Saturday 22nd December 2007

Our alarm woke us up at 8.30am this morning, but by the time we were all dressed, had had our breakfast and had left the building it was 10.30am - having Emma here was like trying to go out with the Beave' around... just kidding - she'll never be that bad! We decided that we'd go to a place called Caversham Wildlife Park, where Emma would be able to see animals from all over Australia - all in one place. We caught the free Perth Cat Bus around the city and down to the bus depot, where we caught the second of our buses for the day.

Caversham Wildlife Park is quite a long way away and after we'd caught our third bus we found that it was a 1.8km walk from the front gate to the front door... that's one hell of a garden path! As we were walking up to the visitor centre we managed to flag down an employee and he gave us a lift which was a bonus. Once we were in, the wildlife park was pretty good. We got to see loads of animals including Cassowaries, Kangaroos, Koalas, Wombats, Dingos and Tasmanian Devils. We even got to hold the Wombat, which weighed about 26kg and smooth the Koalas - who were apparently too tired to be held.

We stayed at the park for a couple of hours and then this evening made our way back to the hostel. We did try and pop into Woolworths, but it was shut - so we thought we'd go out for a meal tonight instead. After getting changed, we walked down through Northbridge (the area of Perth we're staying in) and decided that we'd eat in a little Greek restaurant... even Emma was up for it - and she only eats things like burgers and chips!

Our meals were lovely - I had chicken, Nikki had moussaka and Emma had salmon... which she loved. We had a really nice time and then on the way back we stopped in a funky American bar - where loads of people were dancing to Rock 'n' Roll music - it was incredible, they were all dressed like they were from the 50's, with quiffs and all (not the women obviously).

Well done Emma, for eating something that didn't come with chips!

Friday 21st December 2007

We found the airport with no problems and after waiting for about an hour Emma came bounding out the Arrivals door - like someone on Stars In Their Eyes. We were all really excited to see each other and started jabbering on straight away... we got her back to the hostel by about 3am and carried on talking until about 5am when we were all exhausted and did our best to get some sleep... I still had enough energy to open all my birthday cards though. Wilksi and Vicky even sent me out some money that i'd never seen before - Emma said it was a new £20 note - so I put that towards my new iPod Touch!

For some reason, when Emma's phone started ringing at about 6am this morning, with the sun rising and the birds singing outside our window, she didn't bother to cancel it, or even answer quietly and tell the caller that she would call them back in two weeks... nope, she thought it was ok to answer and have a conversation. Thing was, she wasn't quiet - she was talking as if she was on a busy train - that was running through a construction site. Whoever was on the phone - I could even hear their voice too... didn't these people realise that we'd only been asleep for about an hour!?

Emma put the phone down at some point and we all drifted back off to sleep, until the alarm went off at about 9am. When we were all up and dressed (in our new clothes that have been sent from home) we went and had some breakfast. Because we sat outside eating, me and Nikki mentioned how cold it was - and Emma looked at us as if we were mad. We told her, if she's hot now - she's in for a treat later! We were all ready to leave at about 11am and when we spoke to Hopper, he said that, because we've still got the car, it would be nice to go to a place called Hillary's, which was a huge man-made harbour area slightly out of town. When Emma heard it was out by the ocean, she was well up for it!

Hillary's was beautiful - the sea was all different shades of blue, and looked really nice. It was a nice place and we had a look around the shops before sitting on the grass in the sunshine and having a catch-up. Afterwards we went to Subway and had some lunch. We spent some more time looking round the shops and then went to Sorento Beach, where Emma got in the sea - she was well chuffed it was December and she was paddling in the water.

We came back to the hostel this afternoon and I took the car back whilst Nikki and Emma walked into town. Once i'd dropped it off, I walked in to town and did some shopping for Nikki's Christmas presents. At 5pm we all met up and walked back. We had hot-dogs and salad for our tea and then afterwards me and Nikki said we were going to go into town, but Emma said she wanted to go to bed instead - so she didn't come. We went in to watch this big Nativity / Christmas carol show that was being put on. The centre was packed and the show was actually quite good. They even had live animals - with the three wise men riding in on camels!

Yippee! Emma's here!

Thursday 20th December 2007

The alarm woke us up at about 9am this morning, because we needed to check out of the Underground Hostel and move round to a different one - the Witches Hat, which is where Emma's gonna be joining us. We got ready and then had some of the free breakfast - although not much, it's pretty grim. There isn't much choice and it seems that what little there is, is all mixed in together anyway (moan, moan, moan). At about 10am, we put our bags on our backs, collected our food from the kitchen and walked around the road to the other hostel.

When we'd dropped off our bags, we couldn't get into our room so we took a walk into town instead to have a look around. We did plan to split up and look round for presents for each other - but ended up staying together. We went in a couple of shops and then I finally spent my birthday money... I bought a new Apple iPod Touch - which looks awesome! I've been in every electrical store in the city, including Apple, and they're all selling it for about $549... all except Tandy who were offering it for $499 - with a free case... bargain! So, I need to make sure I thank Mum and Keith, June and Andy, Grandma Iles and Granny Vera for my newest toy.

This afternoon, we came back to the hostel and Hopper, the manager of the Witches Hat, kindly drove me out to the car hire company - to get the car which we were going to collect Emma from the airport with. We just hung around the hostel for the rest of the day. Nikki wrapped Emma's Christmas presents and then had a little nap. I played about on the laptop and then, at about 12.30am had a sleep myself. At 1.50am our alarm went off and we got up, jumped in the car and went to collect our little sister from Perth's international airport.

Yippee... we're picking Emma up tonight!

Wednesday 19th December 2007

We're in a 6-bed dorm at the mo', and at about 8.30am this morning about 4 alarms went off - obviously for the others to get up and go to work, but nobody did... only me and Nikki. We went and had some of the free breakfast and then went into town. We had no choice today... Niks had to pay a visit to the dentist!

After wandering around for ages, looking in the windows of shops, we found a Tourist Information and they told us where we could find the dentist. Instead of going straight there, I took Nikki for a milkshake. Once we were finished we went over. The other day one of Nikki's back teeth just snapped when she ran her tongue across it. The dentist said that she would be able to have a filling - so that's what she did. Nikki, who is normally terrified of the dentist, was VERY brave and didn't moan once - plus the dentist did an amazing job (I got to watch the whole thing). In all, the emergency surgery cost us about $245... so i've told Nikki that's all she's allowed for Christmas this year!

This afternoon we came back to the hostel and, after trying to figure out the best way to pick up our darling Sister from the airport, spent some time sat by the pool in the sunshine. We've looked at the 5-day forecast and it's predicted to be about 38° on Christmas Day... yippee! It is quite funny, we were walking around Woolworths and they're blasting out songs on the speakers... one's like 'Let It Snow' and then we walk outside into the blinding sunshine! Tonight we had some food and then went out to the pub for a drink - the perfect way to round of another day of doing nothing!

Emma's coming in... TWO days!

Tuesday 18th December 2007

We got up nice and early this morning so that we would definitely be on the bus stop in plenty of time to catch our coach but in typical Perth laid-back fashion, the stupid thing was late! When it did eventually turn up, we got on board and came back to the city. We didn't have any idea where we were staying so just walked over to the Underground Backpackers where we'd stayed before and hoped that they'd have some space... they did!

After checking in, we just spent the afternoon wandering around town. We don't want to see too much, as we'd like for it to explore when Emma arrives. We just went in a couple of the shops in Northbridge, which is where our hostel is and then went into PeterPans to use the internet.

This evening we stopped in Nando's for some food and then rang Emma to say hello, and ask if she was ok? We then came back to the hostel and went into the bar for a drink... using another free voucher we'd been given, before crashing in front of the TV.

Emma's coming in... THREE days!

Monday 17th December 2007

I came to bed at about 3am this morning because, after watching the Liverpool vs Man Utd game, I watched the Arsenal vs Chelsea match too... which was much better! Nikki woke up at about 8am this morning - but she left me in bed and I eventually got up at about 10.30am. We were planning on hiring bikes today and cycling to the beach - but it looked a bit overcast, so we gave it a miss. Instead we got ready and then walked into town to see the things we didn't see on Saturday.

The centre is quite nice - it's very similar to Port Douglas in Queensland, with nice shops and cafés. We had a look the shops and the walked down to the Margaret River. Afterwards, when we were walking back up through the shops we stopped and went in the Old Lolly Shop and then the Fudge Factory (it's all about the sweets).

This evening, when we were back at the hostel, a load of the guys arranged a 5-a-side footie match on the pitch outside the hostel. I could tell our team wasn't expected to do very well - because as soon as we got there one team just automatically just walked to one side and started doing flicks and tricks. The rest of us just sort of hung around at the other end until the game kicked off. I don't think things went quite how the others planned - because our team ended up winning 4-2, with me scoring 2 goals! One was a lob from my own half and the other a volley that gave the keeper no chance... rock on!

Emma's coming in... FOUR days!

Sunday 16th December 2007

The alarm woke us up at about 10.30am this morning - but I could've slept for a lot longer. I don't know why we feel so jet lagged - it's only a two hour time difference on this side of the country. Anyway, after slowly getting ready and having some breakfast, we walked over to reception where we were being picked up for a tour we'd booked today. We were going on a tour of some of the wineries in the region!

Now, I only had my first glass of wine about a week ago - but this tour was superb! In the first place we went to, called Redgate, we were given about 12 different wines to taste - including white, red and rosé. I don't like red wine, but it was free - so I tried it anyway. We were only given a mouthful in each glass but, when you're swigging them back at the rate we were, it doesn't take long to start felling a little merry.

In total we visited four wineries - trying they're different wines, although now I just stuck to the white and rosé - i'd had enough of the red. In the second place, seeing as it's almost Christmas, we even got to try some mulled wine, which was lovely - it tasted just like a liquid Christmas pudding. Our guide, Pat, said that as we'd been such a good group she'd take us to a brewery - after we'd visited a chocolate factory. The tour was going from strength to strength! The brewery was quite interesting - we didn't get to see how it was made or anything, just got to sample the different beers they had on tap. Some were gross - really wheaty and thick, but others like the Pilsner or Oktoberfest beer were lush!

Tonight, after we'd got back from the winery tour, we had a jacket potato with chilli and cheese and then just chilled out. Pretty soon, Nikki got tired - so she went off to bed and I just stayed in the TV room with the other travellers - and then at 10.30pm watched the Liverpool vs Man Utd game on SKY.

Hiccup... Emma's coming in... FIVE days!

Saturday 15th December 2007

The alarm went off at about 8am this morning, giving us plenty of time to get ready, check out and make our way down to the train station with our bags. After having some breakfast, we were on our way. The first part of our journey to Margaret River was on the train - and it was really nice. We had loads of leg room and the views out of the window were really nice. Western Australia seems very open and spread out - not at all like the cities in the other parts of the country. When we reached a place called Bunbury, we changed over to a coach, which would take us the rest of the way.

We arrived in Margaret River this afternoon and someone from the YHA came to pick us up. For the next three days we're sleeping in a double room - and it's pretty cool. The YHA is very country lodge like and our room is quite big. After dropping our bags off, we took a walk into town to have a look around. The centre is only one main street, and we only made it half way down - before reaching the Coles supermarket, where we went in to get some things for our tea and then headed back. This evening we just chilled around the hostel, with the other travellers - a lot of whom are in the region working for the wineries.

Emma's coming in... SIX days!

Friday 14th December 2007

The alarm went off at about 4.30am this morning, but when I woke up - I decided it was far too early and so switched it off and fell back to sleep... I totally forgot that it was going off for a reason - and that our shuttle to the airport was picking us up at 5.30am. When I was woken again at 5.15am, Nikki was not happy - and we had to rush about in the dark, trying to pack the last of our things into our bags. Thankfully, we didn't miss the shuttle and we got to the airport in plenty of time.

Our flight to Perth was pretty bumpy, with some really bad turbulence - but we got there safely and after collecting our bags, we set off trying to make our way to our hostel. We tried asking at the information desk, but the lady was obviously on commission from the shuttle company - because that was the only was she would tell us we could get into the city... at a cost of about $30. We chose to ignore her, and instead caught a bus for $3.20, which took us to the centre and then another for free, which dropped us near the hostel... easy!

This afternoon, after checking into the Underground Backpackers hostel, we walked into town and did some food shopping. We also booked some train / coach tickets to a place South of Perth, called Margaret River, for tomorrow where we're gonna stay for a couple of days - so that when Emma arrives we can all explore Perth together. We also took a walk round to the hostel called the Witches Hat, which is where we're gonna be staying with Emma - and booked an extra night. We'd forgot to book the night she arrives - and were only reminded when we spoke to my Mum this morning.

Because of the time difference and our early morning, we thought we'd chill out around the hostel tonight - and so were really pleased when they gave us free beer and pizza (although only I had pizza - Nikki was full after the jacket potato we had for our tea). Afterwards, we came to bed at about 8pm (which is 10pm Sydney time) and watched an old X Factor.

Emma's coming in... ONE week!

Thursday 13th December 2007

We woke up this morning for our final day in Sydney and thought we'd spend it looking round the city - checking out things we liked or had not seen before. We had some breakfast and surfed the net for a bit, before getting ready and hitting the streets. We started by going to Paddy's Markets to have a look around and then we walked round the Glen and Jades apartment, because it's Jade's birthday and we wanted to drop off her card and a small present. We didn't stop, instead we headed for Kings Cross, which is where we stayed when we were in Sydney five months ago.

To get there we walked through Hyde Park and we stopped for a couple of minutes to watch a dance group who were performing - they were playing really cool rock 'n' roll music and strutting their stuff - it looked like good fun! Afterwards, we walked to a place which we'd seen the last time we were here called Harry's Café De Wheels. It's just a tiny little shack thing on the edge of the water and it has become quite famous, and has had loads of celebrity customers. As it was almost lunch time, we thought we'd get some food and it was packed - there was a huge queue, so we thought the reviews must be right! They specialise in hot dogs and pies, so Nikki had a 'Chilli Dog' and I had a 'Hot Dog de Wheels' (which was a hot dog, chilli, mushy peas, cheese sauce, onions and more chilli sauce). They were both massive and eating them proved to be a challenge (well, staying clean anyway) - but it was a challenge me and Nikki were up to!

When we'd finished our 'lunch', we took a walk around the wharf to a place called Mrs Macquarie's Chair, which has amazing views of the Opera House with the Harbour Bridge in the background. Next we took a walk through the Botanical Gardens, which were beautiful, and round to the Opera House. We sat around for a few minutes - people watching, and then looked in a couple of the shops around Circular Quay. By now, we'd arranged to go out with the Beave' tonight - so we thought we'd head back to the hostel to get some rest. On the way we had a look in more of the shops on Pitt Street and Nikki bought herself a really nice Bondi Beach hoody.

The Beave' had told us that he was viewing a flat tonight at about 7pm, and would come round to meet us straight after - so we were expecting him at about 9ish and were shocked when he turned up just after 7.15pm. Me and Nikki finished getting ready and then went out. We figured, seeing as it was our last night in Sydney we'd go for some food - and headed up Oxford Street in look of some swanky place to eat. We found a really cool looking Indian restaurant called Tandoori Palace and went in there. The meal was amazing! I had a madras which, even though it wasn't as hot as the ones at home, had more flavour and Nikki had a lamb biriyani. We spent a couple of hours chatting and having a laugh about our time together in Australia and then afterwards decided we'd go for one last drink somewhere. The Beave' said we could pick the place and we chose somewhere not far from our hostel called the Scary Canary - we'd not been in there before, but we had more of the free drinks vouchers (ha ha). It turned out to be a pretty good choice, because it was pretty busy and they had a live band - who were playing good music. When we'd finished our drinks we left and said our final goodbyes to the Beave' (for Australia anyway, we'll definitely meet up back home when he gets back) and then walked back.

Bye bye Beaver... Beaver bye bye!

Wednesday 12th December 2007

We got up a little earlier than normal this morning so that we could do Skype calls with Mum and Keith and the Katie and Mummy June. We chatted with them both for a while, telling them what clothes and things we'd like Emma to bring out for us when she visits, and then catching up on the latest gossip. Afterwards we got ready and went and caught the bus up to Bondi Beach.

The bus didn't take that long to get there, and when we did we had a quick look around the shops and then went on a coastal walk, which passes some of the Eastern beaches and ends up in a small place called Coogee. It was only supposed to take an hour, but ended up taking two - so when we got there we rewarded ourselves with a McDonalds and then went into a pub to use some more of our free drinks vouchers. When it was time to leave, we thought we'd head back to Bondi, but there wasn't a bus that went direct - so we walked back. We weren't looking forward to it, because it was starting to get really hot (and we were wearing jeans for some reason), but it was loads easier and only took us just over an hour.

When we got back we went into another pub, to use another of our free drink vouchers. This time in a place called Bondi Iceberg Club, which is right next to the sea - so we sat outside in the sunshine, enjoying the view and peace and quiet. When we'd finished our drinks we took a walk along the beach and sat down for a while and watched the surfers. Bondi is actually pretty cool. Some people told us that they didn't think much of it - but we liked it. It was really clean and had lovely white sand. Once we'd finished on the beach we had another look in the shops and one of them, called 100% Mambo, was having a sale - and had laid loads of free food out for the customers... we were in our element! I think we probably ate and drank about $30 worth of sushi, crackers and cheese, lemonade, coke and even champagne. In the end we felt obliged to buy something... so we did - and then on the way out I helped myself to a free beer... woohoo!

We came back to the hostel this evening and when we were sat chilling out in front of the TV we saw Luke (from the MAZE hostel) and ended catching up with what he's been up to.

100% Mambo - 100% Full up on free food!

Tuesday 11th December 2007

Once we were up and had eaten as much of the free breakfast we could, we went out for a look around the shops. We were meeting up with the Beave' today, and wanted to get him something for Christmas - because he's gonna be in Sydney on his own, so Father Christmas might not find him... just to be on the safe side!

We got what we wanted at the shops and then came back to our hostel, where we had some macaroni & cheese with fried potatoes for our lunch - while we waited for him to arrive. In typical Beave' fashion, he was running late. When he finally arrived, we did a little catching up and then went out into town for 'coffee and a cake'. Ever since we arrived in Sydney we've been meaning to go into this coffee shop we seen called Cupcakes... today was the day. We all had hot chocolates and me and the Beave' had honeycomb cupcakes, whereas Nikki had a chocolate brownie one - they were all lush!

This evening, once the Beave' had gone, me and Nikki got ready and went out on a mini-pub crawl. First though, we went off to the food court and got some Chinese food... again! The first pub we went to was down on George Street and was called Jacksons on George. Next we walked down to the Rocks (down by Circular Quay) and went in one called The Orient Hotel, which was really nice - and when we left there were amazing views of the Harbour Bridge and Opera House, which were both lit up. We finished our pub crawl down in Darling Harbour in a place called Pontoon. In all we had 3 drinks and a Chinese each - and yet only spent $5 between us... the drinks were all free because of this voucher book we were given... bargain!

$5... that's our kind of night out!

Monday 10th December 2007

After getting up, eating the free breakfast and then taking our time to get ready, we left the hostel and decided that we'd visit Palm Beach, which is Sydney's most Northern Beach. We walked up to the bus stop and then rode the bus North for over an hour and a half - the journey cost $5.60 each way!

We got to Palm Beach and when we were getting off the bus the driver, who obviously knew what we were there for, pointed us in the direction of the Surf Club... yes that's right, we were in Summer Bay - woohoo! At first, we didn't really recognise any of it from the TV but all of sudden it all came in to focus. We walked up to the Surf Club (which is a real place - that actually serves the public) and it even had Alf Stewart's name as manager above the door! We then had a hot dog each to say that we'd eaten there. Afterwards we walked along the beach and were surprised to see the crew filming some scenes - we tried to walk into shot (ha ha). We stood around watching for about 20 minutes and then moved on because we didn't recognise the characters. As we were leaving, we had a quick look round for Sally and Alf (the flaming gallah) - but couldn't find them so went to see what else Palm Beach had to offer.

Our bus got us back into the city at about 4pm and June had told us about a free exhibition at the Maritime Museum - so we went along to check that out. It was pretty good actually. It was about the Ice Man: Ötzi, who was found in a glacier in Italy a couple of years ago. Scientists reckon he's probably about 5 thousand years old! Afterwards we went outside and it was raining slightly so we went for a hot chocolate in the Lindt Chocolate Café. It was AMAZING! they bring out a jug of hot milk and a jug of melted chocolate, which you mix in together for a the best cup of hot chocolate EVER! Me and Nikki shared one (it was big enough for a cup each), but it wasn't very hot - so we took a massive gulp each and then sent it back - asking for it to be hot. They then gave us a fresh one (ha ha). On the way back to the hostel we stopped in the food court and had some of the bargain Chinese. It was about 6pm by now, so they were selling it off and we managed to get two pots for $5... yippee!

Closer each day... Home & Away!

Sunday 9th December 2007

Even though we're in an 8 bed dorm, we slept quite well last night - we didn't hear anyone coming in or going out, which was good. Me and Nikki woke up at just before 8.30am and had showers before going down for the free breakfast. Afterwards, we left and took a walk down to the Rocks and the Harbour Bridge. When I did my Bridge Climb last week, they gave me two free tickets to climb the concrete pylons that hold it up, which was good - because Nikki quite fancied doing that anyway!

It wasn't particularly sunny when we left - but it was really humid, and our clothes were sticking to us. We took a nice slow walk down to the harbour and had a look in a couple of the shops down at the Rocks, before walking around the markets. When we made it to the Pylons, we had a look around the small museum and then climbed the 200+ steps to the top. When we made it the sun was shining - giving us great views of the city.

When we left, we walked over to Darling Harbour to meet Glenn and on the way we stopped in McDonalds for some food. Glenn arrived at the same time as us and we all went into Baia (the restaurant which Jade works at) for a drink. Me and Glenn started on the beer and Nikki had a milkshake. It was really nice sitting by the water and watching all the people milling about in the sunshine. When it got to about 3pm, me and Glenn made our way to the Cheers bar to watch the Ricky Hatton vs Floyd Mayweather fight. Nikki went off to Paddy's Markets for another look around.

Cheers was absolutely packed. We watched it downstairs in the nightclub part - and I reckon there was close to a thousand people in there... the atmosphere was AMAZING! In the end Hatton lost, which was a shame - but by that time Nikki had arrived and joined us and was drinking a beer. When we'd all finished our drinks we were pretty hungry and headed for the food court to see if we could get some bargain Chinese food. Unfortunately, it was shut - so instead we took a walk down to China Town - for a meal. The food was ok and Glenn bought a bottle of wine for us. I even had two glasses (the Beave' would be so proud of me). After an hour or so, it was getting dark and I was feeling pretty merry from all the drinking, so we started heading for home (well, the hostel). On the way, we stopped in Glenn and Jade's apartment to have a look around and met their friends.

Glenn and Jade are LEGENDS - we'll definitely be friends when we get back!

Oh, just want to get in writing that sometimes I AM RIGHT, and NIKKI IS WRONG! We were telling Glenn about our little place in Manly and when she was describing the kitchen, Nikki kept leaving out that there was a microwave (even though I was saying it). When she finished talking, she told me that there was NO MICROWAVE, so I asked if she cared to stake some money on it. Obviously thinking there was no way of finding out, she bet me $10 - only for me to pull out the camera with a picture of me, my birthday cards... and a microwave in the background - it's safe to say... she was STUNNED. Yippee! 8734 to Nikki, 1 to Ben!

Saturday 8th December 2007

We planned on moving back to the city today so, when we were up and packed, we made our way back to the ferry terminal and then back across the harbour to Circular Key. Back in Sydney we'd already booked ourselves back into the BIG! Hostel, so made our way over to there. It was really hot with our backpacks on - and the hostel was on the other side of town, but we made it ok.

When we'd paid our money to the hostel we went up to our room to dump our bags and to make our beds. As soon as we started to make the beds there was a really strong smell of wee and we found some stained sheets on the floor - so Nikki went to complain to reception. They eventually let us move rooms (although they didn't want us to at first... but we insisted!) and it turns out that someone DID wet the bed - but not their own! That's right, someone went to the toilet on SOMEONE ELSES BED... uuuurrrrgggghhh!

After the whole checking-in / bed wetting episode me and Nikki went out to the famous Paddy's Markets. Everyone we've spoke to on our travels has mentioned them, and said we should check them out - so we did. They were quite impressive. Really big, and if you were on the lookout for something, then there's a pretty good chance you'd find it there. When we'd bought what we were looking for, we went back out into the sunshine.

We spent some time looking round the shops, Nikki even started to spend the money she was given for Christmas from my Gran - she bought herself a nice pair of brown leggings. Tonight, we came back to the hostel and had some noodles with vegetables for our tea, before doing a Skype call with Mum and Keith and then relaxing in front of the TV.

Uuuuurrrrgggghhh... someone's been weeing in my bed!

Friday 7th December 2007

We woke up this morning - with no alarms going off or things to get up for, and it was absolute heaven. Once we'd had some some breakfast, we went out into the sunshine - and decided we'd spend the day relaxing on the beach. The weather was beautiful and we spent a couple of hours topping up our tans and reading our books.

This afternoon, when we thought it was about time to stretch our legs, we walked around the shops and bought some food for our tea... Nikki got us two sirloin steaks for $5, which is £2 - bargain! We took the food back and then went back to the beach. We lay there for about an hour watching the waves, reading and chatting (and singing the theme tunes to Neighbours and Home & Away), when all of a sudden it turned cloudy and a thunder storm erupted. We picked up our towels and came back to the hostel... just in time - before the heaviest rain I have ever seen started to come down. While we waited for the storm to pass, we had our yummy steaks for our tea and then went and had showers, before going out for a drink in town.

By now, all the storm clouds had cleared and the sky was a beautiful orange colour where the sun was setting. We went into one of the bars in town where we had a drink and then took a slow walk, along the sea-front and back to the hostel. On our way back we saw a 'search & rescue' helicopter, loads of police and an ambulance. Apparently, a girl had tried to go swimming alone - and had since been reported missing... hope she's ok!

WOW, Manly is BEAUTIFUL!

Thursday 6th December 2007

Even though we didn't get in until early this morning me, Glenn and Luke planned to meet at 6.25am this morning to go and watch the Newcastle vs Arsenal match in the Cheers Bar. So, when the alarm went off at 5.45am, I dragged my 27 year old ass out of bed and went downstairs to wait for Glenn. The Cheers Bar was only round the corner, so we were soon at the bar ordering our drinks... a well needed cup of tea. After the match we walked back to the MAZE hostel so that I could wake Nikki and the Beave' and check out. When we left the bar, it was absolutely hammering down - I don't know what's happened to the summer in Sydney?

When we'd finally checked out, we stood on the doorstep of the hostel and it was time for me and Nikki to say our goodbyes to the Beave'. We've been traveling together since the 19th October - and he's become a really good friend. Instead of spending years getting to know him and his (millions of annoying) habits, we've fast-tracked him and he's come out ok in our book!

It was still absolutely hammering down with rain and we weren't too sure what to do with ourselves? We had planned to catch the ferry to Manly and spend a few days at the beach - but we were wondering if it was worth going in the rain? Blow it, we thought - a little rain won't stop us, so we hailed a taxi and rode down to the ferry port. Pretty soon we were sat on the Manly Ferry, cruising across Sydney Harbour, when all of a sudden the clouds parted and the sun started to shine... yippee! We got off the other side and there wasn't a cloud in the sky - so we slowly walked to our new hostel, the Manly Bunkhouse. We thought we were going to be staying in a twin-room, but when we arrived we were given the option of a double for the same price. It was $78, so there was no way we were gonna turn it down, plus it's pretty cool - it has it's own bathroom and a small kitchen with microwave, kettle, toaster and fridge - it's like our own self-contained apartment.

Because I'd got up early to watch the footie this morning, I was knackered and needed a nap (now, it had nothing to do with the fact that i'm getting old), so I led down while Nikki went out to explore. When she got back a few hours later and woke me up, we went for a walk around town. We spent the afternoon walking around, going in and out of the shops and then spent the rest of our time on the beach, which is beautiful. It's quite big, so there's loads of space and so me and Nikki sat around watching the surfers and swimmers in the sea. This evening we just hung about in our little place, had some food, and then chilled out.

Yippee! Back at the beach!

Happy Birthday Gran!

Wednesday 5th December 2007

Nikki woke me up at just after 7am this morning... to sing me Happy Birthday... yippee - i'm 27 today! After giving me my card and letting me open my first present (which was 2 large bars of chocolate) she took me out for my BIG present - she'd paid for me to do the Sydney Harbour Bridge Climb. She walked me down to the site, gave me a kiss and then left me to go and get her hair cut.

The Bridge Climb was superb! Before you can start you have to take a breath-test and then, once you've removed all loose items and dressed in your 'boiler suit', your given some safety instructions before going out to start the climb underneath. Straight away, you're quite high above the road and after walking along some very narrow catwalks you go up onto the Arch. Even though it was quite cloudy today, (there was no rain - just plenty of wind), the views were amazing. Looking down on the Opera House or out towards the Blue Mountains. The climb took about 3 hours in total. We walked up one side, across the middle and then back down the other. It wasn't at all scary - just really good fun - the group even sang me Happy Birthday when we were at the top! As we were on the way back, and walking along one of the lower catwalks again I spotted Nikki down below - with her new haircut, and she managed to get some pics of me.

Once i'd changed back in to my day clothes and collected my certificate and photo, me and Nikki walked back in to town. As we were passing one particular bar, called 333, we spotted that Bristol City were on the TV - so we went in for a beer and to watch the match. It was City versus Watford and they won 2-1... today was getting better and better all the time!

When we'd finished our beers, Nikki took me to McDonalds for some lunch and then to a small café down near Darling Harbour - where she bought me an absolutely HUGE vanilla, chocolate and walnut ice cream - all covered in chocolate sauce. It was the size of a small fish bowl... and yes, I finished the lot. Afterwards we had a walk around Darling Harbour trying to find somewhere to eat tonight and we spotted Jade, our friend from Magnetic Island and Cairns. We chatted for a couple of minutes (she was working) and then booked a table for later before heading back towards the hostel.

We had a new bloke in our room tonight, called Luke - and he was a really cool guy. He'd flown in from Thailand this morning and was sleeping when we got in. When he woke up we got chatting and got on really well - so we invited him out with us tonight. As we were all getting ready, he played some songs to us with his guitar - he was really good, playing Oasis and Stereophonic hits.

When we were finally on the streets of Sydney me, Nikki, Steve the Beave' and Luke went to a couple of bars for some free beers and, after an hour or so, found ourselves down at Baia (Jade's restaurant in Darling Harbour). When we walked in Nikki said that Jade had reserved us a table and the waitress tried sitting us in the back - until Jade spotted us and sat us at the correct table, the best table in the restaurant - right at the front, looking over the lights of the harbour. We all had AMAZING meals - they were delicious. I had a huge sea food platter and Nikki had a chicken and pasta dish. When she'd finished her shift, Jade joined us and she bought me a slice of New York cheesecake, which came out with a sparkler in it and chocolate sauce around the edge - spelling Happy Birthday!

After a few hours, and possibly the best meal i've had since I left England, we left Baia and met Glen before going on to another bar called the Shark Hotel, where the 6 of us sat chatting, laughing and drinking until the wee hours.

Happy Birthday me! Thank you Nikki for making it the best!

Tuesday 4th December 2007

We woke up on our final morning in the Blue Mountains and all the clouds from yesterday had cleared and it was nice and bright outside. After checking out of our room, and then having some breakfast, we hung around in the huge living room - waiting for the right time to leave and catch our train. This time the train came direct into Sydney, and when we got off we couldn't believe how warm it was! There was no nice fresh air like in the Mountains. We left the station and took the short walk up Pitt Street to our new hostel, called MAZE, which is a right dump! Luckily, me, Nikki and the Beave' are in a dorm on our own - but it's not very nice, and we definitely won't be staying any longer than the 2 nights we've booked in for. The place is falling apart.

This afternoon me and Nikki went down to the Big! Hostel (the one we left to go to the Blue Mountains) where we walked in, smiled at the guys at reception, and then went on to use their free internet - to which we still had the password (ha ha). After a while Nikki went out to see if she could find me some more presents and I followed shortly afterwards. I was pretty bored walking round on my own, so it didn't take long to meet back at the hostel.

Last Christmas my Mum and Keith had bought us a gift voucher for an online company called VIATOR, and the other day me and Nikki booked to go for a meal up the Sydney Sky Tower... tonight was the night! We got ourselves all dressed up (well, as best we could - I wore jeans, but Nikki looked gorgeous) and went round at about 7.30pm. We caught the lift up to the Sky Tower Restaurant and were shown to our seats... right next to the window.

The Sky Tower is one of the tallest structures in the Southern hemisphere, and the views were amazing! We were seated at about 8pm and the sun was just starting to set behind some clouds - turning the sky a brilliant orange colour. The restaurant was a revolving one, and we started by looking out towards Darling Harbour. It takes 70 minutes to do a complete turn and by the time we were back at our starting point, the sunlight had gone and the city was just lit by thousand of lights. We could see everything from our seats - including the Harbour Bridge and Opera House.

We were in the buffet restaurant... and the food was... SUPERB! Guests are given an hour and a half before their supposed to leave (allowing others to sit down), but because we were at the late sitting - there was no rush for us, which suited us just fine - and gave us longer to try ALL the food. We started with a potato and caramelised leek soup, followed by a salad (from a choice of about 5) with prawns, mussels, oysters, spring rolls and pasta. For our (first) main course we had curry. We both had a lamb sagg and Nikki also had a spoonful of the butter-chicken. For our second main course we both had meats from the cavery. We had salmon, kangaroo & lamb with vegetables and potatoes. We could've had pork, gammon, beef and turkey too if we wanted - but we're not THAT greedy... plus we still had dessert to work our way through.

Our meal was made especially exciting because it was at the same time as a huge electrical storm. Apparently, the Sydney Tower gets struck by lightning about 220 times a year - and it wouldn't surprised me if it was struck tonight. There were flashes and forks at least once a minute, for about 2 hours. Like true soldiers, we put the excitement outside to the back of minds and concentrated on the matter in hand... the food. For dessert, there was a selection of fine cakes to choose from including chocolate profiteroles, caramel slices and strawberry coconut slices - as well as fresh yoghurt and ice cream. At the end of a very good night, we wobbled home and collapsed on our beds... very full and very happy.

Thanks Mum and Keith for our Sky Tower meal!

Happy Birthday Dad Coombe!

Monday 3rd December 2007

When we were up and ready to leave this morning, we decided that we'd all go for a bush walk to see the Three Sisters - a huge rock formation in the Blue Mountains. We walked out of the hostel and the weather was lovely, we were even wondering if we'd put enough sun cream on, but no sooner had we turned off the main road and started walking towards the trail - the sky turned black and we heard loud claps of thunder. Being the brave explorers that we are, we carried on walking.

After walking for about 5 minutes we saw loads of people taking in their washing from off their lines - one of whom asked if we were mad? saying we were going to get soaked! Suddenly, their was a huge bang of thunder and, like a clap-on / clap-off light switch, the heavens opened! We tried to see if it would pass, by standing under a tree for a couple of minutes (obviously the safest place to stand in a storm), but when it showed no signs of stopping we headed back to the hostel. Me and Nikki had our kags on, so we walked - but the Beave' was only wearing a vest - so he ran... for about 10 meters, then walked, then ran... for about 10 meters. Back at the hostel we changed out of our wet clothes and hung about in the huge communal area, reading our books. After an hour or so, when the sun looked like it had made a re-appearance, we tried to go for our walk... again.

This time we made it to Price Henry Cliff, the start of the walk - and set off. The path took us down into the bush and along the edge of the cliff, that had a spectacular views - it was hard to believe we were not far out of Sydney. When we were looking out at the Blue Mountains we could clearly see the blue haze that gives them their name (apparently it's an ultra-fine oily mist from the eucalyptus trees). Our walk took us about 1 and a half hours and eventually we got to a place called Echo Point, which has amazing views of the Three Sisters. We were debating whether to climb down the Giant Stairway, when suddenly the clouds rolled in and the thunder started again - so we thought better of it and made a run for the visitor centre. As expected the downpour started again and we had a look round while we waited for it to pass. Eventually it stopped enough for us to walk back. Steve only walked for about 2 minutes and then jumped on a bus - because he was only wearing a vest... again. Will that boy never learn?

Oh well, back to the 'big smoke' tomorrow!

Sunday 2nd December 2007

We got up nice and early this morning and rushed down for the free breakfast - only to find that the check out at the Big! hostel is 11am and not 10am like most other places. Poor Steve wished he known that earlier - he went out last night with the guy who he's going to be living with in Sydney and had quite a sore head this morning! When it was checking out time, we got our things together and walked round to the train station.

The journey to Katoomba, in the Blue Mountains, took about 2 hours. First we had to catch a bus to a place called Black Town, where we changed and got on a train to take us the rest of the way. We'd already booked our accommodation for our stay, so as soon as we jumped off, we walked round to the YHA. The hostel is amazing! It looks like a posh country manor, with massive rooms and amazing views from the patio balcony out the back.

Once we were settled in, the first thing we did was rush out for pizza - we were all absolutely starving... so much so, we had a large pizza each! When we'd scoffed down our food (Nikki and the Beave' were kidding themselves when they said they were going to save some for their tea - and then ate the lot. I knew all along it would all go), me and Nikki went out for a walk. The Beave' decided to stay behind because he said he needed to rest... the wimp. We spoke to reception and decided we go to visit the Scenic World, which includes the steepest railway in the world.

Rather than catch the train up and down, we got to the top and walked down. We didn't have long because the last train back up was at 4.55pm - and it was about 4.15pm now... we'd have ran if we had to - there was no way we were walking back up the thousands of steps! I'm glad we did walk down though, because the view was fantastic - right through the rainforest, and because it had been raining before we arrived - everything looked really lush and green, with waterfalls running across the rocks. When we eventually made it to the bottom, we had a look around at the mining sites that are down there and then boarded the train for the ride to the top. The train was crazy! When it's sat on level ground you sit tipped right back in your chair - but when it starts to climb you're suddenly sat upright and it's the train that's running at an impossible angle... 52°. We made it safely back to the top and walked back in the glorious sunshine (even though the weather reports said there were going to be thunder storms) to the YHA.

The Beave' seemed to be feeling better when we got back - so we all sat outside on the patio, and read our books in the sunshine. When the sun had started to set we all came inside and sat by the fire - where the Beave' and Nikki fell asleep.

The Blue Mountains are a MUST for anyone visiting Sydney!

Saturday 1st December 2007

When we woke up this morning the other people from our room had already checked out, so we got dressed in yesterday's clothes and rushed down for the free breakfast. The Beave' couldn't get up early two days running, so we left him in bed. I took my laptop down to the kitchen and after we'd eaten we spent the morning surfing the net. We even caught Katie online and got to have a Skype call with her, June and Eden, which was nice - because Katie had passed her driving test earlier in the day (back home - which was still last night). Afterwards we went and had showers and then went out for a walk - just the two of us, Steve had already gone out.

It was about 1.30pm when we finally left and we walked for about 25 minutes up towards Pitt Street, when Nikki said she was going to go off for the day and try and buy me some birthday presents (which is in 4 days!). That was fine by me - it looked like it was going to rain anyway, so I went back to the hostel for the afternoon - where I surfed the internet and watched some classic TV, including Thundercats... Rock On!

Me and Nikki had arranged to meet at 5pm this afternoon, outside the Sydney Central Plaza. She said it was because we both knew where it was - but I was on to her... she wanted more cheap Chinese food. Of course we knew where it was - we've been there for food every day we've had in Sydney. Seeing as she'd been out buying me presents, I was happy to take her for Chinese - although it was dearer today, we only got 2 boxes for $6. Before, we went in for food (in the hope that the later we left it, the more they'd reduce the food), we went for a walk along Pitt Street, which runs right through town - all the way from our hostel, through the middle of the shops and down to the Harbour Bridge. We stopped and had a chat for a while - with me trying to see what Nikki had bought, when she gave me a present I could have today... a Bart Simpson advent calendar - WooHoo!

After our Chinese meal in the food court, we walked back to the hostel and did a Skype call with Mum and Keith. We were really unlucky - because whilst we were online, Susi and Dale were also online in New Zealand - but by the time we'd ended the call home, they'd gone... d'oh - maybe next time!

We're going to the Blue Mountains tomorrow - how will Nikki cope so many miles from the food court?

Well done Katie on passing your Driving Test... at least someone can pick us up from Heathrow in April!

Friday 30th November 2007

I don't know how, or indeed why, but the Beave' was up and bouncing around the room when the alarm went off to wake us up this morning... I think he was excited about going back to Sydney (which is where he's going to be living for the next year or so). With it quite obvious we weren't going to be getting any more sleep this morning, we got up. Me and Nikki packed our bags, had some breakfast in the café downstairs, which was free, and then went back to see what we'd missed yesterday at the War Memorial.

It didn't take long to walk there (I don't know which way we'd cycled yesterday, but it was definitely quicker on foot) and it was certainly worth the effort. It was more like a museum than a memorial - they had huge exhibits from all the wars that the Australians had been involved in, including actual planes and guns (some of which had been removed from tanks). We got to see the tomb of the unknown soldier and a huge wall covered in all the names of the servicemen who lost their lives. Afterwards we walked back to the hostel, collected our bags and walked on to the bus station.

The bus journey to Sydney was quite quick - well compared to all the other journeys since we left Darwin - and we were there in about 3 hours. At just after 4 o'clock in the afternoon, Sydney looked just like it did when we left it nearly 19 weeks ago... overcast! We got off the bus and walked the short distance to our new hostel, Big Hostel, where we checked in for two nights. The hostel is really quite cool - they offer free breakfast, free internet and we're in a family room - although today they'd oversold it, so Steve has to sleep on a fold-out bed on the floor.

When we were all settled, Steve went out on his own and me and Nikki went for a walk around the city to try and get our bearings. Something must have come flooding back to Nikki because, as we were walking around, she suddenly remembered the food court we'd ate in on our last visit and insisted we went back. It was worth it though - we were just in time to catch them selling the last of the food off - so we got 3 tubs of chinese food for $7 (that's less than £3). After our tea we took a walk down to Darling Harbour which, as it was Friday night, was buzzing with people who had left work for the weekend. We sat and did some people watching and then took a slow walk back to our hostel.

It's nice to be back in Sydney, but I think I like Melbourne more... so far anyway!