Days 458 – 459, February 28-29, 2012
After another night where I paid for my bed at the hostel but stayed overnight at Scott’s place (the guy I met at the bar the other night), I was awake early again and waiting at the hostel for the shuttle to the Deep Sea Diver’s Den main office. With the snorkelling trip out of the way, I was now headed for a two-day, one-night liveaboard dive trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef.
Day 457, February 27, 2012
With so many different companies to choose from, deciding on whom to take for a trip out to see the Great Barrier Reef can be daunting. I ended up spending a good part of an afternoon pouring over brochures and pamphlets from numerous dive shops, trying to pick out the one I wanted to go with. In the end, knowing how gorgeous the Reef was meant to be, and how colours tend to dull the deeper you dive, I decided to do one day as a snorkelling trip and then a separate two day diving trip.
The company I ended up going with was Deep Sea Divers Den for both trips. I also decided to rent a camera with an underwater case as well to try and capture the beauty of this natural wonder.
Canon Powershot G10 (Not pictured)
Days 454-456, February 24-26, 2012
Coming to Australia so soon after getting my dive certification, it shouldn’t be any wonder that a trip up to the Great Barrier Reef was high on my list of things to see and do. Even with its immense size, probably the easiest jumping off point to visit the Reef is from the small city of Cairns in northern Australia.
To get to Cairns, I opted to fly. Strangely enough, flying ended up being much cheaper, and obviously faster, than any other mode of transportation available to me. And so, at stupid o’clock in the morning, I left Paula’s home, caught a bus to central Sydney and walked to the Central Train Station to grab a train to the Domestic Terminal.
It’s so empty
This takes place on Day 449, February 19, 2012
Australia is expensive. Very expensive. At least in terms of a backpackers budget. After the insanely cheap living I was doing in South East Asia, Australia was a massive shock. Even knowing that it would be expensive did not fully prepare me.
And so, I began really looking for anything to do that was awesome and free. Thankfully, searching Google for “free things to do in Sydney” brings up a host of options, including probably the most popular option I found: the Coastal Walk between Bondi Beach and Coogee Beach.
Days 447-454, February 17-24, 2012
After a couple days with Steve at the extremely posh hotel, I was kicked to the curb. Well, not really. Steve’s boyfriend Matthew was coming to Sydney and they wanted a little privacy. And since I’m not really a voyeur, nor are they exhibitionists, I left to find a new place to stay.
Luckily Australia seems to be the one area of the world where I have no limit to the number of people I know who are willing to offer a place for me to see. This time was no different. Back in December of 2010, I had met the lovely Carnegie family in Cuzco, Peru. I had stayed in contact with them throughout my trip and when it became known that I would be in Sydney, they hooked me up with their friend Paula whom they had met years ago in India.
Lorikeets on Paula’s deck
Days 445-446, February 15-16, 2012
The distance between Canberra and Sydney is only about 4 hours, so even though there is no train between the two cities, the trip doesn’t feel all that bad. During the bus ride, I ended up befriending a girl seated beside me long enough to get her to let me borrow her laptop so I could work on a few blog posts. The plan for being back in Sydney was pretty simple: meet back up with Steve who would be in town for work.
And because he works for a large company, his hotel room was being paid for. A two bed room overlooking the famous Hyde Park in the Sheraton On The Park Hotel. Cost: AUD$390/night.
Holy hell.
My room – photo via Sheraton.com
Days 443-444, February 13 – 14, 2012
The Australian Capital of Canberra is not really a tourist hot spot. It’s not near any beaches, and the city itself isn’t laid out in a very helpful manner. And beyond the Parliament and typical Capital City monuments to wars past, there’s not much to see. And with so few touristy things in the city, affordable places to stay are few and far between.
But that’s not to say, that in-between the consular work I had to do, that I didn’t enjoy myself. In fact, I found the full day there to be quite illuminating in a couple aspects.
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen! And welcome to the main event! You have just witnessed the amazing, and talented, Aussie Thief who made an entire laptop and passport disappear in front of dozens of people in a McDonald’s Restaurant and beside a police station no less!
And now, feast your eyes on the Commonwealth Bureaucracy! It’s elegant, beautiful, but oh so frustrating.
Days 441-442, February 11-12, 2012
So with my initial depression, for the most part, sedated, I finally got myself out to explore some more of Melbourne. This would be my last weekend in the city and I didn’t want to leave without seeing a bit more of it, as well as seeing friends before I took off for Canberra.
Those that know me really well would not be surprised at the type of weekend I had. Low key, non-drunk, and full of board games. I don’t change all that much, do I?
Southern Cross Station
There’s something you should know about Australia. Regardless of the fact that it is a mecca for backpackers from around the world. Regardless of the fact that the country seems to cater to this particular segment of the tourism industry with hostel chains, backpacker packages on buses, and deals galore, the country is still taking financial advantage of us.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the country. The people are great, the men are hot, and the accents are to die for. And while I know that in the end, it came down to a slight lapse of judgment on my part, I’m still putting a lot of the blame for putting me in that situation on Australia’s blatant gauging.
Because if you’re a backpacker, on a tight budget, paying $30+ for a dorm room bed, and the hostel is still charging $10+ for a couple hours of internet, what would you do?
Day 434, February 4, 2011.
The overnight train from Sydney to Melbourne was not too bad considering I just had a seat and not a bed. I got lucky that for the most part because the seat beside me was empty for most of the journey so I was able to stretch out a bit. That doesn’t mean I got much in the way of sleep, but it was better than nothing.
Southern Cross Station, Melbourne (img via Wikimedia)
After arriving at the Melbourne Train Station downtown, I hopped one of the infamous Melbourne trams to the suburb of Richmond where the hostel I had booked was located. Once I was settled, the behind-the-scenes manoeuvring began to take shape.
The plan has been in the works for weeks, if not months. When it became obviously clear that I would not be in Melbourne for Christmas or New Years to spend those holidays with my good friend Steve from Stevivor.com, I decided on getting there for his birthday at the end of January. I got a hold of his amazing boyfriend Matt and found out the date for the birthday party: February 4. And so, a plan formed. I would lie through Facebook, Twitter, etc. by giving the impression I was heading to Bali when in actuality I was heading to the Land Down Under. The only people in the know were travelers I had told in person, Matt, and my good friend Mick who I would be staying with for the first few days in Sydney.
NOT the Bali Airport. Guess my flight was diverted?
