There IS such a thing as a FREE lunch!!!

I was so busy yesterday that I didn't have the chance to update my blog -- but here I am now with a super big blog entry to catch up!

Yesterday, I spent the whole day with my 2 German roomates (the french girl left to go to a host family). We went to the Sydney Aquarium where we walked in a underground see-through tunnel. The animals were HUGE!!! There were stingrays, sharks, turtles, and fish. Trust me, these things were humongous. The giant turtle is bigger than a man and they are actually 25% larger than we see them through the protective tunnel due to the curvature of the structure. Yikes.

Then onto the Taronga Zoo via ferry! We passed by the famous Sydney Harbour bridge and the Opera House. Magnificent. The zoo was awesome because we got to get close to the kangaroos and I was able to pet a joey (baby roo)! We also saw the koalas and I learned that they have 2 thumbs (I'm told they are vicious little buggers).

We were so exhausted from our day that we stopped by the grocery store and back on home. I bought groceries for ~$18 which should last me a couple of days. Yay!

Today, I woke up early for my 10am orientation at the IEP (Int'l Exhange Prog) office. I learned about what the office can provide me with in terms of helping me with taxes, resumes, housing, etc. Then I went to the Canadian consulate to register myself - that way, they know I'm in the country in case of emergency.

I discovered another strange thing about crossing the street at large intersections - that you can cross on the diagonal! That is so weird to me...I keep thinking I will get hit. But I just follow the crowd and I know I'll be ok.

Ok, about the free lunch. I was walking around today when I stumbled upon free BBQ at Martin Place, a plaza type area where you can sit on the steps and there's a Christmas tree in the middle. The food was given out by a Christian organization...I guess to promote giving at Christmas time. Now the strange thing is, they did not ask for anything nor were they trying to preach to us!!! They were just happily giving out food and coffee without a word about their faith! The Aussies have the right idea unlike the westerners. Now what did they have? Grilled snags and coffee. Snags are sausages and here it is eaten in a white piece of sliced bread with the snag sitting diagonal on the bread. Then it's topped off with tomato sauce (ketchup). As for coffee, it wasn't any cheap regular coffee either! They had their cappucino machine there and they asked me what kind of coffee I wanted. The woman behind me got a hot chocolate. Wow, I can't believe I got a delicious lunch for free! This is great! :D

Exploring Sydney

Well, I thought I wasn't going to have any roomates last night at the hostel until around 9pm. I was so excited to have company! In walked 2 young German girls (21 yrs old -- my, I feel old!) who seem to be best friends. I've met a lot of Germans traveling around the world. They are quite friendly...one is more outgoing than the other. About half and hour later, our 4th occupant arrived. She is also a youngin'...she is from France and she is quite timid. I will have to practice my french with her...I just have to get over my fear. It'll be a good way for us to talk since there's a bit of a language barrier.

My aunt was right -- food, including chinese food, in Sydney is expensive!!! I cannot believe it. Last night, I bought a small curry meat pie (with tomato sauce, aka ketchup, on it), small bottle of apple juice, and a large chocolate chip cookie for $8.20! Small bottles of water or juice will cost you ~$3! I guess I'll have to go back to the good ol' days of Ramen noodles. I really can't wait to get out of Sydney and go to the suburbs where things are cheaper and I can work. That won't be for a little while since I have to get some things taken care of in the city first.

So today is Saturday and I am sitting in an internet cafe that costs only $1/hr. I am in King's Cross and it is a dodgy part of town. Apparently, it's compared to soho in NYC but I don't see it. Maybe there are hip people who live here but there are also a lot of bums and perverts. I just walked down one street where every other store was a strip joint or adult place. I can see some cool stores in the mix too but I wouldn't want to be here at night.

I did find a cheap lunch today at a food court. $5 for any thai dish. I bought the broad noodle dish that I love...ate half and keeping the other half for supper. Hmm, maybe not since I'm getting hungry again.

I also passed through Hyde Park today, which is a big park in the city. It's sort of like Central Park. There was a decorated Christmas tree amongst a bunch of palm trees. How strange, eh? The weather here is nice and comfortable for summer. It's been a bit erratic where it'll be nice and sunny one moment then grey, windy and rainy the next. I've been wearing pants and a t-shirt with my windbreaker. That's how the weather is here.

There are a lot of people in Sydney. When the light is green, hoards of people will descend across the street in a tightly packed group. People are all over the place...it's like NY in that way. I've also noticed a lot of asians here. They all have that asian style way of dressing.

Oh yes, and about crossing the street: there are also letterings painted on the curb telling pedestrians to "look left" too. It all depends on the intersection. It's so confusing to cross the street. Don't worry, I've been looking BOTH ways when crossing. I'm just more aware of the right side now more than before.

Cheers!

In Sydney Safe and Sound!

I arrived in Sydney about 2 hrs ago (it is 2:30pm on Friday) and I am now in the IEP office using the internet (IEP = International Exchange Program). These guys are great! They will brief me on things in an orientation on Monday. I will learn about cell phones, accommodations, jobs, etc. What a great support system away from home.

The city feels like the size of Montreal....I guess after being in New York City for so long, every big city seems small to me. One thing I must consciously keep in mind is to LOOK RIGHT when crossing the street! They drive on the left side over here. There are even large white lettering painted next to the curb reminding pedestrians to look right. I actually almost got hit by a car today (hey, there was no warning at that street). 

Alright, I have to go take care of some things before they close at 5pm.

 

My NZ pics are finally up!

Hey peeps, sorry for the long delay in uploading the photos from my New Zealand adventure! As some of you know, I had a computer breakdown in addition being swamped with things to take care of after my return. But now that I have switched over from PC to Mac, I have no excuses anymore! I will be sending an email shortly with a link to my photos so you can finally see them.

Happy Easter!

Back in the Big Apple

I landed at JFK airport at 10pm (EST) last night. It felt like time had stopped because I left NZ on Feb 9 and arrived in NYC on the same date. Yay, that means I have today to recuperate before going back to work on Monday. Well, not really. It's more about getting back into things by paying bills, doing laundry and groceries, retroactively updating this blog, uploading photos. I'll try to get as much done as possible.

Going through security at the Christchurch airport was quick and easy! No lines. Especially since there was an incident there the night before. There was an attempted hijacking of a plane that was landing in Christchurch (it was a domestic flight). The hijacker, a woman, had somehow brought a knife on board. A few people were cut but the suspect was eventually overpowered and arrested. I flew domestic to Auckland, where I caught my flight to LA. Once in Auckland, I had to pay a $25 NZ airport fee before I could go through customs and security. Customs and security in NZ is so fast because there are less people...it's great!

The flight out of Auckland was delayed due to mechanical problems. Thankfully, they caught it before we flew 12 hrs over the ocean! We were put onto another airplane, to my relief. There were many crying children going onto this lonnng flight. They are such annoying little buggers. One mother said she always brings a few earplugs with her for passengers sitting nearby in case her kid pipes up but she's "never needed them". Meanwhile, the kid (toddler) had been wailing for the last 10 min and "he's usually never like this". Sure, lady. I think airplanes should have a special area for families with small children. Like First Class, but in a sound-proof room.

Leaving a Happy Place

It is past noon on Saturday, Feb 9 in Christchurch, NZ. My flight leaves at 4:30pm for the long journey back to New York. Sigh...I really don't want to go back to the noise, smell, and chaos. I love where I am now where there are clean waters, fresh air, and relaxed atmosphere. Although, I will not miss the sun here -- the UV index is at 11 today (that's the 2nd highest on the scale). This is what you have to deal with when the ozone layer over you is depleted.

I haven't had the chance to update the blog in the last few days but I might do so when I get back home. I wonder if that's possible so that the updates will show the appropriate dates?

Last night, we arrived to Christchurch and went around town looking for a place to stay. There weren't any campsites so we settled on a motel. The nice Indian woman behind the counter said she had one more room left that we could have for $99 NZ. So $25 per person was quite the deal. She makes a phone call to someone and tells us we could look at the room first. We go off to the side of the building and go up a narrow metal staircase which led up to a metal roof. The roof had random clothes either hanging on clotheline or on the ground. We walked across the roof slowly in single file since the pathway for walking was also narrow. There was a glass sliding door to the room. When we entered, we were astounded to see 2 beds that looked like someone had recently rolled out of them (Alice said she should've checked to see if it was still warm). One of them had crumbs on it and the carpets on the floor consisted of several pieces laid down haphazardly. We thought we were entering through her house (it wasn't). But nooo, we continued on through to another room with 2 more beds in the same state. This second room had a kitchenette. Around the corner was a very nice, clean bathroom with a nice shower. Yep, this was our room. Of course, we asked the lady if she was going to clean it first and vacuum. Her reply: "yes yes. 2 minutes!". Oh boy, that was dodgy (sketchy) but we took it. We were hoping she wasn't going to just make the beds and leave it as that. Good thing is when we came back after supper, we noticed she did indeed change the sheets and everything looked presentable. If only we did not see it's initial state. Hahahaha.

One thing I will miss about NZ is that tipping is NOT done here. No tipping waiters and yet they are still friendly. How about that, eh? Whatever the price is written, that is how much you pay (No taxes added in the end like back home. Everything is included already). The unfortunate thing though, is there is a 15% surcharge on services during public holidays. How unlucky for us to hit very town holiday while traveling through. I was also amazed at the cleanliness of the campsite facilities and public toilets!

New Zealand is truly a wonderful country and I had a blast here. It sure was mighty expensive but I couldn't have asked for a better birthday!

See you all soon.

Last leg of the trip

We woke up early today for the long drive north from Lake Wanaka to Christchurch. Christchurch is where we will be flying out to go back home. Along the way, we stopped at a McDonald's for some food. I decided to try the Kiwi burger and no, it is not made with Kiwi meat. The Kiwi burger is made with a beef patty, a fried egg, lettuce, tomato, and red beet root. How interesting...but very good!

There was one point where we were very low on gas. It was a scary situation because the gas indicator needle was at "E" for a while and there was no gas station in sight! The gas stations are very far and few in between along the highways of NZ. It is not like back home. We stopped off to ask for the nearest gas station and we were told that there was one 15 minutes away. We were worried we wouldn't make it but luckily, we made it and it really was 15 minutes away!