TIM AROUND THE WORLD
Seeing the world, one week at a time.
CHAPTER EIGHT: DOWN UNDER
(In 2024, I planned and executed a round-the-world adventure, spanning all six occupied continents in about a month. This is Chapter 8 in a blow-by-blow retelling of how it all came together, and how it all went.)
NOVEMBER 17 - SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
MILES TRAVELED: 13,266
Sunday morning. Up and at 'em.​​​​​​
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When I stay in hostels, I choose a private room 99% of the time. It's the best of both worlds: social interaction with fellow travelers, but restful sleep at night.
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However, when choosing a place to stay in Sydney, most of it was super expensive, and a lot of it was too far away from the waterfront action. So, I bit the bullet and chose a four-bed dorm at YHA Sydney Harbour, a hostel with a perfect location and a rooftop bar overlooking the harbor and the Opera House (when an obnoxious cruise ship wasn't blocking the view).
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It was probably a mistake.
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Don't get me wrong. The hostel itself was clean and quiet, and the location and rooftop bar were exactly as expected. But I'm beginning to think I'm too old to stay in a dorm. Actually, two of my three dorm-mates were fine. But there's always one, isn't there? Making loud FaceTime calls at two in the morning, turning overhead lights on in the middle of the night, and creepily bugging me to go to a strip club with him (I hadn't the heart to tell him I'd been there/done that). So, lesson learned. Pay the extra money for the privacy.
But I digress. I was up early enough to catch the breakfast buffet at the hostel, which consisted of the usual breakfast buffet options, with one notable Australian exception:
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Vegemite. A greasy, dark brown goo that Men at Work made famous in their song Down Under. Apparently, made of wheat, gluten, and B vitamins.
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I tried it, so you don't have to. The taste is a combination of salt, rust and battery acid. My Australian friends say it's much better thinly spread on toast. But I don't believe them. Just give me my butter and jelly and let me be. No one needs Vitamin B that much.
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Anyway, the weather was much better this morning, so I rushed out to take a few more pictures of the waterfront and the historic Rocks neighborhood.
The Rocks was one of Sydney's first neighborhoods upon Australia's colonization in 1788. At first, it had a reputation as a slum and the area where newly arrived convicts lived and was frequented by gangs, sailors and prostitutes. It kept that reputation through much of the 19th century.
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Then came bubonic plague, the World Wars, and a whole boatload of gentrification. Today, The Rocks is a mix of historic buildings, urban housing and touristic areas.
It's also the home of the Picnic Under the Bridge, which I returned to today to try out some 'Authentic Australian BBQ'.
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I tried the kangaroo, the emu, and the crocodile, of which the first two were a bit gamey for my taste, but I actually enjoyed the crocodile. It (and I know this is a chiche), 'tasted like chicken', but also had a bit of the fattiness that you'd get with a well-cooked pork chop.
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However, while this may have been 'authentic Australian BBQ', I did not find these animals on the menu in the stand-alone Australian restaurants I went to. In fact, most of it was British or American fare like fish and chips and hamburgers. Not that there's anything wrong with that.
The weather was still quite pleasant, so after filling up on Australian BBQ and gelato (of course), I decided it was time to escape the city and head to one of the nearby beaches, so I caught a ferry to Manly Beach, at the north end of Sydney Harbour.
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The views of Sydney from the ferry were fantastic, and I got the feeling that most of the people on the ferry were more about the journey than the destination. But the weather was great for a beach day, and Manly Beach seemed like a much more laid-back place to go than its more famous cousin Bondi Beach. A little more SUP boarding and kayaking, a little less partying. Plus, it had a great craft brewery right on the waterfront.
After a couple of beers and a couple of hours at Manly Beach, I headed back to town, enjoying amazing views of the Sydney skyline on the way back.
After that, I took advantage of the 'burger night' on the hostel's rooftop bar for an easy dinner, but an evening thunderstorm and some remnant jet lag made it an early night for me.
But that's OK... I had to be up early the next day for an Australian wine tour!