Happy Aussie New Year
Well, it's 8pm on New Year's Eve. Most likely after I'm done catching up on my emails, I'm going to brace myself for the crowds gathered around the Harbour Bridge to watch the fireworks to go off at midnight. It's a bit of a turn off esp. b/c it'll be a long walk to the harbour from where I'm staying in Sydney but I figure I'm only in Sydney once, I'm going to make the best of it.
So Christmas with the Allan's was pretty cool and pretty tiring. I was expecting to just sit by and watch the family open presents but lo and behold, I was totally included in the festivities. I got SO many presents from the Allan's. Mr and Mrs Allan bought me my first ever bottle of cK cologne. I've never even worn cologne in my life. I'm pretty excited.
After Christmas lunch w/ consisted of cold meats, salads, and bbq prawns and an Aussie dessert called Pavlova, I had a nap and a quick walk around the lake before the hoards of guests started to arrive. The Allans hosted an open house and tons of people dropped in. I was pretty tired and exhausted by the end of the night.
I had the option of going w/Phil's parents up the coast on Boxing Day to visit "Nanna" and I jumped at the chance to see more of Australia. We went up to a small town called Morriset that sits on Lake Macquarie. Over the next 2-3 days, I sunbathed (worked on my tan), went rowing for the first time, went sailing, and planted a tree among other things. Phil's parents and Nanna were awesome and so hospitable. During my time there, cricket games were on inthe background on TV pretty much all day long. It was a nice time to just relax and catch up on sleep esp. after 3 consectutive nights of clubbing including Christmas Eve. It felt a bit irreverent to go clubbing on Christmas Eve but I had a good time. ;)
On Friday, I headed down to the beautiful city of Sydney. It is absolutely gorgeous. It's what Toronto could be if it was on the ocean (e.g.Vancouver). It's a huge city. It was great to see ethnic people again. I met up w/ my friend Maggz who I met in China, and fittingly enough, we went to Chinatown for lunch. I was very desperate for some Chinese food. I love Allan home cooking and all, but I am half Chinese and I need my rice, chinese vegetables, tofu, and cocktail buns. ;) You should've seen me in Chinatown, I was ecstatic. Afterwards, Maggz showed me around to all the iconic symbols of Sydney including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, etc. It was fantastic. We ended up getting sucked into the biggest tourist trap ever. We paid $30 to have a cocktail inside an ICE bar called Minus 5. yes, everythingis made of ice, you wear a parka and gloves, and even the glasses are made of ice. A bit tacky but it was a fun experience. It made me think of home (Canada). ;)
Yesterday, I hit up my first Aussie beach - Manly Beach and got to ride the ferry through Sydney Harbour. More exceptional views and the beaches are everything that I imagined it to be - beautiful people, boardies, surfboards, lifesaversin their yellow and red uniforms, and reminders on the loud speakers to swim between the flags. I've also had ample opportunity to sample nightlife here in Sydney and I'm having a great time. Aussies are so friendly and while it's not intentional, whenever I tell people that I'm on a tight budget b/c I'm a backpacker,people keep buying me drinks. I swear it's not intentional, but it works for me. ;) It makes for cheaper nights out.
Anyway, tonight is New Year's Eve. I hope you all have an awesome New Year's. I'm off to New Zealand on Tuesday for 2 weeks. I miss you all. To be honest, I am starting to feel a bit homesick. I miss my friends, the regularities of life, just being in Vancouver. I'm in no rush to jump into a Vancouver winter but I'm thinking more and more, I'd like to be home for summer. We'll see how things go. Until then, *HUG* and "Happy New Year"
So Christmas with the Allan's was pretty cool and pretty tiring. I was expecting to just sit by and watch the family open presents but lo and behold, I was totally included in the festivities. I got SO many presents from the Allan's. Mr and Mrs Allan bought me my first ever bottle of cK cologne. I've never even worn cologne in my life. I'm pretty excited.
After Christmas lunch w/ consisted of cold meats, salads, and bbq prawns and an Aussie dessert called Pavlova, I had a nap and a quick walk around the lake before the hoards of guests started to arrive. The Allans hosted an open house and tons of people dropped in. I was pretty tired and exhausted by the end of the night.
I had the option of going w/Phil's parents up the coast on Boxing Day to visit "Nanna" and I jumped at the chance to see more of Australia. We went up to a small town called Morriset that sits on Lake Macquarie. Over the next 2-3 days, I sunbathed (worked on my tan), went rowing for the first time, went sailing, and planted a tree among other things. Phil's parents and Nanna were awesome and so hospitable. During my time there, cricket games were on inthe background on TV pretty much all day long. It was a nice time to just relax and catch up on sleep esp. after 3 consectutive nights of clubbing including Christmas Eve. It felt a bit irreverent to go clubbing on Christmas Eve but I had a good time. ;)
On Friday, I headed down to the beautiful city of Sydney. It is absolutely gorgeous. It's what Toronto could be if it was on the ocean (e.g.Vancouver). It's a huge city. It was great to see ethnic people again. I met up w/ my friend Maggz who I met in China, and fittingly enough, we went to Chinatown for lunch. I was very desperate for some Chinese food. I love Allan home cooking and all, but I am half Chinese and I need my rice, chinese vegetables, tofu, and cocktail buns. ;) You should've seen me in Chinatown, I was ecstatic. Afterwards, Maggz showed me around to all the iconic symbols of Sydney including the Opera House, Harbour Bridge, etc. It was fantastic. We ended up getting sucked into the biggest tourist trap ever. We paid $30 to have a cocktail inside an ICE bar called Minus 5. yes, everythingis made of ice, you wear a parka and gloves, and even the glasses are made of ice. A bit tacky but it was a fun experience. It made me think of home (Canada). ;)
Yesterday, I hit up my first Aussie beach - Manly Beach and got to ride the ferry through Sydney Harbour. More exceptional views and the beaches are everything that I imagined it to be - beautiful people, boardies, surfboards, lifesaversin their yellow and red uniforms, and reminders on the loud speakers to swim between the flags. I've also had ample opportunity to sample nightlife here in Sydney and I'm having a great time. Aussies are so friendly and while it's not intentional, whenever I tell people that I'm on a tight budget b/c I'm a backpacker,people keep buying me drinks. I swear it's not intentional, but it works for me. ;) It makes for cheaper nights out.
Anyway, tonight is New Year's Eve. I hope you all have an awesome New Year's. I'm off to New Zealand on Tuesday for 2 weeks. I miss you all. To be honest, I am starting to feel a bit homesick. I miss my friends, the regularities of life, just being in Vancouver. I'm in no rush to jump into a Vancouver winter but I'm thinking more and more, I'd like to be home for summer. We'll see how things go. Until then, *HUG* and "Happy New Year"
posted by John A @ 12:51 AM
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