I’m sitting in only my knickers (underpants in Aussie/British speak) all alone in my hotel room. Well, I’m not actually, but I could be…because at long last I’m all alone in my own plush, fabulous hotel room! Yippee!

Nearly three months into my journey I was getting a bit burnt out on the whole ‘share a dorm room and have no privacy’ thing at the standard backpackers’ hostels. For a gal who loves her cleanliness, I think I was doing pretty well at being comfortable in these places and looking past the possibly less than hygienic standards I was used to. Now, don’t get me wrong, many hostels completely surprised me and were spotless, but there were a few that were a bit scruffier. But, I also needed a break from the constant on-the-go sightseeing activities of the last few months.

I’ve journeyed about an hour south of Sydney to the beachside town of Wollongong. And I’ve treated myself (a nice Christmas gift for moi) to my very own hotel room, complete with a cushy, crisp white-duvet adorned queen-sized bed, flat screen TV, my very own bathroom (it’s the little things, my friends), and minimalist wood décor. It’s a brand new hotel and I can even walk around barefoot on my nice new carpeting. It’s the lap of luxury. Well, okay it’s the Hotel Ibis, not the Peninsula, but it feels like a 5-star hotel after some of the no frills joints I’ve been staying in as of late. I’ve actually unpacked my backpack for the first time—something you just can’t do in most hostels because there’s nowhere to spread everything out, plus I wouldn’t want anything to touch the floor. I’ve lined up my shoes, took my few sets of clothes out, and even was able to put out some very special trinkets my mom had sent me off with back in October. One is a big, sparkly crystal that I’ve hung in the window to catch the sun’s rays each day. My mom told me ‘as the light passes through it, think of me on the other side of the rainbow of light.’ My mom is the most special person in my life and she’s given me incredible support and love on this trip. Thanks Ma!

This time of respite also coincided with the fact that I was completely without a place to sleep in Sydney for the New Year holiday. I’ve become so much better at planning less and being spontaneous, that it completely did not occur to me to pre-book my hostel in Sydney over the holiday season. I think in my whirlwind world-tour state, I honestly just completely forgot the holidays were coming. And of course the warm weather did not help me get a clue. So, try as I might, I could not find any accommodation in Sydney or the ‘burbs of Sydney at all. That is where my beach vacation came in.

I’m here in, say it with me, Wollongong, for eight nights. Eight nights?? I don’t think I’ve ever had a beach vacation that long in my entire life. I’m sure to get bored, but hopefully I will just be catching up on writing, reading, sunning, and just overall doing nothing in my own room while I have the chance. Since I’ve lived alone for the last fourteen years, you can imagine I’ve become accustomed to having my own space…and loving it. It’s taken a bit of getting used to on my part to share my 5 X 5 living/sleeping space with random smelly guys and gals doing the traveler circuit. Hopefully I’m learning some tolerance and strive to become a heavier sleeper. But, at least for now, I can do whatever I want—even if it is walk around in my ‘skivvies’. Well, at least I can change my clothes without having to put on my shoes and go to the ladies bathroom and do the ‘balance on my flip flops so I don’t have to touch the nasty bathroom floor’ dance.

It does not feel like Christmas here at all. Besides the fact that it’s summer here in the Southern Hemisphere and the weather does not match the holiday season I’ve come to know, there seems to be a lot less decoration and overall Christmas hoopla around. Maybe we just go so overboard in the US with the commercialization of Christmas that I’ve gotten used to it and maybe here it’s just right. Not sure. But I have to say I kind of miss being force-fed Christmas songs day and night and being bombarded with tinsel, snowmen, and santa everywhere I go. Guess you don’t know what you got…’til it’s gone.

The day after I arrived here in Sydney, I was lucky enough to go to a free show in the park called Carols in the Domain. Thousands of Aussie folks flock to this festive Christmas concert every year. It is held in a huge outdoor park lawn and is a beautiful sight. Before I arrived, I could here the music floating through the city air. This was what I needed to get into the Christmas spirit. Then, I rounded a corner and was in awe of the sight before me. Literally thousands of red twinkling lights flickered in the night. Almost every person held a candle wrapped in red paper that was given to them as they entered the park. It’s was just beautiful. Onstage, some of Australia’s top performers and stars belted out their renditions of “Jingle Bell Rock,” “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree,” and “White Christmas.” Although, they’ll have to keep dreaming because I don’t think they’ve had a white Christmas here ever—unless you count the sand at Bondi beach. It was good family fun. In fact, since it looks like Daley will be our Mayor again (and perhaps until 2025!), I would like to continue my ongoing conversation (okay it’s one-sided!) with him and formally pitch this idea. I can see it now: “Carols in Millennium Park” with performances by Cheap Trick, the Ides of March, and of course, the Jesse White Tumblers!

So, here I am in this big city and it’s Christmas Eve and I’m feeling a bit lonely with nothing to do. I really longed for a cool dinner party with some real Sydneysiders. But in the week I’d been here I wasn’t really meeting any real locals. As a traveler, the people you tend to meet the most are…well, other travelers. And in my hostel there were plenty, but it just wasn’t my scene. The place was filled to the brim with young Brits and Germans on holiday. Most of them were much younger than me and here for one thing only—to party! Getting drunk every night is not exactly why I came on a trip around the world.

On Christmas Eve day we had a big barbecue at the hostel which was actually quite fun. There were sausages and chicken and all kinds of potato salads and summer BBQ type dishes. It felt more like the 4^th of July than Christmas, but at least it was festive. I ended up going out that night with two cool gals, Ruth and Kathryn, from Manchester, England. We went around to a few bars and ended up at one in Newtown not far from our hostel. We weren’t there for 20 minutes when they were calling ‘Last Call.’ I guess it was Christmas Eve. I randomly met these two gay guys at the table next to ours—they were laughing and being silly and I easily began chatting with them. In less than 5 minutes they’d invited me over to their house for Christmas Lunch the next day.

“What are you doing tomorrow?” Sean shouted over the bar’s loud music.

“Absolutely nothing.” I whined back.

“Well, then you have to come over to our house!!”

I was so happy—I’d have somewhere to go on Christmas and it was the real deal—Christmas in Sydney with locals!

I arrived at their cute house in the neighborhood just to the west of mine at about one-thirty in the afternoon on Christmas Day. They were so elated that I actually came and I instantly felt welcome and at home. Sean and Craig had lived together for awhile but were just good friends. Sean worked in finance with mortgages and house closings and Craig was a buyer and display designer for home décor. And their home showed this—various cool design elements were sprinkled about with a Zen-like Asian theme. Very cool. Sean’s mom, Robyn, was there visiting from a suburb about an hour away and one of their good friends, Helen, was also joining us for the day. Their house was in a quiet little neighborhood, but also just ten minutes by train to the city center. It was cozy and had a great yard and barbecue area plus an airy balcony that looked out onto trees where you could hear the sounds of birds singing in the afternoon sun. The kitchen and dining room were open and inviting and perfect for entertaining. We opened some wine and toasted to the holiday and new friends. It was exactly what I needed. They could not have been warmer and friendlier. We talked about the great possibilities that come along with travel, the people you meet and experiences you can have. We laughed and joked all afternoon and gobbled up some pretty tasty food. We started off with, my favorite, a beautiful cheese plate with mild blue and brie cheeses plus sweet strawberries, fresh local kiwis, and ripe red cherries. Next, Craig served up probably the best oysters I’ve ever had. He served them with a tasty soy ginger cilantro sauce on a beautiful bed of rock salt. Then, we sat down to a feast of ham, turkey, bean & beet salad, mixed greens, potato salad…and finally Sean’s masterpiece dessert. It’s called trifle (I think it’s British). It’s a cold dessert of sponge cake soaked in sherry or fruit juice, spread with jelly and fruit, and topped with custard and whipped cream. Wow. It was all so yummy. We chatted about their jobs, what they like to do with their time, and regular old stuff.

As I got ready to go, Sean handed me something I’ve been hoping to try since I got here—a vegemite sandwich!

Down Under by Men At Work:
I said, “Do you speak-a my language?”
He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich.

Well, actually it was vegemite and butter on a water cracker. I’ve heard from non-Australians that it is a horrible, disgusting goop. But, the Aussies grew up on it and love it. It looked like a very dark brown paste of some kind. I wouldn’t say I loved it, but it wasn’t horrible. It was very salty (which I like), but also had a taste of a fermented old Asian hoisin sauce. It actually is fermented brewer’s yeast, so I guess that made sense. It reminded me of the hairball remedy we used to squeeze out of a tube and to give our cat Pookie when I was growing up. Well, she loved the stuff so maybe she would have liked Vegemite. I would say it definitely seems like an acquired taste, but then I guess so is our ‘national’ food served in a can or tube—Spam!

Helen had made sweet handmade cards for everyone. In each one was a cool quote or saying pertaining to that person that we each read aloud. Since I was a last minute guest, she had just made mine after I arrived. But it was perfect—inside it said, “Welcome to Gay Sydney!!!” And I couldn’t have felt more welcome.

Hi my festive blog readers! I just wanted to wish everyone a joyous holiday and peaceful and happy New Year.

I’m off to have a Christmas vegemite sandwich!

LL

Sydney is a great city—clean and friendly, shiny and new. The harbour is stunning with the majestic Harbour Bridge on one side and one of the most recognizable images of the modern world, the Sydney Opera House, on the other. This white, shell-like icon is up there with the Eiffel Tower and the Empire State Building as one of the most photographed landmarks. The roofs of the Opera House are constructed of 1 million glossy white Swedish-made tiles that glisten in the Sydney sun. And not only is it recognizable, it has literally come to represent ‘ Australia’. The skyline, the bridge, the blue water of the harbour, and the Opera House together are a dramatic and unforgettable sight.

Interestingly enough, the Sydney Opera House has won tons of design awards, but the actual architect, Danishman Jorn Utzon, has never actually seen it in person. The huge design and construction venture experienced cost blow-outs and there were occasions when the New South Wales Government was tempted to call it quits on the building. In 1966 the ‘situation’ – arguments about costs and design and the Government actually withholding payments – reached a crisis point and old Jorn just up and resigned from the project and huffed his way back home to Denmark. The building was eventually completed by others in 1973. More than 30 years later, the Sydney Opera House had its first interior designed by Utzon. The Utzon Room, a transformed reception hall that brings to life Jorn Utzon’s original vision for his masterpiece, was officially opened just a few years ago in 2004. But, of course, he has still yet to see it. The old curmudgeon must still be bitter, I guess.

Besides the funny accent, insane obsession with Aussie Rules Football (footie), and cars driving on the ‘wrong’ (sorry mates, left) side of the road, Sydney can easily feel like ‘any big city, USA.’ It’s big, clean, and could be Chicago or Toronto. It doesn’t have the old historical feel of most European cities, and certainly doesn’t have the ‘foreign’ feel of a city with a different native tongue. Many like it for these very reasons—it’s easy to get around and brings a certain ‘comfort of home.’ Now, perhaps I differ from many US travelers in that although I think the city is nice, I find it rather boring and a bit too familiar. Perhaps I’m a bit spoiled after coming from my fabulous adopted city of Chicago—which you just can’t beat. And by the way, if you haven’t been there yet—go now—I promise it won’t disappoint. Well, maybe wait until spring when it warms up a bit. I don’t want to sound like some holier than thou, over adventurous traveler who longs for some remote desert in
Turkmenistan (although that could be cool to see). Don’t forget, I’m still a Jewish girl from New Jersey…I like my cleanliness, I hate bugs, and can’t go too long without some good sushi (c’mon—I grew up eating lox and graduated to snacking on sake (salmon) sashimi—it’s the same thing!). But, I just feel like I learn a hell of a lot more when I ride the boundaries of my comfort zone and immerse myself in a possibly more foreign environment. Now, all this being said, I’m about to venture into the depths of Southeast Asia to countries like Vietnam and unbelievably poor Cambodia—so maybe I will be longing for the familiarity of a city like Sydney all too soon. We’ll soon see.

Of course, something I had to do while visiting
Australia is see some of the great animals living here.

I took a day trip out of Sydney by train to the Featherdale Animal Sanctuary and had a fun day with some of the cutest creatures I’ve ever seen including Wallabies, Kangaroos, Dingoes, Tasmanian Devils, Emus, Penguins, Snakes, Bats, all kinds of birds, and, of course, the cuddly and very lazy (they sleep up to eighteen hours a day) Koala. a title=”Mmm…tasty snack!” href=”http://llworldtour.files.wordpress.com/2006/12/featherdale_32_3_1.JPG”>