23/12/02
SYDNEY, NEW SOUTH WALES I arrived in Sydney at 7:30 in the morning after 3 days on the plane. My cousing Tanya was supposed to meet me at the airport and alas, she WAS NOT there when i arrived. I waited around for quite a while and then hopped on a shuttle to
the hostel Footprints Hotel Bakpack
Westwend. She was there at the hostel writing me a note when i got there. She was staying about a 15 minute walk away in Darling Harbour with
a cool guy, Darren, who she had met and been hanging out with up in Byron Bay (a surfing
haven up the coast). We went out for breakfast (toasted tasty [white chedder] cheese and tomato with flat
white [milk, no froth] coffees). Then, i went to the BUNAC/IEP office, the place that arranged my
work visa, for orientation and to file for my tax file number (social
security number). After i took a short nap, Tanya, Darren and i met up and got some sushi take-away (take-out) to eat in Hyde Park. Then, we walked around Kings Cross, Sydney's seedy area (like the
good old days of 42nd St) and the section of town i chose to stay in the last time i was in
Sydney. We went and got a beer at the pub and ("oh-my-God") went
into a sex shop just because Tanya said she would NEVER go in. Bare, cold and less-then-exciting displays of dildos and vibrators
in plastic packaging, it was definately no Babes in Toyland. That night, Darren cooked us dinner - a nice feast of pasta, wine,
and garlic bread. I was completely overtired, fading fast, and had to hop on another
plane at 7 the next morning, so after dinner i walked back to the hostel to get some sleep. Tanya and Darren were meeting some friends at the pub. It was Tanya's last night in Australia (she was leaving the following
afternoon) and she needed to party hard one last time.
