... So now here I am in Sydney Australia, it's my first day after the 9 hour plane journey landed here at 6am (2am in the Asia time I was so accustomed to)... my room wasn't ready 'till 2pm so I wondered the city and saw many of the postcard places (as you can see from the pictures below...
... I was/am terribly sad to leave Asia... I'll miss her so much... my last night was drinks and a meal with Kate and Anna (from the transiberian) and Kush and James (first met while hiking in Northern Laos and then again at various points including Xmas and New Years in Vietnam)... it was really great to spend my last night in Thailand with some of the friends I'd met along the way... we shared drinks and jokes and it was nice and felt like we'd all known each other for years... ... a nice end... :)
... but now I'm in Australia, and well... I'm cynical... I don't get it... After 4 months in which the most western country I visited was Russia/Thailand (geographically/culturally (maybe that's debatable thought)) Australia just seems like home... like I'm back in England... the Queen is on the coins... it's over cast with light drizzle... it could be summer in Southampton or somewhere else not entirely inspiring... ... There are obviously differences but the only ones I've managed to take in is that the average soft drink can is like 440mls and along with pigeons and seagulls they have a large, curly billed bird to join those two scavengers in the streets fighting for chips and trying desperately in vein to eat a bone discarded from KFC (if anyone could comment the name of these birds I'd appreciate it)... ... obviously my judgment is clouded by the superb last 4 months I've had and how similar Australia is to home but it just doesn't feel right being here... ... and as for "travelling in Australia" I believe it's a kind of myth... I don't really get it... ... ... I've spoken to one guy in the hostel and he's been in Sydney for 5 weeks and is now looking at finding a job and an apartment... ... the hostel is big and clean with a large kitchen... fridges filled with peoples food and milk all haphazardly labeled on shelves that are falling down, it feels more like a university halls of residence... ... I can see why this is necessary, it's bloody expensive here (regardless of the fact that I'm used to Asian prices)... I can see me living on a diet of pot noodles and beer from 7-11 while I'm in Oz (don't worry, it's only two weeks)... it's almost the diet I enjoyed on the transiberian! ... Of course I'm just in a generic western city... Australia has beauty in its nature and its wildlife... most of which I probably won't see because I'm saving money for South America... so my cynical outlook might be misplaced... but I have heard stories of people coming to Australia and spending a whole year just in one city... ... and I think this comes to the essence of my opinion about travelling in Australia... my first impression is that it is a chance to live the uni dream once again... working won't feel so bad as your the other side of the world and can surf on weekends... there are no parents... it's a party place... people speak English... it's easy... ... ... but in my (pompous) opinion, it's not travelling... It's just not cricket (N.B. I wanted to watch some sport this weekend while I'm in Sydney but their is only a cricket match on so I think I'll give it a miss... a shame as I fancied watching a bit of football and seeing what has attracted luminaries such as Robbie Fowler and Francis Jeffers)... travelling to Australia seems to be taking the chance to re-live (or experience for the first time) an extreme version of the student lifestyle... ... I think your horizons won't come back broadened... your world not changed in any big way (I know I've denounced the idea of finding yourself while travelling but it is a good chance to find the world around you... if Australia proves a culture shock then... I'm shocked)... ... ... I need to put in the aside that obviously I'm a bit tired from my flight, shocked by the prices (even though I tried to prepare for the increase), and sad that I've left Asia... I don't feel like a traveller free to the call of the wind at the moment... I feel like I've taken a megabus weekend break somewhere... ... ... but maybe tonight when I watch Murrey's Australian open Semi-final in the hostel bar tonight I'll meet some nice people who will help me warm to Australia... ... you never know... :)
... But it is good to be here in some ways... it gives me a chance to get my house in order and plan a bit about what I'm going to do in South America... I've been to STA (a travel agents) and looked at prices to do the Inca trail in Peru... that's led me to roughly plan my ascent from Chile to Peru via the salt planes of Bolivia... ... and therefore my excitement for travelling is renewed:))) ... I'll book the Inca trail for the end of March on Monday... then I'll fly to Melbourne on Tuesday for a week to meet David (also got attacked in St.Petersburg like Joe) and Nikki (met on Koh Chang... from Yeovil... well exotic! ;) for a bit... ... ... it's a good chance to get my head together for the next big assault of my travels... South America is a beast of a continent and like Asia, it has a big reputation... now I can psych myself up and get ready, get excited... for the "real" travelling ;)
Bondi beach... I'll take a flask of hot tea, my camera, my note book, and 'Steppenwolf' by Herman Hesse... watch the inspiration flood into me like... ... ... Brisbane (is that a bit tasteless?)...
... anyway, sorry I bet I'm pissing people off with all my negativity recently... I know it's lucky to be here... I'm a lucky person... but when you have had 3 months in South East Asia and you have the prospect of 2 months in South America... well... Australia just doesn't cut the mustard... oh yeah, and I've been here before when I was 15... so it's not entirely unfamiliar (maybe I should have mentioned that)...
... to my Ozzie friends... sorry if I offend you with my nay saying about your country... I hope you understand I only mean it's not an adventure to be here compared to some of the places I've already been lucky enough to frequent...
... anyway, I'll write soon when maybe my slight jet lag has worn off, I've made some friends, and I'm ready to look at this massive country in a fair light... rather then by comparison to home and my Asia adventures...
... keep well, everyone... I miss you all (to varying degrees from 'intensly missing you' all the way down to 'I miss you, but what's your name again?')
Lots of love,
Matt:)
... I was/am terribly sad to leave Asia... I'll miss her so much... my last night was drinks and a meal with Kate and Anna (from the transiberian) and Kush and James (first met while hiking in Northern Laos and then again at various points including Xmas and New Years in Vietnam)... it was really great to spend my last night in Thailand with some of the friends I'd met along the way... we shared drinks and jokes and it was nice and felt like we'd all known each other for years... ... a nice end... :)
... but now I'm in Australia, and well... I'm cynical... I don't get it... After 4 months in which the most western country I visited was Russia/Thailand (geographically/culturally (maybe that's debatable thought)) Australia just seems like home... like I'm back in England... the Queen is on the coins... it's over cast with light drizzle... it could be summer in Southampton or somewhere else not entirely inspiring... ... There are obviously differences but the only ones I've managed to take in is that the average soft drink can is like 440mls and along with pigeons and seagulls they have a large, curly billed bird to join those two scavengers in the streets fighting for chips and trying desperately in vein to eat a bone discarded from KFC (if anyone could comment the name of these birds I'd appreciate it)... ... obviously my judgment is clouded by the superb last 4 months I've had and how similar Australia is to home but it just doesn't feel right being here... ... and as for "travelling in Australia" I believe it's a kind of myth... I don't really get it... ... ... I've spoken to one guy in the hostel and he's been in Sydney for 5 weeks and is now looking at finding a job and an apartment... ... the hostel is big and clean with a large kitchen... fridges filled with peoples food and milk all haphazardly labeled on shelves that are falling down, it feels more like a university halls of residence... ... I can see why this is necessary, it's bloody expensive here (regardless of the fact that I'm used to Asian prices)... I can see me living on a diet of pot noodles and beer from 7-11 while I'm in Oz (don't worry, it's only two weeks)... it's almost the diet I enjoyed on the transiberian! ... Of course I'm just in a generic western city... Australia has beauty in its nature and its wildlife... most of which I probably won't see because I'm saving money for South America... so my cynical outlook might be misplaced... but I have heard stories of people coming to Australia and spending a whole year just in one city... ... and I think this comes to the essence of my opinion about travelling in Australia... my first impression is that it is a chance to live the uni dream once again... working won't feel so bad as your the other side of the world and can surf on weekends... there are no parents... it's a party place... people speak English... it's easy... ... ... but in my (pompous) opinion, it's not travelling... It's just not cricket (N.B. I wanted to watch some sport this weekend while I'm in Sydney but their is only a cricket match on so I think I'll give it a miss... a shame as I fancied watching a bit of football and seeing what has attracted luminaries such as Robbie Fowler and Francis Jeffers)... travelling to Australia seems to be taking the chance to re-live (or experience for the first time) an extreme version of the student lifestyle... ... I think your horizons won't come back broadened... your world not changed in any big way (I know I've denounced the idea of finding yourself while travelling but it is a good chance to find the world around you... if Australia proves a culture shock then... I'm shocked)... ... ... I need to put in the aside that obviously I'm a bit tired from my flight, shocked by the prices (even though I tried to prepare for the increase), and sad that I've left Asia... I don't feel like a traveller free to the call of the wind at the moment... I feel like I've taken a megabus weekend break somewhere... ... ... but maybe tonight when I watch Murrey's Australian open Semi-final in the hostel bar tonight I'll meet some nice people who will help me warm to Australia... ... you never know... :)
... But it is good to be here in some ways... it gives me a chance to get my house in order and plan a bit about what I'm going to do in South America... I've been to STA (a travel agents) and looked at prices to do the Inca trail in Peru... that's led me to roughly plan my ascent from Chile to Peru via the salt planes of Bolivia... ... and therefore my excitement for travelling is renewed:))) ... I'll book the Inca trail for the end of March on Monday... then I'll fly to Melbourne on Tuesday for a week to meet David (also got attacked in St.Petersburg like Joe) and Nikki (met on Koh Chang... from Yeovil... well exotic! ;) for a bit... ... ... it's a good chance to get my head together for the next big assault of my travels... South America is a beast of a continent and like Asia, it has a big reputation... now I can psych myself up and get ready, get excited... for the "real" travelling ;)
Bondi beach... I'll take a flask of hot tea, my camera, my note book, and 'Steppenwolf' by Herman Hesse... watch the inspiration flood into me like... ... ... Brisbane (is that a bit tasteless?)...
... anyway, sorry I bet I'm pissing people off with all my negativity recently... I know it's lucky to be here... I'm a lucky person... but when you have had 3 months in South East Asia and you have the prospect of 2 months in South America... well... Australia just doesn't cut the mustard... oh yeah, and I've been here before when I was 15... so it's not entirely unfamiliar (maybe I should have mentioned that)...
... to my Ozzie friends... sorry if I offend you with my nay saying about your country... I hope you understand I only mean it's not an adventure to be here compared to some of the places I've already been lucky enough to frequent...
... anyway, I'll write soon when maybe my slight jet lag has worn off, I've made some friends, and I'm ready to look at this massive country in a fair light... rather then by comparison to home and my Asia adventures...
... keep well, everyone... I miss you all (to varying degrees from 'intensly missing you' all the way down to 'I miss you, but what's your name again?')
Lots of love,
Matt:)
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