When the Boats Rockin'...

G'day! 

What have I been up to lately? So glad you asked!

Recently I went with my roommates to the Food Festival in Hyde Park. Tons of tents line the park and each week for a month a different region features their traditional cuisine. Last week was Australasia and the food and drink is apparently so good that they have strategically positioned ambulance vehicles for those that overdose on food! The prices are pretty outrageous which is understandable because people come to mingle after a long day at the office rather than worry about how much a small plate of rice is so the local businesses can get away with it.

This past weekend I went whale watching! We left from the Opera House harbor and took this boat out across Farm Cove to the Tasman Sea. It was a beautiful sunny day but the water was a little choppy once we were out near the Sea. 

These friendly creatures were EVERYWHERE near the surface in Farm Cove. Not sure what species of jelly fish they were but the wharf was called the Man O' Wharf...I wonder if there is a correlation. Aside from discovering that I get sea sick, and spending the remainder of the trip with my eyes closed and head down, the whales were pretty amazing and close to the boat. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the 'tourists' scream and run, pushing and shoving across the boat to get a better view when a whale was spotted. Tourists.. 

 

Back in the city I am beginning to feel like a local resident. I know my way around the city pretty well and even know where some shortcuts are. I have a regular route that I take to and from work, uni, and home but try to change it up now and then to keep things interesting. It was a beautiful day out yesterday and I decided to go to Hyde Park, a relaxing escape withing the city, and read a book and listen to the sounds of the city. There is a beautiful fountain in the center of the park and a large cathedral bordering the area. Live music is even provided by local musicians looking to make an extra buck or two while keeping the atmosphere in a busy city light and relaxing.

 

Work has been interesting too. I can always hear the Channel 7 news going on two floors down since there is an open area that allows me to see down into the news room. Recently they had a male dance/singing group perform (you can see them on the right) and "Breaking News" was reported (on the left). It is pretty fun to watch.

What have I been eating you ask? Well let me tell you! Or rather show you so you can marvel at my cooking skills :)

YUMM! Say it with me, Y-U-M-M. It is better to say it aloud because then you may actually believe that this fine dining dish made of Ramen noodles with peas, carrots, corn, and egg garnished with sweet chili hot sauce is as good as it looks! It is a travelers first class meal and actually very tasty!

Things in Australia are going great so far, homesickness comes and goes, my money comes and goes, and goes, and doesn't come back...but then there are the beaches to help me relax and remind me that I'M IN AUSTRALIA!!!

Next on my list of adventures that I hope to do: sea kayaking, hiking in the outback, surfing, run into a famous person.

Stay tuned to see which one I check off my list next!

Till then, I'll try to avoid being eaten by giant plants :)

First comes thunder, then comes a flood!!!

The Blue Mountains National Park = Big, Blue, Beautiful.

Last weekend (8th and 9th of October) I made my way by train to the Blue Mountains National Park with my friends. The train ride was approximately 2 hours long so I plugged in my ipod, stared out the window, and watched as the city turned into suburbs which turned into the the bush. Once we arrived at the Katoomba train station we left to find Katoomba Mountain Backpackers Lodge. The town was very small and had a lot of charming little cafes and bakeries where I helped myself to one...okay three pastries! Yumm

The weather forecast for Saturday was rain rain rain but so far it was overcast and comfortable with no rain so we began our bush-walking trip.

Although this picture looks cold, we were hiking down to the rainforest below and so it was rather humid.

The hike was long and involved the Golden Staircase (1000 steps), climbing rocks, walking through mud, and cool jungle like paths.

Dennis, Michele, and I thought that it would be cool to hike the extra 2hrs off our planned route to go see the castle ruins which were close by. When we got to the trail head the sign said experienced hikers only. We looked down at our tennis shoes and said "why not" and it was an uphill climb in mud to the top. Out of breath and so close to the castle ruins ...(okay I was the only one out of breath) we suddenly heard loud thunder that was really close. It probably sounded louder since we were hiking along a peak. We didn't think too much of the thunder and continued on to the rocks indicating we were almost there! Then all of a sudden the rain came. A lot of rain. Luckily I had bought a cheap rain coat that was guaranteed to keep you dry!...For 10 seconds that is. So now we were hiking in a rocky area in a rainstorm before the trail was covered with water as a mini flash flood swept water over our feet traveling downhill. Good thing our water proof running shoes kept our feet dry!

So we couldn't make it to see all of the Castle Ruins because the heavy rain made it too slippery and dangerous to keep going so we turned around and headed back down the newly made mud slip-n-slide! Fun! It was an experience to say the least but luckily the rest of the weekend and other parts of the hike were more enjoyable.

Above the three sisters rock formation

Kim, Michele, and I

I love the rainforest!

It was a bid step down. Good thing i was tall enough!

This was a big step up!

Line hiking.

After the weekend in the Blue Mountains our legs were worked out and we had a lot of good memories! No snakes this time but a lot of birds instead. The next hike I would like to attempt would be in the desert! Till then...

Aussie Living

Hello All,

Another week has gone by in Australia and boy am I exhausted. I have been working everyday at Health Motivated which is an amazing gym facility. The staff is the most pleasant to work with and everyone has been so welcoming of the American. The facility is located in the Colonial building that is home to the popular Chanel 7 news. Every morning when I go into my building I can see the news crews and the people (usually tourists) hoping for a chance to be on TV in the background. Since I see it everyday I walk by and feel like a domestic rather than a tourist which is kind of nice.

I work on the 10th floor of the building which is really nice inside and I have even made friends with the people that work in the cafes downstairs where I go to eat lunch with the other intern. I have also made friends with the cleaning crew that comes by each day to clean the building.

Currently, I have been working on the marketing and promotion side of things. All week I have been working on helping setup a social squash competition which has been very enjoyable. Next week I will be getting some experience with promotions and in the future become more involved with the programs offered at the gym. This week I got my first taste of playing squash. My boss taught me how to play and he is a great teacher! The next day though I was so sore i could hardly get out of bed and even two days later I move around like an old person. I guess I need to work out more ha. Overall I am enjoying my work experience and I will begin some hands on practical courses next week.

This is me. At work. Down below I can see into the news room as reporters type reports and newscasters broadcast news. I can even hear and see singer performers when they have them.

Now lets talk about living in Sydney. After staying in a hostel for three nights and not getting any sleep, I found a flat in central Sydney. It is a half an hour walk (uphill...) to my work, a 25 minute walk to the college, and right around the corner from China Town, Paddy's Market where I can get fresh fruit and veggies, and the Sydney Central Train Station. My flat is in a tall building and I am on the 10th floor. There is a lobby downstairs with private key entry to enter the lobby, the elevator, and the room. I have a great view of the city from my balcony that is attached to my room and it is a fully furnished flat. I have 8 roommates. All girls. Three from Germany, one from Italy, one from Japan, one from France, and one from Kansas. They are all very nice and we are getting along very well.

                                                        (This is my view from the balcony)

This is my room. My bed is on the bottom left. No it is not always made but i couldn't have my blog followers think I was messy!!!

Here is my bathroom and the kitchen. There are three bathrooms in the flat which is nice since there are eight girls.

Living in Sydney has been nice but the one thing that is still hard to get used to is knowing which is the right way to look before you cross the road. I still get confused and don't know which way the cars are coming from and the cars in the city accelerate if you are crossing the street in their path...trust me, I know from experience. Also, if you order a coffee at a coffee shop they look at you funny and say they don't have coffee. Flat whites have become my favorite. I have found a lot of little places where I can get affordable prices on daily living items and I absolutely LOVE all the little pastry shops that are here! Yumm. 

Tomorrow i am going hiking in the Blue Mountains and it should be a great workout! Till next time, thanks for reading.

(Paella! Yumm)

Botany Bay Coastal Walk Adevnture

October 2nd

Today was full of adventure as I traveled to Botany Bay National Park with my friends Kim (from Kansas), Dennis (from Germany), and Michele (from Italy). We hopped on the train at Central Station at 6am just as late night goers were traveling home. The train took us to the city of Cronulla where we grabbed a bus to Kurnell. 

Since it was POURING outside and some of us didn't bring proper rain gear, we all ducked into a local coffee shop where we took cover till the rain didn't stop. We also ordered multiple rounds of espresso drinks and snack food till the Batistas thought we were crazy.

Although it was rainy, windy, and muddy at least we never got lost... Kim and I got to sport our very trendy rain ponchos which could actually double as a kite! The weather conditions didn't stop us from having fun though. Kim decided it would be best to trek through the deeper mud areas and this is what happened..

No worries, I brought extra socks. For some reason everything was funny on this hike. Events like losing shoes in the mud, falling backwards in the mud, being blown sideways by the wind catching our ponchos, being suffocated by our ponchos, getting soaked from sneaker waves, walking with sand in our shoes from sneaker waves and everything in between were always followed by hysterical laughing I don't know why. 

This guy was fun. I was walking in front of the group and happened to notice this guy about two feet away from me and I saw my life flash before my eyes. No I didn't take this picture. I was too busy turning around and run screaming back to the group. I pushed my way past Michele and ran to the end of our line screaming snake. So I didn't have time to take a photo of what we believe was a Red-bellied black snake. It was a pretty hefty sized snake and not fun at all. From then on our trekking through the bushes and tall grass was filled not with hysterical laughing but severe fear that we were all going to die at any moment. If not by the snakes, by the fact that we were lost and happened to wander over a barb wired fence and onto private property which turned out to be a poverty stricken cult neighborhood of some sort. Luckily Kim reminded me that people in Australia don't own guns like we do in America so I felt better about the fact that I wouldn't be bitten by a snake then shot and chopped into little pieces. No. I would be bit by a snake, stabbed, and then chopped into little pieces. Very reassuring.

Luckily our day had a happy ending and we found our way to.....

A beautiful beach.. and city in the distance thank goodness! We followed the beach to the city finding many washed up puffer fish and too bad we didn't check the tides because it was high tide all the way and this made walking on dry land difficult. Luckily we didn't get swept to sea and with our legs thoroughly worked out we all slept on the train ride back to Sydney...well we took this picture first then slept.

Overall, the day was full of adventure. We came back tired, wet, muddy, sandy, and hungry but we had an experience of a lifetime and that's why we are trying it again tomorrow at a different beach! The weather should be the same but our shoes are already muddy so no drama! (That is an Australian term hehe) Till next time!

CHEERS! :)