A Sunny Day in Sydney

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

Political Capital

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.

Bureaucratic Three-Ring Circus

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.

Last Weekend in Melbourne

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

Getting Over The Theft

It’s really sad to admit, but admit it I will, but the day after the theft of my laptop and passport, I was not in the best of moods. I was downright depressed. For two days I did nothing but wander over to the McDonald’s where the theft happened (on the insane notion that I could change things back) or stay in the hostel watching old movies. I was very close to just quitting the trip, that’s how horrible I felt. Of course, I didn’t, and couldn’t do that. I had no passport after all.
But somehow I snapped out of it. I think it was mainly when my aunt told me to stop whining. She has a way with words at times.

Plus, I almost caught myself watching this