Sydney Australia- Part 2

So the first things we needed to do upon arriving in Sydney was find employment and shelter, well we succeeded in that task. Next task is to enjoy our Aussie city life, whilst saving money... enjoying life is the easy part, saving is not so.

Sydney is an aesthetically pleasing city and like all good cities, there is always something to do which gives it a feel good atmosphere. At weekends, when the weather is good we generally try to take advantage of many of the nearby beaches, having visited the world famous Bondi which is always packed with locals, travellers, surfers and lifeguards! Other beaches we have visited are Manly and Coogee, both a little smaller than Bondi but have a great beach vibes. There are a million and one places to eat out and we are always on the hunt for a bargain, but our recent discovery of Glebe, a long strip of cafes, bars and restaurants means we will be sure to take advantage of as it sits just on our doorstep! There are also many other events that happen in the evenings, we have seen spectacular firework displays at darling harbour which certainly wet the appetite for the NYE extravaganza, the international food festival stirred us up some treats from Nepal to Turkey and onto Sri Lanka!

The legendary Jonny Matthews came to stay for a few weeks, during this time we did a few extra touristy things-

Party harbour cruise: Jonny arrived from Thailand with just 2 hours sleep in something ridiculous like 4 days, so we thought it best to get straight into things and go on a Party Habour cruise. A 3 hour trip round the famous Sydney habour, under the Bridge, past the opera house and round the gallows where many a convict was hung in modern Australia's early days. As well as seeing all landmarks by night, I almost won us a trip up the east coast by getting to the final of the limbo competition unfortunately my back just wouldn't bend far enough at the last!

Sydney vs Central Coast Mariners & Brisbane Road v Perth Glory: Me and Jonny decided to take in some of the local football action and seeing as there were 2 games for the price of 1 it seemed like the best time to go. After winning the league last season Sydney have been pretty awful this year but managed to scrape a 1-1 draw against the Mariners despite Hayden Foxes best attempts to lose them the game. The second match was all about Australian footballs biggest name Robbie Fowler but he was unable to prevent his side Perth from going down 5-0 at the hands of Brisbane, I cant help but think the biggest problem Perth have is playing Andy Todd! The football is certainly well below the standard of the English game and the pace is slowed due to the humidity but advantages are that drinking in the stands is allowed!

Blue Mountains: Just an hour away from Sydney is the famous Blue Mountain, named simply because they look blue from certain lookout points. The trip included some spectacular views of the mountains, the 3 sisters (rock formation) and just the vastness of the Australian countryside. We also got to ride the steepest train in the world, which was once used to take the miners down to the mine entrance.

Aquarium- I think every city in the World probably has one, but Sydney's is certainly one of the better ones I have visited with all sorts of weird and wonderful sea creatures, in particular the sea elephant which was absolutely humungous and just ate loads of lettuce fed to him by the attendants.

We continue to try and make the most of our time here in Australia's biggest city whilst keeping an eye strings. The good times are surely still to roll and we will continue to ride this good time wave!