Monday, October 17, 2011
Bondi Beach
Yesterday I went to Bondi Beach, the most famous beach in Sydney. It was pretty, but the water was freezing. It is early spring here and supposedly the water warms up as the summer progresses. There is a popular show in Australia called "Bondi Rescue" where they rescue tourists from the dangerous currents. Here are a few pictures from Bondi Beach and the cliff walk I took from Bondi Beach to another beach about a mile away.
After a week and a half of not talking to an American and coming close to being integrated into french society, I met up with my friend Ram Kolluri, who was kind enough to show me around Sydney this past weekend. Ram went to Dartmouth with my good friend from high school Robbie Krattiger and he is here working at Goldman Sachs. We are also fraternity brothers (he was a Beta at Dartmouth) and his foreign co-workers find the concept of American fraternities and sororities very funny.
First Taste of Kangaroo
I ate kangaroo for the first time tonight in a Kangaroo Burger. It was actually really good. It doesn't taste much different than steak, but it is a little more tender. I felt kind of bad eating kangaroo after being around so many of them at the wildlife park last week, but kangaroo is actually a popular meat of choice in Australia. There are so many kangaroos in Australia that they have to be hunted in order for their population to be regulated. Unlike other animals who were harmed by European colonization, the kangaroo population has actually grown since the Europeans arrived because they have irrigated the land and created more farms, which has expanded the kangaroo's habitat. Here is a picture of my kangaroo burger:
I am now staying at a hostel in an area of Sydney called "The Rocks." It is a very nice area and it is odd to see a hostel in between two five star hotels. However, this hostel is incredibly nice. One of my roommates said he has backpacked all throughout Europe, South America and Australia and he said its the nicest hostel he's ever seen. It is brand new, built only 6 months ago. Here is a picture of the view from the rooftop terrace of my hostel:
I am now staying at a hostel in an area of Sydney called "The Rocks." It is a very nice area and it is odd to see a hostel in between two five star hotels. However, this hostel is incredibly nice. One of my roommates said he has backpacked all throughout Europe, South America and Australia and he said its the nicest hostel he's ever seen. It is brand new, built only 6 months ago. Here is a picture of the view from the rooftop terrace of my hostel:
Rugby World Cup Semifinal: Australia vs. New Zealand
Australia (Wallabies) played New Zealand (All Blacks) in the semifinal of the Rugby World Cup last night in Auckland, New Zealand. New Zealand's team, the All Blacks as they are called, is the number 1 ranked team in the world and Australia is ranked number 2. These two countries are huge rivals when it comes to rugby, so this was a huge game. The All Blacks are kind of like the Yankees of the rugby world, but they have not won the World Cup in 24 years. The All Blacks ended up winning 20-8 and they will play France in the final next Sunday night.
There was a big watch party at a place called Darling Harbour. They had big TVs set up for everyone to watch it. Here is a pic from that:
I watched the game at a bar and was surprised when the match began with the video below. Apparently the All Blacks do this pregame battle ritual before every game. It is called the Haka. It is pretty intense, check out the video:
There was a big watch party at a place called Darling Harbour. They had big TVs set up for everyone to watch it. Here is a pic from that:
I watched the game at a bar and was surprised when the match began with the video below. Apparently the All Blacks do this pregame battle ritual before every game. It is called the Haka. It is pretty intense, check out the video:
Friday, October 14, 2011
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson is a book about an American traveling through Australia and he gives some really interesting facts and stories about Australia. I had it recommended to me by a friend (thank you McClain if you're reading this) at the perfect time. I got to the part where he is riding a train from Sydney to the Blue Mountains when I was on my train ride from Sydney to the Blue Mountains. It was pretty cool to read someone elses account of the same trip I was going on.
Updates - 10/14
Yesterday I booked two dives at the Great Barrier Reef for next week when I go to Cairns. Although the Reef is home to 1/3 of the world's shark species, I am very excited. Everyone tells me that it is a must do when you come to Australia. The reef is the world's largest living thing and the only living thing visible from space.
I was talking to one Aussie and he was making fun of an American who came to Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics and asked where in Sydney he could go to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. To be honest, before I booked my trip and did a little research I would have thought that you could snorkel the Great Barrier Reef from Sydney. However, the Great Barrier Reef begins about 800 miles up the coast, and the real hub city for the Reef, Cairns, is about 1100 miles from Sydney. So, roughly the same distance between Miami and NYC.
My roommates the past few nights have been 4 people from France and one guy from London. I have gotten to know one of the guys from France pretty well and last night we went out and got a few drinks and it was interesting to hear his take on things. Earlier on in the week he heard me tell someone I was from "Oklahoma, which is near Texas." He told me that when I mention Texas it automatically makes foreigners (especially French people) think less of me because "everyone hates Texas and George Bush." I forgot how much the French disliked W.
I told him about the French stereotype we have in America (arrogant, stuck up) and asked him why a lot of French people are rude to Americans when they visit France and can't speak English. He said it is because the French people are so bad at English that they get frustrated because of the communication barrier. He said that only being able to speak French is a huge problem in France right now and the government now requires kids to start taking English from the age of 6. In fact, this guy is in Australia right now to learn better English. He speaks very poor English and while we were having our drinks we constantly had to translate through the mini French-English dictionary he brought with him. He was a very nice guy and everyone from France that I have met thus far have all been very kind. I have a new view of them after being over here.
I was talking to one Aussie and he was making fun of an American who came to Sydney for the 2000 Summer Olympics and asked where in Sydney he could go to snorkel at the Great Barrier Reef. To be honest, before I booked my trip and did a little research I would have thought that you could snorkel the Great Barrier Reef from Sydney. However, the Great Barrier Reef begins about 800 miles up the coast, and the real hub city for the Reef, Cairns, is about 1100 miles from Sydney. So, roughly the same distance between Miami and NYC.
My roommates the past few nights have been 4 people from France and one guy from London. I have gotten to know one of the guys from France pretty well and last night we went out and got a few drinks and it was interesting to hear his take on things. Earlier on in the week he heard me tell someone I was from "Oklahoma, which is near Texas." He told me that when I mention Texas it automatically makes foreigners (especially French people) think less of me because "everyone hates Texas and George Bush." I forgot how much the French disliked W.
I told him about the French stereotype we have in America (arrogant, stuck up) and asked him why a lot of French people are rude to Americans when they visit France and can't speak English. He said it is because the French people are so bad at English that they get frustrated because of the communication barrier. He said that only being able to speak French is a huge problem in France right now and the government now requires kids to start taking English from the age of 6. In fact, this guy is in Australia right now to learn better English. He speaks very poor English and while we were having our drinks we constantly had to translate through the mini French-English dictionary he brought with him. He was a very nice guy and everyone from France that I have met thus far have all been very kind. I have a new view of them after being over here.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
First Odd Job of the Trip
After I got back from Manly I went and helped a restaurant get ready to open for dinner. I mopped the floor and did some dishes for a few hours and got paid $30. Not a ton of money but it is better than nothing. Here are some examples of the way hostels help you find jobs by posting these signs. I think Australia is rare in that it's relatively easy to find random ways to make money here and there while travel, but I could be completely wrong.
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| Sign at hostel |
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| Typical sign at most hostels |
Manly Beach
I started off the morning with a ferry ride to the island of Manly, which is a 25 minute ferry ride from Sydney. Manly Island is equipped with a good sized beach and lots of restaurants and shops. Here are a few pictures from the ferry ride and Manly:
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| Opera House |
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| Beach at Manly |
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Interesting Facts/Observations
I try to make a note of interesting facts and observations that I stumble upon while reading or going on tours, etc. Here are a few:
- Aussies are huge gamblers, many would say they have a gambling problem. Australia has less than 1% of the world's population, but over 20% of the world's slot machines. Seemingly every pub you walk into over here has at least one slot machine with some poor bloke wasting away his hard earned dollars trying to double up on his money.
- Yes, Aussies really do use the word "mate," and they use it a lot. The word is so ubiquitous here I almost can't even describe it. They use it more than we use "man," "bro," and "dude" combined. Any time you walk into a bar, hotel, cafe, museum, etc. "What can I get ya, mate?" "How's it going, mate?" "Hey mate!" It's been a week here and I've already caught myself saying it a few times without even thinking about it. You really can't be here and not say it.
- You can hunt kangaroos here, they are a regulated hunting game just like deer are in the US. To put into perspective the size of the kangaroo population here, for every 1 person in Australia there are at least 2 kangaroos. If that were true of deer in the USA, there would be over 600 million deer. There are an estimated about 20 million deer in the US today.
- I travel backwards in time on my flight home to the US. My flight leaves Sydney at 11 a.m. and I land in Los Angeles at 6 a.m. that same day.
- This is a quote from a book that I thought put Australia, and especially its founding, into good perspective: "When the Europeans first arrived to this strange island they were baffled, everything seemed to be the opposite of reality. The seasons were backwards, swans were black (a feat considered scientifically impossible in Europe), large animals hopped instead of ran, and trees shed their bark instead of their leaves."
- I think I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but there is a species of jellyfish over here called the Box Jellyfish that is so poisonous that if you get stung by one and do not receive immediate medical attention you will go into cardiac arrest and die within 5 minutes. They have some sort of anti-venom and defibrillators at almost every beach where box jellyfish have been seen. If you see a sign like this you are never supposed to get even within a few feet of the water:
- Probably the biggest national news story going on over here right is a 14 year old Aussie boy was caught buying a small amount of weed in Bali, Indonesia and they are considering sentencing him to 12 years in prison. The boy's mother, father and lawyer are over there pleading with the Indonesian government to let him go back to Australia but no one knows what will happen. The sad thing is the Indonesian who sold it to him isn't even in trouble.
- It's the Wallabees (Australia) vs. All Blacks (New Zealand) in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals this Sunday. It is a huge game and everyone over here is talking about it. Australia and New Zealand have a huge rivalry in rugby and the rugby world cup is a huge deal down here, it reminds me of when the soccer world cup was going on while I was in Europe last summer.
- Aussies are huge gamblers, many would say they have a gambling problem. Australia has less than 1% of the world's population, but over 20% of the world's slot machines. Seemingly every pub you walk into over here has at least one slot machine with some poor bloke wasting away his hard earned dollars trying to double up on his money.
- Yes, Aussies really do use the word "mate," and they use it a lot. The word is so ubiquitous here I almost can't even describe it. They use it more than we use "man," "bro," and "dude" combined. Any time you walk into a bar, hotel, cafe, museum, etc. "What can I get ya, mate?" "How's it going, mate?" "Hey mate!" It's been a week here and I've already caught myself saying it a few times without even thinking about it. You really can't be here and not say it.
- You can hunt kangaroos here, they are a regulated hunting game just like deer are in the US. To put into perspective the size of the kangaroo population here, for every 1 person in Australia there are at least 2 kangaroos. If that were true of deer in the USA, there would be over 600 million deer. There are an estimated about 20 million deer in the US today.
- I travel backwards in time on my flight home to the US. My flight leaves Sydney at 11 a.m. and I land in Los Angeles at 6 a.m. that same day.
- This is a quote from a book that I thought put Australia, and especially its founding, into good perspective: "When the Europeans first arrived to this strange island they were baffled, everything seemed to be the opposite of reality. The seasons were backwards, swans were black (a feat considered scientifically impossible in Europe), large animals hopped instead of ran, and trees shed their bark instead of their leaves."
- I think I may have mentioned this in an earlier post, but there is a species of jellyfish over here called the Box Jellyfish that is so poisonous that if you get stung by one and do not receive immediate medical attention you will go into cardiac arrest and die within 5 minutes. They have some sort of anti-venom and defibrillators at almost every beach where box jellyfish have been seen. If you see a sign like this you are never supposed to get even within a few feet of the water:
- It's the Wallabees (Australia) vs. All Blacks (New Zealand) in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals this Sunday. It is a huge game and everyone over here is talking about it. Australia and New Zealand have a huge rivalry in rugby and the rugby world cup is a huge deal down here, it reminds me of when the soccer world cup was going on while I was in Europe last summer.
Why are Aussies so happy?
I anticipated that my first several weeks over here would be kind of tough due to the typical culture shock that many people go through when staying in a foreign country for an extended period of time. I haven't had the least bit of culture shock or real homesickness yet and I think it is because the Australian people are so nice and the culture is so much life America's. Much more so than Europe, you can walk down the street in Sydney and you might not even know you are in a foreign country. There is a Subway, McDonalds, 7-11 on every corner. Every song you hear on the radio is American, every show on TV is American or at least an Australian version of an American show such as "Celebrity Apprentice: Australia."
I would say the culture is different in one distinct way: everyone here is nice. That's not to say that most people aren't nice in the US, but here literally everyone is nice. It's almost strange. Everyone from hotel receptionists, to cafe workers, to people you meet on the street, to bus drivers are cheerful and extremely helpful when you interact with them. I don't know what they are putting in the water down here, but it has made my transition from leaving the States and traveling by myself much easier.
I've looked more into the issue, and I think part of the reason everyone seems happy down here is that they have every reason to be. If you look at the statistics, Australia has an incredibly low rate of unemployment compared to the US and Europe. Australia: 5% unemployed, US: 9%, Europe: 9.5%. At my work program orientation the program leader put it this way, "young Australians don't worry about getting jobs, they know at any minute they can get a job and get paid well."
Consequently, Australia is an extremely wealthy country, with a GDP per capita income of $56,000. That is higher than countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan, France, England and Germany. In fact, it ranks 7th highest in the world only to: 1) Luxembourg, 2) Norway, 3) Qatar, 4) Switzerland, 5) United Arab Emirates and 6) Denmark.
There is a statistic called the "Human Development Index" which, and I'll quote Wikipedia on this, "is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide." Australia ranks second in this index, only to Norway, with New Zealand coming in third.
You combine all of these factors, low unemployment, high median household income, high life expectancy, a well educated society and couple it with great weather and an extremely peaceful society and it seems that it's members should be cheerful all of the time.
I've watched a ton of local news since I have been here and I have heard very little news about crime. The most gory story I've heard is a woman accidentally getting hit by a train in Melbourne. A notable story was 3 teenagers being caught by police after beating up a cab driver in Melbourne. The cab driver suffered only minor injuries and it made news in Sydney, which is 10 hours away from Melbourne by car. That would be like there being a headline in the Dallas Morning News: "3 St. Louis teenagers caught after giving cab driver minor bruises." In reality, for a STL headline to make a Dallas paper it would probably have to be something along the lines of "East St. Louis gang shootout leaves 17 dead, 13 wounded."
To be fair to the US, we have about 285 million more people than Australia, so that probably has something to do with it. But that could also be a possible cause of Australia's low crime rate, they have such a small population that it might make them feel more of a bond with one another.
To put Australia's population into perspective, land wise the country is slightly larger than the continental US, but has a population smaller than the state of Texas. Unfortunately, much of the country is Outback and virtually uninhabitable, but you get the point.
I would say the culture is different in one distinct way: everyone here is nice. That's not to say that most people aren't nice in the US, but here literally everyone is nice. It's almost strange. Everyone from hotel receptionists, to cafe workers, to people you meet on the street, to bus drivers are cheerful and extremely helpful when you interact with them. I don't know what they are putting in the water down here, but it has made my transition from leaving the States and traveling by myself much easier.
I've looked more into the issue, and I think part of the reason everyone seems happy down here is that they have every reason to be. If you look at the statistics, Australia has an incredibly low rate of unemployment compared to the US and Europe. Australia: 5% unemployed, US: 9%, Europe: 9.5%. At my work program orientation the program leader put it this way, "young Australians don't worry about getting jobs, they know at any minute they can get a job and get paid well."
Consequently, Australia is an extremely wealthy country, with a GDP per capita income of $56,000. That is higher than countries such as the USA, Canada, Japan, France, England and Germany. In fact, it ranks 7th highest in the world only to: 1) Luxembourg, 2) Norway, 3) Qatar, 4) Switzerland, 5) United Arab Emirates and 6) Denmark.
There is a statistic called the "Human Development Index" which, and I'll quote Wikipedia on this, "is a comparative measure of life expectancy, literacy, education and standards of living for countries worldwide." Australia ranks second in this index, only to Norway, with New Zealand coming in third.
You combine all of these factors, low unemployment, high median household income, high life expectancy, a well educated society and couple it with great weather and an extremely peaceful society and it seems that it's members should be cheerful all of the time.
I've watched a ton of local news since I have been here and I have heard very little news about crime. The most gory story I've heard is a woman accidentally getting hit by a train in Melbourne. A notable story was 3 teenagers being caught by police after beating up a cab driver in Melbourne. The cab driver suffered only minor injuries and it made news in Sydney, which is 10 hours away from Melbourne by car. That would be like there being a headline in the Dallas Morning News: "3 St. Louis teenagers caught after giving cab driver minor bruises." In reality, for a STL headline to make a Dallas paper it would probably have to be something along the lines of "East St. Louis gang shootout leaves 17 dead, 13 wounded."
To be fair to the US, we have about 285 million more people than Australia, so that probably has something to do with it. But that could also be a possible cause of Australia's low crime rate, they have such a small population that it might make them feel more of a bond with one another.
To put Australia's population into perspective, land wise the country is slightly larger than the continental US, but has a population smaller than the state of Texas. Unfortunately, much of the country is Outback and virtually uninhabitable, but you get the point.
Featherdale Wildlife Park
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| It's illegal to actually hold a koala bear in Sydney and the surrounding cities, so this is the closest you can get. |
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| Wallaby |
Blue Mountains Trip
I just got back to Sydney from a trip to the small mountain town of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, which are two hours west of Sydney. It was a fantastic trip and I met some great people staying at my hostel. Here are some pictures from the trip:
I hung out with a young British couple and a Frenchman both nights at my hostel in Katoomba, and it was really funny hearing their perception of the United States and quirky things about their cultures. It's probably the ignorant Oklahoma boy in me, but I've always thought of foreigners as some sort of alien like species of which the only thing we have in common is the actual physiological characteristics that make us both human. Studying abroad last summer made me realize that isn't all true, but this trip has really made me realize that we really aren't that different at all. Hanging out with the people this weekend, they had the same sense of humor and personality traits of most normal Americans. Some of this could probably be attributed to the widespread influence of American TV and entertainment. Over here in Australia it's basically all American shows that are on during prime time, and the people from Britain said it's the same way over there. They knew more about American sitcoms and dramas than I did.
I like hearing how people from other countries view Americans, and I asked them (the 2 Brits and French guy) what America's reputation was in Europe and their response was "taking everything over the top, everything has to be BIG, and the people are usually very big and very loud." After hearing about the case in the States where a 685 lb. man is suing his former employer for wrongful termination, I couldn't really argue with the "big people" stereotype. Only in America would someone a) be 685 pounds and b) be able to sue (and probably win) his former employer for wrongful termination. God bless the USA.
On a more political note, the British people talked in length about how their government provides so many benefits to people that aren't working that they have lots of friends that want to work but don't because it would make their financial situation worse. They said their friends hate it because they really want to work and be productive but if they took a job they were qualified for they would make less money than they would receiving welfare benefits and be taxed on top of that. They also said if you are a single mother in the UK that you are basically set for life by the government and that supposedly many females are intentionally becoming single mothers just because the benefits are so good.
They also said that Australians have much more of an American accent than of a British accent. I think, and I think most people from the US, it is the other way around. It's strange that they view it differently. I also told them that most girls in the US love guys with British accents and they said it doesn't work the other way around in the UK. "An Aussie guy could probably do pretty well for himself in the UK, but being from the US wouldn't really add anything" is what they said. Guess life just isn't fair sometimes. They also thought it was completely ridiculous and strange that their royal wedding was such a big deal in the USA. They didn't even know we knew about it.
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| The famous Three Sisters rock formation on the left |
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| Katoomba Falls |
I like hearing how people from other countries view Americans, and I asked them (the 2 Brits and French guy) what America's reputation was in Europe and their response was "taking everything over the top, everything has to be BIG, and the people are usually very big and very loud." After hearing about the case in the States where a 685 lb. man is suing his former employer for wrongful termination, I couldn't really argue with the "big people" stereotype. Only in America would someone a) be 685 pounds and b) be able to sue (and probably win) his former employer for wrongful termination. God bless the USA.
On a more political note, the British people talked in length about how their government provides so many benefits to people that aren't working that they have lots of friends that want to work but don't because it would make their financial situation worse. They said their friends hate it because they really want to work and be productive but if they took a job they were qualified for they would make less money than they would receiving welfare benefits and be taxed on top of that. They also said if you are a single mother in the UK that you are basically set for life by the government and that supposedly many females are intentionally becoming single mothers just because the benefits are so good.
They also said that Australians have much more of an American accent than of a British accent. I think, and I think most people from the US, it is the other way around. It's strange that they view it differently. I also told them that most girls in the US love guys with British accents and they said it doesn't work the other way around in the UK. "An Aussie guy could probably do pretty well for himself in the UK, but being from the US wouldn't really add anything" is what they said. Guess life just isn't fair sometimes. They also thought it was completely ridiculous and strange that their royal wedding was such a big deal in the USA. They didn't even know we knew about it.
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Updated Trip Itinerary
I will be working odd jobs while traveling around Australia and New Zealand. These countries are strange in that their unemployment rate is so low (less than 5%) that they often depend on backpacking foreigners to do thing such as wash dishes, clean, pick fruit, etc. So, basically since I decided to only stay for few months and travel around that is what I will be doing from time to time. Almost every hostel you go to can set you up with work for around $15/hour.
Here is my updated trip itinerary:
Oct. 9-11: Blue Mountains (2 hours West of Sydney)
Oct. 11-19: Sydney
Oct. 19-25: Cairns (Great Barrier Reef, rainforest)
Oct. 25-Nov. 1: Auckland, New Zealand
Nov. 2-Nov. 3: Christchurch, New Zealand
Nov. 3-Nov. 11: Going on a backpacking trip around New Zealand's South Island. It is supposed to be the most beautiful place on earth, with rainforests, glaciers, mountains and crystal clear lakes. If you have ever seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that is where they filmed those movies. This is the trip I'm most excited about.
Nov. 12-Nov. 19: Melbourne (Planning on going to the President's Cup golf tournament
Nov. 19-21: Sydney
Nov. 21: Back home to the USA, 3 days before Thanksgiving
Here is my updated trip itinerary:
Oct. 9-11: Blue Mountains (2 hours West of Sydney)
Oct. 11-19: Sydney
Oct. 19-25: Cairns (Great Barrier Reef, rainforest)
Oct. 25-Nov. 1: Auckland, New Zealand
Nov. 2-Nov. 3: Christchurch, New Zealand
Nov. 3-Nov. 11: Going on a backpacking trip around New Zealand's South Island. It is supposed to be the most beautiful place on earth, with rainforests, glaciers, mountains and crystal clear lakes. If you have ever seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that is where they filmed those movies. This is the trip I'm most excited about.
Nov. 12-Nov. 19: Melbourne (Planning on going to the President's Cup golf tournament
Nov. 19-21: Sydney
Nov. 21: Back home to the USA, 3 days before Thanksgiving
Interesting Stuff about Australia
Here are some things I've found interesting that I have learned so far about Australia:
- The world's 10 deadliest snakes are all Australian
- The Great Barrier Reef is home to 1/3 of the world's shark species
- Out of all the species of animals that live in Australia, 80% live only in Australia (it's a very isolated country)
- The country is very informal when it comes to addressing others, you are never supposed to refer to someone as Mr. or Mrs., even the Prime Minister everyone calls by his first name.
- The world's 10 deadliest snakes are all Australian
- The Great Barrier Reef is home to 1/3 of the world's shark species
- Out of all the species of animals that live in Australia, 80% live only in Australia (it's a very isolated country)
- The country is very informal when it comes to addressing others, you are never supposed to refer to someone as Mr. or Mrs., even the Prime Minister everyone calls by his first name.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Sydney Harbour
Here are some pics of the Sydney Harbour area. The Opera House did not disappoint in person, and the surrounding area is really cool.
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| The gum trees in the middle are the oldest trees in Sydney. |
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| You wouldn't believe how good that ice cream cone was |
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| If you're going to be a bum, this sure wouldn't be a bad place to be one! |
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| Royal Botanical Park and part of the Central Business District |
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| This guy was one of my roommates my first two nights year. He is a Chinese businessman traveling around Australia looking for good investment opportunities. He was really nice and gave me his business card and offered to show me around if I ever came to China. |
Friday, October 7, 2011
Flight and First Day in Sydney
The top pic is my first pic of the trip, taken by my mom at the OKC airport. My flight from LA-Sydney was 15 hours, but it really wasn't too bad because I slept for 10 of them. The plane we took to Sydney, the AirBus A380 is the largest passenger plane in the world and it was pretty incredible. It was two stories, with the lower level being economy class and the top level being first class where each passenger has basically their own full size bed.I arrived in Sydney at around 7:30 a.m. local time and walked around the downtown area for a few hours before my check in at 1 p.m. Unfortunately, it was drizzling and overcast and is supposed to be that way for the next few days. Maybe it is just because of the weather, but Sydney reminds me of a London with palm trees. Here are some pics from the Royal Botanical Garden and Hyde Park area.
It is supposed to be rainy until Sunday so I'm going to try to schedule the rest of my trip and maybe go to some museums or something. Australian people are very kind and it is nice not to have a language barrier. I haven't really gotten homesick yet, although it is weird wandering around and eating by myself. I have met quite a few people, but I am still yet to meet anyone else from the USA. Most of the people staying in my hostel are either Chinese or German. Now I'm off to the orientation for my program.
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