Well I don't have any tales of the Blue Mountains yet. The woman I was supposed to stay with rescheduled for today, so more later.
In the meantime,
I had to change hostels because the one I was staying at didn't have room for another night, so I moved down the street. A refreshing change, but more expensive. I went out on the town to see some live music and make new friends and lo and behold that is what I did. A chick alone in the bar is a magnet for single men. Interestingly not in the same way I feel that I would have experienced it in North America. I had interesting conversations and made friends, and no one tried to take me home with them. Mind you, I didn't stay to the wee hours when those sorts of activities take place. I did encounter my first american tourists, unfortunately it was a bunch of drunk and very loud Massachusetts girls dressed in minimal clothing. Hear, hear for America.
I guess one things I've realized by deciding to live in multiple countries, is that I don't really like the US as a country. I'm sure the fact that I've lived in Canada for many years has helped me formulate this opinion, as Canada has different policies and a different lifestyle. Of course this doesn't mean I dislike Americans, but I dislike the fact that most of the Americans I have encountered so far have been drunk, loud and skanky looking. I would be extremely happy to encounter some that are perhaps more interested in doing things that can't be done in their own country. It has only been a week.
Enough ranting for now. So back at the bar, the band was okay but didn't really satisfy my live music craving, so I'm going to check out the Sydney festival which has luckily just started a couple of days ago. I met a man from Dubai and another from Columbia who invited me to go rock climbing with them the following day. We discussed gay marriage and a variety of other topics and despite having differing opinions, had a friendly debate. Just after they left, I was only left alone for about 5 minutes before an Aussie guy started chatting me up about my book, which I highly recommend, The Geography of Bliss. The author is a bit grumpy, but he has some very interesting findings. So Aussie told me about his book and we're going to have a book exchange later in the week.
The next day, I ate breakky in the freezing cold dining area and went outside to thaw, only to meet a lovely Danish man who's favorite state is, you guessed it, Hawai'i. :) Delightful. We only had a couple of minutes to chat before I had to be on my way, but I gave him my email address and I got an email from him later that he was headed to Byron Bay, which is exactly where I'm going. So we're going to meet up and have a chat about our countries. He said he loves the states, so one point for America.
after I headed to my new flat, just near Redfern station, where I am currently living with the aforementioned, in a previous post, Torontonian man. We had a lovely chat and headed out to the markets with his girlfriend, but they were closed so we checked out King's street. It's a lovely area with coffee shops and live music venues and a little bike library/rental place that was advertising free rentals in exchange for a 300 word story about your adventure on the bike. Will have to check that out later. This reminded me of my friend Whitney French because I know she would love to go on a bike adventure with me and write about it. I <3 you Whit!
We had a lovely meal at a Japanese restaurant and I got a call from one of the bar guys and we headed to rock climbing. It was HUGE! I really have my friend Candice Stevenson to thank for taking me rock climbing before I left Ontario, because otherwise I wouldn't have felt as confident accepting the invitation to go. I had a really great time and did a few climbs, one of them was particularly interesting because it was a space cut into the wall so you could use the crevice as an aid in climbing, good fun.
My new flatmate (Simon), his girlfriend (Anne) and I said our goodbyes to rockclimbing bar guys who were off to the Sydney festival, and made our way to the beach for my first Aussie beach experience. Oh boy. I was a bit trepidatious about all I had heard about the dangers in the water of Australia, jellyfish and sharks and strong riptides. I was not dissappointed. The beach we went to had very strong currents and very big waves. There are flags set up at every beach that swimmers are recommended to stay in between if they want the lifeguards to be of service to them. Just as we were arriving the lifeguards gave a five minute warning and told us there are bluebottles in the water. Bluebottles?! They were everywhere! Hundreds of them lining the shoreline, scattered all over the sand. Bluebottles are the same thing as Portugese Man of War, which exist in Hawai'i. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portuguese_Man_o%27_War) They are these little bubbles full of air that float along the water wherever the tides take them and have long stinging tenticles that wrap around whichever of your body part is closest when they get near you. Anne being the crazy Aussie local just started running across the beach stepping on them. They made a pop similar to stepping on bubble wrap. Apparently they don't sting when they're all dried out, she guesses. Then she runs into the water, first talking to the lifeguards about how the current is strong and hearing tales of many rescues today. Me and Simon look at each other in horror, but I follow tentatively into the water looking out for bluebottles along the way. It was fun, and I didn't get stung until later on the beach I accidentally stepped on one and got a tiny shock to my left baby toe. A little girl of about six wasn't so lucky and was screaming her head off.
We then got fish and chips, a local favorite, met some of Anne's extended family and headed home for an evening of massage and ukulele serenading. Lovely day.
The next day was a bit dull in comparison. I took the ferry to Paramatta, which is a scenic hour-long ferry ride all along the estuaries to a small town where nothing really goes on. I sat on the grass in the town where-nothing-goes-on and read my book. Then I attempted to take the train back, but was accosted by aggresive god loving people. They would not take no for an answer. I finally got away and made it to the train station, only to be accosted again by someone that was full of paranoid ideas about not only his government, but mine as well. Minus one for America, maybe only 1/2 because he seemed a bit off.
Took the train home and watched The Social Network with Simon. It felt like I was in Canda still.
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