jet-lag, shmet lag!

for my first night in sydney, i stayed up until 1AM drinking w/ some locals i met at a bar. in case you are wondering, that is like waking up tuesday morning @ 6AM in SD and not sleeping more than 4 hours until thursday 8AM. and you have to cap off the end of your sleeplessness proving to the natives that americans can drink w/ the best of them! worry not, i represented. USA in the house. (mom, alina told me that AA is for quitters!)

my legs are killing me though. after i figured out how to get to my first hostel (which should be easy enough, but i made it difficult), i basically walked all around sydney. check out the type of ads they have here:



naturally, i saw the opera house. you kinda have to. did you know opera house has different colored tiles:


another shot from the front:


from the bridge:



i also hiked through this cool garden. there are 5 different birds here. i can name 3, but i won't in case i'm wrong and bren publicly corrects me.


a cooperative little guy:


birds in the trees:


per 3 recommendations climbed "the bridge". that was really cool. so get this, you go through about 90 minutes of safety crap & prep for the 40 minute climb. you aren't allowed to take ANYTHING with you (not even tissue) and they get you dressed up in these silly suits. everything is attached to you so it doesn't blow away, etc.... but despite being attached to a cable for the whole trip, there's a few spots where you climb these ladders that are really ify. you could easily fall 10ft+ b/c the steps are so small and it was so windy. why spend all this cash on a cabling system so you can't jump but leave the stairs from hell there? i'd have taken pictures, but you have to go through a freakin metal detector so that you don't sneak anything up there. not kidding. anyway, i recommend the night climb in case you find yourself in sydney.

you can see the bridge in the background. this is a chick from austria who was goodly enough to take a picture w/ me. she and her friend quickly turned enemies when i guessed that they were from germany and not austria. i just played the ignorant american card. i seem to need that card often....


here's a short of the bridge climb. you can see some climbers there too.


today, i'm going to see if i can't fly to carnes to dive at the barrier reef. that's a 2-3 day trip. after that, there's tons of hiking (when my old man legs heal) & sailing to do. i'm less into the city stuff and more into the nature stuff. i mean, we all have museums & zoos. i can do that after work during the week if i need to.
thanks for all the comments! i love it! australia baby!

i made it

as every guy knows, you always hope to sit next to some hot chick on a flight. since i had an assigned seat, fate was out of my hands. much to my surprise, my dream came true! after i sat down, this good looking sheila started eyeing the seat next too me. unforunately, my euphoria didn't last. i was in the wrong seat! among many of my other shortcomings, i apparently can't read either. and the person i sat next to, while cool, was no sheila. he was a bloke in fact. and get this, the guy flew from london to new york to san francisco w/ only a small break in NY. (he was on his way to sydney.) the problem is he hasn't showered in days. let's just say the sheila smelled better.
dinner was served shortly after take off. in 3rd class, we had the choice between some synthetic roast beef (pictured) and mac & cheese.
think about how lovely 200 paddies of roast beef smells in a small cabin when sitting next to a bloke who hasn't showered in awhile! there were other smells along the way, but i don't think you want those details.
it took me awhile to get through customs and find my way to my first hostel. today, i'll be getting my bearings and planning what i'll be doing the next few days. as if being in another country isn't enough to throw you off, i'm working on a few hours sleep and limited internet! :)
this other picture is from the decent of my flight. i promise to post better pictures next time!

my first blog entry

hi all!

i'm in SFO waiting for my quick 14+ hour pond-hopping flight to sydney flying 3rd class in a middle seat. it's all about seat 61J, baby! i'll try to post something every other day about my travels including pictures, but i can't promise much of anything. i think i know where i'm staying when i get to sydney, but i don't know anything beyond that. i'm hoping to dive w/ the sharks, see the barrier reef & do a few other out doorsie things. i'm going to try to not surf for the first few weeks to rest my shoulder, but i ain't promising nothing.

feel free to post comments & snyde remarks as you see fit. i know a few would be posters are out of town for a week or so, but this blog will hopefully be rockin after that. but i do look forward to reading people's comments!

see ya in august!
(today is actually wednesday the 28th, not sunday 25th as it reads above.)