It was a relatively short flight from Nairobi to Jo'burgh, we flew right over Mount Kilimanjaro. The peak was poking out of the clouds and the searing blue sky behind - stunning. The only other person getting picked up to my hostel that night was a guy called Nigel who happened to be from Hobart (Tasmania) so we had good chats about Tassie and our trips in Africa on the drive into town. Annette, Andrew Holdaway's friend met me at the hostel that night and took Nigel and I out d\to dinner. Andy had met her on his year out here and she did a wonderful job of teaching me about the area and showing me around a bit of the town and more importantly keeping me safe and out of trouble. The hostel had double locked gates around it and all the shops were locked and you had to ring a bell to be let inside! I later found out that on one of Nigel's extra days out here after I had left he'd had a scary experience of an attempted mugging. I was very glad to have been going around the town with the both of them that day, not long since it was just one night and day there before my flight on to Sydney, it definitely gave me a taste of another place that I want to explore more! The 20 bed dorm complete with sleep talkers resulted in a very poor nights sleep but did mean that I actually managed to sleep on the long flight to Sydney which is a first and really helps with the whole jet lag thing!! Madeleine met me at the airport in Sydney, so brilliant to see her again. For those of you who don't know her she was in year 11 and 12 when I did my GAP year at Launceston Church Grammar School in Tasmania three years ago. Madz then came over to the UK to do a GAP year and worked at a school in Leicestershire. We've been great mates across the world so it was fab to catch up with her again properly. She's at the University of Sydney studying Science Law and very kindly let me kip on her floor in halls for a week while I was exploring the city. I wandered around the Botanic Gardens, the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge. I also visited the Sydney museum and the contemporary art gallery and also the Margaret Preston Exhibition at the Gallery of New South Wales, a brilliant Australian artist. One day I took the ferry to Manly a lovely beach about a 30 min ride from the city centre, and another day I got the bus to Bondi Beach. I couldn't help thinking that I preferred the quiet beaches of Tasmania to these commercial beaches that seem to be like a fashion parade of the latest beachwear. It was fun to watch the surfers though, does make me feel like I should learn.... mind you.....I do think that investing in a wet suit might be an idea, the water is freezing at the moment!!!! It was so great to be able to meet lots of Madeleine's friends here, I went along with her to her Christian Union meetings which were really interesting, the people there made me feel very welcome. I also caught up with Lucy another Lonnie Grammar girl who is at Uni here, I went to chamber choir with Madz on my first evening there and Lucy walking in late and said hello to everyone.. she then did the best double take I have ever seen and was like 'Oh my god it's Zoë!' and gave me a massive hug. She'd completely forgotten that Madz said I was arriving that week!!! Tee hee  Another night we went to the college cabaret evening and watched some of her mates sing and dance the night away for our entertainment....wine and cheese and candles at our table, felt very sophisticated.