Hey Guys,

I am sorry that I have been so remiss on my postings lately, I have literally been worked off my feet at the hostel, so I was too busy to write and did not have anything interested to tell you anyway! In between shifts however, I have been having some fun! My friend John who I met on Coogee Beach came back from the up the coast last week and crashed at my house for a few days. We managed to fit in a few trips around my shifts, including one to the famous Paddy's Market in the city center. This is a sprawling covered market along the lines of Camden, but with a more Asian stance. It was very cheap and cheerful, and the chance to dust off the old haggling skills was very rewarding. We also had time for a night out at Sydney's casino, Star City. We signed up, we got our membership card and free $10 chips and then proceeded out into the whirl of colour and noise that is Sydney's premier casino. My free $10 did not last long, a misjudged call on the Roulette table taking its toll. John and I had set out pre-night limit at $50 each (just shy of £25) as that is what we reckoned a cheap night out on the town would cost. We proceeded to cash in for more chips and then made our way over to the blackjack table. Here I was adopted by a experienced gambler who although he originated in Hull, had not been back to the UK for 49 years....now that is a proper world trip!! He guided my first few hands until I had worked out how to use the tactics of casino blackjack, and ultimately, by the time John had lost all of his $70 bucks (his roulette guess had won. earning him the extra), I still had $40 left! We then moved onto the slots, but I did not partake in these as I did not want to cash in my chips for change. Instead, I watched as John first of all made a fortune, and then lost it all on the spinning, dizzying diodes of the machines. It was a good night and as I had only lost those ten dollars, it was also very cheap!!

I had another good day on Saturday last week. I went with some of my hostel friends to Sydney's Museum of Contemporary Art at Darling Harbor. There were some really good pieces here, like a foam bubble sculpture , and some we really did not get, like the dead horse hung from the ceiling. The best one by far however was dubbed by our small group as the Hendrix experience. Upon hearing the faint strains of that particular guitar magic that only Hendrix could produce, I was drawn to an installation hidden behind heavy curtains. Parting this makeshift barrier, I entered a darkened room filled only with large hammocks and the gentle guitar rifts of Jimmi. We all quickly clambered into hammocks and laid there for quite some time . It was amazingly chilled, there even seemed to be someone asleep at one stage!

We then left the Museum and went for a walk around the Harbor and through the Botanical Gardens. Here we watched as across the water the sun dipped down below firstly the famous Harbor Bridge, and then the Horizon itself. We walked back to the city center in the dark, with the Garden's resident bats flying overhead in their thousands.

Upon reaching the lights of the city, we tackled the Sydney Tower. This is the tallest building in Sydney and boasts wonderful views of the city and harbor. On entry into into the building, we first went on a virtual tour called OZtrek, which basically gives you an introduction to all the unique parts of Australia. Then it was up the tower in the express lifts to the top gallery. Here we were greeted by the sweeping panorama of the city at night, the dark skies illuminated by the lights of the buildings. The view over the Harbor was especially pleasing, with the lights of small ships glistening underneath the imposing shadow of the bridge. After the decent to ground level, we stopped off for dinner at a noodle house, where the food was both excellent and inexpensive. After that, however, I had to leave my companions as they readied themselves for a night out amongst the exclusive harbor-side nightspots of Darling Harbor as, surprise, surprise, I was working the night shift!

Well thats all for now folks, but I shall return in a few days time to regale you with more tales of adventure from Sydney!!