Aussie: Sydney and Tassie

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  Launceston, Australia
Wednesday, April 9, 2008

"Oh please, Peter, your excuses are lamer than FDR's legs... (everyone gasps)... too soon?" - Brian Griffin (in the Family Guy)



G'day, mates.  There's something strange that happens to me when I go to new countries.  I can't seem to keep my budget down for the first few days.  It happened in New Zealand and it's happened in Aussie.  I think I need to get accustomed to my surroundings and splurge a little in the beginning to really get disciplined about budgeting.  I've managed to start cooking again, but the budget's getting hit in other ways.  Here's a quick summary of my time here:



I spent my first full day in Sydney's downtown area.  I did a ton of walking that day, at least seven miles, exploring the typical tourist sights.  I went to the neighborhood known as The Rocks, walked across part of the Harbour Bridge, and went to the Opera House.  I bought a ticket for a show at the Opera House called Didgeridoo Meets Orchestra, which combines the two types of music.  Fyi, the didgeridoo is an Australian instrument that's basically a long wooden horn and makes those "outback" sounds.  I would've preferred seeing a different show, but that was all that fit into my schedule.  It was still nice to see the inside during an actual performance and not on a tour. 



The next day I went to Bondi Beach, which is considered to be world-famous.  The place was pretty nice - the white sand felt like flour under my feet and the water was a nice blue-green.  I basically spent the day walking around and taking pictures.  The next two days I spent in a neighborhood known as Glebe, which is considered to be the "alternative" scene (read: hippies and other supposed weirdos).  Aside from a few very friendly pairs of females and a few people having conversations with themselves, I didn't think it was too different.  I stayed at a nice hostel (the nicest I've been to so far in Aussie) and met a few friendly people.  I don't want to pull a Barack Obama and bring out the race card (too soon?), but it's slightly embarassing when a Caucasian has to show an Asian how to make rice.  Such was the case in that hostel, but in my defense I've always had an electric rice cooker and have never had to make rice in a pot.  I also went to the Glebe market on Saturday, which is probably the best outdoor market I've been to.  They have good food stands (very important), clothing booths, book stands, live music, and other stuff.  Plus, the crowd is very diverse - there are supermodel-caliber girls rubbing shoulders with hippies and semi-gothic people.  Just a side note, in my general observation, Sydney does seem to have a lot of really good-looking girls.  I ended up buying two T-shirts because I'm starting to get a little tired of wearing the exact same stuff all the time.  Sydney is one of those places you just don't want to leave, but after four days I had to catch a flight to Tasmania. 



I arrived in Hobart, Tasmania on Sunday morning and met my Couchsurfing host.  I think I picked the wrong day to stay there because she just got served divorce papers and wasn't in a very good mood.  I spent the first half-hour sitting on her patio while she vented to a friend on the phone between bong hits.  Later, I walked around town and quickly realized that it'd be very difficult to travel in Tasmania by public transportation.  So, the next day I did another thing I told myself I wouldn't do (the first was staying in a hotel) - I rented a car.  That day, I went to Mt. Field National Park and did some short hikes.  The next day I went to Freycinet National Park and did some more short hikes.  I managed to squeeze in a hike up Mt. Amos during the late afternoon so the sun was shedding really good light.  Today, I drove to the Bay of Fires which, according to a local brochure, is supposed to be the world's second best beach.  It was nice - I again walked on flour-soft white sand and saw nice blue-green water.  As an added bonus, I found a small beach which I had to myself and spent some time there reading and eating.  Then I drove to Launceston (where I am now), and hopefully I can find someone at the hostel to share the ride (and the costs) for my return trip to Hobart.  All this driving is wearing me out, and I sort of feel like I'm pulling a John McCain and getting too old for this (too soon?).  At least that's how I feel for now, I think when I stop driving and start taking the bus it'll be better. 



Now, I've read somewhere that backpackers in Aussie can be really lazy and not really in a traveling spirit, and I've seen a lot of it myself.  Some of them drink all night and spend their days sleeping and watching TV.  Those people who are 'traveling' but aren't really traveling should do what Hillary should do and just go home (too soon?).  All I have to say to those people is, try working in a demanding job for a while and toiling and... I mean, gaining valuable work experience in a team-oriented environment with a high level of exposure to diverse organizations.  Then they will definitely get off their lazy arses and do something, I'm sure of it.  Anyway, that's my little rant.  It seems like travelers in New Zealand are on the whole a little more adventurous and travel-minded than here, but maybe I just haven't met the right people yet. 



Finally, those little political jokes are just for comic relief.  I've heard bits and pieces of political analysis on TV and thought I'd throw those bits and pieces into this post for a little fun.  Next post should be from Melbourne, Victoria, so until then, cheers!

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