Oz Intro

Day 1

On the first day we met the rest of the group, there were 18 of us all together, and the same in the other group. We also met Mark our 'guide' and our drinking partner for the first week, and headed to Sydney! He took us on a walk through the Botanical gardens which was beautiful, especially since the weather was so hot! We got our first group picture in front of the famous Opera House and Sydney Harbor Bridge; it was so nice. It is so weird to be stood in front of such a famous landmark, seeing it for yourself, it was so much more amazing in real life! Then he got us feeding these huge parrots that flew and landed on our arms, it was really bizarre but all good fun. Then came the Rocky stairs challenge where Sarah and Jim went head to head attempting to run up them as fast as they could! They were so steep, but all the local runners made them look easy- the Australians seem far to fit for my liking, the whole park was full of runners. I think I would pass out if I ran in that heat, but it was funny watching Sarah struggle, especially after finishing a fag.

After the walk through the park we went jet boating on the harbor which was hilarious! It was literally like being on a rollercoaster on water! This crazy Oz driver nearly flipped the boat over, it was so scary but addictive! We were drenched because Mark wouldn't let us wear any coats, but the more we got sprayed with water the more everyone screamed for more! My cheeks were literally hurting from laughing! It was such a good way to start the week! After just one day it seemed that we all knew each other for ages! We all dried off and headed back to Coogee to a place called The Palace, a pub just across from out hostel. After many drinks and a few hours of laughing we all headed back to get some rest, most people were still really jet-lagged!

Day 2

The second day people seemed a lot more awake which was good, but Tuesday was called the boring day! We headed for Sydney on the bus and sorted out all our medi-cards etc! We got to grips a bit more with the city, which is just as vast as I imagined, it is a cross between America and England, its really bizarre, but a really cool place! After the city tour we went to Darling Harbor for lunch with was lovely, apart from getting attacked by Seagulls, they're bolshie little b*****s, we were shocked how daring they were trying to pinch our food! We ended up putting hot sauce all over everything to get them back but they seemed to like it! After lunch half of us went to the zoo and half to the aquarium, I chose the zoo which was so cool! I got to see kangaroos, koala bears, and wallabies' they were all so cute! My favourite were the koalas- but all they do is sit in the trees and eat! We went through the spider and snake room too, it was horrible, it was basically a room full of all the things in Australia that can kill you with one bite, not really reassuring for your first week in Oz!

After getting back from the city we had to all fight over the showers (there were two showers for about 23 girls, you do the maths), it was a nightmare! We were heading on the party bus to a place called the Gaff! It was so much fun, all the lads were dancing on the bus including Mark, who I'm sure, had already commenced drinking! The gaff was crazy, people were dancing all over the bars- it was like being in Coyote Ugly or something! We all danced the night away and probably drank way too much but it was really fun and everyone got on really well!

Day 3

Wednesday was our surfing lesson day. We got taken to a private beach and got taught to surf by some really cool Aussie guys (they were typical surfers and EXTREMELY easy on the eyes). They had us all put on wet suites and made us practice the surf moves about 50 times before we hit the waves, it was a workout in itself -we started off lying down and had to push our bodies up over and over again! Once we got in the water I realized just how hard it is, I was awful! I must have fallen off 30 times before getting out for lunch! I was so determined to stand up though, so after lunch when everyone else had given up me and Sarah got back in 3 more times and tried over and over again! In the end it was me on my own in the sea having a one on one lesson with this guy, and despite being in so much pain from my excellent falling off skills I kept on going and I did it! I was so happy I managed to surf standing up for about 5 seconds! I was so pleased and everyone on the beach started cheering, they all thought I was crazy for being in the ice cold water for literally the whole day! It was worth it though! Except that for the next two days I could not walk and over a week later I am still covered in bruises! Oh well, it was really fun and I definitely want to do it again especially with the same teachers J!

The guys motto was 'PARTY HARD, GET TWISTED, GO SIDEWAYS' which I think is my new take on life! We all had such a cool day; I will definitely never forget my first surfing experience- not bad learning on a private beach in Australia!

Day 4

After surfing I felt so tired, but we got picked up early and went to Bondi beach where we sunbathed and all chilled out on the beach which was cool! Afterwards we went on a coastal walk back to Coogee where there was a bbq waiting for us! On the way we saw a random manmade shelter in a cave looking out on the sea; it was where a homeless guy had decided to set up home. Apparently the Australian authorities had tried to get him moved but they failed as he had become a tourist spot! We also saw some killer whaled jumping in the distance it was unbelievable, I just wish we had gotten a closer look! There must have been 4 of them, it was so cool!

After an hour or so of walking we had the bbq on the beach, the food was so good! We were then suppose to play volleyball and go snorkeling which I didn't think I could manage because of the pain I was in from surfing, but it turned out that I got sunstroke and almost passed out on the beach so Mark had to take me back to the hostel, so I missed out anyway! After a cold shower and a bit of sleep I was ok again, so all was good! That night we had a talk about all the cool places to go in Australia, which made us all really excited! Then we all went out for a meal together before heading to bed!

Day 5

After catching up on some sleep, we were woken really early to go to the Blue Mountains! We set off around 7.30am on the Oz Experience bus and stopped off on the way for breakfast, before being taken to a park full of kangaroos! We only saw about 3 but it was really cool to see them in the wild! Afterwards we headed for the mountains and got the steepest train in the world up so we could walk 5 miles down! The scenery was amazing, but I cannot say the same about the weather! It poured down all day and everyone was drenched, but it made it more fun! Everyone was really tired by the evening, we went out for dinner again and drank some Goon (a 4l box of wine for $11, bargain) and chilled back at the hostel!

Day 6

Saturday was spent on the internet searching for accommodation for Xmas and New Year. This was an absolute nightmare but with 3 weeks to go we finally have a place to stay! We also booked all the trips and the transport for the entire trip, including Ayers Rock, Alice Springs, Fraser Island, Magnetic Island, Whit Sundays, Cape Tribulation and Byron Bay etc, so everything I wanted to do and see in Oz is all paid for! It was so exciting and much cheaper than we all thought! We also hired a camper van to do the Great Ocean Road and decided that Chloe, Caz, Sarah and I would be travelling together form now on! Although the day was spent doing all the necessary planning and not on the beach, it was definitely worth it was we were clear on what we were going to do and were all so excited about the rest of our time in Oz and also about Xmas on Bondi beach!

After a busy day it was time for the famous pub crawl! We all got dressed up and headed on the party bus again for a night of carnage! Mark was dressed in lycra leggings and sporting a pink mustache because of Movemeber. Movemeber is a month when all the men are not allowed to shave in order to raise money for prostate cancer! He promised that if we all sponsored him he would dye his mustache pink and keep it like that till the end of the month! It was really funny to see, he looked an absolute idiot, but it was all in aid of a good cause!

The pub crawl was really fun up until Sarah found an Aussie girls going through her bag. She was looking to steal money but got caught. After that despite trying to forget abut it and carry on with the night, we weren't really in the mood. The Oz group spoilt it for us and some of us ended up going home early, so we did not make it to the Gaff. We are all going to be back there at xmas so I am sure we will get chance to go again!

Day 7

The last day was surprisingly emotional! We had all had such a good week and a lot of us were like a family! We had spent everyday together and all shared a room for a week so it was quite sad that it was all going to be over soon! We had a chilled out day and then headed for a meal in the Sydney Tower at night! Everyone dressed up and we got a bus there singing all the songs which reminded us of the week. When we got the tower it was so beautiful, we could see the entire city lit up at night! The food was really good and we had a really good laugh and took lots of random pictures! After dinner Mark said he had a surprise for us. He took us to the botanical gardens where it al started and took a final group picture in front of the Sydney Opera House and Harbor Bridge which was all lit up at night! It was a perfect end to a fantastic week! I had such a good time; I didn't want to leave Coogee! I met some amazing people and I will be sharing my Australian experience with some of them! It was definitely a perfect start my Oz adventure!