficult to describe, but I was finally starting to settle into the rush of adrenaline.

When we got back to Maura’s place after dinner with my cousins on Sat night, I was so excited about the nighttime view from her balcony that I set up my tripod and took about 10 long exposures of the San Francisco skyline. I was having so much fun with that tripod that I even woke myself up at 6am just to check on the light to see if it was worth trying to get a dawn shot. It wasn’t. So I took a few right after sunset before I left for the airport (once again, totally stressing myself out for time). Here they are in all their sparkly glory.

Needless to say, I can’t WAIT to get my hands on the Sydney skyline. I’m developing an unhealthy obsession with that tripod.

So San Francisco was really a fantastic time…I spent quality time with Maura and got to hang out with two sets of cousins (my other cousin Jamie, veteran world-traveler, came for dinner on Sun night and drove me to the airport), and left feeling really ready.