Day 15 // Sydney - Round Two
Flying to Sydney the day after my birthday, a day that is also a Mexican holiday that usually results in at least a few tequila shots, was one of the hardest things I have ever accomplished. My hang over was pretty horrific but by some miracle I woke up at 5:50 am after far too few hours of sleep. Pulled my shit together and MF and I got out the door and headed to the airport.
MF and I found our way to our digs for the night, a quaint house in Rockdale (suburb of Sydney, 30 min train ride). We were being taken in by a few fellow Americans who are taking in the world one country at a time, a month here, a month there. I am thankful to have met them and now to call them my friends, a few of these journeyers took an epic bike trip from Melbourne to Sydney in 40 days. They had great stories of sneaking into camping parks, cycling on freeways next to semi-trucks, taking homeless showers in public sinks, they revealed in how good a Magnum Ice Cream tastes after biking for 8 hours and they exuded such a pride in their bodies were able to conquer the intense circumstances.
MF and I found our way to our digs for the night, a quaint house in Rockdale (suburb of Sydney, 30 min train ride). We were being taken in by a few fellow Americans who are taking in the world one country at a time, a month here, a month there. I am thankful to have met them and now to call them my friends, a few of these journeyers took an epic bike trip from Melbourne to Sydney in 40 days. They had great stories of sneaking into camping parks, cycling on freeways next to semi-trucks, taking homeless showers in public sinks, they revealed in how good a Magnum Ice Cream tastes after biking for 8 hours and they exuded such a pride in their bodies were able to conquer the intense circumstances.
They were a truly were an inspiring group of people to be around, not to mention how great it was for them to put us up when we first got to Sydney. Their place was right on a river. It's a shame I don't have any pictures.
This first day after we got settled MF and I threw on bathing suits and headed to Bondi, a beach I was now familiar with and very fond of. We chilled on the beach for a while and eventually headed back to Rockdale, got a pizza and a box of wine for dinner. Around 9:30pm we headed out for the night, first stop - downtown to explore Kings Cross for a while and ended up at the Opera House Bar where our host KJ is a server.
Seeing the Opera House during the day is one thing but at night this landmark is at it's best! The bar has it's own beer, the Opera House Pale Ale which I drank during both of my visits. Delicious! When KJ got off of work, his lady AV met up with us and this foursome made our way to the The Ship Inn. We drank several rounds and ended up out until about 4am. We met some characters, made some friends, challenged a few cultural norms and had a really good night.
This first day after we got settled MF and I threw on bathing suits and headed to Bondi, a beach I was now familiar with and very fond of. We chilled on the beach for a while and eventually headed back to Rockdale, got a pizza and a box of wine for dinner. Around 9:30pm we headed out for the night, first stop - downtown to explore Kings Cross for a while and ended up at the Opera House Bar where our host KJ is a server.
Seeing the Opera House during the day is one thing but at night this landmark is at it's best! The bar has it's own beer, the Opera House Pale Ale which I drank during both of my visits. Delicious! When KJ got off of work, his lady AV met up with us and this foursome made our way to the The Ship Inn. We drank several rounds and ended up out until about 4am. We met some characters, made some friends, challenged a few cultural norms and had a really good night.
Day 16
Needless to say this group didn't pop up bright and early, even though we had plans to catch a train and climb a mountain. We did get our asses up at a pretty decent time and ended up headed to Katoomba on the 1:18pm train.
A two hour train ride and a few chapters of Chelsea Handler's Uganda Be Kidding Me we had made it to the Blue Mountains. We stop to get a few more things at the grocery store and made our way to the mountain. Our starting point was Echo Point, it has a full service visitor center and an amazing view of the Three Sisters.
A two hour train ride and a few chapters of Chelsea Handler's Uganda Be Kidding Me we had made it to the Blue Mountains. We stop to get a few more things at the grocery store and made our way to the mountain. Our starting point was Echo Point, it has a full service visitor center and an amazing view of the Three Sisters.
At the lookout point MF and I assisted some wonderful women in taking a picture, one of the ladies had come to this landmark 56 years ago on her honeymoon, such a romantic story! These adorable ladies thought we were crazy to camp in the rainforest during the 'winter,' I say it in quotes because the temperatures were not frigid at all to a Minnesotan, although they did get much cold at night - a good camper/fashionista knows all about layering.
Then we climbed down, hiked in, walked down a million stairs and I experienced my first rainforest camp out! Sleeping under the canopy was such a cool experience, there was so much going on above me; rustling, things peeing out of trees, koala mating calls, birds singing and creatures climbing.
That night I got to know four new friends on a level that only people who camp can understand, I don't know if it's the lack of distraction, the fresh air or the feeling of communal accomplishment but camping bring people together on a level that is hard to reach in any other setting. The highlight of that night's bonfire was when one of my new friends whipped out a couple of oranges and a water bottle filled cake mix! 'CampFire Cakes' are apparently all the rage on sites like Pinterest, the hardest part was cutting the orange out of it's peel, although the snack is a worthwhile reward. The trick is premixing the cake batter in a squeeze bottle, remember to bring tin foil and be patient - the cakes will need a good thirty minutes or so depending on how big your fire is. It was such a fun thing to do after we all made dinner when it was pitch black, felt like midnight but was actually only 6:30pm.
Then we climbed down, hiked in, walked down a million stairs and I experienced my first rainforest camp out! Sleeping under the canopy was such a cool experience, there was so much going on above me; rustling, things peeing out of trees, koala mating calls, birds singing and creatures climbing.
That night I got to know four new friends on a level that only people who camp can understand, I don't know if it's the lack of distraction, the fresh air or the feeling of communal accomplishment but camping bring people together on a level that is hard to reach in any other setting. The highlight of that night's bonfire was when one of my new friends whipped out a couple of oranges and a water bottle filled cake mix! 'CampFire Cakes' are apparently all the rage on sites like Pinterest, the hardest part was cutting the orange out of it's peel, although the snack is a worthwhile reward. The trick is premixing the cake batter in a squeeze bottle, remember to bring tin foil and be patient - the cakes will need a good thirty minutes or so depending on how big your fire is. It was such a fun thing to do after we all made dinner when it was pitch black, felt like midnight but was actually only 6:30pm.
Seriously Delicious!!
Day 17
In the morning we had to say goodbye to two of the guys that had camped with us that night and KJ, AV, MF & I were off to Castle Ruins. After some deliberation about going back up to get a better map, versus relying on the partial map we had we decided that we should just keep moving. The main argument against our decision was that if we had to get airlifted after being lost for days we would look extra dumb if we didn't have a complete map of the route we were taking. Disclaimer : Everything worked out for us but I suggest that when you camp you have adequate navigational resources.
We passed by Katoomba Falls late in the morning, we climbed down in order to fill up our water jug, we had purification pills that needed a few hours to work. We munched on pb&js for lunch, I took lots of pictures and after a 5 to 6 hours of trekking we found the most perfect place to camp!
We passed by Katoomba Falls late in the morning, we climbed down in order to fill up our water jug, we had purification pills that needed a few hours to work. We munched on pb&js for lunch, I took lots of pictures and after a 5 to 6 hours of trekking we found the most perfect place to camp!
We partied under this rock all night.
We started from the bottom, now the whole crew is.. here!
Day 18
In the morning we climbed the Golden Stair Case and it was one of the hardest treks of my life. After being out in the woods for two nights and three days I was exhausted but that made all of the difference when we reached the top. I always have mad love for myself but in that moment I was so proud!
We would make a sweet looking band.
Top left is my new friend KJ and on the right a wonderful woman AV - I want to thank these two wonderful humans for everything! They were both great camping cohorts, extremely smart, adventurous, generous and open. I feel so blessed to have the memories of this trip. I was challenged physically, nurtured & loved by my new friends, we even got creative writing a Blue Mountain song under the stars. This experience would not have been what it was without these smiling faces! I am forever grateful for these two, I am confident they will continue their awe-inspiring roving and I hope in the future our paths bring us together again for further globe-trotting!
After we found our way back to Katoomba we ate what will go down in my history as one of the greatest meals of my life!
After we found our way back to Katoomba we ate what will go down in my history as one of the greatest meals of my life!
Me + AV <3
The train ride back to Sydney was a lot smellier then the ride there, but we all cherished the rest.
After checking into our darling hotel, MF & I ended the night with an enormous, delicious Italian meal! You know it's good when the server can not understand you, or specifically words like alfredo. We got gelato on the way back to the hotel, watched a bunch of Eurovision and got a great night's slumber!
After checking into our darling hotel, MF & I ended the night with an enormous, delicious Italian meal! You know it's good when the server can not understand you, or specifically words like alfredo. We got gelato on the way back to the hotel, watched a bunch of Eurovision and got a great night's slumber!
Day 19
MF and I went to a sports bar in Kings Cross for some beers and to try to watch the Wild game but of course it wasn't being aired on any where, so we slammed three pints since they were the cheapest ones we had found any where at $5 each. AFter we left that joint we avidly checked live score updates, ended up at the Opera House and toasted to the Wild win! (Round Two, Game Three against the BlackHawks.)
After that MF and I took a ferry to Manly beach and hung out there for a while before heading back to our hotel to get ready for dinner.
For dinner we went to the Opium Den, it was across the street from our hotel and it was fricken delicious! It's BYOB, which means we were able to bring a bottle of cheap wine that we bought at the bottle shop next door and bring it in with us, a $2 cost per person. We got three different main dishes and it was under $50. The service was fantastic and the food was filling and super tasty!
For dinner we went to the Opium Den, it was across the street from our hotel and it was fricken delicious! It's BYOB, which means we were able to bring a bottle of cheap wine that we bought at the bottle shop next door and bring it in with us, a $2 cost per person. We got three different main dishes and it was under $50. The service was fantastic and the food was filling and super tasty!
Other #gettinafteroz posts :
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Leaving this country, the getting on a plane part, forcing myself through security was one of the hardest things I have ever done. And I climbed a mountain earlier this week!
I had an unbelievable time, experienced some of the world's most wonderful sites and fell in love with some extraordinary people! The places you see are only enhance by the people you reconnoiter with. I was inspired by friends to visit Australia and even more inspired by the new friends I made while I was there. I am also inspired by my readers and everyone who has been so supportive of my wayfarer ways, so thank you thank you thank! I hope you find some inspiration in my stories and motivation within yourself to achieve the things that you dream about. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
xox, kp
I had an unbelievable time, experienced some of the world's most wonderful sites and fell in love with some extraordinary people! The places you see are only enhance by the people you reconnoiter with. I was inspired by friends to visit Australia and even more inspired by the new friends I made while I was there. I am also inspired by my readers and everyone who has been so supportive of my wayfarer ways, so thank you thank you thank! I hope you find some inspiration in my stories and motivation within yourself to achieve the things that you dream about. LOVE LOVE LOVE.
xox, kp
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