Trekking Solo: My Adventures Down Under

 

Sydney bound, I was so excited! I barely slept last night due to being afraid I'd miss my flight, the squeaky beds, and being pumped to see Lucy! I made it downstairs for the shuttle and to the airport. There was a stop at the bus station where I had to find my way to the airport- be proud again because I made it!

 

I got into Sydney, grabbed my bags and I found the train to Town Hall, near the hotel. Lucy had booked us a room at the Metro Hotel. I was beyond pumped to be staying at a nice hotel, with someone I knew, awesome water pressure, towels included, and comfortable beds. I dropped my bag off at the front desk and went to check out the area. I opted to check out the Tower Eye. Taking the tour was awesome. First, I made it to the inside top of the tower where there were awesome views of the entire city and beyond. You could walk all the way around. At 3:00 I went into a separate room for the tour where we geared up in special blue suits and got our harnesses. We got the safety talk, etc. and climbed up to the very top of the highest tower in the city. They played some pump up music as the door slowly opened to the outside and we hooked ourselves in and made our way out. 

We couldn't take cameras or anything that would drop. It would kill someone! But they took some pics of us outside.

 

As we walked around the tower, our tour guide told us about the city. We stopped a bunch and it was so cool seeing the bridge and opera house for the first time from above. We could see the Blue Mountains in the distance, too. The AUS girl in front was terrified of heights, why the h-e- double hockey sticks would you agree to that then!? She could hardly move around, but we made it. At one point, we went over the glass floor where we could see straight down. I'm not gonna lie, it was kinda scary. We were told to put our backs against the railing and look up at a light- 10 seconds later, the floor moved! We moved out on the platform a few yards.. AHH! So yes, I'd call that a thrill for the day. 

 

I walked around Pitt Street near where we were staying and waited for Lucy to get there- reunited! Yay!! I was so excited to see her! Luce drove about five hours from Wagga Wagga , NSW (a destination for my next AUS trip) and we got to hang for a couple days while I was there. Her friend, Dani, picked us up and we went out t the Opera House bars. We ate outside and the view was spectacular. The lit up Opera House in front of us and the Harbour Bridge to our left was the perfect way to see the city at night. We walked around and eventually made our way back to the hotel where Dani dropped us off. We walked around George Street and got some ice cream-- yum! 

 

Day two in Sydney we slept in a little and found a nice cafe and people watching spot on the main road for breakfast near Circular Quay. We were off to the Taronga Zoo! We rode the ferry to the zoo and got to ride the cable car up to the top. We saw gorillas, chimps, koalas, and elephants. What made this zoo especially unique was the view of the Sydney Harbour; the giraffes stood above many of the trees and had the best view behind them!

 

We saw the nasty, deadly snakes exhibit and then got to go to the bird show. It's like a magic trick, those birds were completely trained. How do you train birds?! The red parrots, white corellas, and other big birds were included as well. I just kept thinking about how cool it would be to work there. Speaking of work, people get paid like $24 minimum wage and have a mandatory 4week vacation that can roll over- not including government holidays and sick days. WOW! I do believe Americans should adopt this policy..

We would have happier people and potentially a higher work efficiency, not to mention more jobs available. 

 

After a great day at the zoo, we walked around the harbor and saw the Carnival cruise ship. There were a ton of reporters set up on the pier, and I knew something must've happened. That was the cruise where two people went missing, and we heard the breaking news live, in person! Scary and very sad, the couple has died at sea. I don't know about y'all, but that makes me not want to cruise anytime soon. And.. I am officially convinced that Carnival is being sabotaged.

 

Anyways.. Walking back to the hotel, we met up with another CMW friend, Kelli Hewitt! The three of us had such a good time out, getting to catch up and chat. We got dinner, drinks, and wandered around Darling Harbour- another beautiful place in Sydney! They were wonderful tour guides and I really loved trading in the bridge climb and Harbour cruise for a locals perspective in the city. 

 

Thank you, Kelli, for booking my trip, giving me hints along the way, and coming to see us when you really needed to pack! I'm so jealous you are going back to camp this summer. It's going to be amazing! See you when I come visit, love you crazy girl!!

 

..the next morning.. Lucy drove me out to see Bondi Beach. It's pronounced "Bond-eye" by the way.. Don't get caught saying "Bond-ee." We had breakfast at a cafe along the boardwalk and people-watched. Loved it! We saw the famous "Bondi Rescue" lifeguards and checked out the souvenir shops.. It kind of reminded me of a small Myrtle Beach with beautiful water. After time there, Lucy dropped me off at the airport and I may or may not have shed a tear or two when saying goodbye to her! 

 

Luce, thanks so much for everything. That was an amazing stay in Sydney and I loved all of it! I'm so glad I got to see you, and I'm glad you could make it. I hope the pups are doing well and that you are living it up in Wagga! Hoping to make it back with some MW girls to visit you next time! Miss you already and love you lots!!

 

I flew into Cairns, about a 3 hour flight, and checked into my hotel. I continued the nicer stays and was glad I did for quality sleep's sake. It was pretty late when I got there already, and I was on the hunt for food. First time out by myself at night went really well. I went to a place on "Abbott Street" called Outback Jacks. There I had my first taste of crocodile, a d it tasted a little like chicken. Sitting by myself was kind of nice because the super cute bartender kept checking on me and kept me company a bit. After keeping myself calm and cool around the cute Aussi boys, I left and walked through the night markets.

There were a lot of common knick-knack souvenirs and a ton of Asian cheap massages. It was really awkward because everyone was together in the room- I opted out. Made it back to the hotel all in one piece and fell asleep to the tv after setting my alarm for 5AM.