Tales of Impending Festivity

Oh my, I really am becoming worse at this whole blogging escapade aren't I? I'd like to say it's because I'm so busy living an adventurous and exciting lifestyle...though I rather think laziness has a great deal more to do with it. That and my preference to curl up with a book and read in spare moment rather than log on to my little netbook and do some writing (or typing as the case maybe).

So I've been in Sydney for over a month now, really it's closer to two months, and the festive season is nigh. The question then is what have I been doing with myself and is it really beginning to look anything like Christmas at all?



To answer the first question, I have been doing much the same  as in my last blog. Namely exploring parts of Sydney, going out with friends and working. I'm still at Luna Park, being unbelievably perky and convincing parents that 'yes, their child is definitely that size, I won't change my mind because of safety reasons but if you really insist then we can always get another member of staff to measure them'. It's quite fun actually, I spend a fair amount of time laughing with friends in the ticket box when it's quiet or dancing around to the music if I'm out on the queue. I also have a second job with a hospitality agency, waitressing at various functions and events, the people are nice and the pay isn't bad. Hopefully with two jobs I'll be able to start saving up properly for the next leg of my adventure, whatever that may be.

Now for the latter question. Oh and I know that you, my readers, whoever you may be, haven't asked any questions but it helps give me some structure to work from when writing. Not that this seems  to be curbing my ramblings at all!

The answer is an odd mix of yes and no. I mean the shops have got their window displays up and there are Christmas trees and decorations popping up around the city, though disappointingly not in our hostel yet - something about needing to fix the mass of fairy lights on the rooftop that the wind decided to knock down first. There are Christmas promotions, Santa hats, Christmas parties, the Salvation Army out and about and we've been told we can wear Christmas hats and accessories at the theme park, but there's something missing. When you go into the city there doesn't seem to be that bustle of impatient Christmas shoppers, that mad rush with just a hint of festive urgency. Maybe it's just that Aussie's are a bit more laid back, in general they don't seem as grumpy and anti-social as people in the UK, people pass you in the street and they don't give you a glare that warns you not to so much as smile at them. It's a more relaxed vibe, even in a big city like Sydney.



Of course I guess there are a few other factors affecting the festive spirit for me. Even now at 23 I'm like a little kid at Christmas, it still holds a sparkle and magical something for me and I guess a fair bit of that has to do with being surrounded by my family. For the last five years, since I started uni, Christmas is when I come home. I see the cupboards beginning to fill with goodies, I help Dad and Sean set up the Christmas tree and then decorate it, all while Mum is at work because she doesn't 'do' the Christmas tree (a tradition I think that has been broken this year). We even have a cunning and carefully developed system for putting on the lights and a game for putting on the candy canes. It's the time of year when I help Mum wrap everyone's presents, I'm in charge of sellotape and labels, I usually write out the Christmas cards as well and deliver them to the neighbours.

Here there isn't any of that. Sure, I've sent Christmas cards, and have been very happy and surprised to receive some cards and presents in return (which I'm keeping safe till the big day itself). But it's the first time I'm not at home for Christmas, and without  trying to sound soppy, I miss everyone. Don't worry I'm not sitting here blubbing by the way, just painting a blog shaped picture. And I know that I'm not the only one that is missing their usual home shaped Christmas and nor am I the only one for whom this is the first Christmas away from the homestead. So we're pulling together here, some festive camaraderie! We're planning on a secret Santa (which will hopefully get beyond the planning stage at some point...) and we've formulated a Christmas Day plan for us all. It's the predictable beach and BBQ combo, but hey, when in Rome... So whilst I might be missing home, I'm still excited and happy for Christmas, just in a different way to usual.

Oh, and as a final note, the weather of course plays a big part in my festive mood. I think of Christmas as snow, warm fires and a time for woolly jumpers, scarves, hats and mittens...some of my favourite  items of clothing. Whereas here, well...this was December 16th:

 

(Yes I know my tan needs some evening out!)

 

My British wired brain really can't reconcile the idea of Christmas with glorious days on the beach. It's definitely a unique experience and I am truly glad to be here. (For anyone that's interested the beach above is Palm Beach a.k.a Summer Bay - where they film Home and Away).

 

With the big day steadily creeping closer things may only feel more weird. Anyways, time for some mango I think and then later I'm off to the Sydney Observatory for a tour of the night sky down here, there are definitely worse places to be!

Tales of Hostel Life

It's part of the expected backpacker/gap year experience. Life in a hostel. Supposedly filled with drunken antics, annoying people in your dorm, bed bugs, filthy floors and a grotty experience...if we believe the most negative of stereotypes.

Now I've found the reality, fortunately quite different. Well aside from the drunken antics, that one is fairly accurate... I'm a little in awe actually of those I've seen be out all night, come back about 6/7 in the morning, have brekkie, then continue drinking ready to go out again the next night! Me, I'm more of a get in before it's light out, sleep, hopefully not have a hangover then take it easy the next night. Maybe this makes me a bit of a pansy, but who cares.

I opted to stay in the all girls dorm whilst I'm here, because let's face it....

 

It's been pretty good in the girl's dorm, much less stress when you're getting dressed in the morning, no-one snores (though the dutch girl on the bottom bunk does occasionally talk in her sleep) and there's usually a hair dryer/spray/clips etc that you can borrow when yours end up going for a stroll. Now I'm not saying life is perfect, there's a hole in one wall where the fixed a leak in the showers next door and haven't yet fixed it, but the room and bedding are clean. We're on bunk beds, and it's the general consensus that the bottom bunks are best as people tend to tie sheets around them and make them into a little den, but I haven't found the top bunk too awful. Though our bed doesn't have a ladder so a little clambering is involved! It's also the squeakiest bed in the dorm, but as I'm the one making the squeaks it doesn't really bother me.

 

 



As I'm travelling solo, by staying in a hostel I've been able to make some friends, lovely folk that I can go to the beach with, chill out watching movies with, cook with and have some great nights out with. A lot of people are in the same boat (travelling on their own) and when I first got here I was a little daunted because everyone looked like they had known each other for ages and were chatting away, but once you make the effort to join in it's clear that some people have only just met, and so immediately I felt welcome.

Now for nights out, the hostel has a rough plan for events every night. Sometimes this is just movie night with free hot chocolate, or heading out for the "best pizza in Sydney" (it is pretty good actually), but there are some more messy nights out. On my first night out I found myself at a paint party and came home covered in pink paint, there has also been a Halloween night out, trips to see fireworks, specific nights in different pubs/clubs where our hostel entertainment managers wrangle us a free drink or two. In some ways it's a little like being back at uni, and though it could be easy to spend a fortune on drinks (things are a wee bit expensive here) if you plan your free drinks right and have soft drinks/water then you can save some pennies, avoid nasty hangovers and still have a great time.

Overall I would recommend the hostel experience, and if you're in Sydney then check out the Kings Cross Backpackers. There's a little renovation work going on at the moment, but it's a clean, friendly hostel and there's free brekkie and unlimited free tea...what more do you want!!

Tales of a Shiny New City

Sydney... home to famous landmarks,  numerous backpackers and, if we believe the film, a dentist with a fish shaking niece.
It's also the city in which I find myself at present and where I'm likely to be for some time, even seeing in Christmas and New Years - to which effect my preliminary plans include a bbq on the beach and THE fireworks.  Jealous yet? Well if I'm going to be here I may as well do the expected, and besides who knows if I'll ever be here at this time of year again.

So, I've been here for two weeks and in that time I feel like I've done a lot of sitting and wandering around doing very little, yet I also realise that I've seen and done quite a few things. A peculiar situation indeed. I also feel like I've neglected this blog for a while, it started filled with great intentions and expected loyalty, not too dissimilar to how I started most diaries when I was younger, yet like those childhood diaries I find the entries become sporadic and I have a 'I'll do it later' approach. Well 'later' must be now, otherwise I fear more things will happen and any entries will become more of a list than a personal account.

Enough preamble.

My first full day I decided to go for a walk, the route from Kings Cross, where my hostel is, to the Opera House and Bridge would take me through the Royal Botanic Garden - so three big sights in one day. I definitely recommend a leisurely stroll through the gardens if you get a chance, it's peaceful and full of different little sections to explore and I've never found it to be overly crowded, a patch of shade under a tree or a nice bench can always be found in which to sit and read in peace. Basically all my requirements for a good park were met.

As I continued round the gardens I came to Mrs Macquarie's Chair, a seat cut into the rock by convicts in 1810 for Mrs M to sit and watch the ships arrive from Great Britain. I figured I'd  take a seat and check out the view, the trees that seem to have sprouted in the interim blocked the view a little but it wasn't bad as far as 200 year old sandstone seats go. Whilst I was perched, a group of Asian businessmen arrived and began taking pictures, this somewhat disturbed my musing and I politely went to move out the way. As I clambered down the gentlemen started gesturing and telling me to stay, at which point one man, whom I assume was the boss, came and stood next to me, put his arm around me in a friendly sort of way and I smiled nervously as the other 10 or so started taking a photo. I got one of them to take a pic with my camera too. Needless to say it was a weird moment.

 

I then continued with my wandering and meandered around the Opera House, it was smaller than I expected and surrounded by building works. I was reminded of my visit to the Acropolis and the scaffolding and construction I was privy to there...maybe that can be a mission of mine, to see the famous landmarks of the world encompassed in scaffolding. It would be different at any rate.

 

So that was my first day, I also wandered around the Rocks and then went onto have a fun night out.  Perhaps more of that in a different post.

 

My time in Sydney has also featured a walk across the Harbour Bridge, a ferry ride to Manly, beach time at Bondi and a few other miscellaneous trips and journeys, not to mention fun times in the hostel and out with new friends. But more of that  in subsequent posts, which I shall try to  feature more of...though this is an intention of mine whenever I write a post, so we shall see!



Tales of Tangalooma

Let's start with a random factoid, Tanglooma means "where the fish meet" in the original Aboriginal (try saying that fifty times really fast!). Tangalooma is also the name of the holiday resort we went to on Moreton Island, a short boat trip away from Brisbane.

 

As you can see from the picture above, lots of beautiful beach, palm trees, calm ocean etc. Your basic paradise sand island. And sure we had a couple of cloudy and windy/rainy days, but overall the weather was fantastic and it really was a fabulous trip.

 

So what did I get up to then? Well the first day was fairly relaxed, it was a bit breezy so the ride over was interesting with lots of spray in your face if you happened to stand on the top deck like us. This also meant that for the daily dolphin feed in the evening (did I not mention the place called itself a 'dolphin resort') you were unable to see a great deal because of the surf.

 

The following day things were calmer and I went to the daily pelican feed in the morning...

...and the kookaburra feeding in the evening.

 

The pelican feed was quite interesting as there were also some kites swooping in to catch fish and a lot of cormorants loitering around. One of which had a fish hook stuck in his foot, so we got to see the staff  jump into action and help the little guy out.

 

Next day things were a little cloudy, but that didn't stop us from hiring a boat and heading out to the Tangalooma wrecks, 15 deliberately sunken ships that used to help create a harbour when the place was a whaling station but now act as a n artificial reef. So we snorkeled around and despite the water being pretty nippy, saw some very cool fish. Not that I could name you any of course. Later I also tried my hand at quad biking, where I fell off in a feat that amazed all others. No it wasn't that spectacular an actual fall, nor did I hurt myself - merely getting my boot trapped under the bike. What was impressive was how I seemingly defied physics, falling to the right when on a steep left hand turn and incline.....go me!

 

The next couple of days continued to be sunny and glorious, the water in the bay was completely calm and I had a go at kayaking and paddle boarding. We even saw a dolphin out in the bay which was very cool. Then later at the dolphin feed there were 10/11 dolphins present, including a baby, though my camera didn't seem to really want to take many decent shots.

The weather then took a bit of a turn with a storm blowing in. Pelting the ground with palm branches and nearly taking out a few unsuspecting passers by. Though with the rain, wind and being near the ocean I was reminded of my time in Aberystwyth and so felt quite at home. With water sports off the cards I spent the day just quietly reading indoors.

 

On the final day before we left, my new friend Chris, who works in the shop at Tangalooma, offered to guide me on a short hike further into the island. There we walked through blackened and burnt forest, the remnants of the fierce forest fires that had struck the island a few weeks previously, and came to a desert. Yes a desert, in the middle of this small idyllic island.

The image above doesn't quite reveal just how windy it really was. I have never felt so exfoliated in my life and once I got back to our rooms I discovered an abundance of sand virtually everywhere.(Tip: don't wear low cut tops in windy deserts,and make sure you empty your pockets outside!)

 

So as you can see I had quite an adventurous and fun week, I enjoyed it so much I've even emailed in my c.v (or resume as the Aussies prefer to call it) in the hope that perhaps I could work on the island for a spell.

 

One final thing I will say about the island was that it had some fantastic sunsets. Being on the east coast of Australia the sun sets over land, which isn't quite as spectacular as it setting over the sea. So yes, if you check the album on facebook then you'll see looooooads of pics of the sunset, I'll just settle with giving you the one here!

 

So there you have it. One fantastic week on a dream island. I really can't thank Annette and Nick enough for taking me as it was an amazing experience and one I would really recommend to others. It was great to get away from all the traffic and noise of busy towns and cities, and yes, some might find it limiting to have just the one shop, one bar, and nowhere else to go, but I found it so beautiful and relaxing.







A Tale of Arrival

I suppose if I set up a blog then I should get into the habit of actually writing in/on it! So here I am, in Australia!  I have survived one week here without being eaten/killed/getting lost. I haven't so much as seen a single snake, spider, koala, kangaroo or wallaby - though for the latter 3 it's  probably due to location more than anything. I have seen some interesting birds though, it's kind of odd seeing an ibis or cockatoo as commonly as a pigeon. I've even seen some little blue jellyfish.

 

Like this little guy, who had washed up on the beach. I felt sad for him despite my aunt informing me that they're mostly water and have no feelings.

Enough about wildlife. The flight over here was pretty good, two long flights  with a short stop over in Kuala Lumpur. The first flight was marginally better than the second as the food  was a bit better and I had a window seat, so I could easily curl up against the side and snooze without fear of cuddling up to a stranger...or having body parts slump into the aisle and be knocked by passers by, as was the circumstances  of journey two. I also got to watch Brave (not bad though not exactly the next Finding Nemo), read Atonement (I enjoyed it, though did wonder how I would have felt if I didn't know in advance how it would end), and listen to the delightful 'Of Monsters and Men' album (which I'm somewhat addicted to and think everyone should look them  up). Arriving in the evening to Brisbane was a good idea, I was able to get  to my aunt's  house, eat some food and go straight to bed; so I didn't really experience any jet lag - a timing tip for anyone that cares.

Since being here I've ventured on the buses into the various little towns and suburbs - they all kind of merge into one round here, especially along the coast. The streets all look sort of the same as well, and yes, they look like the set to Neighbours! At the same time though there are a lot of places that feel sort of American...I can't really explain why very well, but ho hum! However, I have enjoyed all the beaches, and despite the Aussie's commenting that it's only just getting warmer the weather has already prooved better than most of the British 'summer' I experienced!

So what else have I been up to I pretend to hear you ask. Well I've tried sushi for the first time, I always kind of mentally just went 'ew, raw fish', but in the spirit of this trip being about trying new things I gave it a go. Overall it was pretty good, some dishes I liked, some I didn't, but I guess that's the way of most things. Another small adventure featured my lovely auntie, her convertible, and a drive along the coast. Yes, I  really did feel like I was in a stereotypical movie shot, especially as we drove up towards the skyscraper ruled Surfers Paradise.  Which incidentally is enough I guess, but it feels strange to have so many giant buildings next to  the beach. A little like those scenes in 'Inception', only less crumbly, it just doesn't quite feel real. I prefer other, less built up bits of seafront personally.

And finally I stumbled upon a job, I was being shown around some agencies in Southport and when I walked into one they asked me if I wanted to swing by for a group interview the next day. So I did. Next thing I know I'm being asked to work at the Skilled Park stadium during the Wallabies v.s. Argentina game. It was a mad evening, I didn't really see much of the game but the atmosphere was incredible and really friendly. So I'm glad I did it, and it's helped me get to know some more people and start making some new friends.

I think that's about all there is to really report so far. Hopefully I shall encounter more strange/wonderful/exciting and new things in the coming weeks!

Tale of the Exploding Potato

Owing to my imminent departure for far off lands, I have decided to start a blog.

For those that know me well you will realise what an adventure this shall be, blog writing that is - though obviously there are more grand adventures awaiting as well. Prior experience has left many doubtful of my technological capabilites. Just the other day my dad asked me, "what does your laptop run on?" To which my mind leapt immediately to 'pixie dust', followed by 'electricity'; seemingly neither were the correct answer.

I'm also wary about how much of my inane ramblings my friends and family should be subjected to, should I advertise how strangely my mind works and the odd events that shape my days? However, there have been a few requests over the past months by people urging me to keep them up to date with my upcoming travels, so a blog seems a sensible way forward.

My travels by the way are to Australia, just in case you weren't sure. I leave on the 4th of September and, after my year working as a secondary school English teacher, I am not ashamed to  admit that I picked that date so as to coincide with the start of the academic year and as a kind of childish raspberry noise to school. (Sorry any teaching folks!) The date also appeals to my sense of progression and habit as I've been marching to the tune of British academic years for  just under twenty years now.

I have no desire for this post to continue much longer, I've given a basic introduction and I just want to end by explaining a little more the title of this post and blog. I spent ages trying to come up with a witty, sensible, catchy sort of title; I even played around with literary titles and quotes, but to no avail. Coming downstairs I was greeted by my lovley mum (who I'm hoping won't mind my sharing this accidentally inspiring moment) asking me to "come look".

She had managed to make a potato explode.

There were shards, yes shards, of broken and exploded spud strewn across the oven and baking tray. The potato itself  looked like the side of a volcano with a spurt of hardened magma. I couldn't stop giggling for some time. I wish I had taken a picture.

It made me realise that it is short, odd and amusing moments like these that make up my life and make me happy They are small tales in a larger anthology. As I travel round Australia I plan to experience more tales, tales I will share via the medium of this blog.