Traveling means having to say good-bye sometimes...

"Maybe some people just aren’t meant to be in our lives forever. Maybe some people are just passing through. It’s like some people just come through our lives to bring us something: a message or a lesson we need to learn, and that’s why they’re here...to teach us something about ourselves"... - The Gift

Traveling isn`t always sunshine & lollipops--- rainbows & open green pastures. There are aspects of travel that really (pardon the slang) suck. It really bums me out when I meet someone, spend oodles of time with them, and then more or less look them in the eye as they`re leaving and say good-bye. But, really, that good-bye for me is like saying, "well--- it was nice knowing you. Hope you have a nice life." Sometimes I find myself deliberately ignoring new travelers in the hostel because I think it`s just easier that way. I mean, really, what is the point of going out of my way to get to know someone who is just going to be leaving in a few days?

Yesterday, someone who has been around in Coogee for almost as long as I have left to return home, and I was feeling really bummed afterward. The past three months have been spent hanging around with that person and having that person around--- and then poof! He`s gone! Your life remains the same except that person is no longer in it--- and all of a sudden you don`t know what to do with yourself.

The past three months have been the most ridiculously confusing months of my life. It has been like one big roller coaster ride! I may not see this person again--- and within a few days it might not even phase me so much if I ever see this person again... but I will probably always regret the way I acted around him--- the way things progressed between us. It was this "why bother getting to know new people who are just going to be leaving" attitude that I`ll always regret...

But I really think everything happens for a reason--- and I really think that I was intended to meet this individual to teach me something about myself. I think I was intended to meet someone who was going to open up my eyes and make me realize that such a "cynical" and "assertive" attitude is such a poor one to have while traveling (or at any time at all). "We never know what might happen--- where things might go---- how things might turn out---- whether or not we might see that person again."

I am going to try my hardest to loosen the grip on my protective shell...


A few random pics from the past three months....

A Tuesday night out at the Coogee Bay Hotel spent watching a Rugby game in the Sports Bar. Sadly, I look like a deer caught in the headlights (so not such a good pic).

On Monday mornings, I help out Rachael (hostel cleaner) with her duties because it is a really busy check-in/check-out day for the hostel. Here is a pic from a few months back (when we first met in the hostel). No doubt, American Frank is saying something really American- like (arrogant and ignorant) and I am flashing him my turned up nose look that says "I can`t believe you just said that to me." Haha

The night we all went out to watch a Rugby game between two Sydney rival teams...

Just another night in---lounging in room #3... Frank went for a haircut a few weeks back and ended up leaving the shop with an Australian mullet, which then led him to shave his hair all off.... now he just looks like a peanut...! haha

The three American stooges... (back when Frank had a). hair & b). a six pack and not a beer gut... haha

The barricade the Americans created in the hostel on one of their very first nights in an attempt to meet other people... haha (you wouldn`t even believe their tactics!)

And so another chapter is closed. May a new one begin...

The most ghetto $398 hotel room I`ve ever seen! HAHA

Hardly the Plaza Hotel, but staying there, I felt as though I was the luckiest person alive!!! I felt as though I had died & gone to heaven...

It`s funny how our perspective on things changes as we are exposed and thus adapt to our less than perfect surroundings. (Now I don`t mean to imply that living in a hostel is such a terrible standard of living, but it is one of limited privacy, limited amenities, and limited luxuries (ok--- zero luxuries!) It can really start to get to you after awhile, especially in my case in which I both live and work in the hostel. I breathe it & live it... day after day!


Yesterday afternoon, a friend of mine (who would be flying back home today) and I decided to get a hotel room in the city for the night to be closer to the airport for this morning`s flight. I, having the night off from work, (and desperate for an escape from the chaotic hostel life) jumped at the idea of a queen size bed, an actual bathtub, fresh linens, my own television, etc etc etc! On the bus ride into the city--- I literally felt like a 5- year old child who had just won her dream trip to Disney World!!! (Not a word of a lie!)

Now--- it has to be said that I booked the hotel room on the internet by means of a last minute Sydney accommodation website. Online, the regular room price was quoted at $398--- discounted to $119. I expected a somewhat modern looking room--- basic, but at the very least modern! Walking into the lobby and seeing its freshly painted walls, its bright ambiance, colorful and cheerful loungers, I knew I wouldn`t be disapointed with the room. It would be worth that $398! Bahaha! This is what we actually found...

Decent entrance and general building maintenance...

5 pillows!!!!!!!!! Can you spell L-U-X-U-R-Y???????????

The bathroom was nothing to write home about, but it had a BATHTUB!!!!! (and HOT WATER!!!)... and FRESH TOWELS!!!! and a CLEAN TOILET SEAT!!!!...

Ghetto Whale Cove looking furniture...

Rocking the `70`s look at $398/night? Puh- lease!!!!!

Another bedroom shot... Perhaps I should have made the beds before I took the pic? hehe

Anyways, to make a long story short--- despite the fact that the $398 hotel room turned out to be a pretty ghetto looking thing, I couldn`t have been any happier had I been spending a night at the Plaza Hotel! It felt absolutely AMAZING to escape the hostel boundaries even for just a few hours... To think--- at one point in my life (when hotels were my thing) a room like this one might have sent me running in the opposite direction... What? No turndown service? What? No jetted tub? What? No blinds? What? What? What? What?

To recap the day/night: Took a bus into the city from Coogee at around 3pm. Arrived at the hotel about 40 minutes later. Lounged around for a bit in front of the television! Indulged in a nice HOT bath for the longest time! Once ready, made our way just across the street to Sidebar for a bite to eat and a few quiet drinks. Debated whether or not we should go out to a movie, but then soon concluded that the warmth of the hotel room was more appealing (it`s bloody cold out these nights!)... Nestled under the covers with 5 pillows!!!!!!! and watched some good `ol television for the next 5 hours!!!!!!!!! Haha... This might seem like the world`s most boring night out--- but to me--- it was fantastic!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! haha

Surf`s Up at the Coogee Bay Hotel

The countdown officially begins--- only 5 short weeks remaining before I pack up my belongings (then again, I live out of a backpack so my things are already at the door ready to make tracks) and say good-bye to Surfside...

Here`s a random pic of my Surfside co-workers (minus Hannah Banana who is staying away from the bar scene while she saves money for a trip to the US next month)... Once again, I found myself at the Coogee Bay Hotel falling victim to the "voucher" phenomenon (basically, we give out coupon booklets at work and we cut out as many Coogee Bay Hotel free drink vouchers as we can and then drink for free all night! haha).

5 weeks to Malaysia and the Philippines...

MUST GET IN SHAPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

35 days until I set out on my Southeast Asia adventure in Malaysia and the Philippines. Sadly, Coogee has turned me into a lazy choco-holic! It`s time to crack down on myself and whip myself into "better shape" (top shape may be asking for too much! haha). Beginning tomorrow (after today`s hangover subsides), it`s strictly healthy eating and walking/running a minimum of 5 days a week. The American leaves Tuesday, the majority of the girls have moved on--- so there should be no excuses or distractions anymore! It`s time to focus, focus, focus !!!!

MAY GOALS: 1). Absolutely no chocolate, chips, or junk food of any kind for 1 whole month! 2). Be active at least 5 days per week 3). Absolutely no more alcohol consumption! 4). Increase H2O intake...

I will periodically report my progress... (I was looking through freshman year pics a few night`s ago and was absolutely traumatized!!!!!!!!... Must not go down that road again!!!

A stroll through the Chinese Gardens...

A few weeks ago when I made my final decision to leave Sydney at the beginning of June, I sat down and made a list of the last few things I wanted to see and do before leaving. At the top of my list was a day spent strolling along the Chinese Gardens in downtown Sydney. Although the weather has been absolutely miserable lately (what are we Day #15 of rain?), Shaina and I decided to brave the potential crap weather and check out the gardens once and for all. As luck would have it, the weather remained relatively agreable--- the rain held off until just minutes after we finished up at the gardens! woot woot!

I would highly recommend the Chinese Gardens to anyone visiting Sydney. The scenery was absolutely gorgeous! It`s so hard to believe that this beautiful garden enclosure is smack down in the middle of the city`s highrises! haha (in fact--- in a few photos you can probably see some of the city`s buildings in the background). Strolling through the gardens, and seeing all of the little Asian kiddies roaming about instantly reminded me of their absolute cuteness! I`m growing more and more excited for the Philippines to be reacquainted with the adorable little ones...

All in all--- the gardens were definitely worth the mere $6 admission fee. My only regret was having bought a Starbucks "flat white" (the Australian coffee term for a coffee made with milk) just minutes before entering the gardens. A herbal tea in the tea house on site would have been nice...

Rockin` the good `ol Aussie mullet! hehe

I`ve never seen a group of people rock the mullet hairstyle like the Aussies do. Grown men, young boys, baby boys, and grandaddies alike! BOY do they love the short on top long in back look! hehe... Funny story--- my American friend who has been here three months now was growing pretty desperate for a trim. He found himself in a local barber shop. The wrong razor length and forty dollars later, he too was rockin` the good `ol Aussie mullet!!! HAHA (sadly he was so traumatized by the makeover that he shaved his entire head the very minute he got home...)--- (Too bad! It would`ve made a good pic for my blog!)

I couldn`t help but snap a shot of this little guy as he splashed about in the water downtown Sydney this afternoon... Boy is he going to resent his poor Aussie parents a few years down the road! hehe

Don`t EVER tell me MY toes are abnormal!!!!

Finger toes meet club toes...

Ok, so maybe my toes ARE abnormally long---- tonight, a girl in my dorm room happened to mention that she had abnormally small toes and the minute I laid eyes on them I knew a picture of the two side by side was an absolute must!

DON`T EVER TELL ME MY TOES ARE ABNORMAL!!!

Night terrors?

Do you know what the sleep disorder "Night Terrors" is?.... I DO NOW!!!

... So last night I was sleeping quite peacefully (trying to catch up some much needed sleep!) when all of a sudden my top bunk was shaking!!!!!!!!!!!!

You might ask yourself, "Was it an earthquake?" NOPE!!! "Was it an elephant breaking into the hostel?" NOPE!!!... It`s my new Scottish roomate (on my bottom bunk) trembling uncontrollably. Next thing I know, she is jolting out of her bed and pacing back and forth across the room while shouting "stop it!", "NOOOOOOOO", and " leave me alone!" Freaked out, I jump out of my own bed and ask her if something is wrong. I ask her if she has had to much to drink thinking her outburst might be a bottle of wine talking or something. In a very disoriented tone, she tells me that she gets bad nightmares. I accept this, and she gets back into her bed just as quickly as she left it--- I`m still a little bit weirded out by her sudden outburst, and so struggle to fall back asleep. The craziness did not end here. There were about six additional outbursts throughout the night. Paralyzed with fear that she might be possessed by the devil (we`ve all seen it in movies), my gut was telling me to get the hell out of the room, but at the same time I was worried she might take my stuff...

Come morning, I was still utterly confused by the night`s events. I mean, I myself have been the victim of nightmares, but I just kind of wake up with a start, examine my surroundings, and then fall back asleep two seconds later once I acknowledge everything is okay (it was just a nightmare). It wasn`t until I googled the symptoms of her outbursts that I realized that she has a serious sleep disorder! All I could think was, "if she knows she has such a problem- why the heck did she book herself into a tiny 4-bed share dorm?"--- honestly, noboby NOBODY needs to witness something like that!!!!!!!

Just another day at Surfside!

I often wonder how some of these people ever had the sense to find their way to Australia when they cannot even manage to successfully attempt some of the simple things in life... Tonight, Hannah (evening shutdowner) and I found ourselves scooping caked in laundry detergent from the lint trap because some poor fool apparently thought that the dryer was the washing machine!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Another baby who just left mummy... and just another day at Surfside... hmmmmm....

An accommodation comparison...

Sitting outside a small cafe downtown Sydney sipping my second flat white coffee of the day, it wasn`t long before the washroom was calling my name! Now it must be said that it is very rare to come across a coffee shop in the downtown precinct that actually has their own washroom--- shared communal toilets seem to be the norm. The particular coffee shop I found myself in offered toilet facilities to its patrons inside the Marriot Hotel, located just next door.

Let me tell you--- walking into the Marriott hotel was a complete reality check! A shock to the system almost as extreme as that of walking off a plane from North America into a swarm of Asian dwellers!... (Not a word of a lie!)

You see, upon entering my hostel for the first time three months ago, my initial impression was "Oh my--- what a friggin` dive!" The truth, however, is that the creatures that we are, we adapt to our surroundings. If someone were to come into the hostel and pick it apart, I would probably be unable to understand where they were coming from! The curtains aren`t so bad. The washrooms aren`t so scummy. The kitchen isn`t so poorly equipped. What on earth are you talking about?

A simple trip into the city from the beach/backpacker suburb of Coogee and a visit to a 4- star hotel is culture shock at its best! Men in suits? Is this for real? Don`t all men walk around barefoot and in sloppy tees and ragged surf shorts? A sink without a grimy layer of soap scum? Can I please just look at it for awhile? A framed painting? I forgot that such art existed! These days, the closest thing to art I see is graffiti! A stall equipped with two rolls of double ply toilet tissue to choose from? How absolutely heavenly! I may never peel my rear end off of this magnificent surface! I`m used to picking up the remnants of cardboard- like tolet paper off of the floor! A rubbish bin(Aussie word for garbage can! How proper...) that is lined with a piece of fabric and not sick or beer? How is this possible? A gold plated sign???? Shall I dare touch it?

Bahaha! The pictures speak for themselves....

An evening stroll along Darling Harbour...

April 18, 2008:

With a mere 6 weeks left to my "life in Sydney" I`ve decided that it`s high time I get out there and see some of the sites! The hostel is finally beginning to slow down quite a bit and there are only a few of us "lifer`s" left in dorm #3. Canadian Meaghan (one of the lifer`s who`ll be leaving on Tuesday to make her way up the East Coast) and I finally got our act together this afternoon and decided to make our way into the city to do a bit of city exploring. Our original plan was to hit up both Paddy`s Market and the fish market, but because it rained all morning and we were late getting out--- it was after 4pm by the time we made it into the city (45 minute bus ride on a Friday afternoon) and so we were too late to stick to the plan!

Still determined to accomplish something, we decided to go for a stroll along Darling Harbour--- literally stopping every 5 seconds to pose for one picture or another.... With the sun now setting by 6pm, it wasn`t too long before we found ourselves in the dark and so we ended up chatting over green tea lattes at good `ol Starbucks!... (I`ve decided that a Starbucks pic is going to be my new travel trademark--- no matter where in the world I find myself--- it seems as though there`s always a Starbucks just around the corner!)