Pete Goes Down Under!

And it's wet. Rain is everywhere I go, despite the local's protests of "drought". It's madness. Anyway, another 12 hour bus trip (iPod hasn't failed me yet!) behind me and tomorrow I'll meet up with Sue, a fellow Canadian and SWAPer that I travelled with until Byron Bay. Probably a few days in Melbourne to recoup, and then off to Adelaide...or somewhere in that direction.

I'd like to thank Holly and Colm for giving me such a good time while I was in Sydney. Everynight I was there they took me somewhere, invited me along, or cooked me the BEST meal I've had in ages! The first night Holly took me to her and Colms apartment and we talked over a few drinks and then fed me a delicious roast chicken...when you're backpacking, that's like eating pure gold. The next night I tagged along to a local pub where a few bands were playing...I think we all agreed that the last band (coincidentally, the one with Holly's coworker in it) was the best, and criticizing the first two was fun enough that we actually started it again the next night, while listening to the Sydney Symphony Orchestra play in Olympic Park. We were kind of far out and a LOT of people were talking, but we had brought some food and it was definately a good night. Thanks again you guys!

Cheers folks!

Posted by Pete at 08:49 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I've FINALLY left Byron Bay! How bizarre to be back in Sydney. This place is huge...buildings over 3 stories, lots and lots of people looking stressed in suits...crikey. I think I've developed an affinity for small towns..thanks a lot Byron.

I'll only be in Sydney for a few nights, just to see Holly and book my next bus, then off to Melbourne! My next post will probably be from there, so cheers folks, and take it easy!

Farewell, Arts Factory!

Posted by Pete at 04:39 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

To eat, anyway. Every thursday night the local 7th Day Adventist Church holds a free dinner for backpackers and the homeless and it's an backpacker tradition (especially at the Arts Factory) to go down and grab a meal. They're all vegetarian, but still very good. Here are the pictures from last weeks outing!

Now that I know I'm going to be leaving for sure, I'm getting excited to travel again! It'll be nice to have some other things to write about aside from "the usual". I start my last shifts tonight, just three more and then I can finally get a normal sleep pattern again! How nice that will be, I won't wake up to the hottest part of the day anymore. Well, enjoy the pictures!

The local church. REALLY good food. Really, really good. Almost good as homecooked! And they aren't overly preachy either, which is really nice. A word here and there, which is entirely expected and understood. Great place, for sure.

Roland ("Ze German"), Jason, Cory, and Myself waiting in line for some great food

Tuck in!

After dinner (before we hit the club) we relaxed with some cards and drinks. Ze German is wearing the viking hat because he lost, a little Blue House card tradition.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to getting some new posts soon, cheers!

Posted by Pete at 02:16 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

Nothing new has happened, just figured I'd post something so it looks like I'm keeping busy. I'll have some new pictures up fairly soon I think, just the Blue House crew hanging out and keeping busy. Anyway, until then, cheers!

Posted by Pete at 05:42 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Well, not yet. February 20th is the day I've decided to head off. All I have to do now is book my bus down to Sydney and its all set! I'll pop into Sydney for a night or two and see Holly and Colm, then head down to Melbourne where I'll meet up with one of the SWAPers I came down with. Then it's off to the west along the south coast! Hooray!

Anyway, I've been surfing a lot lately and am finally starting to see a little bit of improvement. Surfing is a lot tougher than it looks and makes me miss snowboarding a lot. When you surf, you have to paddle a LOT just to get out to the waves, then wait around for a nice one. You paddle towards shore, stand up, and go for it. All in all, my arms have never been in more pain. At least snowboarding you get a ride up the mountain!

Not much else is very new...just looking forward to finally getting out of Byron!

Posted by Pete at 07:17 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)