Fun in the Sun, Work in the Rain

I just realised that it's been ages since I last wrote, and since you all probably think I'm having too much fun I though I'd better let you know what I've been up to.

Well, let's see, the last time I wrote I was headed for Surfer's Paradise. I thought it might be a bit crap, but it turned out to be really good and I stayed for a week. It does have a bit of a Magaluf vibe going on, but it has a cool holiday atmosphere, the beach is really nice, the nightlife is fantastic and the hostels are probably the most fun in the whole of Australia. I can't say I did a lot of cultural stuff, but I did finally get around to going on a surfing course. How could I refuse in a place called Surfer's Paradise? It was a lot of fun and I wasn't bad. I think I've developed a good sense of balance from trying not to fall over on a packed tube train at rush hour, when you can't get to a hand-hold. I did manage to cut my leg on the board at one point, and I'm trying to pick the scab so that I'll have a permanent scar so that I can always show people my 'surfing injury'. I thought I was cool anyway, and that's what matters.


Once I left there I thought I'd better get a move on down the coast, having spend two months doing what most people do in two weeks. Next we went to a hippy mountain town called Nimbin which is the main 'alternative' town in Oz. What that basically means is that everyone is walking around smoking pot and the town's attractions include the Hemp Museum and a bakery that makes suspicious-smelling cookies. Interesting place. I was fairly glad to get out of there (it was a compulsory overnight stop on the Oz bus) and the next stop was the legendary Byron Bay. If you're going north on the bus, it's the first decent place you stop since leaving Sydney and the first place you experience with a great beach, holiday vibe and backpacker bars. After spending three days on the bus together everyone goes mad and has a great time. Going south, I'd only had a short bus journey so I didn't really know anyone, the hostel was crap and the novelty of beaches and backpacker bars ran out a long time ago. I had a good time but only spent a couple of days there. After that it was a long, straight run through to Sydney, stopping a a few places including Bellingen (which had an interesting wall full of nude pictures of packpackers taken by a professional photographer who also works at the hostel), Seal Rocks, Nelson Bay, Newcastle, and finally the big city itself.

I was very excited as we crossed over the Sydney Harbour Bridge, past the Opera House. I then realised that like most people, other than those two attractions I didn't have any idea what else was in Sydney. I've been here a couple of weeks now, staying in a nice apartment with my friend Kelly in an area called Pyrmont (just across from Darling Harbour), and started a proper business travel job last week. The main thing that I've noticed about Sydney is that it's freezing. And it rains. A lot. I suppose it is winter after all. Last weekend the wind was so bad in the city that the roof of our balcony nearly blew off. Not just the top of the roof but the whole metal frame as well. The metal girder that runs along the top snapped in half, and when a guy came up to try and tie it down, he threw a rope up around it, a gust of wind caught the roof, and lifted him about 4 feet in the air. So don't go getting jealous and getting mental pictures of me lying on Bondi Beach. Think of me getting battered by rain as I walk to work every morning. Having said that, I'm still living in Sydney so it's still all good.

I have a whole bunch of observations about Sydney and Australia in general, but I'll save them until next time or I'll have nothing else to write!