DAY 18 - 20 WOMENS FASHION WORK Part 1

SUNDAY 15TH OCTOBER

I’ve been told via e-mail (no names but, you know who you are) that my creative writing skills are hardly something to be desired. Now at this point you maybe expecting me to try harder in bringing the whole adventure to life, but I’ve decided that I can’t be bothered and hence why the style probably won’t change. Ha!
So if you can stand the drab factual account, here is the next instalment.

Well, as you know from the last blog, Adam and I both moved into the hostel during Saturday day. Sunday night was the first opportunity that we got to experience the whole community dorm principal, with our room buddy strolling in at some stupid time in the morning completely pissed out her head with a man in tow. Luckily, I suppose, the shock to them was probably greater, and they decided to vacate the room leaving Adam and I both to get back to sleep.

The morning came round and we’d decided to go check out the Car Market for travellers located in Kings Cross, an area renowned for its seedy features, with brothels and prostitutes supposedly every where. That said this was daytime and it was unlikely they would be around, which they weren’t. The area being slightly on the outskirts of the city centre had a run down feel to it, with old high rise building much like London council flats and underground car parks that looked dangerous to venture into.

Surprisingly enough this was the location of the traveller’s car market and when venturing onto the 5 level down it was absolutely shocking. There was probably only about 5 vehicles for sale and all looked like they could fall apart at any moment. I started to really contemplate whether buying a vehicle was worth the risk.

With nothing really to do for the rest of the day, Adam and I decided to venture through to the Royal Botanical gardens, the location where my grandparents apparently got engaged in the 40’s, which is situated right next to the opera house. To get there we walked through a suburb of Sydney called Potts Point. This was a really pleasant area with one main street home to many coffee shops, specialist food shops, and restaurants, giving the area a slightly classier feel than that of Kings Cross.

Along the main street we also found a backpacker’s hostel called the Blue Parrot. Walking inside to check on prices and facilities due to the possibility of moving closer to the city centre in the near future (work dependent), the place had a homely feeling about it. This was probably due to the simpsons being on tv, reminding me of the many a hours spent sat in Pointout with the lads, enjoy the “pure hilarity” that is homer and co.

We continued walking along the harbour front with the chance of rain looking increasingly likely. Even with the relatively bad weather the place looked amazing. The opera house being perfectly framed by the harbour bridge, a photograph no doubt many tourists had taken previously, and would take for many years to come. The only thing that let it down for us was the weather, its amazing what a difference cloud cover makes to a photo. The gardens as well looked picture perfect, with parrots and cockatiels flying between trees and squawking away, giving the place a prehistoric feeling to it.

Afterwards we sat down for a coffee and then returned back by bus as the heavens opened for the first time since we arrived. Once back we ventured to the supermarket to get dinner and in the evening went to the pub. At some point during the evening we met our late night intruder Hailey, our fellow dorm member. From Watford, she was telling us about her travels so far, and how drinking till 6 in the morning was a typical event at Scruphy Murphy’s, the renowned Irish Pub in Sydney. Nice!!!

MONDAY 16TH OCTOBER

Half expecting the communal showers to be packed, we woke up at 7am, trying not to disturb Hailey as we gathered our things. Luckily there was no one about and we went about preparing our selves for what we thought would be an amazingly boring day at work. Keeping to routine, I devoured a large bowl of aussie cereal. Its good that now being in a another country, I can continue on my quest to become a true connoisseur of cereal the world over.

Arriving at work just before 9, we were met by our boss Danilia, whom quickly showed us to our desks and gave a brief (and I mean brief) explanation of what was required. That said, it was hardly difficult, and it looked pretty obvious that after a couple of hours it would become very tedious. The delights of data entry!!!
Basically we’re inputting 4 columns of data into excel; first name, last name, old and new card numbers.

I was lucky compared to Adam having the internet on my computer which aloud me to surf the net whilst supposedly working. That said, the environment is so relaxed and easy going, everyone seems to be using a similar practise. Also Danilia almost said out right to take lots of breaks as she appreciated this would be an incredibly mind numbing task.

This was my first real time working in an office environment and I have to say I quite enjoyed it. With its modern and friendly environment it felt comfortable to work in and time just seemed to fly by. I suppose it also helped that 99% of the workers here are also women which gave us something to look at as well!!!

Whilst working we also met a fellow foreign temp, unsurprisingly another Irish man. Unfortunately his accent was pretty strong and hence why I was unable to decipher his name, but he told us about his journey so far through South America, New Zealand and Australia. Travelling for about 8 months some of things he’d done sounded pretty cool. Again the cost of living in areas such as Asia and South America came into conversation, him quoting figures of 1000 euros to live very comfortably in some places. This again raised some questions to myself e.g. do we stay in Australia where the culture is similar to the UK and living is more expensive for such an extended length of time as first intended? Or do we travel elsewhere to experience a much different way of living, and where the pounds of savings would certainly take us further for longer? This would be something to discuss with Adam at a later date.

The day came to a quick end and we we’re soon back on our way home. Adam and I had already planned afterwards to do our respective exercise routines, Adam swimming in a ridiculously freezing cold pool, while I ran through the chaotic city centre to circle quay and the Royal Botanical’s.

Afterwards we were both knackered, but managed to make our way to Coles supermarket, some 10mins away, for supplies for dinner.

TUESDAY 17TH OCTOBER

Once again Hailey strolled in at some god forsaken hour after another night out with the Irish contingency at Scruphys. I suppose this experience will become second nature as this will undoubtedly be a similar occurrence in all hostels. Performing the same routine as yesterday, we made it to work with plenty of time to spare.

The work was identical, but now with the advantage of knowing the required time to complete our daily quota, we could relax more and use the internet at our own leisure. (Adam had asked for it to be fixed on his computer by this point.) This explains the length of the blog!

During the day Adam and I had been discussing the possibility of changing our plans and travelling to Cairns in a few weeks, working our way down back to Sydney in time for Xmas. The influence for this had undoubtedly come from the various experiences of those at the hostel to whom we had spoken to over the last few days. That of the “Spaniard”, Nina and Arran had made a convincing case.

Although Sydney is a great place and the opportunity of meeting people is vast, we couldn’t quite justify staying in the same place for so long (until January) working, when the opportunity to see new places and meet people simultaneously exists. Plus there is always the opportunity to work on route.

So it seems that Adam and I could be heading east a lot sooner than planned!!!

After work we returned home again, doing retrospective exercises immediately. I know I’ve been drinking and eating too much and everyone knows I’m a bit of a health freak, so it felt good to get the adrenaline buzz once again. We then went shopping again to get a few “bits and bobs” and then chilled in the courtyard area where we met up with the “Spaniard”, Nina and Arran.

Day 15 - 17 - Hostels and Heat

Thursday 12th October

This morning we went to Olympic Site where Adam as per usual went for a swim, Mike for a walk and myself for a run. On our return Adam and I picked up some shopping to make dinner for tonight, Fajitas, and then spent the rest of the day arranging things for Friday.
The temperature at this point was really starting to rocket and on Saturday would reach a sweltering 38 degrees, so staying in the house all day with the air conditioning on was a life saver.

After a good meal we retired in the evening fairly early, watching the recruit with Collin Farrell and Al Pacino. An alright film, but nothing special.

FRIDAY 13th OCTOBER

Went into town fairly early to sign up with some more agencies so that finding work after next week is as easy as possible. In the end it proved a bit of a pain but most places took CV's and details. We then wondered down from circular Quay to Central station, looking at some of the Hostels on route. One of them being absolutely shocking, so dirty and horrible I started to wonder what I had let myself in for. We then found the Alfred Park Hotel (hostel) which was incredibly well located, infinitely better in every way, and pretty cheap, and signed up for a week pretty much instantaneously upon arrival. This is the view from outside which looks pretty awesome.

I got a feeling its going to take a while to get use to living like this again. Just like being in halls at uni in some regards, but with the added non-privacy of sharing a room, should be interesting how long I last.

SATURDAY 14th OCTOBER

After moving in later that afternoon, Adam and I went to the local shops to get some food for the next couple of days. Trying to remember how to eat cheaply was high on the priority, and made exceedingly more difficult having to take in the exchange rate, weight conversion, and general comparison in price with the UK. Returning back to the hostel after sorting out a small issue of lack of a fridge in our room, we went swimming in the local pool (2 min walk in the park adjacent to the hostel). Afterwards we returned back, cooked dinner and then went down one of the local pubs (cricketer) where we met Steve and his house mates for a drink. Afterwards we went back to his place where we caught the end of Man U vs Wigan and the start of Liverpool vs Blackburn.

DAY 10 to 14 - Catching up of the Blogging

Well as expected the blogging pace has slowed right down, this is partly due to the lack of exciting events (such as wallet loss), but also due to the time needed to write becoming unavailable. So here comes a brief summary of the exciting time that has been Saturday to Tuesday.

DAY 10 (SATURDAY) – THE DAY OF REST

As you already know Saturday was a day of rest, recovery and reflection of those events that took place on Friday. It also became the day that Adam let slip he’d seen my wallet on the floor of the train before falling asleep, but decided not to let this information come to light as he deemed it unimportant. Hindsight would say differently. Anyway, not reflecting on this to much, the day as I said was incredibly uneventful apart from the BBQ that we had in the evening, the first and no doubt not the last of our stay in Aus. It was delicious and as per usual Adam and I over indulged.

DAY 11 (SUNDAY) – COOGEE BAY – A PLACE TO LIVE POSSIBLY?

The following day Adam and I decided to head to Coogee in the afternoon, meeting up with Steve as “possibly” previously arranged on the Friday. It would also give us a good opportunity to see the area which is located just south of Bondi and experience another one of Sydney’s sandy beaches (no stones here).

In the morning we went swimming first, as usual me being a standard considerably lower than that of Adams. Hopefully though this will soon change, but I somehow think this is a tad optimistic considering his many years head start.

One of the funny things about swimming this time was that the OLYMPIC POOL had a massive inflatable assault course floating on its surface. It seemed slightly surreal and bizarre; the site of one of the most successful renowned swimming/sporting events 6 years ago is now being used as a modern day water fun fair for kids, with giant inflatable structures dominating the 5000 capacity aquatic centre. Saying that it looked like fun and had Adam and I the opportunity to use it, I'm sure we would have.

After swimming and a quick stop at home we headed to Coogee Bay. The wind had really picked up, being quite violent times whilst adding a chill to the air. Alison was a little worried about the tree in the back garden swaying and possibly falling onto the house, a natural reaction from their past experience less than a month ago. A little worrying was the bus driver’s comment when boarding the bus. Apparently due to the wind and thus high velocity sand, Coogee was empty and really unpleasant. Undeterred Adam continued on our way hoping that the wind would die down.

The beach was yet again another example of naturally pleasing sites found around Sydney with what seemed like a bit of a party atmosphere from the Coogee Bay Hotel for good measure. The place was buzzing with people everywhere, all catching up over a mid afternoon middy or scooner. Unable to get hold of Steve, Adam and I decided to brave it and head into the water which looked freezing. Firstly overcoming the onslaught of sand being picked up and thrown in the air by the wind, we made it to the beach and got straight in. Sure enough the water was cold, similar to that of the UK, and it wasn’t long before we decided to get out.

Taking a quick shower using the public facilities (wouldn’t get anything like that in the UK as it would no doubt be vandalised by pikies) we got some lunch and then headed back to the Coogee Bay Hotel where Steve and his mates were residing. They were all pretty cool and it was a good laugh to meet them all, Adam and I soon joining them in the Sunday afternoon spirits with a few scooners of Carlton. Later that after we even had a little pool competition, $40 pot for the winners, which Adam and I obliged in taking with superior table play. Maybe we should consider earning money playing pool instead of job hunting as planned for Monday. We soon after our victory called it a day and headed back to Rydalmere for much needed nourishment after a hard day at work.

DAY 12 (MONDAY) – JOINING AGENCIES and OUR FIRST JOB ARRANGED

Monday started of with Adam and I perform task such as CV updating/printing, locating temping agencies, and general discussing/arranging the days activities in finding a job. What we failed to realise was how long this was going to take and before we knew it half the day had gone before heading into the city centre. With our heart/head set on getting office jobs we ventured into some of the agencies found of George St. Some turned us away due to lack of experience, whilst others took our CV saying that they’d contact us. We soon came across Quay Recruitments who instantly offered Adam and I a joint position working for Millers Fashion, a female clothing company were by we will be performing data entry tasks. It appears that work is fairly easy to get here and both of us are pleased we have attained office experience.

Starting on Monday at 9:00 and for $18 an hour, it should be interesting to see what the job entails. More importantly and excitingly it will give us the opportunity to meet new people. As a result of attaining this job we’ve decided to move to a hostel this coming weekend so to be closer to work, as well as providing us with the opportunity to start backpacking properly.

DAY 13 (TUESDAY) - THE DAY OF THE RSA (Responsible Service of Alcohol)

Adam and I previously arranged this

compulsory course so to allow us to work in establishments selling alcohol i.e. bars, restaurants etc. Hospitality jobs seem readily available and therefore it seemed a prudent action to obtain the certified qualification. Lasting 6 ½ hours, the lecture was provided by a former publican and gave information related to alcohol e.g. symptoms of intoxication. Without seeming too harsh or “up myself” this course is really intended for those of an academic level lower than our own. Now to put that in contexts, when completing the test at the end the instructor came into the examination room and basically walked us through every answer. Some what different and less stringent that those examination conditions at University.

Having passed our RSA and feeling chuffed with ourselves, Adam and I wondered towards southern Sydney to ensure we knew the location of our work placements. The last thing we want to do is turn up late and therefore felt a prudent course of action. Afterwards we headed towards Hyde Park where the Sydney Herald is holding the good food month, an event with a variety of food stalls and seating areas. Here we met Mike and Alison where we tucked into some Asian style food followed by Danish pancakes.

DAY 14 (WEDNESDAY) – Wisemans Ferry, the Old North Road and “pubbing” St Albans

After Adam and I going for another swim/run respectively, in the afternoon Mike drove us both up to Wisemans Ferry, a town/area he recommended going to as we were unlikely to visit it otherwise. Situated north past Hornsby (my favourite place!) on the Old North Road (Route 15) right next to the Hawkesbury River, it took about an hour so to reach. After crossing the river in a chain ferry, we drove towards St Albans stopping a the historic site of the Great North Road. This was a road built between 1825 and 1836 by convicts so as to link Sydney with Hunter Valley and runs over 264km.

The engineering achievement here is amazing, especially considering the technology of the time, the terrain that some of the road had to built over (up cliff faces made of what looked like sand stone), and the temperature that the convicts must have endured to complete the task. Today I was sweating just walking up to the top of the hill, and its not even summer yet!

Afterwards we headed to St Albans, a small hamlet with a pub located next to the river in between a impressive valley. Stopping for lunch and a beer, it was amazing that the pub stocked ESB on tap considering its remote location. The ploughman’s was delicious if not some different, Mike suggesting this was due to Aussie plughmen working harder than us Brits (whatever). We then headed home stopping on route to buy Alison a plant for the house.

Day 9 - Alcohol induced problems can happen at 'Home and Away'

Friday night, Adam and I went out in Sydney for the first time since arriving. It was a funny, entertaining and not surprisingly drunken night, but unfortunately ended disastrously. I seem to a have a bad luck charm with me somewhere at the moment, anyway, more on that in a bit.

Getting up relatively early, Mick drove us to Eastwood, a suburb of Sydney infamous for its Korean population. Sure enough on arrival it felt like we were in a foreign country (other than Aus.....). Here Adam and I signed up for Medicare, the National Health Service in Aus, just as a precaution. The UK has a reciprocal medical agreement “which is good”, as Mick would say. After filling in a quick form we were on our way, stopping to get a present for Caroline and Martin as a small token of our appreciation for the hospitality in KL.

Picking up Alison due to the builders finishing, we drove to Barren Joey Peninsular stopping at the Newport Arms for a hearty lunch. More like a bar then a pub as the name may suggest, Adam and I shared a BBQ Seafood plateau for $33…… it was delicious.

The odd thing about this place was the method in which your food was announced to be ready, a pager style devise is given, buzzing and informing you that your order is ready for collecting at the bar. Quite a neat little system.

Afterwards we head up the coast to the home of Summer Bay and 'Home and Away', Palm Beach. It was instantly recognisable and was only let down by the weather, slightly overcast with a strong wind. That said, the sand was incredibly warm so we all wondered down towards the opposite end of the beach stopping regularly to take the usual photo. Mick told me that this was the place when Adams mum (Cindy) knew he would return again, and sure enough here he is, little over one year later. Straight away though you can appreciate why, it’s an amazingly peaceful (surprising as this was school holidays) and beautiful location.

With sand still in between our toes we drove towards West End through the twisty winding road that held entrances to luxurious seaside homes. West End Views were fabulous and it took a few minutes just to absorb the whole surroundings in. Heading home I took a quick kip in the car, preparing myself for the night out.

The train journey in was easy. Mick and Alison before leaving providing us with the safety blanket of calling anytime if we get in trouble. We assured them this wouldn’t be necessary, but then neither of us had the foresight of what was going to happen.

It took us a while to find our first drinking location but we soon found Darling Harbour and the bars around that overlook the light show that is Sydney’s high rise buildings. The vibrant blues and reds from various company logo's rippled in the water giving rise to another photo opportunity. We discovered quickly though that the area was more family orientated with restaurants surrounding Cockle Bay, so we decided to find something slightly more to our taste. Luckily Adams brother’s friend Steve was to hand on the mobile, and pointed us in the right direction. He’s here like us in Sydney, but with the advantage of nearly a years experience knows the place to go and avoid.

The nightlife atmosphere is similar to home, but a pleasant and significant difference was the lacking of smoking. Whether this is due to a smoking ban or the general health conscious nature of the Aussie I don’t know, hopefully though this is a precedent of what the UK will be like come next summer.

Later we met up with Steve in the Three Monkeys, a bar/club recommended by a promotions girl who we happened to share a carriage on the train in with. This was the first pub we’d been to serving pints and as usual we were happy to indulge. Steve is a quality bloke and hopefully we’re meeting up with him this Sunday. At this point the night started to become hazy, but pool seems to a strong memory and the photos from the evening confirmed this the following day.

We headed for the last train that left at 1:45am. Getting on board Adam and I soon started to drift away and so began the start of an unforgettable night. We firstly missed our stop ending up in Hornsby, the next stop but some way from West Ryde. I suppose looking in hindsight it was a godsend we woke up then as the next stop was Newcastle (Australia not UK!!!) which is a long distance from Sydney. In the chaos of waking up I managed to leave my wallet onboard the train and only realised just as the carriage started to pull out from the station. I couldn’t believe it!!!! We reported the loss to the guard at the station who tried his best to phone the train and locate the wallet, but this was to no avail. Unfortunately I won’t be able to find out till Monday if it’s been recovered.

Now to the problem of getting home. Outside we caught a taxi that just happened to pull up as we exited the station and it was at this point we realised that the key Mick and Alison had provided was in my wallet. What were the chances in that? We phoned ahead to let them know what hand happened and continued on our way. At last we thought the problems were over, but no, the Indian taxi driver had no clue of where he was going. It ended up with Adam and me directing him by an A to Z and the whole journey costing $60.

Finally we arrived home at around 4am, Mick greeting us at the door as we stumbled in half asleep. That said I managed to coherently log a lost property report online, transfer all my money out of the accounts my cards had access too, and find out the relevant numbers to cancel the cards first thing in the morning. Anyways…… to cut a long story short, what a night! Certainly one that I will not forget for a very long time.

Today we’ve been relaxing for a much needed recovery session.

Day 8 - OLYMPIC PARK, THERE IS HOPE FOR LONDON

After an early start to phone home using Skype (free internet calling for those of you who didn’t know), Mick drove both Adam and I to the Olympic Park. We’d decided the following night it was about time we’d did some exercise and thus gave us the perfect opportunity to site-see at the same time.

Arriving at the site, the place was empty. The vast area with the Telstra Stadium, Aquatics Centre and various other large building looked obviously well constructed for the masses, but the little people about made look baron and desolate. I suppose we came on a Thursday, but even so, it seemed such a waste!

Mick dropped us right outside the Aquatics centre where we both went in to take an early morning swim. I wasn’t particularly looking forward to this as swimming is a sport I tend not to like, this being due to my inability to breathe properly and generally being rubbish, especially when compared to Adam who is an avid swimmer. The other more daunting prospect was that this would be my first time in a 50m pool. 25m seems far enough from past experience, why they decided Olympic size needed to be double this is beyond me.


Inside, like outside, was empty. We entered over looking the arena area, with the main pool and diving area being surrounded by spectator seating. The difference between the UK and Aus in sporting facilities was obvious, not only from the quality and price for entering, but also the shear number, they’re located everywhere. This is something like the 5th or 6th Olympic size pool in Sydney alone. No wonder the Aussie’s always beat us swimming.

Afterwards we sat in the onsite café for breakfast and then headed towards the tourist information centre. We’d already found out last night that bikes were for cheap hire, described as the best method of seeing the park and its surrounding area. The mountain bikes although new were shocking, and due to Aussie law helmets were a must. As usual the Australian good nature shone through from the hiring assistant who advised us on various routes and places to avoid/see.

We cycled through Bicentennial park to the swamp land, past the archery facilities which are open for free to the public (would never happen in the UK), and then finally through Woo-la-ra to the Newington Armoury and back to the Telstra Stadium. After returning the bikes we enjoyed lunch in one of the sports bars located on site and the returned home.

To top the day off, later in the afternoon we ventured to one of the shopping malls (Macquarie), where Adam and I both bought identical prepaid (pay-as-you-go) handsets from Dick Smith Electronics, one of the biggest electrical retails in Aus.

All in all another busy day and I’m really looking forward tomorrow as were heading to the northern beaches. Stephen you’ll love it as its home to the beach of Home and Away (Summerbay)

DAY 7 - BANKING, BONDI, BEACHES and BACKPACKING

Yesterday, Adam and I were on our own, so we ventured back towards the city centre to arrange bank accounts and mobile phones for the both of us. The weather again being beautiful, we took the train from West Ryde to Wynyard station arriving in the bustling city centre.

Through research the previous night we had already discovered Westpac provided the best bank account. In Australia, bank accounts have a monthly fee associated with them much like that before Midland Bank started the revolution of free banking in the UK. One big difference was that debit cards had only started to arrive in Aus a few months ago, and that not all banks offer them. This helped us narrow down the choice to Westpac.

After setting up, the next job was mobile phones. We quickly established that the internet would provide cheaper/better options and thus decided to leave that till later that day. We wondered down Georges Street towards “Wake Up!”, a modern and relatively expensive hostel at the other end of town. It had an amazing buzz about the place and pretty much confirmed that Adam and I would like to move into hostels after Mick and Alison’s. They provide information towards jobs, excursions, and just about anything else you could think your local backpacker would require…. We’re considering trying it out for a night or two just to get a feel. Mick and Alison are really letting us use the most of them and their house, which is great.

We then caught the bus to Circular Quay and then a ferry to Watsons bay. The view from the ferry of the Opera House and Harbour bridge being its usual amazing spectacle. All down the river banks, as you might expect, millionaire houses will motor and sailing boats sitting idly in the water. In Watsons Bay Adam and I bought some take-away fish and chips from the world renowned Doyle’s and then after absorbing in the local surroundings caught another bus to Bondi Beach 10 mins away. The cost of public transport being so cheap, the entire day’s travel cost $15 (about a fiver).

Bondi beach was stunning and with school on holiday incredibly busy. With surfs and swimmers in the water, and your usual collection of sun “worshippers”, it was everything I expected. Later Adam and I discussed the location of hostels again, Bondi due to today now being our top choice.

We finally returned home by first collecting a bus through Bondi Junction to Town Hall, and then a train back to West Ryde where Alison met us at the station. This backpacking year out seems to be a bit cushy at the moment but I’m sure it will change soon. We better enjoy the luxurious life while we can.

Day 6 – To the Blue Mountains…… “Just Down the Road”

Today, after a much needed 10 hour sleep to try and catch up on some of that missed due to flights, we headed for the Blue Mountains. Leaving just after 10am, Mick told me that it was “just down the road”. We arrived some 1hr ½ later and just went to emphasise the difference in distance over here. The journey though was pleasant and gave the opportunity to see some of the scenery around Sydney.

We parked at the conservation hut, after applying ample sun screen we head for the trail walk which would take us right past the Wentworth Waterfall’s via a deep descent that ran against the cliff edge….. Unfortunately this was closed for repair works so plans had to be changed.

The views were breath taking, with well placed viewing platforms every 400m or so. One thing to note though, despite the name, the Blue Mountain’s are not strictly mountainous, their more of a collection of hills with dramatic cliff edges. Non the less they are still an amazing sight and hence there world heritage status.

After lunch we head slightly further away from Sydney to Echo Point, Katoomba. Here is the best place to see the famous three sisters (although apparently there is strictly seven). The stair case leading to them was quite a daunting sight, but once tackled the views were as impressive as always.

We returned home to meet Alison, and more importantly my luggage (sorry Alison!!). Thankfully it had arrived earlier that day which allowed me to change and freshen up before eating a very tasty meal made by Alison and a beer to wash it down.

Tomorrow Adam and I plan to head back in to Sydney to try and arrange a mobile phone and bank account. Some how I see us getting a little distracted by the sights of Sydney.

DAY 5 - SYDNEY A SLIGHT HICCUP....... BUT WHAT A SIGHT!!!!!

We arrived at Sydney airport at 8:30am, later then expected due to a whole host of problems related to the aircraft just before take-off. Very tired having got very little sleep when compared to our first flight, we continued to custom’s expecting Aussie immigration to be a nightmare due to the incredibly strict rules and reg’s on entering. In turned out immigration was fine, but instead we encountered our first major set back of the year-out. My luggage had been left in KL and it wouldn’t be till tomorrow until it arrived.

Anyways, not thinking too much about it due to the assurances made, Mick and Alyson (Adams aussie relatives) met us at the exit. Sydney’s weather was beautiful, with a temperature around the mid 20’s, clear blue sky and no humidity like that in KL (which came very welcome). Mick and Alyson drove us back to their house the scenic route, and it was on this journey that I could finally appreciate what Adam had been raving about for the past year. The first sight you catch of Harbour Bridge simply takes your breath away.

After arriving at their house; Mick, Adam and I travelled into the city centre by ferry to Circular Quay and went on a wonder round the city. Due to it being labour day (a public holiday celebrating the reduction of the working day from 10hrs to 8hrs), the place was buzzing with everyone soaking up sun and absorbing the surroundings. We walked through the rocks where Mick and I had some lunch in the form of a chicken kebab (nothing like those usually consumed after a night out on the booze) and then continued to darling harbour. We finished our visit at the central station found opposite to the town hall (this is where my grand parents were married) and caught the train back to Rydalmere where Alyson met us with the car to take us home.

DAY 4 - THE LAST DAY IN KL, WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?

We spent our last day in KL in the more traditional slum market area at Kg Baru, reaching it using the impressive LRT train service. Situated so close the Petronas towers and the busy modern city centre, the contrast between the two areas is just amazing.

Afterwards we travelled back to the car where Martin and Caroline took us to see some of the local Hindu temples, the architecture and decorative nature of the buildings exterior being somewhat different to anything in the UK. Then we moved to the national Mosque of Malaysia. This was spectacular, being lavishly designed with picture perfect gardens and surroundings. Entering the mosque we were required as men to cover up our legs and arms using blue gowns, feeling similar to those warn at graduation. Caroline was also required to cover her head with a scarf as women are forbidden by religion to show any hair on their body, especially when in a mosque. The inside had marble pillars and floors, with water fountains and features everywhere, and the tranquillity of the place made it feel a privileged to be their.

Afterwards, we then moved to the National Monument 5 mins away from the mosque. Here, again set in beautifully kept gardens and surroundings, is the Malaysian War memorial, a giant statue depicting soldiers holding the Malaysian flag with enermy troops who had fallen at their feet. We then finished our visit to KL with drink in the local Irish pub (Finnigans), where Aussie could be found nosily watching the rugby league, and a meal at buffet curry house for the four of us.

From here Adam and I said goodbye to Martin and Caroline at KL central train station, again thanking them for their amazing hospitality. Here we checked in our baggage, and took the express train to the airport, setting of for the next leg of the year out.

Day 2 - 3

On Friday evening Caroline and Martin again took Adam and me to a restaurant where we met one of Caroline’s friends. Chrissie, an Aussie not only living in the same apartment block works in the Malaysian schooling system like Caroline. With Chrissie were two of her friends from back home who arrived earlier in the week. Allen and Barb are from just outside of Melbourne and it was quickly established that Adam and myself would be traveling to the area in the New Year. In typical Aussie fashion they were only too pleased to offer their contact details and address, suggesting that make a stop when in the neighborhood.

The following day we had a relaxing morning, catching up on some much needed sleep and reading. In the afternoon Caroline and Martin drove us to FRIM, a forestry reserve with a canopy walkway and several trails through thick tropical jungle. Amazingly this was only several miles from KL centre and subsequently offered some superb views of the city. Unfortunately the canopy walkway was closed for "Major repairs" and thus the jungle somewhat restricted the city.

One thing that was noticeable was the increase in temperature and as a result Adam was typically sweating bucket loads, luckily Martin had suggested before leaving the house that a spare t-shirt would probably be needed.

Afterwards we headed into little India in KL city centre located closely to Dakara square. Similar in nature to Chinatown regarding the markets with there buzzing nature and tatty products, a major and pleasant difference was that Indian sellers don't pester where as those in Chinatown make you feel like buying is a requirement of visiting. The other significant difference is the amazing colours of cloths and flowers that could be found; it made the whole area very picturesque.

We returned home and then a few hours later Adam and I found ourselves out on the town experiencing what the locals do for evening entertainment. Karaoke is incredibly big in KL but lucky Adam didn't have his usual urge to participate (only kidding mate). Instead we found ourselves watching live Saturday 3PM premiership matches whilst drinking long island ice teas at less than 2 pounds a glass: Chelsea - Villa and simultaneously Charlton - Arsenal.

Van Persie what a goal!!!!!

During the match we met 2 Brits who live in Cork, Ireland. On their honeymoon, they arrived the day before and like us were out seeing the night life. Danni and Steve were brilliant fun and we spent the whole night drinking and chatting away, with conversions ranging from Will Young (Steve mentioned how they went to one "for some reason" before coming out to KL, Adam and I ripped it out of them) to the football that night as Steve was a fellow gunner.
Before we parted we exchanged contact details, hopefully we can catch up with them at some point.