Arrival

In the days before I left for Sydney, when I wasn’t packing, or repacking, or unpacking the things I decided didn’t need to be packed, I was thinking about how in the world I was going to pass 14 hours on the flight from LA to Melbourne. Add on to that my flights from SF to LA and Melbourne to Sydney, and I was looking at serious exhaustion and boredom. I packed CDs, two books, a magazine, my journal, and plenty of candy bars for the plane and hoped for the best.

Did I get lucky. The flight from LA looked like it was going to be crowded as everyone was filing onto the plane, but while the front of the plane was crammed, the back of the plane had several empty rows, so before we took off I said ‘toodles’ to the couple I was seated next to and claimed three seats for myself. Once we took off I laid down with two blankets and three pillows and slept pretty well for more than eight hours, waking up every now and then to shift around and adjust my seatbelt.

It’s a good thing I was able to sleep too, considering the entertainment. Had I been leaving Australia I would have seen Amelie, Lord of the Rings, and Gosford Park. But on my flight we got Kate and Leopold and two other movies that I don’t think anyone bothered to see in the theaters. Once I woke up I finished off my Vonnegut book and started reading through my Time Out Sydney guide, polishing up my knowledge of Sydney’s history and sights, planning what sightseeing I would do first.

With all of the Australian products and personalities you see in the States, I was half expecting to step off the plane in Melbourne and see the Nad’s ladies there with their buckets of goo, offering up a complimentary waxing, but no such luck. There wasn’t even a Crocodile Hunter doll for sale in the duty free shop. There was, however, a very long line for customs and a sort of funky odor hanging in the air. It was a lot like the smell I noticed at LAX. I just don’t think there’s anyway for people to travel across international borders and not stink.

Once through customs I had to grab my bags (thank God for the complimentary carts, even with their temperamental brakes) and take them out of the international area, over to the domestic flights counter to recheck them. A bit of a hassle, but it gives the airline another chance to x-ray everything. They seem to get a kick out of that.

The flight to Sydney was short, but I had an amazing view coming into the city. The Harbour Bridge, the Opera House, and the entire downtown skyline looked amazing and I couldn’t help but break out in a big grin, excited to finally be here.

I was met by my friends, Lori and Jorge, and whisked off to their suburb of Newtown. It’s about 15 minutes from downtown Sydney by bus and reminds me of the Allston-Brighton area of Boston, with a little Berkeley thrown in. There are lots of students and artsy types, cheap cafes and restaurants (especially Thai and Indian), and funky stores that sell Urban Outfitters type things for bathrooms and kitchens and whatnot. Lots of places to buy whatnot.

We grabbed some lunch then went hunting around the Glebe market. Saturday is market day around Sydney, in locations including Paddington, Bondi Beach, and the Rocks. They all offer something a little different based on the type of crowds they cater to, so you have to check a few of them out to see what suits you.

Exhaustion was starting to set in, so Jorge took me downtown to the Hotel BakPak on Pitt Street where I spent the first two nights, courtesy of BUNAC. It’s clean and each room has its own bathroom, so you have a good amount of privacy. It’s also a very social place and it makes for a good starting point for getting to know your way around the city. I chatted with my roommate for a while, a girl from New York who had just come in from Thailand and couldn’t wait to get a real cup of cawfee, then gave in to jetlag around 9:00. I wanted to be refreshed for my first full day in Australia.