Jenolan Caves
Our first campfire
Our new home
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Starting Out In Australia
We’ve now been in Australia for almost three weeks. In such a short time we’ve definitely experienced a lot. We’ve had ups and downs and a lot of learning experiences.
Eating in Australia
We’ve been eating pretty well since we’ve been here. A lot less junk food and take out. The only chance we’ve had to eat out really besides some sushi with friends is at a pub we had discounts at while staying at a hostel and McDonalds which is quite pricey. Besides that we have been cooking all our own meals on stoves that were provided with the land cruiser and before that in hostel kitchens. Francis was keen to buy some vegemite but soon regretted the purchase. On Valentines day we decided to eat something adventurous so we bought some kangaroo meat from the local grocer. Delicious!! We are hooked on it. We’ve had it twice since then and will most definitely be eating a lot more. It’s super cheap here. For two steaks its about $4. You can’t beat that price. We have narrowed down who the cheap grocery stores are and are enjoying many noname brands.
Buying a car
Some of you may know the trouble we had in securing a vehicle. There are many nasty and shady people trying to rip off backpackers in Sydney. We armed ourselves with knowledge trusted our gut feelings when dealing with this. We had people try to sell us vehicles illegally, lie to us, sell us vehicles with serious mechanical issues and had dealers try to rip us off. It was very depressing and disheartening to deal with every day. Finally we caught a break and went with out instinct to buy the land cruiser. We know there are a few issues with it but feel we can deal with them for the price we paid. We are happy to be moving forward with the trip and to have a place to sleep every night. We got our 4x4 so now we can do all the trips we hoped to. Unfortunately it was broken into the first night we had it but luckily it was still empty and nothing was stolen. We are hoping this all means some good car karma is coming out way.
Staying in Hostels
We’ve only stayed in two hostels so far. The first one was pretty nice and located in Surry Hills. For $25 (per persons) a night we got to stay in a clean 4 bed dorm that was airconditioned and quiet. There was a nice breezy balcony where we could hang out and surf the web using wifi ($3/24hr). There were nice common areas and clean kitchen. Within a few days they were all filled up and we had decided it was time to move to an area closer to the car action. That’s when we ended up in Kings Cross which is the seedy area of Sydney. Our new hostel was the same price but there were 6 beds in a dorm, no airconditioning, and dirty. Wifi was the same price but didn’t work. Luckily there was free internet downstairs if you could find a free computer. We also got something else for free. Our first experience with bed bugs. Absolutely disgusting! The only plus to this place was free breakfast (toast or cereal) and a free small meal at the local pub, On Mondays there was a madness night where you got a free meal, 4 free drinks and free cover at 4 bars for $10. those were super fun and we made a lot of friends that way. We also had our first Aussi goon experiences there.
Aussi Goon = 4ltrs of bagged wine in a box for $10. (best mixed with soda water)
Seeing the Sights in Sydney
In and amongst all the chaos we have had some truly wonderful fun. While in Sydney we visited the Opera House, walked across the Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, Sydney Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. We hope to go back to see a show at the Opera House before we leave Australia. The Harbour Bridge is quite nice. You can climb along the top of it for $200 but we settled for climbing up inside the pylon instead for $9.50 each. Luna Park was a sad disappointment. It seems like an amusement park lost in time. Luckily it was free to wander around. The Aquarium was definitely worth the visit. The normal cost is $32/person but we got a discount from our hostel and only paid $20 each. There were underwater tubes you could walk through and have giant sting rays, sharks and turtles swim around you. It was a big highlight for me. The Botanical Gardens were also free. It was a great way to spend an afternoon. It was so serene and beautiful. The only freaky part is the thousands of bats that have set up residence there that screech like hideous banchees. Ugh, so creepy and gross. Francis enjoyed it though and took many pictures and videos to remind of that horrific sight forever. Lastly we were able to check out two beaches, Bondi and Coogee. The sand is white and the water is warm.
Beginning Our Real Adventure in Blue Mountains
Once we got the land cruiser we were off and running. Our first stop was the Blue Mountains. Katoomba is a cute little town but very much tourist motivated. There we were able to stop by echo point and see the Three Sisters. It was kind of a let down though because you just get out of your car and walk 100 feet to a platform to see it. I expected a nice walk through the trees to unfold to this great legend but no. Francis and I decided we didn’t need to spend a lot of time there so we headed to Jenolan Caves. Wow, if I was to recommend a place to visit that would be it. The road there is scary with a plunging cliff on one side and road not built big enough for two. There is free camping in the second parking lot with free showers and tables to cook at if you don’t stay at the hotel. Once you buy your first tickets they give you a pass that gives you a free tour to one cave and 50% off to all other paid caves. We chose to see the Orient Cave the first day which was smaller and full of tiny crystals. It was so awesome we camped overnight to see a second cave which was the most famous, the Lucas Cave, which has the broken column and is the biggest of all the caves. So we saw the small and pretty and then the big cavernous so we moved on from there.
Canberra - The Capital of Australia
Now we are in Canberra which is the capital of Australia and has a ton of cheap or free things to do. We’ve actually spent a few nights here already. I’m jealous of the people living here because they have a great place called Glassworks where you can take classes to make all sorts of cool stuff. If we are still here by the weekend I’ll consider a day class. We spend a few hours a day at the National Library of Australia using the free internet for our GPS maps and to find out information. We visited the National Mint and got chance to see the process of coins being made and stamped. We also got to stamp a coin of our own. Money is funny here. It’s made of plastic and they don’t have quarters but do have 20cent pieces. There are no pennies and so all prices are rounded up or down. GST is always included in the price you see. Yesterday we visited the Parliament House and had a small Doritos picnic up on the roof. Then we sat in on a small senate meeting which was very entertaining. We also visited the NASA center here which was something Francis really wanted to do. We had to drive way out into the middle of nowhere but it was worth it. We went to see an exhibit at the National Museum yesterday but will probably return soon to check out the rest of it before we go.
Enduring Injuries
It just would not be a trip of ours without a few injuries. To date we’ve had two. Our last night in a hostel was a Monday madness night and Francis had his big toe stomped on while on the dance floor. He’s taken good care of it though and it will most certainly survive although the poor nail will not. I stubbed my thumbnail and have lost a significant portion of it as well. But… in comparison to our previous injuries we are feeling pretty good besides the odd sunburn.
So its been a little slow getting this posted but its not easy to find the time or the internet connection sometimes. Now you are all up to date on what’s been happening for the most part. I’ll be sure to try and post more as we go along and get some pictures up as I know that’s what you guys really want to see.
G’day Mates!
Eating in Australia
We’ve been eating pretty well since we’ve been here. A lot less junk food and take out. The only chance we’ve had to eat out really besides some sushi with friends is at a pub we had discounts at while staying at a hostel and McDonalds which is quite pricey. Besides that we have been cooking all our own meals on stoves that were provided with the land cruiser and before that in hostel kitchens. Francis was keen to buy some vegemite but soon regretted the purchase. On Valentines day we decided to eat something adventurous so we bought some kangaroo meat from the local grocer. Delicious!! We are hooked on it. We’ve had it twice since then and will most definitely be eating a lot more. It’s super cheap here. For two steaks its about $4. You can’t beat that price. We have narrowed down who the cheap grocery stores are and are enjoying many noname brands.
Buying a car
Some of you may know the trouble we had in securing a vehicle. There are many nasty and shady people trying to rip off backpackers in Sydney. We armed ourselves with knowledge trusted our gut feelings when dealing with this. We had people try to sell us vehicles illegally, lie to us, sell us vehicles with serious mechanical issues and had dealers try to rip us off. It was very depressing and disheartening to deal with every day. Finally we caught a break and went with out instinct to buy the land cruiser. We know there are a few issues with it but feel we can deal with them for the price we paid. We are happy to be moving forward with the trip and to have a place to sleep every night. We got our 4x4 so now we can do all the trips we hoped to. Unfortunately it was broken into the first night we had it but luckily it was still empty and nothing was stolen. We are hoping this all means some good car karma is coming out way.
Staying in Hostels
We’ve only stayed in two hostels so far. The first one was pretty nice and located in Surry Hills. For $25 (per persons) a night we got to stay in a clean 4 bed dorm that was airconditioned and quiet. There was a nice breezy balcony where we could hang out and surf the web using wifi ($3/24hr). There were nice common areas and clean kitchen. Within a few days they were all filled up and we had decided it was time to move to an area closer to the car action. That’s when we ended up in Kings Cross which is the seedy area of Sydney. Our new hostel was the same price but there were 6 beds in a dorm, no airconditioning, and dirty. Wifi was the same price but didn’t work. Luckily there was free internet downstairs if you could find a free computer. We also got something else for free. Our first experience with bed bugs. Absolutely disgusting! The only plus to this place was free breakfast (toast or cereal) and a free small meal at the local pub, On Mondays there was a madness night where you got a free meal, 4 free drinks and free cover at 4 bars for $10. those were super fun and we made a lot of friends that way. We also had our first Aussi goon experiences there.
Aussi Goon = 4ltrs of bagged wine in a box for $10. (best mixed with soda water)
Seeing the Sights in Sydney
In and amongst all the chaos we have had some truly wonderful fun. While in Sydney we visited the Opera House, walked across the Harbour Bridge, Luna Park, Sydney Aquarium and Botanical Gardens. We hope to go back to see a show at the Opera House before we leave Australia. The Harbour Bridge is quite nice. You can climb along the top of it for $200 but we settled for climbing up inside the pylon instead for $9.50 each. Luna Park was a sad disappointment. It seems like an amusement park lost in time. Luckily it was free to wander around. The Aquarium was definitely worth the visit. The normal cost is $32/person but we got a discount from our hostel and only paid $20 each. There were underwater tubes you could walk through and have giant sting rays, sharks and turtles swim around you. It was a big highlight for me. The Botanical Gardens were also free. It was a great way to spend an afternoon. It was so serene and beautiful. The only freaky part is the thousands of bats that have set up residence there that screech like hideous banchees. Ugh, so creepy and gross. Francis enjoyed it though and took many pictures and videos to remind of that horrific sight forever. Lastly we were able to check out two beaches, Bondi and Coogee. The sand is white and the water is warm.
Beginning Our Real Adventure in Blue Mountains
Once we got the land cruiser we were off and running. Our first stop was the Blue Mountains. Katoomba is a cute little town but very much tourist motivated. There we were able to stop by echo point and see the Three Sisters. It was kind of a let down though because you just get out of your car and walk 100 feet to a platform to see it. I expected a nice walk through the trees to unfold to this great legend but no. Francis and I decided we didn’t need to spend a lot of time there so we headed to Jenolan Caves. Wow, if I was to recommend a place to visit that would be it. The road there is scary with a plunging cliff on one side and road not built big enough for two. There is free camping in the second parking lot with free showers and tables to cook at if you don’t stay at the hotel. Once you buy your first tickets they give you a pass that gives you a free tour to one cave and 50% off to all other paid caves. We chose to see the Orient Cave the first day which was smaller and full of tiny crystals. It was so awesome we camped overnight to see a second cave which was the most famous, the Lucas Cave, which has the broken column and is the biggest of all the caves. So we saw the small and pretty and then the big cavernous so we moved on from there.
Canberra - The Capital of Australia
Now we are in Canberra which is the capital of Australia and has a ton of cheap or free things to do. We’ve actually spent a few nights here already. I’m jealous of the people living here because they have a great place called Glassworks where you can take classes to make all sorts of cool stuff. If we are still here by the weekend I’ll consider a day class. We spend a few hours a day at the National Library of Australia using the free internet for our GPS maps and to find out information. We visited the National Mint and got chance to see the process of coins being made and stamped. We also got to stamp a coin of our own. Money is funny here. It’s made of plastic and they don’t have quarters but do have 20cent pieces. There are no pennies and so all prices are rounded up or down. GST is always included in the price you see. Yesterday we visited the Parliament House and had a small Doritos picnic up on the roof. Then we sat in on a small senate meeting which was very entertaining. We also visited the NASA center here which was something Francis really wanted to do. We had to drive way out into the middle of nowhere but it was worth it. We went to see an exhibit at the National Museum yesterday but will probably return soon to check out the rest of it before we go.
Enduring Injuries
It just would not be a trip of ours without a few injuries. To date we’ve had two. Our last night in a hostel was a Monday madness night and Francis had his big toe stomped on while on the dance floor. He’s taken good care of it though and it will most certainly survive although the poor nail will not. I stubbed my thumbnail and have lost a significant portion of it as well. But… in comparison to our previous injuries we are feeling pretty good besides the odd sunburn.
So its been a little slow getting this posted but its not easy to find the time or the internet connection sometimes. Now you are all up to date on what’s been happening for the most part. I’ll be sure to try and post more as we go along and get some pictures up as I know that’s what you guys really want to see.
G’day Mates!
Friday, February 5, 2010
Salutations from Sydney
We have accomplished a long term goal. Francis and I are currently in Sydney. We arrived here 4 days ago. We took a 13 hour flight from Vancouver to Hong Kong and then a second flight from Hong Kong to Sydney. Luckily Cathay Pacific rocks as an airline so it wasn't too horrible, they even had somebody greet and escort us through the Hong Kong airport.
Currently we are staying in an area called Surry Hills but tomorrow we'll be moving on to another hostel in Kings Cross. The area we are in now is quite central and is only a 15 min walk to downtown. Kings Cross is more of a backpackers area where there are a ton of hostels and people looking to sell vehicles to travel in. We are hoping to locate a vehicle in the next few days. We have already bought a cell phone to help us in this area.
There used to be a really awesome place there where backpackers could buy a space in an underground parking lot to try and sell their vehicles before they left. Sometimes you could get a really awesome deal because people had to leave Australia in a hurry. Sadly it closed in December so we just missed it. Now the name (King Cross Car Market) has been scooped up by some dealers that try to sell you a van for $8,000+. Luckily the dealer was a little dumb and let the name of a new backpacker area slip, so now we are moving to that area. There is a street called Victoria St where people park their vehicles in hopes to sell quickly.
Things are going well for us so far. We have seen a lot and walked even more. I am a coupon scavanger now as tourist attractions are very expensive. The average cost is $35/person. We are researching things and will only check out a few things but we will also be in and out of Sydney a lot so there will be more opportunities.
We saw the Sydney Opera House the other day. The Beach Boys were playing with the Sydney Symphony but were sadly sold out. We decided instead of paying $35 for the tour that we will try to catch a show there later on.
Today we crossed the Sydney Bridge. You can climb right over the very top of it if you want.. for $200. We chose to just climb the stairs to the look out for $9.50 and got to learn a lot about it and even see a movie about the building of the bridge. After we crossed the bridge we went to the famous Luna Park. It was pretty dead and depressing. We shared a delicious icecream cone though. :)
Everything is super expensive here. A can of soda is $2.70. I am used to paying a dollar. I believe minimum wage here is $16/hr. I am pretty excited to start picking some fruit to make some money soon.
So far our hostel roommates have been great. We have had one steady girl from London who has helped answer a lot of our questions. Last night we had another roommate (4 bed room) and he was from the USA. Today we have another male from Italy. I also made friends with an Argentina girl in the common area. We have been lucky so far with roommates. Everyone has been quiet and trustworthy. I like this hostel a lot. I'll be sad to leave in the morning but I guess thats the life we are living now.
I will try to post pics soon and post more regularly.
Currently we are staying in an area called Surry Hills but tomorrow we'll be moving on to another hostel in Kings Cross. The area we are in now is quite central and is only a 15 min walk to downtown. Kings Cross is more of a backpackers area where there are a ton of hostels and people looking to sell vehicles to travel in. We are hoping to locate a vehicle in the next few days. We have already bought a cell phone to help us in this area.
There used to be a really awesome place there where backpackers could buy a space in an underground parking lot to try and sell their vehicles before they left. Sometimes you could get a really awesome deal because people had to leave Australia in a hurry. Sadly it closed in December so we just missed it. Now the name (King Cross Car Market) has been scooped up by some dealers that try to sell you a van for $8,000+. Luckily the dealer was a little dumb and let the name of a new backpacker area slip, so now we are moving to that area. There is a street called Victoria St where people park their vehicles in hopes to sell quickly.
Things are going well for us so far. We have seen a lot and walked even more. I am a coupon scavanger now as tourist attractions are very expensive. The average cost is $35/person. We are researching things and will only check out a few things but we will also be in and out of Sydney a lot so there will be more opportunities.
We saw the Sydney Opera House the other day. The Beach Boys were playing with the Sydney Symphony but were sadly sold out. We decided instead of paying $35 for the tour that we will try to catch a show there later on.
Today we crossed the Sydney Bridge. You can climb right over the very top of it if you want.. for $200. We chose to just climb the stairs to the look out for $9.50 and got to learn a lot about it and even see a movie about the building of the bridge. After we crossed the bridge we went to the famous Luna Park. It was pretty dead and depressing. We shared a delicious icecream cone though. :)
Everything is super expensive here. A can of soda is $2.70. I am used to paying a dollar. I believe minimum wage here is $16/hr. I am pretty excited to start picking some fruit to make some money soon.
So far our hostel roommates have been great. We have had one steady girl from London who has helped answer a lot of our questions. Last night we had another roommate (4 bed room) and he was from the USA. Today we have another male from Italy. I also made friends with an Argentina girl in the common area. We have been lucky so far with roommates. Everyone has been quiet and trustworthy. I like this hostel a lot. I'll be sad to leave in the morning but I guess thats the life we are living now.
I will try to post pics soon and post more regularly.
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