Happy New Years Love From Sydney!

My flight from Brisbane was at 5 am in the morning, meaning I had to leave for the airport at about 3:15.. well thought out that! I barely got any sleep that night and not much chance of a nap on the flight that only last around an hour; By the time I finally arrived at the hostel in Glebe I literally felt like death warmed up.

I figured that I just put my baggage in the luggage store room (as it was still too early to check-in) grab a quick shower and head out for some food until I was able to get in to my room, only to be greeted by the most stupid girl on reception. When I'd asked if I could put my things there she asked me just to take a seat and she'd be with me in a minute, so I did thinking maybe she had something to do and waited patiently on the sofa in the reception. Delirius from the lack of sleep it didn't occur to me for quite some time that I was still sat there until an hour and a half later when I finally asked her if it I could put my things in and asked what time check-in was, when she said it wasn't until 11am... so apparently she was just going to leave me there for like four hours on that chair! How ridiculous!.. but maybe i'm just as stupid sitting there for an hour and a half!

After putting my things in the luggage room I came back to pay and she said that I could check-in after all. I like how she waited to tell me that after I'd lugged by rucksack down a flight of stairs and on to the top shelf of the storage room before she told me that.

In a huff, I went out to get some food and found a nice little cafe where I had a lovely berry smoothie that vastly improved my day!

I spent the rest of the morning wandering around the city centre trying to familarise myself with my new home.

A university friend of mine, Edwin, was also coming to Sydney that day which I was so excited for as I hadn't seen him for about six months. Absolutely shattered and ready to head back to the hostel I gave him a text to see where he was and happened to have just arrived at his hotel which was conincidentally across the road from where I was. Within ten minutes I met up with him and it felt the most natural thing in the world to see him even though here we were literally on the other side of the world.

He was travelling with a friend of his, and although she was very nice, she obviously preferred the finer things in life and wasn't a stranger to wanting to get her own way.

We spent the rest of the afternoon walking around the Habour seeing the Opera house and Habour Bridge before looking for somewhere to get some food. Having been to Sydney before, Edwin said there was a 'really good pub' somewhere near the bridge but just as we gave up hope of ever finding it, there it was on a hill right under the bridge. It wasn't bad but I think 'really good' may have been a slight overstatement!

Me and Edwin had already pre-planned that we were going to go on the cheesy sight-seeing bus tour of the city (like we had done previously together in Dublin,) so the three of us met up in Starbucks the next morning for a pre-bus coffee and cake.

Charlotte not impressed by the bus at all. In a bad mood as soon as we got on it, about 20 minutes in she asked Edwin, "what have you learnt?" to which i just pretended I was looking out the window, "Er, well... The Cathedral was built in 18** " and some other facts thats I'd clearly not taken in although remember that the Habour bridge was built by the Japanese who asked nothing for the cost of the bridge but collect tolls for 30 years for the cost of the bridge. We were just enjoying the view and remininsing about out bus tour in Ireland where we learnt that there was a statue of a women who "got shot in 'er left booob."

After a couple of hours on the bus we decided to go to get some food before going on the second tour that took us to Bondi, but just before we went on the bus Charlotte decided she didn't want to go anymore after we'd bought loads of things to take to the beach with us, and wanted to head back to the hotel instead so I joined then for a little while before I headed back to my hostel.

We had made plans for the next day (New Years) but after I left Charlotte had decided she didn't like the plans and so after a bit of too'ing and fro'ing decided that our ideas were just different and it was best just to do what each of wanted to do and so I would go to Balmain as planned but with a girl from my dorm and her friends instead and they would do whatever made Charlotte not complain.

Thinking that it was it pretty much for the day I went to Coles supermarket to get some supplies for the next day when I had a pleasant suprise- a missed call and a message from Felix saying that he'd found himself in Glebe (where I was staying) and inviting me out for a quite drink with two Australian guys he was staying with- Nick and Rob.

I rang him back immediately and within about an hour went and met them at the Abercrombie on Broadway. It was so nice to see him again so soon, and Nick and Rob were great too. One drink turned into two, which turned into five and a walk home via an amazing rooftop view from an abandoned hotel of the city skyline and a conversation with Felix that changed everything.

We'd gotten on so well back in Noosa it wasn't really a suprise when we met up again that we'd decided that we liked each other a lot more than just friends. We must have sat on a bench in the rain talking for at least two hours about Noosa and how each of us would have changed our plans in a second if only the other one had said something. But as fate would have it, here we both were in Sydney for the next few months at least.

Getting in at 5 am wasn't the early night plan I'd hoped for but I'd also not planned to see Felix but definetly I am happy I did even if it meant the scheduled 6:30 wake up wasn't possible anymore!

I met Sarah, the girl from my dorm and some friends of hers in Balmain East, at a park on the waters edge over looking Habour bridge at around 12:30. There was probablyt around 20 of us altogether and we spent the day just chilling out eating, drinking playing cards and sunbathing waiting for the New Years celebrations. We were in a perfect spot to see the Harbour bridge and the fireworks. There were also two Swedish girls there which were also staying at our hostel which I had got talking to. Malin was telling me about their trip to Ikea the day before and how they'd gone a bit crazy and bought loads of things as it reminded her of home!

Marlin: My whole bedroom was there! My couch, my duvet, everything!
Me: If it was me I would have got in the bed!
Marlin: I DID!

Later in the afternoon a plane flew above the habour and began writing something in the sky. Beginning with "R U..." It had everyone guessing what it was going to say. Eventually it read, 'R U going 2 heaven? How? Trust Christ'- unfortunetly not the 'R U going 2 party?' everyone had expected.

At midnight Sarah tried to call her mum but typically enough she didn't answer but we all left her a voicemail saying happy new year- to which Sarah added, "Happy New Year! Its New Year here, not with you! I'm an Alien!" Obviously a bit worse for wear after a good twelve hours of drinking!

The fireworks were amazing. There were displays all over Sydney all going off in sequence at the same time filling the whole sky with sparkle and colours. It gave the city a truely magical feel and made me truely happy to be in the number one place in the world to spend New Years.. even if I did wish all my friends were there with me.

And that was it the end of a spectacular year that had led me all the way across the world to Australia and who knows whats in store in 2012. If its in any way as good as 2011 I'm sure I will have the time of my life.

A Merry Aussie Birthday anda Happy Christnoos!

Arriving in Noosa, I took advantage of the free mini bus service that takes you to the hostel and that where I met a Eric from Canada. After checking in and spending some time catching up on writing my blog, headed to the bar to grab some food where I bumped into him again.

We decided it was just going to be a quite one, just a few drinks, but even with the best intentions obviously that didn't happen! We were shortly joined by a dutch guy that Eric had met, who was a bit crazy to say the least, then we moved and sat with some more people he knew from groups he'd been in during trips and before long there was a small crowd of us and I was dragged into tequila shots and hostel games involving taking off bras and demonstrating sex positions with Dave, a German guy I'd spoke to only five minutes before.
The night ended with us going to a club- which of course I barely have any memories of apart from the clock striking twelve and celebrating my birthday and then a few memories of sitting on a bench eating Pringles with everyone before getting lost in the hostel grounds, finding my room and passing out!

As for my actual birthday I spent the day nursing a hangover on Noosa Main Beach, and then took a wander down Hastings Street and stopped off at Zacharys- a cocktails and pizza bar recommended to me by a customer at the Isa Hotel as he said it was 'one of the coolest places in Noosa.' It was pretty cool.

I headed back to the hostel chilled out for a bit (aka had a nap.. maybe I was now old and therefore got hangovers and couldn't cope?!) then determinded to do something on my birthday I went and got some food from the bar in the hostel and to watch the live band that they had playing that night. The band were actually really good, considering they were just playing at a hostel. They played a unique kind of blues music and was perfect entertainment for the night. As i sat there messages started to pour in on my phone from all my friends back home- sitting there alone I was really enjoying the music but got an overwhelming feeling of home sickness as I knew if I was back home in England I'd be spending the night with all my best friends. But all the messages of love and of missing me made it all a little easier.

Just as I was sat there wandering about what would be happening if I was in Grimsby, a girl came over to my table.
"Are you from Grimsby?"
"Yes..."
"Are you Amber?"
"Yes..."
"Are you Fergie's sister?"

And in the same instance as thinking about home there was a girl stood in front of me that I knew from home- a friend of my brothers who had been in Australia for the last year. So I spent the rest of the evening with Ari and her friend James, who failed in buying me birthday drinks as they ran out of money but it was a laugh anyways and it was sure nice to see someone I kind of knew.

The next day I met a German guy called Felix was also in my dorm room. I first started talking to him when he asked me about my tent and where I'd got it from. Of course I'd bought it with the idea I was going camping for christmas but now plans had changed so I told he was welcome to have it as we were staying at Daisy's brother's new house now and I didn't need it anymore.

He was very grateful and insisted he buy me a drink to say thank you. We ended up spending nearly every minute together for the next couple of days fast becoming good friends. He is just one of those people that is so easy to get on with and you instantly feel completely at ease with. Although very good looking so he still did manage to make me feel awkard from time to time. Romance didn't even occur to me when I was with him at the time, I just loved being around him.

That evening we headed to the bar for the drink he owed me which obviously turned into three and a round a pool with some crazy Welsh guy that pretended to be Greek for a while and Eric and his friend.

We spent the whole of the next day walking around Noosa through the Nature reserve and the town only to get caught in a downpour and end up running from shelter to shelter looking looking for an art gallery and spent the evening watching episode after episode of 'Idiot Abroad,' while everyone else in our dorm slept we tried hard to not laugh to loudly at the stupidity of Karl Pilkington. On the afternoon of the 24th we went our seperate ways as I'd arranged to meet Daisy's sister-in-law, Liz, and for her to give me a lift to her house where I was staying for the next few days . I felt a bit of a loss when I left Felix after spending all my time with him, but somehow I knew I'd see him again.

Even though I don't ever remember meeting Daisy, a friend of of mothers, I was to spend Christmas with her. I thought it was nice to spend it with someone I at least sort of knew but more because I knew it would make my Mum happy knowing that I with one of her friends that she hadn't seen in years.

Everyone was very welcoming and lovely and Liz made the perfect hostess. When I asked what I should bring with me I was told anything that I wanted- a bit of a fauge instruction- I decided I'd take things that would make it feel a bit more like Christmas: Mince pies, Pisaccoes, Thai sweet chili crisps and a couple bottles of wine! [The kind of thimgs that would always be in the kitchen cupboard back home :)]

Within minutes of being in the building I had a beer and was sat nibbling on some crackers and dips- maybe xmas in oz wouldn't be that different after all... on a balcony in the sunshine mind you.

Christmas Day

When you wake up christmas morning and the first drink you have is a stubbie of beer, you know its going to be a good day. We continued with some fizzy wine we had, exchanged some presents, being so far away from home didn't even occur to me to get but Daisy had bought everyone a goodie bag of presents. All came from the dollar shop and provided a lot of entertainment late into the evening.

We lazied about in the morning eating and drinking then headed to the beach where we chilled out and continued drinking in the sunshine listening to the Chili Peppers.

When we returned to the house we set about continuing with the christmas eating with of course involved prawns but unfortunetly not on the barbie!
I skyped with my brother after around eleven hours of drinking when he had only just woke up- which i'm sure was entertaining to watch from his end. Me and Daisy swaying and shouting about our day at the beach and our prawns. I would have appreciated the sentiment if I was him- it was obviously very thoughtful!

The night concluded with a sing song and we sang the night away accomplied by our maracas from our goodie bags until Ed interrupted our very loud shouting version of tainted love which we were now attempting in a kind of maraca accapella version.

All in all a great day.

Christmas was always going to be weird in a country that doesn't even get cold so you can get that wrapped up warm christmassy feeling; The Christmas lights kind of loose their purpose of making you feel cosy. Everywhere I went where there were displays with xmas trees, snowflakes and santa clauses and I just thought this cannot be real- SERIOUSLY is it really Christmas?!

However I think it may have been one of the best to date. It really inherited what christmas means- everyone getting together having a good time- friends, family, and of course family of friends! We even had an old gramaphone playing old songs from vinyl- it doesn't get much chrismassy than that!

Unfortunetly the all day christmas mash up took it toll on me after months of not drinking and safe to say I was quite a mess on Boxing Day. Perfect timing for a camping trip of course!

We headed to the campsite which was next to a lake via a Woolworths supermarket and the Bottle-O but I was as much use as fish out of water, flapping around on the shore. The only thing I needed was water and to lie down- buying alcohol and being useful just weren't possible the way I was feeling thank god it didn't last all day. Drinking again however was not on my agenda unlike everyone else and I slopped off to the tent at a half way respectable hour.

The following day having recovered I spent the day just in camp getting some quite time while everyone else went and sat by the lake fishing and chatting. After chatting to one of Daisy's friends Simon about 'An Idiot Abroad', Liz brought me the book from her bookshelf and said I could have it; I had almost fell off my chair I was so happy when she gave me it and continued to gush about the series with Simon while looking through the photos in the book. That day in the campsite seemed like a perfect opportunity to read it so spent the day doing so- I couldn't wait to tell Felix that I had it.

Pretty shattered, I went to bed early after an interesting concoction of a meatballs, knocci, and rice dish we bodged together on Simon's sophisicated camping stove.

In the morning, me and Daisy got a lift back to the city from her other friend Dean. It was lovely to have spent Christmas with them but now for my next leg of my adventure and on to Sydney!