Hello everyone and G’day!!!
I’ve decided that after nearly a month down under, it was about time I updated you all on what I’ve been up to since I arrived!
After leaving LAX on a Monday night (Jan. 3), I arrived in Sydney on a Wednesday morning (Jan. 5) and have been struggling to keep track of the day of the week ever since!
Once everyone from our study abroad group had gathered their luggage and we were all loaded onto the bus that was to shuttle us to our hotel, we began our first journey into Australia. Driving from the airport to the hotel was an unusual experience, primarily because, as I looked out the window, nothing seemed all that different. Sure we were driving on the opposite side of the road, but we passed car dealerships and fast food restaurants and little neighborhoods that were not all that different from those between LAX and the 405.
To be fair, I’m not sure exactly what I expected of that drive. When I pictured Australia in the months before I left, I imagined beautiful beaches, kangaroos and sunshine all the time. But as my departure grew closer, I came to realize that Australia was in fact a continent, much larger that I had ever imagined, and there had to be more than just sand and waves everywhere, but I hadn’t quite gotten to picturing what that would be. I also hadn’t really considered how a large city like Sydney fit into my image of endless beaches.
Eventually we made it to Sydney’s business district where we would be staying for our first five days. Our homebase was the Meriton World Tower and it was AMAZING. From our living room on the 68th floor, we had an amazing view of Darling Harbour as well as most of the city (including the Ernst and Young building right across the street… yeah, Dad!). Our first night in Sydney I tried kangaroo meat, only after being assured they suffer from overpopulation and would’ve been killed anyway. It was surprisingly delicious and just the way to kick off our stay.
From there, we spent day two abseiling (rappelling) in the Blue Mountains. On the ride up to the mountains we watched a documentary on kangaroos and learned all about their lives in the wild. While the movie was fascinating, it also crushed my dreams of one day riding in a kangaroo pouch. Contrary to popular belief (or at least my beliefs) their pouches are not like a fluffy pillowcase, but are instead quite nasty and full of reproductive juices. Despite that disheartening blow, the trip was absolutely incredible and we had the opportunity to rappel down cliffs ranging from 15 to 180 feet high. Never the daredevil, I was satisfied after my first time down the 15 foot face and instead spent my time admiring the view. Lunch in the mountains was our first introduction to Lamingtons, the most amazing dessert ever created. It’s basically a light sponge cake covered in chocolate and coconut. Delicious. Once we got back to Sydney we spent the night exploring the area around us.
