2/28/10
Originally I was only supposed to have a two hour layover in Singapore, but when I looked closer at my ticket I realized that Egypt is a lot further than I had realized. Meaning I would have had to travel eight hours from Sydney to Singapore, wait two hours, fly another seven hours from Singapore to Dubai, wait two more hours, and then fly another three and a half hours to Cairo. I changed my flight so that I could extend my layover from two hours to two days. Also, when I was in New Zealand I met a girl, Angie, from Wisconsin, in the common area. After talking for ten or fifteen minutes we realized that we would be in Europe around the same time and exchanged facebook details in case our paths crossed in Europe. Having kept in touch through facebook, it turned out that we were flying to Singapore on the same day and made plans to check out the city together. My flight landed at 1:00pm and hers at 8:00pm. Arriving in Singapore I had no idea what to expect. All I really knew about the place was the stories I had heard about the strict laws against gum chewing, spitting, getting caned, and that food and taxis were cheap but everything else was really expensive. Getting off the plane I was immediately impressed by the beauty and cleanliness of the airport itself. It seemed that everywhere I turned there was colorful and well manicured plants and trees that reflected off of the perfectly polished tile floors. Passing through this indoor garden I headed out to the shuttle pickup to find my transfer bus waiting to take me to my hostel in the heart of Little India. The twenty minute ride to the hostel was about what expected, hectic and chaotic. Reaching the hostel I was immediately greeted by a helpful Englishman who ran things there and showed up to my room, or more appropriately, the where house. The dorms here were made up of one giant room divided into four sections consisting of eight beds each. No sooner than setting my bags down did I meet one of my bunkmates, Kelly, from Hermosa Beach. Well, actually from Oregon but had been living just two blocks away from me for quite some time before beginning her travels. After talking for some time with her I went downstairs to grab a beer and unwind before taking a shower and changing into some clean clothes. While having my beer Kelly came down and introduced me to Matt, a guy from Manhattan Beach who was also staying in the hostel. After chatting with him for some time I finished my beer and headed up for my shower. It was now 5:00 and since I had time to kill I went for a walk around little India. I thought the town was busy when I arrived, I found that it really comes alive at night, people walking the streets, driving, and filling the sidewalks of the street-side restaurants and coffee shops. After wandering Little India for a couple hours I found a little restaurant, filled only with locals, and decided to have dinner there. I ordered chicken, rice, and veggies in curry from the counter and then chose a nice table directly on the curb. Quickly my plate, or platter I should say, arrived beautifully presented on a giant banana leaf. Eating every delicious last bite I then went to the counter to pay. Five Singapore dollars the man said. Five dollars! Amazing. From there I headed down the street a few blocks to Arab Street, the Muslim area of the town. Here I again wandered the streets for some time and checked out a couple mosques before heading back to the hostel to meet Angie. I ordered a beer and again found a nice table on the curb to enjoy my beer and wait for my friend. Her taxi pulled up shortly after nine, she dropped her bags, and pulled up a chair to join me for a beer. Kelly was celebrating her birthday that night and invited us to join her and her friend Alex for some delicious carrot cake and a couple more beers with them. After some time Alex left and Kelly headed off to bed, leaving Angie and I to find out a little more about each other and figure out what we wanted to do the following day. We quite easily agreed upon walking around town for a while and then head to the zoo.
3.02.2010
3.01.2010
Sydney, The Right Way
2/26/10
Arriving in Sydney I contacted Theresa, a friend from Ireland, that I had met in New Zealand who had recently moved to Sydney to study and offered me a place to stay while I was I there. This worked out perfectly as I was arriving on Saturday and she didn’t have classes till Monday. After a short train ride to the University, she met me at the station and we walked back to her flat. Once there, I showered, ate some lunch, had a glass of wine and headed out for the day. The plan: catch a train to the Opera House, a ferry to Manly Beach, clearly named after me, and then see where the night took us. After getting off at the wrong station, thinking we made a wrong transfer, and taking a much longer walk than was needed, we reached the Opera House. I have to admit that even though I have seen many pictures of the Opera House, the single most photographed place in Australia; it is much more impressive in person.
After snapping a few pictures from the side that we approached from, we began a quick walk around the building. From there we boarded a ferry to Manly, and we then able to take a few more photos from the harbor itself. Theresa and I agreed that we both wanted to visit the Manly Oceanworld Museum and headed directly there. Unfortunately the last admission is at 4:30 and we arrived just fifteen minutes too late. Add this to the ever growing list of things I have missed or been late for on this trip. Plan B: grab a drink on the dock and make a plan. After lingering over a beer, we decided to head down to the beach and go for a walk. After a ten minute walk down the promenade we reached the main beach.
A long stretch of sand that was full of sunbathers, surfers, kite surfers, people playing volleyball, and others like us simply enjoying a stroll along the sand. Once we reached the other side of the bay we sat for some time and watched a large group of surfers sharing some fun peaky waves. From there we walked back to the other side of the bay to Blue Water Café to enjoy some dinner.
My first proper, go and sit at a restaurant dinner since I began traveling. As we finished eating, we realized it was already nine o’clock and headed back to the dock to catch the ferry.
Going back on the nighttime ferry we were able to catch some stunning views of the Sydney skyline, the Harbor Bridge, and yet another view of the Opera House. A train and short walk led us back to Theresa’s place for another glass of wine and to discuss our plans for the next day. Waking up not particularly early we took our time getting ready, ate some breakfast, and headed back into the city for another day of sightseeing. We originally had talked about going to the zoo, but given the extreme heat that day, we decided to go the Sydney Aquarium instead. On the train into the city I had mentioned that noodles sounded great and Theresa suggested we go to Chinatown for lunch and then head to Darling Harbor and the Aquarium.
Walking into a back alley and down some stairs, we headed to what seemed like a pretty dodgy food court type area, but as you might know, these can be some of the best places to eat. We were right. I had a delicious bowl of boat noodles and beef and Theresa enjoyed some tasty chicken and rice with vegetables.
From there we made the short, but very hot, walk into Darling Harbor, grabbed a coffee, and crossed the bridge to the aquarium. Upon entering I was immediately happy with our choice as the refreshing air conditioning felt amazing. The exhibits were pretty spectacular as well.
Starting out with some fish and turtles, we then came across a giant crocodile that happened to be hanging out right up against the glass just long enough for me to take a couple pictures.
From there it was onto a couple of snakes, that even though they are not sea snakes, can survive under water for quite a long time. Next exhibit, one of my favorites, was the tiny penguins. Standing here for about fifteen or twenty minutes, we watched the little guys swimming, waddling, and doing as penguins do so well, just standing around.
I love penguins. Next we saw some stonefish, lobsters, jellies, and loads of different fish as we made our way to the shark exhibit. This was incredible, displaying many different types of sharks ranging from black tip reef, white tip reef, grey reef, yellow, nurse, guitar fish, and even a couple more I can’t remember.
Also in the tanks were giant stingrays, yes like the one that killed Steve Irwin, giant sea turtles, and this other giant animal that looked like a cross between a manatee and a mermaid. Leaving there the next exhibit was The Great Barrier Reefquarium, consisting of a maze of tanks and pools displaying all the colorful corals, reef sharks, and schools of beautiful fish found on the main reef.
This concluded our visit to the aquarium and left us to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. Making a short stop at the internet cafe, I printed my flight itinerary and booked some things for Egypt, while Theresa looked at what was going on in Sydney that night. This worked out perfectly as we had found an outdoor short film festival said to draw a crowd of over 100,000. Making our way back to the train station we headed to the Royal Botanical Gardens where the festival was to be held. Entering the park at around nine pm was perfect as the, best videos were to be shown between nine and ten thirty.
What a cool experience sitting on the grass with over 100,000 people enjoying the shorts all created in Australia. After the lastmovie had played we joined the crowd and headed for the train station. Once getting back to Theresas it was time for me to repack my bag to be ready to fly. After a couple hours of that, I took a shower, and went to bed as I had to wake up at four to make the 5:07am train, so I could make the 5:53am transfer, so I could check in by 6:15 for my 8:15 plane flight to Singapore. Surprise, surprise, I made it all and even had time to eat breakfast at the airport. And what better to enjoy for breakfast in the early morning at the airport, a Sausage Mcmuffin with Cheese, OJ, and Hashbrowns. Yum.
Arriving in Sydney I contacted Theresa, a friend from Ireland, that I had met in New Zealand who had recently moved to Sydney to study and offered me a place to stay while I was I there. This worked out perfectly as I was arriving on Saturday and she didn’t have classes till Monday. After a short train ride to the University, she met me at the station and we walked back to her flat. Once there, I showered, ate some lunch, had a glass of wine and headed out for the day. The plan: catch a train to the Opera House, a ferry to Manly Beach, clearly named after me, and then see where the night took us. After getting off at the wrong station, thinking we made a wrong transfer, and taking a much longer walk than was needed, we reached the Opera House. I have to admit that even though I have seen many pictures of the Opera House, the single most photographed place in Australia; it is much more impressive in person.
After snapping a few pictures from the side that we approached from, we began a quick walk around the building. From there we boarded a ferry to Manly, and we then able to take a few more photos from the harbor itself. Theresa and I agreed that we both wanted to visit the Manly Oceanworld Museum and headed directly there. Unfortunately the last admission is at 4:30 and we arrived just fifteen minutes too late. Add this to the ever growing list of things I have missed or been late for on this trip. Plan B: grab a drink on the dock and make a plan. After lingering over a beer, we decided to head down to the beach and go for a walk. After a ten minute walk down the promenade we reached the main beach.
A long stretch of sand that was full of sunbathers, surfers, kite surfers, people playing volleyball, and others like us simply enjoying a stroll along the sand. Once we reached the other side of the bay we sat for some time and watched a large group of surfers sharing some fun peaky waves. From there we walked back to the other side of the bay to Blue Water Café to enjoy some dinner.
My first proper, go and sit at a restaurant dinner since I began traveling. As we finished eating, we realized it was already nine o’clock and headed back to the dock to catch the ferry.
Going back on the nighttime ferry we were able to catch some stunning views of the Sydney skyline, the Harbor Bridge, and yet another view of the Opera House. A train and short walk led us back to Theresa’s place for another glass of wine and to discuss our plans for the next day. Waking up not particularly early we took our time getting ready, ate some breakfast, and headed back into the city for another day of sightseeing. We originally had talked about going to the zoo, but given the extreme heat that day, we decided to go the Sydney Aquarium instead. On the train into the city I had mentioned that noodles sounded great and Theresa suggested we go to Chinatown for lunch and then head to Darling Harbor and the Aquarium.
Walking into a back alley and down some stairs, we headed to what seemed like a pretty dodgy food court type area, but as you might know, these can be some of the best places to eat. We were right. I had a delicious bowl of boat noodles and beef and Theresa enjoyed some tasty chicken and rice with vegetables.
From there we made the short, but very hot, walk into Darling Harbor, grabbed a coffee, and crossed the bridge to the aquarium. Upon entering I was immediately happy with our choice as the refreshing air conditioning felt amazing. The exhibits were pretty spectacular as well.
Starting out with some fish and turtles, we then came across a giant crocodile that happened to be hanging out right up against the glass just long enough for me to take a couple pictures.
From there it was onto a couple of snakes, that even though they are not sea snakes, can survive under water for quite a long time. Next exhibit, one of my favorites, was the tiny penguins. Standing here for about fifteen or twenty minutes, we watched the little guys swimming, waddling, and doing as penguins do so well, just standing around.
I love penguins. Next we saw some stonefish, lobsters, jellies, and loads of different fish as we made our way to the shark exhibit. This was incredible, displaying many different types of sharks ranging from black tip reef, white tip reef, grey reef, yellow, nurse, guitar fish, and even a couple more I can’t remember.
Also in the tanks were giant stingrays, yes like the one that killed Steve Irwin, giant sea turtles, and this other giant animal that looked like a cross between a manatee and a mermaid. Leaving there the next exhibit was The Great Barrier Reefquarium, consisting of a maze of tanks and pools displaying all the colorful corals, reef sharks, and schools of beautiful fish found on the main reef.
This concluded our visit to the aquarium and left us to figure out what to do with the rest of the day. Making a short stop at the internet cafe, I printed my flight itinerary and booked some things for Egypt, while Theresa looked at what was going on in Sydney that night. This worked out perfectly as we had found an outdoor short film festival said to draw a crowd of over 100,000. Making our way back to the train station we headed to the Royal Botanical Gardens where the festival was to be held. Entering the park at around nine pm was perfect as the, best videos were to be shown between nine and ten thirty.
What a cool experience sitting on the grass with over 100,000 people enjoying the shorts all created in Australia. After the lastmovie had played we joined the crowd and headed for the train station. Once getting back to Theresas it was time for me to repack my bag to be ready to fly. After a couple hours of that, I took a shower, and went to bed as I had to wake up at four to make the 5:07am train, so I could make the 5:53am transfer, so I could check in by 6:15 for my 8:15 plane flight to Singapore. Surprise, surprise, I made it all and even had time to eat breakfast at the airport. And what better to enjoy for breakfast in the early morning at the airport, a Sausage Mcmuffin with Cheese, OJ, and Hashbrowns. Yum.
Byron Bay… I love You!
2/22/10
Arriving in Byron at around noon I was very disappointed to be greeted by rain. Discouraged I headed to the internet café and took care of some things in the hopes that the rain would pass. Emerging from the dark café about an hour later I was delighted to see the clouds had lifted and there was nothing but blue skies and sun. I decided to store my bags and take a walk around town before heading down to the beach to relax and maybe do some bodysurfing if there were any waves. Walking the town I immediately loved the energy, and as I reached the beach I was shocked at what I saw. Not only was the sky blue, the water crystal clear, the winds off shore, but the waves were head high and even bigger on some sets. After watching a couple surfers catch some amazing waves I literally back into town, found a place to rent a board, and was in the water within fifteen minutes. This was amazing. To the right was a green hillside forming a headland with a litehouse out in front, eventually wrapping around to the beach behind me, and to the left more beach stretching off into the distance where I could barely make out the next headland. I surfed for two and a half hours, right up until I had to go get my bags out of the storage lockers. After retrieving my bags I headed to the Beach Hotel, just across from where I was just surfing, to have a beer and watch the wonderful waves continue to break. After a beer and some lengthy conversation with a very talkative local, I headed to the park to eat a little something, relax and wait for my 13 hour bus to Sydney. The bus was completely full, but I managed to score a window seat, perfect for sleeping because I could rest my head against the glass. Unfortunately all the petit people kept passing me by, and then it happened. Here is where you think I’m going to say this amazingly beautiful girl came an sat next to me. I wish! Instead I saw pass throught he bus door a guy standing about six foot seven. I swear his arms were as long as my legs. Naturally he approached me and asked if the seat next to me was available. I said it was and he squeezed himself into the seat. His legs were so long that he had to stick them out in the isle, but only for the first few hours till he turned them in my direction. To top it off, apparently the girl behind me must have been enormous as well because her knees were in back the entire ride, except for every two minutes when she would sit up to cough. To say it was a long bus ride is an understatement. I did manage to sleep for about seven or eight hours though once the Tylenol pm kicked in…
Arriving in Byron at around noon I was very disappointed to be greeted by rain. Discouraged I headed to the internet café and took care of some things in the hopes that the rain would pass. Emerging from the dark café about an hour later I was delighted to see the clouds had lifted and there was nothing but blue skies and sun. I decided to store my bags and take a walk around town before heading down to the beach to relax and maybe do some bodysurfing if there were any waves. Walking the town I immediately loved the energy, and as I reached the beach I was shocked at what I saw. Not only was the sky blue, the water crystal clear, the winds off shore, but the waves were head high and even bigger on some sets. After watching a couple surfers catch some amazing waves I literally back into town, found a place to rent a board, and was in the water within fifteen minutes. This was amazing. To the right was a green hillside forming a headland with a litehouse out in front, eventually wrapping around to the beach behind me, and to the left more beach stretching off into the distance where I could barely make out the next headland. I surfed for two and a half hours, right up until I had to go get my bags out of the storage lockers. After retrieving my bags I headed to the Beach Hotel, just across from where I was just surfing, to have a beer and watch the wonderful waves continue to break. After a beer and some lengthy conversation with a very talkative local, I headed to the park to eat a little something, relax and wait for my 13 hour bus to Sydney. The bus was completely full, but I managed to score a window seat, perfect for sleeping because I could rest my head against the glass. Unfortunately all the petit people kept passing me by, and then it happened. Here is where you think I’m going to say this amazingly beautiful girl came an sat next to me. I wish! Instead I saw pass throught he bus door a guy standing about six foot seven. I swear his arms were as long as my legs. Naturally he approached me and asked if the seat next to me was available. I said it was and he squeezed himself into the seat. His legs were so long that he had to stick them out in the isle, but only for the first few hours till he turned them in my direction. To top it off, apparently the girl behind me must have been enormous as well because her knees were in back the entire ride, except for every two minutes when she would sit up to cough. To say it was a long bus ride is an understatement. I did manage to sleep for about seven or eight hours though once the Tylenol pm kicked in…
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