Leaving Melbourne wasn't as heart-wrenching as it could have been. This was partly because I was coming back, partly because with a 15-hour-overnight (no chance of sleeping on Greyhounds believe me, it's not like South American buses) there wasn't a chance to get depressed, and partly because I was going back to my beloved Sydney.

Well, it WAS my beloved Sydney until I arrived and couldn't find a bed for love or money. My fault really - with summer holidays, New Year AND the Ashes, obviously it was going to be chocka. But the accommodation god (when travelling you suddenly realise there must be a deputy god for each department, see Melbourne entry for the weather god) was smiling on me when I found a space in the Frisco Hotel in Woollomooloo (I think you get a prize for spellng that). It turned out to be a typically Aussie pub/B+B, not too expensive and with my own little bolthole of a room with views across to Harbour Bridge and a nice big comfy bed. The bonus was that I was staying next door to 2 cricketers from the one day squad, and Surrey boys to boot. Cue much saying of things like "Oh I'm just popping out to meet the cricketers for a drink" when discussing plans for the evening with friends...!

Sydney was another place to catch up with friends - this time Eve and Amr from the Perhentians (way back in Malaysia) and Caz and Andy from the Inca Trail. After a bit of time recovering from New Year and the bus ride, I had a great night in Manly at Eve and Amr's (lots of wine and catching up and so good to see them again!) and a lunch with Caz and Andy at Doyle's at Watsons Bay - THE place to eat in Sydney, and rightly so! The Pimms went down a treat and it was so good to see those guys too.

It wasn't just friends-by-arrangement I caught up with in Sydney. On one memorable night out, I was at a bar in town where I'd gone to meet the cricketers (there I go again!) and was chatting to a guy at the bar when, from across the room, a tall black guy caught my eye. Who I really, really recognised. Thinking the champagne (yes, again!) and lack of sleep was playing tricks on me, I looked away and carried on chatting...but the fella was still staring at me when I looked back. So I decided it necessitated closer investigation. Now this may mean nothing to a lot of you...but it was Nana!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I met him way back in the Pitcher and Piano days in Richmond (ah, those heady days of youth) when he was part of our regular crowd, but university (and, to be fair, drinking at the Page) had caught up with me and I hadn't seen him for years - largely, as it turns out, because he's been living in Sydney! So an evening passed with much hilarity and frequent pauses in conversation to scream "I can't believe you're here!!!" - and that's just one more reason for loving Sydney so.

Other events with Caz and Andy included Caz's welcome home party, on the night of Australia's extremely decisive Ashes whitewash. I'm glad I can talk about cricket without crying, it was very much the subject of the night! And it was a fab night - held at Caz's sister's in Kirribilli (think awesome views of the harbour) with great people - including a London girl who is living in Sydney and works in a recruitment company for Sydney law firms...a good contact I think! The following night, my last in Sydney before heading over to New Zealand, I was out with Eve at the Opera Bar (worth the queues if you can get a harbourside seat) followed by Establishment - another great night where Eve and I met some peculiar characters before Amr came to our rescue, and we all got a bit tiddly on (guess what) champagne. I also bumped into some people I'd met on the Night of Nana, all of which resulted in night of very good fun, but one that was rather too long, leaving me with only 2 hours to sleep (and pack and check out!) before my flight to Auckland...

But I made it!