New Year, Same Trip

Australia Quick Recap:

2 months

2 cities

2 families

5 weeks worth of vegan food

5 new friends

1 Christmas show

1 incredible fireworks display

Total spent: 1,596.76

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR

Happy 2019! The first half of our trip is nearly over. It amazes me how quickly we have reached this point. Our first flight to Peru feels like a far away dream.

Our time here in Sydney was made special by the arrival of our families. We spent our time in Sydney with them for three weeks, traveling around to different areas since there is sooo much to see here. Don’t think we scratched the surface to be honest.

Sydney is so far one of my favorite major cities I have been too. On this trip specifically it is my favorite compared to Buenos Aires. Granted we didn’t see as much of Buenos Aires as Sydney, but it felt a lot less packed on your average day and the waterfronts really make it something special.

We split our time in Sydney primarily between Bondi Beach and Rhodes, two of Sydney’s neighborhoods. Of the two, Bondi was my personal favorite. Bondi is a very walkable area and I’d say a very classic surfers town. It’s not as hippie as Byron Bay, but there are still a lot of conscious people there, though since it’s a very popular tourist spot you actually won’t see many Australians there, especially during the holidays. The beach was wonderful, however. A blue ocean where the waves weren’t insurmountable, Bondi still gave us a challenge while surfing Christmas Day. The beach was a long stretch of white sand, with rocky outcroppings that provided some natural pools more suitable for children to swim in.

The closest beach we went to was one of a few along the Bondi to Cogee walking path that connected all of them, showing beautiful views of the ocean and some potent reminders of its power where it crashed against the rocks. And there were so many people!! I thought South Beach in Miami was crowded, but I’m not sure it compared to Bondi during Christmas Day. You could hardly see the beach through all the sun tans and Santa hats.

What was great about Christmas in Australia was how relaxed we all were. With all the manual labor Allie and I have been doing, it was nice to have genuine time off to just do nothing if we wanted to. Our parents also enjoyed it as they weren’t concerned with holiday decorations, cooking elaborate dinners, or fussing with all the winter gear. We simply enjoyed the time we had with each other and the anniversary of the birth of Jesus.

In Rhodes, we spent more time exploring downtown Sydney. We visited museums, ate good food, went to a zoo, watched movies, Allie’s brother got removed from a bar (not his fault), and went on a sail in Sydney Harbour, preparing for our 2 weeks on a boat in Scotland in May. We wanted to be at the beach for obvious reasons, but we wanted to be closer to downtown because Sydney has one of the best New Year’s fireworks displays in the world. We aren’t going to be coming back to Sydney anytime in the near future, so you might as well see a possible once in a lifetime show right?

New Year’s didn’t disappoint either. Part of what made it so great was that it wasn’t freezing cold. It was strange to us to have a balmy 85 degree Christmas Day, seeing everyone in swimsuits and lathering on the sun cream, it was definitely enjoyable, just a little odd f

or us. New Year’s Eve was great though because instead of watching a ball drop from inside our homes huddled around a tv, we were able to spread out at a park waiting to watch the real thing...well as spread out as you can be in a park that holds 35,000 other people waiting for fireworks.

We went to Bradfield Park at Milson’s Point, which lies just under the Sydney Harbour Bridge where the main fireworks display is. Needless to say we were right next to the action. The venue was free to the public but had the 35,000 persons limit so we got up early, packed a lunch, and set off to make sure we got a spot.

There was no rush when we got there as the park wasn’t even half full yet, however the park had tight security, smelling every drink to make sure as little alcohol got through as possible. Unfortunately, they were also strict about there being no glass allowed in the park, so after waiting in the security line for our turn, the guard told my mom and I we couldn’t have our glass jars of PB&J. We either had to throw it out or go find another container, which was both annoying, because a certain girlfriend was able to get her peanut butter through, and also a bit stressful as the line got longer by the minute and we didn’t want to get locked out. With a quick run to the nearest convenience store that had plastic containers, we were thankfully able to make it back in time before the limit was reached.

After that bit of excitement, we gathered underneath a tree as close to the bridge as we could get, spread out borrowed towels from our Airbnbs, and settled in for the days festivities. With around eighteen hours to kill, we spent the time enjoying each other’s company, playing cards, reading, playing guitar, constant snacking, and an air show. The day was great till the rain came. Our tree gave us some cover, but none besides Allie’s mother thought to bring a rain jacket so we all huddled under the tree, our backs getting soaked as we protected our electronics. The rain thankfully passed before the first fireworks show at 9pm so we were still able to get a taste of the midnight show.

Allie’s mom had worked her way to the front throughout the day, stating that the point of coming to Sydney was to see the fireworks so you might as well get the best spot possible, and by 11pm she had a front row spot. I agreed with her logic, and was thankful for her persistence when she offered Allie and I the chance to squeeze in beside her for the show. I’m glad she did because it was the best fireworks I have ever seen. All down the Harbour you could see explosions lighting the night sky, and the bridge itself was awash with color, ashes falling like snow into the water below. It was an amazing way to start 2019, and I am very excited by the continued chance to travel and make more memories.

That awe didn’t last long though as the daunting task of getting home became more of an issue. The sheer number of people flooding the streets was more people than I have ever seen in one place. We had to walk about a mile to get to the second nearest train station (since they closed the first). We started that adventure soon after the show, but didn’t get back till 4am. Walking along that street felt like I was in a zombie movie, just one of the shambling masses trying to get home. The whole ordeal brought my dislike of large crowds to a whole new level.

Allie and I also spent some time just the two of us, walking the Sydney Harbour bridge the night before New Year’s Eve and then visiting Luna Park, a small amusement park with a nod towards 1950s fun lands, before Allie left for Thailand and my mom and I left for Tasmania. We wanted time together before we separated in Asia for two months, pursuing our own interests and learning more about ourselves. Though it wasn’t good bye, it wasn’t any easier to do.

Our time in Australia was a great one. We learned new skills, met new people, and enjoyed time with our families and each other during the holidays. There is so much more of Australia to see and some day I hope to come back to see it all. Perhaps I’d even come back for New Year’s, though maybe I’d just stay till the 9 o’clock show.