Well after some problems with flights which Alex has detailed we eventually made it safe and sound to Sydney (minus biltong =[ ). More of Alex's wonderful extended family greeted us and then proceeded to help us a lot with various touristy things. At first however we had a real culture shock; coming from SA we were on super-alert mode about safety concerns and not seeing barbed wire and bars on doors and windows actually made us feel quite uneasy!
Anyway, we did the touristy thing and went to Palm beach (which has no palm trees...) and got trains into Sydney to see the sights. The Opera House actually looked quite small at first, but when the weather cleared up it looked fantastic. In fact the whole city is so modern and shiny it just gleams in the sun. We got a ferry to Manly beach and the city and harbour look even better from the water - definitely reccomended!
We had a minnie-drama when we thought we were going to get fined by the Oz Bus for not turning up while we were still in Joburg, but it was fine and re-booked to depart on saturday. We left Richard and Anne-Lii's at 4ish in friday and then proceeded to stay up all night in Sydney. We figured it was easier than having to wake up for a 6.40 bus! We met some people Alex knew from Symonds and they hung out with us till six, then we got our bags from some lockers we'd rented and boarded the bus.
First stop was Surf Camp! Along the way we stopped for munch and at a Surfing Museum curated by an impressively energetic (and horny...) 80 year old surfer dude who is a bit of a legend in the surf culture here. He told us stories of shark attacks which was great just before our first lesson! Arrived at Surf Camp at 6pm, and started the boozing. Camp Fire songs and drunken singing were the order of the day till two in the morning with me and two other guys sharing the guitar (one of whom was actually the camp guitarist and was really good).
Wake up call was 6am... Alex, this guy James we'd met who also is going to do medicine and this German guy all jumped out, grabbed some brekky and then waited for the other 14 dudes and dudettes on the tour to surface. Some didn't, and they really missed out. The surf lesson was fantastic, and needless to say we are now hooked. Unfortunately the beginner boards they use are like boats and are difficult to fall off if you try, so when we eventually used the real deal in Byron we suddenly weren't as good any more!
Departed Surf Camp at 11am after a few hours in the blue (and it was blue!) and journeyed up to Byron, from where I currently typing am! The weather is just getting better as we head north and we were up at half 8 this morning to go surfing. We spent all day on the beach and in the afternoon built the most awesome sand castle. And then destroyed it when the tide came in!
The only downside to Oz so far is the expense of things - our budget is out of the window while we're here but we saved so much in CT and will save so much in Thailand that we're happy to feel poor here for now. And the beach is free after all!
Photos will come, love to everyone reading!
xxxxxx
