Sydney, the luck continues......

[Charlie]

Yep after the shittiest year of my entire life I decided to take a holiday to the country I've always dreamt of visiting.

Sydney...beautiful and warm.....NOPE. Been pissing down or pretty cold since we got here. A big shock to learn that London in autumn is warmer and drier than Sydney in spring. So far we can't do any of the things we dreamt of doing, can't walk across the harbour bridge, can't take the plane trip we planned, the beaches we planned to sunbathe on are no go areas, the pubs shut early (compared to where we drink in London), no nightclubs/nightlife, so far on weekdays it's been near impossible to find a pub open after 2AM, infact the whole affair is totally tits up. It really is just be my luck, apparently September was very warm, figures it should piss down when I got here.

Sydney itself and its inhabitants are awesome, Sydney really is beautiful....or at least where we are. We got a beautiful terraced cottage right near the opera house. So far the only real highlight was walking in the pouring rain through the botanical gardens....rain forecast for the next few days so I figure that's just about all we're gonna manage in Sydney.....money well spent there then.

Not all Sydney is beautiful btw. I just returned from Kings Cross after going there to make comparisons. Londons Kings Cross is far more dirty, dangerous and sleazy than the Australian one but the pubs are in a better state of repair. The pub I just left has water pouring through the roof, through the ceiling and directly onto a table below spattering all those nearby....wtf? Go figure. The name of the pub is the Kings X Hotel (but it's not a hotel, just a bar). Oddly enough there are many hotels in Sydney that aren't, they are just bars, the "hotel" tag is pretty confusing on that point.

Oh.... I have a girl here in this net cafe that's just asked me a few questions. She's from Vermont USA, she's badly dissillusioned with Sydney too...or not Sydney itself, just the weather. She's cutting her Sydney stay and moving up north to find some sun, she has no intention of returning. I understand where she's coming from....no sun no fun. She, like me has nothing better to do than sit in a bar or a net cafe and kill the hours.

Anyway, bitching over. I guess we're just letting off steam after paying out so much money and spending so many hours getting here. We'll be moving onto Melbourne next week, then Darwin, then Cairns. I refuse to believe the weather can be any worse there than it has been here.

Hopefully the weather people have got things wrong and we'll actually be able to leave the house in just a T shirt before the week's out, it doesn't seem right wearing a heavy coat in Sydney.

It's just so typical of my poor luck this year that the week I decide to spend here is the week it decides to piss down.

The luck continues.....

[The Hierophant]

Awww, Charlie my man, shame to hear you're not enjoying yourself. And yes, Spring isn't really the best time for sunshine here in Australasia, December/January/ is a different story though

I would personally suggest getting out of the city, but that's mainly because I'm not much of a city man myself. As a born and raised city-boy there is only so much truly 'new' stuff you can see in a foreign city, especially one that is predominantly established on British culture anyway (no offence to the Sydney siders, I'd say the same of ANY city). There are vast expanses of sunbaked wilderness in Australia, as well as lush rainforests to soak up. It's truly a marvel to behold. Head to the nearest bus/train depot and see where you can head off to (money allowing). If you want sun and surf you might want to try Surfer's Paradise (up the coast, as the name suggests it's a reasonably nice little stretch of coastline, although it does suffer from an acute case of 'tourist trap syndrome', but then again most places do ). And then of course there's always the great Outback and that magnificent ball of dirt- Aeyers Rock [img]smile.gif[/img] Great stuff.
And then, jump over the Tasman and visit me here in New Zealand and I'll shout you a few beers. Heh heh, as far as I recall we never got around to having that second London meetup back in March [img]smile.gif[/img] Queenstown (the adventure capital of the WORLD baby!! ) is only a 2 hour drive from where I live. We'll go snowboarding, then do some bungee jumping or something heh heh [img]smile.gif[/img]

[Barry the Sprout]

Sorry to hear that Charlie. I hope it picks up elsewhere.

[GokuZool]

Bad weather?

I think it rained for about an hour or so today, and it was very light at that. The weather has been so hot and dry the past few weeks, there are now strict water restrictions: no sprinklers, washing your car with a hose etc.

Don't fret, you're in Australia. Sure, it might rain for a day or so, but for the next 363 days it will be warm, hot and dry. Oh, and watch out for kangaroos! They're bouncing around the city in numbers.

BTW, welcome to Sydney! [img]smile.gif[/img]

(You went to Kings Cross? [img]graemlins/laughsaywhat.gif[/img] It's not the greatest tourist attraction of Australia. )

[ 10-01-2003, 09:10 AM: Message edited by: GokuZool ]

[Harkoliar]

HEY CHARLIE!!! you here in sydney? (or are you still in SYDNEY?)

Memnoch, Wellard, Leonis and I can meet up with you if you want. We sydney siders love to welcome IW from abroad .

well that is if your interested mate?

[ 10-01-2003, 09:13 AM: Message edited by: Harkoliar ]

[Harkoliar]

and oh yeah.. the weather sucks big time! i mean, i just went to blue mountains today.. man.. the weather is cold, damp and raining. but since im with my mates.. its fun.

[GokuZool]

Originally posted by Harkoliar: and oh yeah.. the weather sucks big time! i mean, i just went to blue mountains today.. man.. the weather is cold, damp and raining. but since im with my mates.. its fun.

Ahhh, the Blue Mountains. It's very beautiful and is definately a place to visit, Charlie. [img]smile.gif[/img] (Even if it is cold and wet )

[Harkoliar]

goku ------------------- Ahhh, the Blue Mountains. It's very beautiful and is definately a place to visit, Charlie. (Even if it is cold and wet )

hey gokuzool! we should meet up sometime if you want.. . even though your too young for drinks, we can do something else.. (of course with your parents permission and dont worry i dont bite )

and goku is right charlie, blue mountains is still a nice place.. its was actually ok since it rained so there is water (been a drought there lately). also the jenolan caves must be nice cool, damp and wet for you to check it out. (its better that way belive me!)

[Ladyzekke]

Sorry to hear so far your vacation has been a bit squishy I hope the next places you go the weather clears up so you can enjoy yourself and see the sites without an umbrella and a coat. Try to make the best of it though Charlie, I know you are disappointed right now, but there is still plenty of time for things to get better [img]smile.gif[/img] Bring It On!!

[Leonis]

Originally posted by Charlie: ... Hopefully the weather people have got things wrong and we'll actually be able to leave the house in just a T shirt before the week's out,..

We're not quite as liberated as you Englanders yet Charlie, I'd suggest pants too.

Seriously though, today you should be able to do just that, it's nice and sunny. Sydney's like this a lot around this time - two days of winter, 3 of summer etc...

We'd really like to catch up for a drink before you head off. Will PM you number.

As for nightlife - yes give KingsX a miss - Oxford St will find you many different venues that are open later. Newtown's King St is another good one.

Anyway, hope the trip picks up. Call me or Memnoch and we'll hook up.

(And if you complain about the heat in Darwin or Cairns... I'll come and find you myself )