I love Cairns

So we've been in Cairns - gateway to the great barrier reef - 5 nights now and while we haven't actually been out on the reef yet, I'm pleased to report we have had an offer accepted for a camper van, which we pick up on friday evening! Exciting times! It's a basic little thing but still very suited to what we were looking for and for a reasonable price too. We also managed to get $600 off the asking price as well! 

Cairns is a lovely city. A welcomed contrast compared with Sydney, even though Sydney was unbelievable. Cairns on the other hand is very small, so everything easily accessible on foot, and comprised of ocean-skewed grids of mixed low rise architecture; the only high rises being the leading hotel chains. It has a luxury marina and cruise terminal, overlooked by high end restaurants. I enjoyed probably one of the best cocktails I've had at this japanese inspired beauty!

A little further inland, Cairns is a proper seaside town with gift and beachwear shops on every corner, but filled with plenty of character. The flagship area is the palm tree lined esplanade, flanked with restaurants and bars, with the communal lagoon nestled in amongst the greenery. The lagoon is a well used and much needed feature, considering you can't go in the sea. Unless you fancy your chances against crocodiles!!! I love the atmosphere here. Very chilled out and full of friendly people willing to help. Like most Australian cities, its very clean and well maintained. They have a dedicated team employed by the council to kill the smallest weed in the edge of a paving slab or prune a stray leaf from a palm tree. And the public BBQ areas are always clean and ready to use. The only ones leaving rubbish behind here are the disrespectful foreigners, which must annoy the locals so much.

Anyways, so now we have our own van (pics soon) we are planning on heading north to Port Douglas, the Daintree rainforest and Atherton Tablelands for the couple of days before stopping back of at Cairns to do a reef trip. After that its pedal to the metal as we start driving to the first few towns en-route down the coast! 

Tonight we're going for a celebratory meal at one of the waterfront restaurants as we're still so chuffed that we've got our camper van and we have so much to look forward to!

This is my view as I'm writing this :)

The journey begins

Bye bye Sydney (for now)! Yesterday night we booked 3 nights in what looks to be a nice little hostel right on the waterfront in Cairns and we are on our way. I'm typing this post out while in the air and will publish when I next have free wifi. 3 hours from Sydney to Cairns and we have a free shuttle bus to take us to the hostel when we arrive at the airport this evening. Our flight was about $260 with TigerAir and while me and Tom are not next to each other we are at least on the same row. He is the more fortunate one of the two of us as he's sat next to a young and gorgeous Australian blonde with great tan, engrossed in her 50 shades book, but he's asleep instead of chatting to her! 

Really looking forward to seeing Cairns for the first time, a warmer climate, and cheaper (slightly) food and drink! Looks like the area has a lot to offer and we hope to be heading a bit further north after a few days to do some day trips/excursions up at the beaches and rain forests by Port Douglas and Cape Tribulation. 

We have noticed a lot of the people we've met have been listening to the tour operators and other travellers and are also heading up to Cairns to travel down the east coast. My research has more than paid off... They told me I was the cleverest guy in the group after telling our group leaders what the grand plan was. The best time to travel down the east coast is NOW... and we will soon be on the hunt to buy ourselves a super cool camper van and a second-hand surfboard or two! Everyone we speak to is either very jealous or has so many good stories to tell from when they did the same thing. We can't wait to have a little place we can call home for the next few months instead of packing everything up and moving on every 3 or so days! We should hopefully be able to get a decent motor for the combined funds we have together and we should get a fairly good percentage of the money back when we sell it on after we're finished.

Before we got on our plane this afternoon, we walked into the city for some breakfast and to claim some free surf camp goodies from the Ripcurl flagship store by the Westfield centre. We also wanted to visit the bank but found out that all banks in Sydney don't open at all on saturday or sunday!!! 

Sydney is already one of my top fave cities and can easily see why it is in the top 5 best cities to live in the world (along with Melbourne also)! The architecture is an urban jungle of vast glass high rises with victorian and mixed period revivals sandwiched in between. Plenty of vantage points and plazas, secretive underground shopping centres and quirky bars and restaurants tucked away in secret lanes. Love the use of foliage and landscaping in public areas. The streets are very clean and well kept, the waterfront and harbour are only minutes away and the atmosphere is bustling and always seems positive. Definitely looking forward to returning. Here's a few of my favourite street scene images I took on the ipad this morning...

Surf Camp

So after being chucked out of Wakeup hostel on Sunday morning we easily managed to sneak back in during the evening and slept in my old room for the night. My bed hadn't even been taken so I slept in it again, free of charge this time! 

Monday morning we got on the coach to surf camp. 2 hour drive south of sydney to Seven Mile Beach, one of the best locations for learning to surf (literally 7 miles of shallow, rock free sand with easy waves). Surf camp is literally a camp of around 12 cabins with a covered breakout and dining area, nestled within an Australian holiday park. 5 minute walk to the beach. Plenty of sandwiches and BBQ food included as well as tea and juice, so making sure I'm getting my money's worth  as per the usual. Had lunch and an introductory surf lesson in the afternoon.  Very windy and cold rainy weather. Not impressed. Managed to get the hang of surfing pretty quickly and stood up on the board a few times. Looking forward to the rest of the week but really hoping for some sunshine. Since 5pm its been heavy rain and stormy winds!

Tuesday and Wednesday

Heavy rain all day and night. No let up. Surfing in the rain and wind but technique getting better. Improving with each lesson. Aching arms, multiple injuries and getting repeatedly slapped in the chest and face by huge waves starting to take its toll by late Wednesday.

Thursday. Mother Nature 1 -  Adam 0 

Sunny all day bit still very cold in the shade and still windy. Going out in to the sea a lot further back and catching bigger waves before they break. Additional injuries and now more than aware of how my clothes would feel as they are being tumbled around in the washing machine. It's not so much fun when you have a crushing force 10x stronger than you battering you every 5 seconds.

Surfing is actually a lot easier than I thought but also more frustrating and dangerous than I thought. And that's not even adding in the risk of sharks to the equation. Its best just not to think about it and stay in the group but my eyes are always wandering and playing tricks on me, making out shadows in the water! 

In summary...a lot of perseverance and practice needed but the thrill you get from catching the right wave is very enjoyable.

Friday

Quick morning session. In the water for 8:45 am. Caught a few decent waves from the back. Landed a 180! Had last lunch and set off back to Sydney. Checked into our new hostel for the night which is so different compared to the last one. Smaller, cheaper, quieter, friendlier, and free Internet. Just what we need for the night

as I write this post. Me and Tom are so exhausted from the surfing that we are hitting the beds soon. Just trying to book a hostel for tomorrow night. We are flying up to Cairns tomorrow afternoon which signifies the start of our east coast trip. We can't wait for some warm weather! Too cold and windy in sydney! Feels too much like home haha.

Surf Camp Injuries list:

Small Chunk taken out of right toe. Saltwater stings!

Long toe of left foot possibly fractured. Extremely bruised. Purple.

Multiple bruises on knees and waist from surfboard smacking into me.

Left tricep still not recovered from gym session. Strained.

Chest muscles strained. Stinging pain when breathing and coughing. 

Cocksicks badly hurt from play fighting on the beach with Tom. Landed badly on them. Can't sit down properly without horrible pain.

Cough/cold/flu/sore throat going around

Sore head after being crushed by a wave and had the fins and surfboard cracked me on the back of the head while tumbling in the water.

Australia first week 9th September with Ultimate Oz

Sunday arrived at wakeup hostel via airport shuttle with some of my group. Not in same room as any of them. Hostel was fully booked with no way of changing. Spent most of day trying to stay awake and unpacking. Met with Tom and the group later and went for dinner in the bar downstairs. Barely any sleep all night. Massive party in my room of 10. Tried to get sleep but noise too loud. Ended up calling security who chucked the noisy inconsiderate arses out. Extremely tired for Monday morning and no a great start.

Monday - Sydney harbour cruise.

Walked into darling harbour with group and boarded a catamaran. Sailed under harbour bridge and round the bay to a national park and set anchor near a little beach. Jumped into sea of boat roof and swam over to the sand. They told us there have been many sharks spotted in the water so that was pretty unnerving. Had BBQ and beers on the boat and chilled out with the group whilst sailing around the rest of the area. Drinks and  dinner in the hostel bar (side bar) during evening. SO Expensive! $7 for a pint (except they dont serve pints here, only small glasses that are about half pint size! amd $ 8.40 for a shot of sambuca!!! Really nice day on the whole but shame it wasn't hotter.

Tuesday - city walk and banking

Went and activated my bank account at one of the NAB branches in the city. Brought some food shopping and then joined the group for the city walk. Started in darling harbour then downtown Sydney, on to the Rocks, circular quay, botanic gardens and Hyde park. The city is amazing. Love the scenery and atmosphere.

Wednesday - travel presentation and trip to base camp

Presentation about travel planning/job hunting in the morning then the whole group took a bus to Port Stephens (3hours north of sydney) where we were to stay at base camp - a backpackers camp with tents and cabins. Me and Tom went for a tent but regretted it the next day. Couldn't sleep because it was so cold at night. Spiders and mozzies as well.

Pizza and drinks later in the evening put on by the camp leaders then we all walked 5 mins to One Mile Beach where we got pissed up and sat around a camp fire. Skinny dipped in the sea. Bare naked with a few of the girls and guys. Sea freezing at first but never felt so free and natural haha. First ever naked group hug in the sea! Good laugh! 

Thursday - (base camp) sand boarding and nelson bay hiking trip.

Hit the area's newest national park (3 mins drive from base camp) in trucks and 4wd on the beach. Sand boarding on the amazingly soft and steep sand dunes. Such good fun! 

Trip to Nelson bay during afternoon for a bush hike upto highest mountain for amazing aerial views of the area. One of the most easterly points of Australia apparently?! Early evening, Me and Tom went for a run along the beach and did some climbing during sunset. Really picturesque. BBQ and drinks and partying back at camp later in evening.

Friday (base camp) dolphin cruise and return to sydney.

Saw a pod of dolphins on our boat, sailing around the Port Nelson area. Freezing cold on the boat and quite rough. No one sick though. Some did go in the boom net (net suspended in the water) but looked in too much in pain. Fish and chips by the harbour for lunch (apparently NSW's best) the fish was unbelievably fresh but quite sickly, not sure what type of fish. And the only fish and chips I've eaten that came with a salad! Healthy people! I'm still yet to see a largely obese australian.

Returned to sydney at 18:30 and checked back into our hostel. First time I'd gone over the harbour bridge at night time. So many beautiful lights! Pleased to discover that I'd been put in a room with people I know this time. Later me and Tom snook into a local gym for a quick workout then headed to Chinatown for a really authentic meal. Garlic chicken and beef fried rice. Walked further into town in search of a revolving restaurant I'd heard about. We found it and took advantage of the breathtaking 360 degree views of illuminated Sydney and the harbour, sipping a cocktail, on the 47th floor. One of Sydney's highest. Not known to many tourists so was very quiet. Very stylish interior. Hoping to get dressed up and go back there again.

Saturday -  3 mile beach walk - Coogee to Bondi

Took a bus to Coogee in the morning. Fairly sunny but still quite cold. When we got of the bus I realised we were right next to crowne plaza hotel where I stayed during our family holiday in 2007. The whole place was instantly recognizable. We walked along the coastal path to Bondi via Clovelly, Bronte and Tamara Bay. Apparently we walked past John Torrode from Masterchef doing a beachfront cooking demonstration but I didn't even realise. Too busy looking at the food that I didn't think to look at who was cooking it. 

Extremely windy which made it very cold on the beaches. Didn't stay long but got some good pictures. 

Every Saturday night there is a fireworks display in darling harbour and me and Tom  were on our way to the first bar of the group bar crawl when they started to begin. The whole place was packed out with tourists and locals and the fireworks didn't disappoint. The finale was one of the brightest and loudest I'd ever seen. It was like the harbour was under attack by canon fire or something. Can't believe they do it every Saturday! 

The bar crawl was pretty good. Lots of dancing. In the club and on the bus too (they transported us from bar to bar in a party bus that was decked out with lights and a sound system) which was a really cool experience.

Sunday - lazy day

Found out during breakfast that we were supposed to have checked out of our rooms an hour earlier. Nobody from ultimate oz had bothered to tell me and Tom that sunday night was not part of the package we booked and that we would have to get out and book another room at $36 if we wanted to stay. We were fuming and argued with reception who put all the blame on Ultimate Oz, who quite conveniently were closed today! Not happy. So what we've done is just left our  backpacks in the room I was in with some people we know and they are going to let us in later and we'll just sleep on the floor for this one night. We are sat in the sydney central station right now (3pm Sunday 15th) taking advantage of the free wifi. Hopefully will have enough time and data left to Skype soon. Just waiting for the time difference to even out. 

Me and Tom have booked in to do a week of surf camp which starts tomorrow. We thought we'd take an extra week in Sydney and try and learn how to surf properly before we fly up to cairns. Then at least we might have more of a tan and we will almost look like we know what we're doing when we start surfing on the east coast. Surf camp is 5 nights with two surf lessons a day with accommodation and all you can eat food all included. Excited and hoping for better weather. 

So that was our first week in sydney with Ultimate Oz. It was the biggest group they ever had and they messed a few things up but on the whole I'd say its been well worth it. So that's it for now as this has been a very long post. There should be wifi at surf camp so i'll post again soon. Later guys! 

Arrived in Sydney!

This post should have been posted on the 8th september after i arrived at Wake Up hostel in Sydney but I ran out of Internet data before posting.

But here it is anyway 

 Well the last week week has been a blur to be honest...but now me and Tom have finally arrived safely in Sydney. It's been 6 years since I last came here, and with the forward time difference, I guess I am allowed to say I've technically come back to the future!

I haven't had much time to think about it all and get excited for it as I've been so busy sorting out stuff and getting worried about various things, but now I'm here the reality is starting to hit and we have lots to look forward to. I must admit though, the first few hours of the hostel experience has been quite awkward and not very pleasant... And I knew sydney was expensive but it really is ridiculous if you don't have a properly paid australian wage to compensate. The whole change of lifestyle is going to take a lot of getting used to and I feel very out of my comfort zone at the moment. It will get better though I'm sure.

I mentioned in the last post I was going to buy a camera. In the end I went for a Canon 600d package which came with 3 lenses and a nice carry case. It's a beast of a camera and will take a bit of figuring out but in the meantime it has a trustworthy auto mode which takes brilliant quality images and ill be taking it out on the first day of our sydney starter package we have booked for the first week. (Starts Monday) the first day is a orientation briefing, setting up bank and SIM cards, then a trip on a catamaran round the harbour, so fingers crossed for some sunshine - today has been very cloudy and it was only 8'degrees as we stepped out of the airport at 7am this morning. 

We are having a roast dinner at the hostel cafe tonight with some of the group but jet lag has fully kicked in and we are both struggling to keep our eyes open. We need to stay awake until at least 8pm local time to adjust to the new time zone! 

Here's a pic of my new toy and a pic of me and my backpack which I thought bore a striking resemblance to a certain Disney character.