Rain, Reign, Rain.

Day 10: Friday, June 26th, 2015
Steps taken: 4,521

The rain over the course of the night started off light, and became torrential by morning.  It was the kind of rain that made you want to sleep all day.  Despite that I woke up relatively early.  I got some breakfast, and everyone was curious about their day; mine with kayaking, and the others about the skydive.  I decided to see if the rain would let up, and if it did I would go into town for kayaking.  Spoiler alert: That did not happen! It rained, rained, and then rained some more.  Then it would stop for a few minutes giving hope for the day, and then those hopes were drowned shortly and repeatedly after.  I spent the morning on the internet waiting for it to clear up.

By 1pm, it had not so I went to the brewery for lunch.  I got a pepperoni pizza, and had some water.  My throat had been messed up since surfing, but this was about the peak of soreness.  As a bunch of were finishing lunch, the sun was coming out.  Guess how long that lasted? No more than ten minutes.  I really wanted to go kayaking, but I felt bad for those who were washed out from skydiving although there were a few more opportunities later in the trip for those things.

The rest of the day was comprised of internet gaming, reading, practicing the ocarina, and napping.  I had a light dinner of an apple, rice crackers, and coconut creme TimTams.  Dinner of champions who have been waterlogged the whole day.  I opted out of the group excursion for dinner and clubbing.  I don't care for clubbing to begin with, but to venture out in a mini-monsoon is not my idea of a fun evening.  Oh well.  Our free day was more of a lost day.

Surfin' in the rain, just surfin' in the rain.

Day 9: Thursday, June 25th, 2015

Steps taken: 5,526

The next morning we were going surfing.  I had a light breakfast, and then we were on our way.  We saw the very famous Shawn the Prawn on the way.  The surf company that was teaching us was called Mojo Surf.  We put on our wetsuits, got a training board, and did some preliminary stretches and played some outlandish games such as a wheelbarrow race before hitting the water.  I think Caitlin and I came in 3rd or 4th out of 10 teams.  Not bad.

Once we learned how to get up on the board, paddle, and stand up, we were ready to hit the surf.  Weezer's "Surf Wax America" playing in my head.  Just as long as my surfing didn't end the same way as the song.  However, early on I was carrying my board the wrong way and as a wave collided with it, the board was thrust into my adam's apple.  That hurt.  I was stunned for ten seconds, and then recomposed myself.  Surfing itself was amazing though.  I've said it before and I'll say it again: I love the being in the water (even if it takes my glasses).  At first I was able to get up on my board almost with each.  After a few times it was getting more arduous rather than easier.  I was getting a little more tired each time.  It was getting to a point where I was just riding the waves without trying to stand up.  That was still thrilling though.  Then the instructor came to help me get more comfortable.  She was cool.  She was from New Zealand, and I somehow managed to guess her hometown by her just saying that she was from an east coast town on the North Island (Napier).  I will be visiting Napier for a day during my first week in NZ.  Anyway, by the end of it I was getting back on top of the board for a few seconds again.  I was having so much fun that I barely noticed that I was one of the last of us to leave the water.

After leaving the water, we brought our boards back to the portable surf shop bus, and gave back the boards.  Then we all went into a fresh water-and I use that term loosely because the water was the color of coca-cola-to rinse off the salt water.  The next thing we did was remove our wetsuits, and change.  I took a quick shower as well.  Then we were on the bus heading to Byron Bay.

https://mojosurf.com/
(Mojo Surf is an awesome company.  If you want to get surf lessons while in Australia, New Zealand, and Bali I would recommend them.  If I get to Bali, one of the activities I will do is another surf lesson with them.)

Our first stop in Byron Bay was the lighthouse there for lunch.  I was famished, however I went to take pictures of the lighthouse and coast first while everyone else started eating.  Then I joined them eating my chicken and cheese sandwich that I purchased earlier at a rest stop in a small town.  While we were there, there was a great whale spotting.  A few whales were splashing their fins in the distance.  Splash on, Whales, splash on.

When we left the lighthouse, we drove around Byron Bay for a bit.  As we were descending the lighthouse cliffs, we saw people paragliding.  A fair amount of people on this tour were set to go skydiving and/or bungee jumping.  I will do anything for adventure, but I won't do that! I would consider going paragliding though.  I was however very interested in going kayaking in Byron Bay, which was a cool place overall.  Very hippie-ish.  Tons of outdoor activities, and good peaceful vibes.  It reminded me of my beloved New Paltz if it was set in a physical environment like Florida.  Lost of arts and creativity abound.

The Arts Hostel that we stayed at was like a creative person's wet dream.  There was murals, sculptures, and art everywhere! Nothing was plain or ordinary here.  We stayed in bungalows around a lake.  We settled in, and then I checked in with home before the group was to meet again to watch a video of our surfing.  Thankfully they didn't have any footage of me getting smashed in the throat or wiping out. (That or they keep a personal blooper reel.)

Once that was over we got dinner at the brewery on the premises.  I had a dark lager, and the kangaroo burger special.  Still felt guilty, but it was a good meal.  After dinner I went back to the bungalow to read.  I had finished reading The Necromancer by Michael Scott by this point, and was reading Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere.  Shortly after the group went to an Irish pub where there was a two piece folk band playing.  The main guy's name was Mick McHugh I believe.  He was very much influenced by Bob Dylan (but who isn't).  Nothing wrong with that.  Apparently this was the place to be that night.  I left early for some peace, quiet, and rest.  That's when the rain began.

I SHALL NOT PASS...as a smart and coordinated individual...

Day 8: Wednesday, June 24th
Steps taken: 5,872

I can't remember my dreams that night, but let's say they were full of shenanigans that I wasn't having consciously.  I woke up, packed up, and went down to breakfast finding out about some of the shenanigans from the night before.  As long as they're not like the prank war that happened on the Contiki Egypt trip then I'm fine with what happens.

Shortly after leaving the Imperial Hotel in Bingara, we stopped at a house that had several wallabies.  Caitlin said that it might be a shelter for them.  The next stop was Boundary Creek Waterfall before lunch.  We did make a pit stop to get food for a picnic for lunch.  Then we arrived at the waterfall.  It was a great spot.  I never get sick of seeing waterfalls.  It was a little tricky crossing the stream to get to the falls, but it was even trickier to get back.  I wasn't confident in my footing although I should have been so I slipped a bit.  Thankfully my boots were waterproof.  I was not very graceful as I stumbled back across, but I grabbed a massive branch and raised it up trying to look cool and not like I had two left feet.  Supposedly I looked like Gandalf the Grey/White doing that so mission accomplished?

From there we went to Raspberry Lookout for lunch.  I had a roast beef, turkey & cheese on rye & pumpkin bread.  I hope I can find that bread at home.  It was tasty.  I also had some bacon and cheddar cheeseballs, and a cream soda Fanta.  The view from there of the surrounding mountains was spectacular.  When we were done eating and admiring the view, we were off to Yamba.

Yamba is a nice little beach town.  After settling in to our lodgings a bunch of us went down to the beach to swim.  The water wasn't too rough, but I thought I would be okay with my glasses on mostly because I was more comfortable in the water with them on.  That was a mistake.  A good wave knocked them off and they were gone.  For someone with a Master's degree I can be a master dumbass sometimes.  Thankfully I brought a spare pair just in case anything happened to my main pair.  At least the ocean has better vision now.

After that set back I took a shower, and walked into town with a few of the guys.  We stopped in a few stores, and then went to a place called Yamba Chick-Inn for some grub.  The alternative was McDonald's  This was a much better choice.  I had a six piece chicken nugget.  They were very crispy, and you could tell that the quality of the chicken was much better than whackdonald's.  When we were done eating, we headed back towards the hotel.

We all lounged around for a while, and then had dinner around 8pm.  I had the crispy skin salmon with rice and a bacon wrapped pear.  It was excellent.  Almost reminiscent of the kind of dish they might have served in Antarctica.  After dinner I went upstairs to relax since fairly early the next day would be surfing.  For someone who loves the water I haven't done nearly as many water activities as I would have liked.  The next day would scratch surfing off the list.

Gold Digging Ponies

Day 7: Tuesday, June 23rd
Steps taken: 3,850

I woke up the next morning after getting a decent night's sleep.  The shearer's quarters we stayed in was a bit cold, but thankfully I chose the bed that was right next to the heater.  I had breakfast, and then we all went to look at some of the animals on the property.  There was a camel, an alpaca, a pig named Peppa that had the same coloring as a cow, some roosters, and a wallaby named Sally.  A bunch of us including myself (and Sally from our tour) were able to feed Sally before she hopped away.

On our way to our next major destination we stopped at the Giant Golden Guitar, and then to get some snacks and supplies for lunch.  Then we resumed our trek to the gold panning region.  When we arrived we were met by Paul and brought to the panning station to first pan for sapphires.  We all scooped up some dirt to put into the pans, and were shown how to separate the gem stones from everything else.  I was able to do this 3 times before lunch.  In my first pan I found some minor gemstones, a crystal or two, a little ruby, and a small sapphire.  In my second pan I found a nice sapphire.  In my third I found a few more crystals and regular gemstones.

After that portion of panning, we had a really great BBQ that Caitlin cooked up for us.  There was burgers, hot dogs, salad, and even kangaroo meatballs.  The kangaroo meatball I had was decent although I felt a bit guilty after petting and feeding Sally the Wallaby.  If I have to describe the taste it would be a cross between beef and venison. (Did you think I was going to say it tasted like chicken?)

With a full stomach I trudged over to the panning station to pan for gold.  It was a bit more extensive of a process than panning for gems.  I was able to go through the process twice.  The first pan yielded nothing.  However I found two pieces in my second pan.  That pretty much paid for my entire trip!...not really.  That's okay.  This was fun, and I can understand why people got 'Gold Fever' during the Gold Rush of the 1840's and 50's in America.  When it was over, Paul and his wife let us choose lucky stones.  Those who found gold had to pick blindly.  I picked a nice piece of red and white jasper.  Once everyone picked a stone, we were allowed to exchange for a different. one.  Only one person did making them 'unlucky'.

After gold panning, our next destination was horseback riding, which I had never done before.  I've gone camel and donkeyback riding, but never ridden a horse before (At least not since I was five).  I'm not a fan of particular heights and while I was nervous I was looking forward to the ride.  The stablemaster John, his wife Natasha, and their children were very nice.  John sort of zeroed in on me and called me Red.  How'd he know one of my common nicknames...oh right.  The hair.  John helped me get comfortable with my horse whose saddle said was named Bloodnuts (Rest assured I made a few jokes), but I found out after the ride was actually named Marion.  Sorry, Marion!  Our ride went through some pastures, residential areas, along side the woods, through two streams, along a lake, and back around.  Bloodnuts/Marion was very spirited, and liked to keep up with those ahead of the pack, which gave me a crash course in riding.  Thankfully I did not crash.  She also liked to take unscheduled snack breaks (I can relate).  She was patient with me as an amateur rider, so she deserved the same.  Overall, this was a better experience than camel riding in Egypt.  I walked away from Marion with only a blister on my right hand.  Definitely a victory in my battle against acrophobia.

After horseback riding, we went to the Imperial Hotel, and dropped off our stuff waiting for dinner.  I showered up, and headed down to the bar for a hard cider.  Dinner was chicken schnitzel, mashed potatoes, corn, carrots, broccoli, and cauliflower.  It was hearty and hit the spot after a long day although I left some food on the plate unfortunately.  Hate wasting food especially good food.

Once dinner was over we all went back to the bar to relax, drink, and listen to music.  Some of us played billiards.  Ben from Shetfield, England and I were the undisputed doubles champs for the night; part of that luck, part skill, and part teamwork.  Around 10 when the bar was closing up, the rest of us went upstairs.  I decided to sleep while some of the others continued drinking and having shenanigans.  To each their own as long as the next day is enjoyable.

Drunken Sheep Shearing.

Day 6: Monday, June 22nd, 2015
Steps taken: 4,210

I woke up a little before 6, cleaned up, and brought my things upstairs for our departure.  I stopped in 7-11 for a drink and a few snacks, and got on the bus, which was named Georgia.

We had breakfast on the bus and were on our way to our first destination, which was a winery.  I read most of the way there.  Caitlin tried to get us to open up by playing bus games, but we were still awkward aardvarks.  That or still in sleep mode.

Around 9:30 we arrived in the Hunter Valley at the Tyrrell Winery.  For about half an hour we sampled some wine before the tour.  I know a few people who would kill to spend a Monday morning at a winery.  The gentleman behind the bar was awesome.  He would ask trivia questions based on where you were from.  He would serve you when you got a question right.  It was fun, so I was playing his games even when I already had a glass of wine in hand.

The tour of the vineyard was cool.  Our tour guide whose name I forgot was informative with a slightly dry sense of humor.  He discussed the history of wine making in the Hunter Valley as well as the process of grape growing, wine making, and the winery itself.  I believe my great-great-grandparents in Italy were wine makers, so this helped me feel closer to my ancestry.  After the tour, we had a tasting of more of their wines.  I really liked their shiraz and one other although I can't remember at the moment (since it was 5 days from the event that I wrote this entry ((and two years to type it))).  I would have bought a bottle, but I did not want to lug it around with me for the rest of the trip.  If any of the liquor stores near me carries their product then I will pick up a bottle.  The tour overall ended on a disturbing note when people started telling dead baby jokes.  I guess that's why you don't drink in the morning.

After the winery, we continued northward for our next destination/accommodation.  We stopped off for lunch at a Cole's shopping plaza where I picked up a shrimp tempura, salmon avocado roll, and a chicken teriyaki roll.  I ate my lunch outside sitting on a sundial.

From there it was a few hour drive to our next stop, which was the DAG Sheep Station in Nundle.  When we arrived we were waiting for the shearer to return, so we unpacked for the night, and had a dinner of lamb stew and pasta.  It was quite good even though we were about to attend a sheep shearing demonstration.

Around 6-6:30, the shearer arrived, and after he had eaten, we went up to the shearing station and were given a crash course in how to shear a sheep.  The last time I did anything like this must have been on a 2nd grade field trip.  At the end of it we all got to take individual photos with the sheep, and three people actually got to sheer the sheep.  When it was done I read for a bit, and went to sleep counting sheep from that day and dreaming of gold that would mark the next day.

We need more pylons.

Day 5: Sunday, June 21st, 2015

Steps taken: 17,662

I was only asleep for a few hours before I woke up.  I tried to go back to bed in order to get to take up around 6 or 7 to be good for the day, however that didn't happen.  I checked FB, played some more games since I was feeling restless, and didn't fall back asleep until 6.  I woke up at 10, cleaned up, checked on a few things, and checked out of the Sydney Boulevard Hotel around noon.  

The weather was a factor in my lethargy as well.  I walked to Kent Street where Base Camp was in the rain.  It was only a ten minute walk, but the rain didn't make it pleasant since I was lugging around my suitcase.  Thankfully, Behemoth is pretty decent in light elements, and I've made my backpack waterproof enough by always having my important papers and things concealed in a garbage bag.  I made it to Base Camp, read a bit, checked in, and then met Alex from Germany who was also going on the tour.  After talking to him for a few minutes I went to go redeem my pylon ticket that I was given for doing the bridge climb.

Before making my way back to The Rocks I bought a few drinks from 7-11, and got lunch at the Fitness Center again.  This time I had a bratwurst filled with cheese, and a Tornado Potato with chicken salt.  If you're not familiar with this food masterpiece/abomination, they place a potato on an electric drill and run it through a meat slicer of sorts.  Then it is stretched out giving it an open, lengthy spiral shape.  It is deep fried and then seasoned.  It was good and greasy.

I took a slightly different path to get to the Harbor than the day before, and found myself back at the street vendors.  There was a cookie and chocolate seller that I don't think was there yesterday with novelty pop culture cookies/baked goods.  I talked with the vendor about Doctor Who for a few minutes, and then bought a TARDIS shaped M&M flavored cookie.

To get to the pylon I had to climb some stairs to the bridge level.  I got to the pylon after walking the pedestrian side of the bridge for a minute or two.  I climbed up to the top of the pylon, and took some photos.  There was some information about the bridge on the observatory and ground level, but Amanda had covered most of those things.  Too bad she wasn't there to give a Pylon Tour.

When I got out of the pylon I walked to the other end of the bridge to North Sydney, and went down to the street level and wandered around there for thirty minutes or so.  I went to the coastline on that side, and came back to the bridge.  It was nice to see most of the places I had been to already from the other side, and to be on the side I saw from the Opera House and the bridge.  I returned to the bridge, and made my way back to Base Camp making a quick stop at a book store a few blocks from the hostel.

At Base Camp, we had a little less than two hours before our group meeting so I relaxed back in the room.  Almost everyone else had arrived and were doing the same.  We made basic introductions, and then went upstairs around 7pm to meet our CEO Caitlin.  From there we went to a pub down the road, and did full intros and got the basic rundown of the tour (G Adventures: Australia All Encompassed) while filling out paperwork.  There was currently 19 people on the tour although a few people were leaving at different points and I believe a few others joining later on.  No more than 20 at a time.  A nice small tour although not as small as Romania.

After the main meeting was over, we could have either stayed and ate there or do whatever we wished.  Since I wanted to check out the ChinaTown section of Sydney and it was close by I decided to go there for food.  I was there for an hour or so.  I stopped at a shopping center, and got a pork bun and a green tea bubble tea for dinner.  Then I made my way back to Base Camp.  I did some interneting until 10, and went to bed because early the next morning the main adventure would begin.https://www.gadventures.com/trips/australia-encompassed/OAAE/

Bridgeclimb to Heaven.

Day 4: Saturday, June 20th, 2015
Steps taken: 11,891

Because I had a recharge day I was determined to get much more accomplished and seen on my second day in Sydney.  I woke up around 6am.  I cleaned up, ate the rest of my BLAT and some Timtams, did some internet gaming, and waited for the Australian Museum to open up.

At 9:30 I left the hotel and took a right towards the museum and some of the major parks.  On the way I saw a kaiten/conveyor belt sushi restaurant that I wanted to eat dinner at that night.  I believe the last time I ate at a kaiten sushi restaurant was when I was in Kyoto in August of 2011.  If you like sushi I highly recommend this dining experience.

I shortly arrived at the Australian Museum, which was doing some construction on the front of the building.  The side or main entrance had a T-Rex busting out of the wall.  Having seen Jurassic World a week earlier I was in "Dino Mode".  There wasn't too many people there when I arrived, which was nice.  The museum was pretty cool.  There were some exhibits on the first two floors related to minerals, local species, and the relationship between animals to the environment of Australia.  After going through these two floors, there were more patrons to the museum.  I went up to the next floor which was dedicated to dinosaurs, and there was an interactive lab/research area.  Finally I went up to the cafe to take pictures of the surrounding areas from the terrace there.

After the museum I went to the park next door where there was a memorial to soldiers who fought and died in 1917.  Then I crossed William Street from where the museum was, and checked out the other parks in the vacinity on my way to the Sydney Opera House.  There was some nice fountains such as the Archibald Fountain.  I stopped for lunch at the Fitness Center where there was an ice skating rink, a waterball ride area, and a bunch of food vendors.  I got a chicken teriyaki stick, and a spinach, cheese, and mushroom gozleme (My last international trip was Turkey).  Both were good.

Then I headed through the next park and went to the New South Wales Library, which was like Eden to me.  The world's largest book was there in the main library, and there was a collection of items of Captain James Cook from his expeditions to Antarctica.  I love finding connections to other places I have been especially somewhat unexpected ones.

From there I walked through the Royal Botanical Gardens, and started catching better glimpses of the Opera House.  The gardens were very nice.  I was tempted to check out the government building there, but pressed on to the harbor.

I arrived at the Opera House, and wandered around the outside at first and then inside.  I was tempted to get tickets for a performance, but I didn't want to lose 2-3 hours during a day when there were other activities I could have done.  Definitely the next time I'm in Sydney.  I spent a good 30 minutes walking around, then picked up some souvenirs, and then continued along the harbor path to The Rocks.

After the Opera House I stopped into a convenient store for a snack.  I picked up some mint swirl kitkats, and a black currant Nestea.  I shouldn't support Nestle because they can go drown themselves in the water they illegally obtain, but it was just one drink and it was black currant!  I'm pretty sure black currants are my kryptonite when I'm in countries that sell drinks and snacks flavored with them.  Along that path a man named Psycho Sam was setting his helmet on fire and juggling tossing knives while standing on one leg.  I would try doing something like that, but you know...I like living.

There was an area where water taxis and ships were going all over Sydney Harbor and I was interested in going to the zoo or MANLY COVE, the manliest place in the world, but carried on to The Rocks and the Sydney Bridge Climb.  Again, reasons to come back to Sydney.  That and to hike the Blue Mountains.

I walked the path along the harbor to The Rocks, and closer to the bridge.  I walked through a vendor faire on a closed off street and watched a graffiti painter named Darren Germain give a demonstration of his works.  He had a gas mask on while he took several different cans of spray paint, brushes, and a few objects like plates to make patterns within patterns.  It was really impressive and mesmerizing to watch his process all come together in a finished mural of the Earth from outer space.  He had other murals of the shape of the continent of Australia with a scene of the Outback inside the continent shape.  I wanted to buy something from him, but didn't want to lug around art with me for a month and a half.  Unfortunately, he didn't do online orders.  Maybe I can find something of his on eBay, but I'd rather support him directly.

I reached the Sydney Bridge around 3pm, and talked to the receptionist about my options.  There was a Twilight Climb that was happening soon.  I decided to take that option despite how expensive it was because this was so highly recommended as an activity.  Shortly after, we were brought into the preparation areas to sign a waiver, get fitted into our climbing gear, and get the rundown of what we were doing.  We met our climb leader Amanda and after about thirty minutes of prep, we headed out to the climb.  We first went through a short, almost cavernous path to get to a straight walk across beams.  After five minutes or so, we made our first ascent.  There were 1,332 stairs total.  As we made our way out into the open, we had views of the main pylons, the streets of the bridge, buildings of Southern Sydney, and the Opera House.  I was asked to follow Amanda and lead the rest of the group, which not including myself was completely couples.  I guess this is a good date or couple activity.  I believe this was the first time we call climbed the bridge though.  While climbing, Amanda regaled us with compelling facts and stories about the construction of the bridge, and the surrounding areas.  Some really interesting points about the bridge were that six million rivets were used in its construction, and that the oldest person ever to climb it was 100 at the time (Bless her soul...yes, her!) That goes to show that the impossible is never truly impossible.  Seeing sunset from the bridge was astonishing.  During the climb I was talking to either Amanda or the gentleman behind me from Melbourne.  At one point, he proposed to Amanda despite his wife behind him.  Even though he was kidding, this seems to be a pretty popular proposal site.

We made our way as far as we could and looped back around.  We could see all around the harbor, and the illuminated Luna Park.  Sydney glowing from atop the bridge was magnificent.  Even though this took up most of my Sydney budget, it was well worth it.  We got back inside the bridge around 6:30-7.  We stripped out of our gear and retrieved our things.  I filled out the survey and talked to Amanda about my plans for the night since she asked.  If my wit was sharper I would have said a whole lot of debauchery and breaking things, but I told her I was going to head back to my hotel and get some sushi.  If I wasn't so much of a coward I would have asked her to have dinner with me.  I should have.  I didn't think she would because why have dinner with a bloke that you'll never see again.  I should have asked anyway.  I guess I haven't regenerated too much in regards to my ability to connect to others.  I have my reasons, but it wouldn't have hurt to try to get to know someone as wonderful as Amanda no matter what the connection was.  If anyone reading this does the bridge climb, you'll be lucky to have Amanda as your guide (although I'm sure the other guides are qualified too).

http://www.bridgeclimb.com/climbs/the-bridge-climb/

I left the bridge and headed back to my hotel.  I watched a few people roll in the water bubbles/balls at Fitness Park, and then arrived at the kaiten sushi restaurant.  It was closed.  Karma I suppose or just bad timing.  I considered eating at one of the Thai restaurants down the street, but went back to the hotel and looked at their restaurant menu.  I ordered a prawn and bacon pizza, and started watching tv while doing some interneting.  There was a reality show about nurses in an elderly dementia ward.  After that was Terminator 3.  I feel asleep during that.  It definitely wasn't as good as the previous Terminator moves.  The acting wasn't great (and it wasn't just Arnold), and the writing was poor.  T4 was decent despite certain aesthetic conditions not really matching up with a post-apocalyptic world.  Despite a robot uprising, everyone in the future will have perfect teeth.  Not really interested in seeing T5, but maybe I'll fall asleep during that some future adventure.  Anyway, a tremendous day overall.