Blue Mountains

So called as a result of the hot sun heating the oil in the tree leaves which evaporates and mixes with the dust in the air giving a blue haze effect - I sobered up long enough to remember that useful little fact :>

With an very early start (left Sydney at 10:30am) we headed out to the blue mountains on the train - a nice 2hr trip to get some more sleep. On arrival and with not much clue on what was going on we sorted our selves out with a bus ticket which gave us full access to the whole area for the day.

Now we still don't quite understand the whole set up but I will try and explain it to you. You buy a ticket which allows you to get on and off the bus and any point, all you have to do is press the bell. The ticket has a map (of sorts) with the stops numbered. Sound ok so far. The problem comes when you have no idea where you are to start with or where each number stop is in relation to the real world and even what is at each stop.

Some how we managed to get on and off the bus and normally find our selves at the right place. This aside the area is amazing with spectacular views in all directions and the day was well spend wounding around taking it all in.

At one point looking out over the three sisters (some rocks) this little old man joined us with some bits of trees in his hands and gave us a little nature lesson. Now from the 30 mins he spent with us we found out he was Polish but has been living in the mountains for the last 20 years. We also found out he is a great story teller - the sort that would of given Jackanorie a run for its money - so armed with his binoculars and some great sound effects told many stories of how the rocks came to be there (these i will leave for another time)

A spot of culture

After numerous times walking past the Oprah House I have finally managed to get round to getting inside.

It was suggested at the bbq that they were showing a British comedy which was meant to be really good so we got a group of 8 together and booked some thickets. Due to the late booking we were told that 'sorry but we only have bench seats available' so when we arrived we were expecting to be tucked away behind a pillar somewhere.

They must have a different meaning for sorry over here as the 'benches' were front row center. The production was by a four person group called Spymonkies and the show was called Cooped.

It was hilarious. A must see if they are ever back in the UK and you get the chance - Oh and it will help if you have a dark sense of humor (bordering on the Little Britain type of comedy)

Shrimp on the barbie

Well after 2 weeks in OZ I have finally managed to get a Shrip on a barbie.

On Saturdays the hostel organize a bbq over at Coogie which is a nice little beach about 30 mins on the bus out of the city center. The day was nice and hot and with the sun shining we were all in good spirits - plus there was a box of Goon on the go.

Now this is one of the many things I am liking about over here. Scattered around in nice little parks they have bbqs which are free for every one to use. Put something like that in the park down the road in England and on the one sunny day it would be good to use some little punk would of driven a car into it.

So the afternoon was spent munching our way through burgers (which was all provided by the hostel), sipping Goon out of over sized pastor pots, - there was a shortage of cups in the area - and some intense Frisbee action on the beach. Its a hard life.

My Hostel

I have now moved into the Maze Backpackers (for those who know - on Pitt Street down by Paddies Market) after my original hostel had no life and was getting dull.

The Maze has a great group of folk and have met a lot of new friends there. And just in case you are unable to find anyone your self the staff put on a couple of activities each day. I managed to get $5 off my rent by getting in on a far too cleaver team on quiz night - Also with free Goon.

Friday looks a good night - Wine and Cheese. From what I can tell it consists of a 15L box of Goon and a block of Cheddar. So sophisticated.

A bit of terminology

Goon - A term used when suggesting what to drink tonight. Goon is a generic form of alcohol which at some point grapes where used in its creation. (according to the label: May also contain nuts and fish products and has a collection of preservatives)
Goon usually comes in a 4L box with the description on the box something like: fruity White and costs $9.99 (about 4 quid) - Classy stuff.

Thongs - You ware them on your feet

Pants - You ware them on your head, ahh a good night. Otherwise known a trousers.

Jaunt up the coast

After a week in the city it was time for a weekend away. As it happens one of my uni flatmates, Hannah, is now living up in Newcastle which is a short 3hr train trip up the cost.

Now the trains over here are something else. I know British rail try to stack people two high at time but the trains here actually have an upstairs. The thing is that the trains aren't that much taller, they just make use of that big space down close to the tracks between the wheels. Then to top off the clever design all the seats have the option to flip the back rest over so you can face which ever way you want. Great.

Well Newcastle (I know it is like being back in England. I left Sydney via Kings Cross and Paddington and then passed through Cardiff before getting to Newcastle) is a nice little beach town. It is down between the beaches that some one has had another great idea. For all those people out there that want to swim in the sea but don't like the waves or want to do lengths then they have come up with a solution. They have built a big concert whole with the top just below high tide. Then when the tide comes in it fills the pool up and then leaves you with a pool - plus free water. Genius

Aussie rule football

I am also putting this in the "What the" section.

Don't mess - I'm a Viking

Well here is my bit of culture for the month. With the maritime museum just round the corner from my hostel (and free entry) it was an easy choice to make - especially as there was a special Viking feature on at the moment.

The museum is mainly made up from Australia's boating history dating back to the trees the aborigines floated round in through good old Cooky and his boat all the way up to some modern boats - even the coxless four from the 2004 Athens Olympics (only with a small plague though and not mentioning that they were beaten by GB -hehe and the stirring starts :> )

The one thing missing was the exact working reconstruction of the Endeavor which was down in Melbourne for the Commonwealth Games. Will have to pop back when it returns.

With that I leave you with this picture of what I would of looked like if I had been around back in the good old days - oh and the Vikings didn't go looking for new land to rape and pillage on (how they go down in my expirations)



- Children, don't worry. This is not a real Viking.

What the

If any one can let me know what this is and why it needs such a big mouth I would love to know. There are some strange creatures over here - and not all of them live next door.


My guess is "a bird"

Touchdown Greece

And all with out leaving Sydney. Today was Greek day down at Darling Harbor and the whole place was taken over by little stalls all related to Greece. There was Greek music playing all day and lots of people getting down and funky with some Greek dancing. And to top it off the Greek food was top notch - I made a point of regular sampling.

The harbor area seems to have these sort of events of all the time so looks like it will be a great place to spend many hours of lazy time.

Touchdown Sydney

I know, you are trying to think back to the days of GCSE geography and thinking where in New Zealand Sydney is. That’s right, I have left the country of sheep and lord of the rings and am now in a land where the animals either bounce or, if so desired, could kill you in a slow and painful way. Bring on Australia.

The flight over was good and I some how managed to get one of the window seats next to a door - love the leg room. After a 3am check in at Auckland airport (Thanks to Jarrod for getting me there at that crazy hour) and a flight that takes about the same time as getting to London from Stratford on the train - and for about the same cost - I hit Sydney city mid morning

From what I can tell so far, this is a great place (not as good as nz though :> ) - a bit like London but with friendly people.

A Spot of Washing

With a quick 2 day stop over on the way up to Auckland with my kind and generous Aunt and Uncle in Tauranga I decided to treat my clothes to a was which had the option of using hot water.

Now this is a washing machine that could control a NASA rocket launch with all of its options and sensors. And so it started sensing which was my cloths required. A short time late on hearing strange noises from the laundry we returned to find that the machine had decided that my cloths required and active wash and can only be described as giving them a good seeing to. I am informed that in the entire life of the washing machine it has never felt the need for an active wash before.

I must say though that my cloths now look like they did when I first started and completely different to when they went into the machine. So after a few quick "discussion" on whether or not every thing was dry - I apparently have a different opinion on what is classed as dry - every thing was packed up and I am now ready to head off again looking slightly more civilized.

St Guinness Day

For a moment I thought I had some how ended up in Dublin. It is amazing how on one day a year every one suddenly realize that they know some Irish bloke, therefore they are Irish are will greet every one in the street with "Top of the morning" (even at 11:30pm)

When we got to the first pub we could tell that it was a good place - Stepping over unconscious people on the floor as you queue to get in is always a good sign. A couple of pints and a krazzy hat later we left and moved on the pub 2

It always impresses me how much people love their sport over here. Slap bang in the middle of a nice little hard house number they cut the music and put all the TV's on and every one just stopped and spent the next 30 mins watching NZ win the gold in the rugby 7s final against England (NZ 29, UK 21). Yet another strange sight - watching a room full of people dressed in green and waving Irish flags supporting NZ. Match over the music continued as if nothing had happened. Great.

Middle Earth

And no, I am not talking Lord of the Rings. On a sunny hill top just out side Nelson is the center point of New Zealand. As I have been to the most northerly and easterly points it would be a shame to miss this on as I was staying so near.

A quick hours walk up the hill proved to be well worth it with the views of Nelson below lit by the afternoon sun looked amazing. Summit concurred and claimed in the name of Iain I headed back to town for a quick pint and some food to regain some energy for the night ahead - I slept well.

Swimming with Dolphins (or not)

The night before I met up with the group of girls I had met in Christchurch a few days earlier and we ate in the Thai restaurant by the pool at the back of the hostel - a great location if you ignore the splashing. I had also forgotten how you women have the ability to talk in depth for 20-30 minutes about chocolate. Amazing.

At a time that should not exist (4:50am) my alarm went off and after a few minutes of cursing the phone for having the ability to make a noise at that hour got up into the darkness. On steeping outside into the howling winds which instantly blew away any remains of sleepiness we all climbed into the car. I found a nice little spot in the boot and after a short trip and several comments about how I resembled a dog we arrived at Dolphin HQ.

By this time the wind had picked up and people were starting to think what the sea would be like. This was confirmed by the dolphin staff suggesting that we take any drugs we could get out hands on.

Moments later, pills all popped and halfway though a wet suit fitting (I tell you - I look good in an all-in-one wet suit :> ) the skipper called in to say that the sea was a tad choppy and that the boats may not make it back so trip was off, sorry folks.

So with that I returned to the spa just as the drowsy effect of the drugs kicked in and spent the morning thinking of what swimming with lots of large fish would of been like. Well here is an artist impression to get the idea:

Christchurch

This is a city I could easily live in. Throughout the city there are little parks and courtyards scattered along the Avon Rivers banks making it a great place to forget about work and life and just sit around relaxing. Plus they some how manage to fit a golf course in one of these parks.

The main center square is a great place and in the time I was there they had something on every day ranging from markets to something with crazy cars. There were also a scattering of very talented street performers giving it the feel on Covent Garden. And to ice the cake there is one of those large chess sets for intellectual people (and the occasional student) to battle it out for the grand title of "I am better than you"

To ensure that things stay nice and pretty in the city they have the "Christchurch Beautifing Assosiation" whose sole job is to go around the city and make things look nice. My favorite was a waterwheel in the river surrounded by a little park. The wheel served no purpose and was not attached to anything - Its sole reason for existing was to make the place look nice. This was confirmed by a couple sitting next to me who kept saying "My that looks nice"