Sydney

I'm a total numbskull.
For a variety of reasons, resulting in a handful of face palms a day.  See what I did there? Handful of face palms? ...get it?..
Anyway, I forgot to pack my doohickey that allows me to transfer photos to my iPad. So there will be a lot less pics in these posts. Still I wanted to continue writing them because they've definitely become a bit of an online journal for me.
I left queenstown to fly to Auckland and my roomies and Bridgette (and her littles) all saw me off at the airport. Which was really sweet. I also bumped into another coworker on his way into QT and got to say goodbye. I have accumulated so much crap that we had to take 2 cars from the house to the airport. I already miss the friends I made there. I especially loved living with Dan and Robert and I've promised to return this summer and visit. So no tears allowed at the airport. Plus, as Dan quoted- "pimps don't cry".
I spent that nigh in Auckland after dropping off my heaps of crap in storage. It was such a change of pace from QT. I couldn't get over how loud it was! That night I slept in a 14 room dorm bed. Listening to the birds and cars with my room lit up by traffic lights.
I thought to myself, I'm truly a backpacker now. Packed in a room with other broke fools listening to the city and totally at ease. Way different then how I felt 10 months ago. I felt experienced. Ha.

Cut to my first night's thoughts in Sydney:
'I am a sheltered baby lamb that has wandered into the slaughterhouse.'

Sydney is a gorgeous, fun city. With tons of things to do and see.
My first day I was completely jet lagged and it was raining so I did almost nothing. Just a little walking around. The next day, I walked from the hostel down thought the big, giant park that leads to the harbor. I stopped at the Anzac Memorial, the museum and a couple of vistas with views of the Sydney opera house and bridge.
Then I wandered over to the very cool Rocks neighborhood. Took a quick stroll around the contemporary modern art museum-thhhhhbbbbbbttttttt. I just don't get it, man. I keep trying, it keeps seeming ridiculous.
That night I went back to the harbor to see the city at night.
The next day, I took a bus to Bondi. It's a really cool surf town in Sydney. I was hoping to do the trail from Bondi to Coogee but as soon as I got off the bus my ankle was tender. And giant. And tender.
So, I settled for limping around and people watching before heading back to the hostel. I guess the 7 hours of walking I had done the previous day did not agree with ye olde ankel injury.

I liked the neighborhood the hostel was in, close to everything but with the right amount of sleazy. Chinatown mixed with red light district mixed with a shopping mall. And so much delicious food! Everywhere! Nom nom nom

The hostel was absolute madness and I ended up changing rooms about halfway through my second night. The first night and a half I stayed in 1 room with 32 people, no windows. ugh the smell alone still makes me cringe.
Picture thirty 20yr olds fueled by all night drinking binges, drugs and hormones and let loose in a room together at night. It's how I picture a frat party, in Amsterdam.
Sydney was great. But I was so excited to be on my way to Bali.