In May, I began "planning" a spontaneous dream vacation to Australia...Travelzoo offered a deal that I just couldn't resist and it only took about 3 seconds for me to decide I couldn't pass it up: $480 roundtrip from LA to Sydney is virtually unheard of! Now four months later, I'm sitting on the floor at LAX after spending a week and a half in what is my now-favorite big city. Imagine NYC...but a cleaner, prettier, bigger version lacking the smells that insist on lingering from years past; a city filled with people bearing charming accents.
My time in the Land Down Under was hardly the "dream" I thought it would be. Seeing as I am horrible with geography, I daydreamed about my trip having no idea how big the country really is. What I thought would be short drives from Sydney to the Great Barrier Reef, the Outback and all the other places on my list were, in fact, 36 hour+ road trips. Getting to Cairns from Sydney is the equivalent of flying from Miami to Canada...with a price tag to match!
Determination to at least make it to the Great Barrier Reef was quickly squelched when I couldn't get the logistics to pan out. After trying for days, I reluctantly resigned myself to the fact that not only would I not be crisscrossing the country, meeting any Aborigines, braving the Outback or surfing in Perth, I would also not be diving the reef...or even seeing it. I'll admit it was hard to fight the disappointment I felt at losing a dream I'd carried for a long time. While Sydney is an amazing city...I'm not a big city girl. I can enjoy it briefly, but unless I have a reason for being there, I quickly find myself bored. Maybe if I'd had a "purpose" it would have been easier for me. I realized while there, that while I've traveled a bit, this was my first time out of the country for a vacation. Every other trip has been a missions trip... helping and serving people and I suppose I'm just more comfortable with that. Nevertheless, you live and learn, and I saw much that many people will never see. I'm thankful to have been able to go...
During our trip, we stayed at the Sheraton in Darling Harbour, 790 on George (a fun little hostel which was unexpectedly paid for by Lisa's mom) and the Westin in Los Angeles. Baggage fees were waived at airports and we were allowed to check into our rooms hours early at all 3 places, we were upgraded to rooms with incredible views for no reason and the Westin & Sheraton were both booked because of a hotel wrongly charging my card for a business trip I'd taken over a year ago! We saw the Harbour Bridge, the Sydney Opera House, went up in the Sydney Tower, took monorails, trains, buses, ferries and taxis all over the city. We walked for miles and explored Paddy's Market, the Wharf, Circular Quay, the Royal Botanical Gardens (where I saw a treeful of bats), Darling Harbour, Sydney Aquarium and Surray Hills. We went to the famous Bondi Beach, laid out and watched wetsuit clad surfers enjoying the freezing waves...we took a ferry to Manly Beach (complete with shark net!) and learned that Aussie men use the same pick up lines as men all over the world. We saw koalas, kangaroos, wallabees and wombats and survived the Red Dust Storm that hit the city so hard it was broadcast across the globe. I spent a day by myself in the Gardens, which reminds me of Central Park, sitting in the sun and writing. We ate an amazing gluten-free pizza, spinach risotto with pumpkin sauce and another pasta dish that was incredible, gelato, pancakes with ice cream (who would have thought?!) and sipped coffee in little street cafes. I stood out more than I ever have in my life in this city full of Asians and Australians. Not once did I see another "Latin" person....although on my last day in the city, I spotted one girl that may have been able to pass for one. My "accent" was adorable and I was mistaken for a "Kiwi" which is apparently a New Zealander. I was later told that I actually kind of look like a "Maori" (native New Zealander)...moldy? Yes, moldy. "Moldy?!" Yes, moldy. M-A-O-R-I. Moldy. Ha.
My highlight was being able to go to Hillsongs Church...something I've wanted to do since I was in my early teens. We sang a song that I've never heard before but can't forget although I don't remember any of the words and have no idea how to find it! (If someone can explain how a song can be stuck in your head without a tune or even any lyrics to accompany it, please share.)
The last day of our trip, we shopped for souvenirs and then went back to the hostel to strategically pack out bags so that they wouldn't be overweight with all the added "goods". As we packed, unfamiliar accents carried through the hallways of the second floor and the walls shook from constant thuds. Lisa poked her head out of the door several times to figure out who or what it was but each time, we missed the perpetrators. Finally she yanked open the door to catch two guys, who we later found out to be Moritz from Ireland and Matt from New Zealand, standing in the hallway with red faces and holding rugby balls. She asked where they were from and next thing we knew, Lisa and I were on opposing teams racing up and down 7 flights of stairs playing hallway rugby, laughing until we couldn't breathe, cheating(!) and sweating like crazy. After playing for over an hour, we all went out front to cool off on the street where Matt proceeded to pass the rugby ball to busy passerbys rushing toward home after a long day at work. As his yells of "good job, mate!" and "you're a natural!" drifted over the crowd, we watched in amazement as this energetic barefoot young "Kiwi" had even the stuffiest of strangers cracking smiles and joining the game. At least several dozen stopped to lean against the wall in front of the building to watch....and not one person could help the smile creeping over their face or the laughter that inevitably came. I curiously watched this person I had just met, wondering if Jesus had been the same way. Magnetic.
After Lisa and I had returned from dinner and started packing once again, we heard a knock on the door. Apparently there was a huge rivalry in rugby going on in Sydney that night and our new friends invited us to watch the game. We took a break for the second time that day after which I decided that rugby is MUCH more interesting than American football! As we chatted, I learned that this interesting stranger works for Amnesty International fighting for human rights: child soldiers in Uganda, sex slaves in Thailand and children in the slums of India. The game was over before we knew it and as we arrived at the hostel we parted ways as quickly as we had met...yet for some reason I have a feeling I won't soon forget this Matt from New Zealand. I can't stop thinking about the fact that he is living how I want to live: out in the open and not caring what people think of me but rather focusing all of my attention on others. Shouldn't we be the type of people that draw others towards the light inside of us...where they can't help but smiling, laughing, feeling instantly accepted and desiring to be in our presence...even if they don't at first know why? Perhaps out of everything I saw during my time in Australia, it was this lesson that I was most thankful for.
