Sydney Day 2

We awoke after a sleep that was both broken and deeply satisfying at the same time, if that is possible, and after Skyping Eileen (wanting to reach into the screen and pull her over here) we got the bus to Sydney. The first thing we did in Sydney was buy Rob and Lisa wifi ! A muddled jet lag purchase which they should warn you about in the airport. We then headed to the National museum while Niall consistently claimed "there's a really cool coffee shop here" only to disappointedly say "oh it's gone".

The museum was a perfect way to start a trip in Australia as it had an exhibition on Aboriginals (both harrowingly sad and fascinating) and an introduction to the deadly creatures that live in Australia. It is shocking that one of the most interesting part of Australia is something that will actually put you quite off it and if they had offered me a plane out of the country after the exhibition I would have taken it. The fact that the National museum lists off a number of creatures that can kill you in every garden and even more that can kill you if you go in the sea, seems like an unwise thing to make an exhibition for tourists on but it is very much in the vain of: look this is the way things are and you might as well get an adventurous buzz out of it than fret too much about it. The museum also housed one of the best geological collections in the world, multi coloured geometrical wonderments of nature that seriously "rocked".

After the museum we went to Mother Choo's, a vegetarian Asian restaurant that had the most choice of vegetarian dishes I've ever been offered with every form of tofu and soya imaginable. Each dish was full of wonderfully unique tastes and textures that worked so well together. Mother Choo meanwhile sat in the corner looking like a wise prophet or some sort of gang lord and when we were finished we were politely asked to pay up so that she could have a meeting with someone I couldn't even imagine what about.

Next was the art gallery which had some really great paintings of old Australia and Syndey along with some European classics.



After a while we had a short break for expensive coffee and cake which we had to protect from an array of colourful parrots that frequented the the cafe garden. Niall negotiates with one below.



The rest of the gallery consisted of some really awe inspiring modern art such as a life like model of a clown clapped out on the ground in a vest in a room with a broken mirror filled with a sound recording of a couple arguing!

So far Sydney and Australia comes across as a great mix of all sorts of influences and cultures with a resulting one that is uniquely it's own. The people have a great unshy and honest chirpiness about them that in first impressions really sells the place as a great place to live (once you get over the killer creatures thing).

Sydney

Arrived in Sydney with me waiting to be harassed by customs for a spec of dirt on my hiking boots as Niall had kindly ensured me would happen only to find they were actually lovely and nice. "Welcome to Sydney, another Irish capital" said one official. We met Rob and Nathan in the airport and headed off in the blazing heat to Rob's Gaf over Sydney harbour bridge with glimpsing views of the Opera house! It really is kind of trippy to be in a place so iconic after all these years of seeing it on the TV, it is like entering a storybook in some way and it feels like an excellent dream.

Sydney is indeed beautiful and Rob and Lisa live in an estate just like Ramsay St. so all was going as expected and after meeting Nathan and Sophie who were really excited about meeting us we headed off to Bondi Beach. The beach is an amazing sight of really fine golden sand and really fine golden people with crashing waves and plenty of surfers. We only really got a chance to take this photo before the cloud in the background erupted into thunderous rain and we spent the next hour trying to find shelter in the suddenly overcrowded coffee shops.



We ended up going to the Chocolatier and Patisserie called Zumbo's that I had read about to get some deliciously expensive macaroons which are probably some of the best in the world with real unusual taste combinations.

After a delicious risotto that Lisa made back in the gaff and some tasty beers me and Niall relaxed into some jet lag which was like the feeling you have after being three days at a festival and you've had feck all sleep but you aren't actually hungover. Fuzzy brained and time confused we went to sleep.

Long long haul flight

Righto, chucks away Charlie and we were off. My first long haul flight! Overall reaction - not too cosy for someone like me with Restless Leg Syndrome (Niall still doesn't believe it exists) It is well cramped and no matter how many good movies and books you have it is very very long! Still new experience and all and I did catch a glimpse of the Himalayas through someone's window. Hong Kong airport was completely westernised and we struggled to find anywhere that looked uniquely Hong Kong like to take a photo off but we eventually found this noodle place. Operation Avoid Jet Lag was successful in execution, in that we were able to mostly stay awake till Hong King and sleep then till Sydney.