Here I am, Sydney, Australia – The other side of the world.
We landed about 8:30am yesterday morning. It was a much quicker process through customs than I had imagined – No complaints here.
It’s a different feel down here, the people have a different vibe. Everyone, not just the Aussies, are very friendly and generous. Not even half an hour off the plane I encountered this when a very nice German girl approached to and asked if I was taking the train into town. I told her the truth, “I don’t have any idea where I am going.” She smiled and handed me a small, yellow card holder, inside were two transit tickets, valid for the next three days. I had money, I had transportation, I had a plan.
After orienting myself and checking map routes I made my way into the city. It didn’t take long to get used to get a handle on train procedures – although having two identical cards that do completely different tasks is still a little confusing.
Later in the afternoon I met up with my new friends Ariel and Mandy, whom I had met through Couchsurfing.org. They were eager to show me around and things started off great. We explored the area surrounding them a bit, had a Thai dinner, an began making plans for the rest of the evening. Plans wouldn’t take us too far though. A night out on the town quickly turned into a much-needed very, very long nap.
I’ll be leaving Sydney in other two or three days. The trip up the coast will be a gong show. Thanks to Sydney’s train system I should be able to make good time along the way. I expect to reach Cairns by roughly August 1st.
For now though, its off to pick up the last of my supplies, gather some information on the lay of the land, and get exploring!
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