AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!

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So I got into Sydney and managed to find a hostel, and they even sent someone to the airport to get me. To be fair, I think the guy was at the airport anyway. The hostel is in the Kings Cross neighborhood, which is full of adult shops and live shows and other such seedy things. It's fine though. For $22 a night, what can I ask for really? I discovered why I couldn't find a bed anywhere - Saturday night was the gay and lesbian Mardi Gras in Sydney. More on that later. So I checked in and managed to fall asleep instead of going out to do stuff. Oops. When I did finally motivate I went for a walk across the city to buy a new address book - the cover fell off of mine, endangering the pages. I failed at finding an address book, but I had dinner and watched all the silly drunk people in bad outfits heading for Mardi Gras. I went over to the parade around 8 and I have to say, I was highly disappointed. They clearly don't know how to do Mardi Gras here. First of all, there were no beads. Secondly, all the bystanders were just in skimpy bad 80s clothes (please oh please don't help bring the 80s back all of you fashion people out there) which was funny although terrifying. And thirdly, the parade was just a gay pride parade in funny costumes and with people dancing. I was expecting some true Mardi Gras fun and I didn't get what I wished for. Oh well. I ended up being exhausted anyway, so I went to bed around 11. These two girls in my room (Koreans I think) came in about half an hour after I went to sleep and turned on the light. I thought they were just getting ready for bed and then shutting it off again. They just left it on, and were talking and reading and being generally counterproductive to my sleeping. I finally had to ask them to turn the light off because I was trying to sleep. There's no way they couldn't have noticed that. Argh.

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I woke up Sunday morning to the Korean girls packing up and moving out - thank God. I had breakfast before setting out on a walking tour of Sydney I was going to do, via a new address book. (side note: some guy just said Irish and Americans sound similar. he's terribly confused.) Right so in the process of finding an address book I got lost in four connected malls and came out WAY far away from where I started. I did manage to find an address book and a pencil though. By that time I was tired and didn't really think I wanted to go on the whole walking tour, so I had a salad before heading to the Sydney Opera House for a tour (AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH! the title of the entry - every time I see or think of the Sydney Opera House I hear the noise they play in Finding Nemo. It is very special of me.) The tour was awesome. It's such a weird building, and it was designed in the fifties - it was the winning entry of a contest, except they had no idea when they started how they were going to build the roof. When they did figure it out they had already built the foundation, but it was too small, so they had to rip some of it up and make it bigger. The project started in 1959 and finished in 1973 - it was originally projected at $7million and ended up being $102million. Since the Big Dig is finished - which is worse? I'm not sure what the final figures were. Anyway, the acoustics in the Opera House aren't fantastic because it was built in 1973, but it's a very cool building with nice performing spaces. When the tour was over I went to the Opera Bar which has tables next to the harbor and had a few beers while I listened to a jazz band (and I may have made a request or two... heehee!) I tried to go to North Sydney for dinner, to a restaurant that a guy I met in Italy owns, and I got over there and it was closed. Very disappointing. Perhaps tomorrow. I had dinner in my own sketchy neighborhood and then went out for a few ciders at a sports bar before going to bed.

why?
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I got up Monday and I had this big plan to go to Manly Beach (heehee!) to check out the surfers and the scenery of course, but it was raining. So I took my time getting ready and decided to go to the aquarium. The aquarium was very cool, but FULL of people. On a Monday. And I don't like people. I did find Nemo, Bubbles, Deb and Flo, Gill, Bruce, Dory, and many more lovely Nemo characters. Terribly exciting. It was a very well done aquarium and I wish it was emptier. From there I bought a long sleeved shirt (it's cold!) and then went back to my neighborhood to pack before I went for dinner. I tried to call the Italian place to see if they were open, but no one answered the few times I tried so I decided not to mission over there and find out. I had fairly good Thai food, although they didn't have kao tom pat (the sticky rice with coconut milk and banana baked in a banana leaf) which was sad - not that I'll ever find it outside of Thailand.

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Tuesday I went to Manly Beach and checked out the surfers... ahem, the scenery. I just wandered around the little town and sat by the beach watching the people surf. It's cool to watch people who are good surfers, but it was funnier to watch the ones who were learning and kept getting eaten by the waves. I didn't do too much - I went to lunch and looked at stupid souvenirs. I debated buying a tshirt that said I love Manly cause I thought it was funny. I didn't buy it though. I went back on the ferry and packed up my bag, and went to find dinner. I found a place that was doing $10 steak, mashed potatoes, and salad. Delicious! I went out for a cider before I went to bed, because I had to get up early for my flight.

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I got up to catch a 6:45am shuttle to the airport. I was outside at 6:35 and it never came. They come every half hour so I just waited and got on the 7:15. There was a huge accident though and I got to the airport at 8:30 - my flight (international) was at 9. The guy was really nice at the check in desk, and while the girl he was working with was checking to see if I could still be on the flight, he just checked me in so they had to take my bag. And then I ran. Through customs, and security, and then I had a few minutes so I got a coffee. Not that the flight hadn't boarded - it had, but it wasn't taking off for 10 minutes. And then they wouldn't let me on with the coffee, but the head flight attendant let me stand in the door and drink it before we got going. I think he felt sorry for me.

pretty money
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So answers to all the questions Dewie asked: a digeridoo is a branch from a tree (traditionally) that was hollowed out by termites and is used as a traditional instrument. They make very cool noises. Secondly, my pack is about 18kg, or almost 40lbs, and I've learned I need very little, although I'm excited to have more options when I get home. Thirdly, my health seems to be ok, I'm just tired at this point... but it's ok because there are many cool things still to see!!!!