Katoomba

Already, within five hours of landing, I was on a completely different path than what I'd imagined when I saw Sydney from my airplane window. I'd met Charlotte, who seems to be a long lost relative because we have so much in common, and we had plans to get out of town for an impromptu New Years. Both of us were stunned by our luck in finding each other and also a little apprehensive to leave the big city and the most expansive and impressive fireworks show on earth. We had no other choice.

I woke early on Dec. 31, had a chat with some family members and felt a bit sad, but then packed up my things and checked out of that little Criterion hotel - NEVER TO RETURN! It was my Chateau D'If. I walked to Char's hostel, one of the YHA's near the train station. It was a very nice morning. It'd rained before dawn and the air was humid but had a cool breeze. My backpack was comfortable and I was excited for the big journey ahead. Amazing how optimism comes with the new day.

I met Char outside and we got some pancakes, coffee and croissants and ate at the little cafe near the YHA. The train station was close by and we realized we had only 10 minutes to catch the out of town line or wait another 40 minutes. We purchased tickets for $12.50 each (good deal!) and ended up waiting for the 11:20 train. I really like train stations. I love the open feeling and the food. The seating is always good and people-watching in a train station is the best. We chatted and watched folks coming and going before hopping on the train to Katoomba. It was a great ride. The urban city slowly fading behind us and the outback mountains overtaking any civilization. The towns along the route are cute and small. The train snaked through the cliffs and in between picturesque stations each with their own name like Linden or Wentworth Falls.

It was slightly rainy when we stepped out into the open air of Katoomba. The town is very touristy but also retains its mountainside appeal. Shops line the main street and Char and I made it to our hostel where we'd pre-booked. We have our own room - a double bed with ensuite bathroom, and a tv. The bathroom is strange because of the shower that is literally in the middle of the room, with no curtains. You shower right next to the sink and toilet. The large mirror that lines the wall luckily fogs up quickly but it all still feels kinda gas-chamber-ish.

Char and I got settled then went for a walk to get lunch and see the town. By this time the sun was out. Katoomba's streets slant down quite a bit because it is on a mountain, something we only realized on the walk back up the hill. Lunch was delicious - we ate at the Elephant Bean and a guy named Daniel served us. We couldn't help but ask this young guy if he knew the New Years plans around town and he invited us to his friends' house for their party. What luck!! A day before we had no idea we'd be hanging with Katoomba locals for New Years. We all exchanged numbers and then Char and I strolled into the residential part of town. We found ourselves on streets where people lived all their lives and each agreed how paradoxically strange it would be if we knew one of them had walked down either my or her hometown street. To us, Katoomba is a vacation town, but for many it is home.

All the scenery here is gorgeous. Everywhere you look you can see mountains in the distance. The trees here are tropical and each little house is either adorably perfect or adorably imperfect. Along our route we stopped at a chocolate factory and Char bought some food. I haven't been very hungry since arriving, but have been eating. We bought some groceries and beer (beer is an outrageous $21 for a 6 pack!!!) and went back to cook some food and get ready. We texted Daniel and he got back to us saying to meet him at the Gearins' hotel, a place hosting a costume party for New Years. The theme: dress up like your favourite cartoon character. Char and I arrived in jeans and tank tops - we couldn't think of who we looked like.

Dan met us there with a few friends and we cabbed it back to their house. A good number of guys and girls were there and it was already 11:30pm so we were all set to ring in the New Year. As I stood in the house, I couldn't help but notice how similar to our Canadian house parties it was. It's funny how we are all living in different parts of the world but we are all the same. Beer and booze was flowing. A few of the guys were playing the guitar and bongo drums. Us girls mingled in the kitchen and chatted. The only difference between Canada and Katoomba - the scenery. The house was nestled onto a hill and overlooked the most incredible view I've seen since arriving. The mountains stretched on forever in the dark. A valley dropped down directly below the back deck and the moon was full and HUGE. I could only imagine how amazing it would be in the day time.

I soon realized I was the oldest person at the party, but it was still a blast!! Char and I left and headed back to the hostel and now I sit here, trying my best to document my experience so I keep you guys up to date and so I don't forget it either. Today is another day in Katoomba, and we have one more night here. Back to Sydney tomorrow to meet Tom for dinner. Kings of Leon just came on on my mp3. Time to go have breakfast and plan the day!!!


(Picture: me at the top of Echo Point, at the

Three Sisters lookout, Katoomba, Blue Mountains, Australia).

Guess who I found in Darling Harbour

Happy 2010 from Australia! We were one of the first to ring in the New Years and I can safely say it was nothing like any New Years I've experienced. I come to you from the Blue Mountains Backpackers Hostel in Katoomba, a little town in the mountains just a 2-hour train ride from Sydney. Why am I here, do you ask? What brought me to such a remote location on earth for such a monumental day, the welcoming of the new decade? Sit back, my friends, I shall fill you in...

I left you off in Sydney where I was hostel-less and friendless. That all changed hours after my posting. Feeling a little lonely and scared, I knew I had to push myself to get out of my little shitbox hotel room to go explore and, more importantly, find a place for me to stay for the next two nights that didn't involve coughing up a fortune. I consulted my handy travel book gifted to me by Brennan (best thing ever!) and found a visitor's info centre about a 10 minute walk from my hotel. I ventured towards the harbour, leaving most of my possessions locked safely in my room. Sydney reminds me of Halifax/Montreal. Sydney's harbour-feel and steep hills are very similar to these Canadian cities and it is also quick to get around on foot as long as you have a map.

I found myself at Darling Harbour, a neat part of town that was the gateway to many harbour attractions like the Aquarium and Imax theatre. It is a pedestrian hub, accessible by many byways, one of which I took. Minor relief swept through when I noticed the large, blue letter 'I', for the info centre. I bee-lined over. The crowds were ginormous. The day before New Years and nearly everyone had flocked down to the harbour, some people already securing seats for the big show the following night. It was a bit cooler down by the water, but gorgeous!!! Countless sky scrapers overlook the water and the many little peninsulas stretch out into the ocean. I didn't have time to go exploring. I stood in line at the visitor's centre, the constant feeling of butterflies never subsiding. Would I find a reasonable place to stay Dec. 31?

Just as I approached the desk and began to explain my situation, I overheard a voice next to me, a girl's voice, who seemed to be explaining the same situation to another visitor rep. Out of impulse, I turned to her and suggested we split anything we can find for New Years Eve. She agreed. After browsing options for a few minutes, we were still room-less, but we had each other. I cannot explain how important and amazing this situation now seems, looking back. But at the time I didn't think much of it. So I met Charlotte, an 18 year old girl from Holland traveling alone in Australia (she arrived two weeks ago). What sort of cosmological events and arrangements had to be aligned for this moment to occur, we both didn't know, but we do know how lucky we were to meet exactly when we did.

After hours of searching for a hotel room to split, the results proved to be too expensive or inconvenient. We enlisted the help of various travel centres, and finally decided to walk around and pop into various hotels/hostels to ask about availability. Nothing. It was nearing 4pm. At this point, we both had a place to sleep that night, and Char was lucky to have found one hostel bed at a YHA near the train station. Walking back, we stopped into a flight centre and worked our case with a very nice agent who eyed us with pity, humour, and dedication. She was determined to help. Char and I realized that in order to have a good New Years, we would have to leave Sydney. The agent found us a room in a town called Katoomba, a mountain village a couple hours out of Sydney by train. Mountains, trains, cheap hostel, and new friends - we were sold!

Jet lag hit me fast, and perhaps the comfort of knowing I'd made a new friend and secured plans for Dec. 31 and Jan. 1 knocked me out. So I went back to my little room, leaving Char at her hostel, and we made plans to meet the next morning for our adventure.

Hostel-less

Wow, so the journey has begun. As I write this, I think about all that's happened in what feels like only a day, but really it's two days since I left T.O. It's a much different feeling to be actually doing something you've planned for ages, rather than just plan it. Isn't it strange how things you imagined turn out to be completely different when you arrive? That's not to say things aren't going well - the weather outside is gorgeous, the vibe is summery, the tourists are aplenty and the plans for New Years are bubbling all around.

That being said, for the little Canadian girl who just arrived, things aren't going all peachy. The plane rides were great, although transferring terminals at LAX was a feat I first thought I would fail. Let's just say the signage in the States is less-perfect than Canada's, and when no one is around and it's dark out and you're getting jet lagged, that last place you want to be is outside the terminal waiting for a non-existent terminal bus. Luckily, the bus turned out to be existent! I met a nice little father and daughter combo who'd come from Ottawa and were also heading from terminal 2 to 7 so we chatted for most of the ride.

There was a bit of turbulence on the 747 into Sydney but I don't mind that. The only problem was that it was a United Airlines flight, which means the decadence of a personal television installed in the seat in front is a thing of imagination. I also had a window seat in a three-seater, so my bathroom breaks were limited. I actually slept under the thin, scratchy blanket, my head propped up on the flimsy pillow and my neck seizing up whenever I jolted awake. The food was great and I had a beer on the first flight. I actually had the window seat for both planes which meant disturbing my two other seat mates whenever I had to get up to pee.

Landing in Sydney was really cool. From the air, all you see is the ocean and suddenly, the Australian landmass is extensive. You think, 'ok, so we're not flying into an abyss of ocean' although you start to think that after 10 hours above only water. We circled around and I saw the Opera House and the Harbour. So gorgeous! However, all I could think about was where I was going to go first. It wasn't so much a worry at this point, but more of a quandry - what to do, Mel?! I passed through immigrations no problem and made it outside where I bought a shuttle bus ticket into town. One problem - what was my destination going to be? I knew my friend Dane lived in Sydney, but I also knew he was out of town until Jan. 4. Where to go? Surely a hostel would be available?

Wrong!!

The nice bus driver dropped me off at the hostel 'hub' in town - chock full of sketchy hostels and a few good ones every where you turned. What was I thinking, I wouldn't know a good or bad hostel if it bit me! I proceeded to sweat profusely, not from the warm temperatures, but from the panic that was arising - I was in a slummy hostel hub with no friends, no bearings, and certainly no idea what to do. I popped into a couple places and realized they were not for me. Alas, I also was turned away due to New Year's overbookings. What to do? I popped into the Holiday Inn and asked for a room. They have one. $250 for one night. And that's not even the New Years rate - this was the night before. No thank you! I turned away and started getting really nervous. Would every hotel be this expensive? It was only 10am, but here I am starting to think, I may have to get out of town to search for a less-popular place in which to dwell.

The picture of my desperation room I ended up settling for.

I'm feeling a bit lonely at this point. I am hot. I'm still wearing the same clothes, which were perfect for a cold Canadian day (I had left my coat with Kates at the airport, though). Dressed in long pants, a sweatshirt, and my heavy backpack I trudged the streets. Would this be a repeat of 30 years ago when my mom arrived in France only to be stranded? I found a public washroom and changed, popped in contacts, and turned my appearance around to look more back-packer-ish. From there, I found a hotel - an $80/night room with no bathroom and that is where I'll be staying tonight. This is where we are right now! I still have no place to go tomorrow night, but my day's work today is to find a place. Oh the struggles of life when all you have to worry about is a roof over your head and food. Alas, I leave you here with my adventures. But not to worry, Sydney is a very friendly place and I am making due the best way I know how.

It's starting... 12 hours 'til takeoff

Tomorrow's the day. As I sit in my basement, with a serene calm and comfort surrounding me, it is hard to believe that I am going to completely turn my routine upside down in less than 24 hours. As Gandalf says, 'it's the deep breath before the plunge'. It is surreal to think how far away I am going. The 15,000 km that separates me from the next three months is a vast, looming canyon and I can't wait to cross it.

My plan is now in effect. When I reread that, it is actually hard to pinpoint the exact moment it took effect. I guess it's been happening since I made the decision to travel to Australia and New Zealand for three months. Or maybe it's been in effect since my ticket was bought - either way, I leave tomorrow so I'm closer now than I've ever been.

My first stop is LA, where my 5.5 hour flight ends and I hop on a flight three times as long as that - arriving in Sydney Dec. 30, 2009. Dec. 29 doesn't exist for me. It's a day out of time. It's fourth dimensional.

Christmas was a happy rush of friends, family, and traveling. I departed Belleville for a train to Toronto, leaving my boyfriend behind. He left me alone in the small, cute Belleville train station where I waited 1.5 hours for the late train, delayed by a malfunctioning engine 10kms out of town. While I made friends with folks around me and we all discussed the inefficient Canadian rail system, I thought to myself - how different it will be to find myself in a train station on the other side of the world perhaps chatting with other people. What did the other riders know about all those around them? Who else was about to be embarking on an adventure like me?

Finally on board, and sitting in first class, free red wine was passed around and I sat enjoying Christmas Day on a 35-car train flying through the darkening Canadian country around me.

After arriving in town and celebrating a rushed Christmas dinner, one thing was certain: the next few days wouldn't be any calmer.

Boxing day presented us with incredible deals on movies and CDs at HMV - a quick stop my sister and I made to scope the sales and increase our video library. We spent nearly an hour with a few new DVDs to show for it. I will remember those last few days leading up to my trip ever so clearly because all I could think about was leaving. Now, as I sit here the eve before my adventure, I glance up casually to see one of our new collections playing. Should I put on Lord of the Rings to help prepare? Nah, this will do fine.

Tomorrow, the hours count down until 3pm, at which time I aim to be pulling up to Pearson. My mom will stay behind but my farewell entourage will consist of my sister and uncle who I've allowed to come in and wish me a quick goodbye. I'm no good at them and do not like to prolong the inevitable. Then, I'll disappear behind the frosted glass security doors...