Douglas Climbs a Mountain!

My favorite photo of Douglas on the hike

Douglas gets all the credit....

Really, I climbed the mountain. Douglas just hung out in the backpack. 

And it wasn't technically climbing. We hiked. But I'm getting ahead of myself. 

Two weeks ago, Douglas, myself, and about 15 other people took a train from Central Station in Sydney to Katoomba Station, roughly a 2 hour train ride (approximately 50 miles from my apartment). The group consist of friends I had made from my new apartment building and some of their friends from around New South Wales. 

Katoomba is a small town in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The population size is around 8000 people and is largely a tourist town because of the....

Blue Mountains

In the distance, you can see the Three Sisters. Not pictured: A lot of Blue.

The main tourist attractions include the mountains (specifically the mountain formation The Three Sisters), Scenic World, and wonderful views. We arrived to Katoomba around 10 AM with no solid plan, ideas of what direction to go, and what sites we wanted to see. So we decided to see ALL of them. 

First site of mountains

 We hiked away from town and followed the signs that said "Scenic World" and "Three Sisters". We went to the Three Sisters first.

The Three Sisters: Meehni, Wimlah, and Gunnedoo.

"The commonly told legend of the Three Sisters is that three sisters, Meehni, Wimlah and Gunnedoo, lived in the Jamison Valley as members of the Katoomba tribe. They fell in love with three men from the neighbouring Nepean tribe, but marriage was forbidden by tribal law. The brothers were not happy to accept this law and so decided to use force to capture the three sisters. A major tribal battle ensued, and the sisters were turned to stone by an elder to protect them, but he was killed in the fighting and no one else could turn them back." [Source: Wikipedia]

Douglas admiring from afar 

 While Douglas and I were taking pictures of the Three Sisters, the cutest little old Asian women (I think she was Chinese based on the language she was speaking, but I've been wrong before) asked to take a selfie with me. I thought it was adorable, but only wish I had gotten a selfie with her as well - she was just too dang cute!

He wanted a touristy photo to show how unimpressed he was with the mountains.

After viewing the three sisters, everyone decided they wanted to hike down the mountain, into the valley, and then back up to Scenic World. The only problem was no one knew we had decided this. Nor would they until we actually arrived on the other side of the valley (on top of a different mountain) at Scenic World.

Tourist photo of me on the hike

Douglas Shoulder Surfing

Base of Katoomba Falls

 This is around where the group realizes they don't know where Scenic World is, and start randomly hiking trails. However, most people were going at different paces and the groups kind of split up into three smaller groups of 4 or 5 people each. My group was Lydia, Katy, Heiko, Lukas, and Florian. Sadly, for them, I am the least fit of the group and tend to slow everyone down, but they were total troopers! However, it took us quite a long time to hike back up the other side of the mountain to Scenic World. But we did it!

Not Pictured: The trail we just hiked on that cliffside.

Waterfall in the rainforest

Gravity, novel stuff.

This was a drippy waterfall. 

The other side of the Katoomba Falls. Basically we hiked all over that area

This was at the top of the mountain right as we got to Scenic World

 Scenic World has three attractions, a Scenic Skyway cable car ride (see through floors, go across the valley all that),  a Scenic Railway (a train ride down into the valley, steepest train in the world at a 52° grade, and a coal mine site in the valley. Our group decided to take the Scenic Skyway back to the other side of the valley so we could easily walk back to Katoomba (and not have to hike back down the mountain and back up the other side).

You can see the Three Sisters in the distance! We hiked so far!

"Its.... a rock!" - Spongebob

That is one big cool temperate rain forest (I learned that reading a plaque about the Blue Mountains on the hike)

 Finally, we made it back towards town, but not before meeting Rosie. The sweetest dog who loved being pet by hikers.

Rosie Pets

I loved the Blue Mountains! I would definitely like to go back, a little better prepared, and hike some more. The views were stunning, it was much cooler than in the city, and there's still so much we didn't get to explore. 

Shout out to my mini-group that stuck with my slow-ass self when hiking. You da real MVPs.

 

Douglas Goes to the Beach

It's about time Douglas and I went to the beach

We are in one of the best countries for beaches. Naturally I chose to go to the beach after peak beach time. In the near-fall. When it's not time to go to the beach at all. 

But there's been a nice few days at the start of this fall season that have been perfect for the beach. Particularly the past two weekends.

The first beach weekend I went to Bondi (bon-die) with my friend Maz. We spent the day relaxing, people watching, sun bathing, and generally doing nothing. It was the last day of her vacation, and she wanted to finish it off enjoying doing nothing. It was wonderful. And I got a few pictures of Douglas sunbathing as well. I didn't go into the water because the surf was particularly rough, but I did enjoy listening to the waves rolling in. We hung out at the beach for a few hours. Grabbed some dinner at a fish and chips shop and we headed back home in the evening. It was great!

A view of Bondi from afar. Beautiful beach, but very crowded.

Bondi is a very crowded beach, so mostly Douglas, Maz, and I hung out and soaked up some sun after a week of rain

The second beach time was when I did the Bondi to Coogee (koo-jee) walk. It's a six kilometer (almost four mile) walk through four different beaches. There's stunning cliff side views, massive waves, and beautiful scenery all around. It took roughly two hours to make the whole trek. I highly recommend the walk, but take tons of sunscreen, some water, and maybe a hat because there isn't much shade on the walking path. Luckily, since Australia is on the verge of fall, the weather was quite nice and even the walks through the sun weren't too bad.

Rain was in the forecast, so Bondi was relatively empty compared to the prior week's trip

It was also very windy, which made for some huge waves. You can't see how blue the water is here, but you can definitely tell in other pictures

That's a neat rock!

Some tourists and also a neat rocks!

It was starting to rain a bit, so Bondi looks very blurry from here. You can tell how empty it was. 

People often fish off the cliff side/rock sides. Not recommended. The surf is so strong here that if the fisherman is knocked off the rocks, his/her chances of survival are slim. It's also hard for the beach rescue to get to them because of the rough beach terrain

More Waves

Gotta give everyone some love at the public bathrooms at Bronte Beach.

Douglas was not impressed with Bronte beach, but I was!

A neato burrito orb weaver I spotted at Clovelly beach (this was my least favorite beach. Lost of concrete, not enough natural stone/beach)

Douglas and I hanging out!

Douglas admiring the view to Gordon's Bay. We took a wrong turn here and had to back track, but the rocks were gorgeous! You can see a huge wave hitting the rocks to the back right. 

The Coogee Bay from up top. The downhill walk was much needed after the uphill climb from Clovelly and Gordon's Bay

The Coogee Beach! Beautiful and not very crowded. I definitely would visit again.

The walk connects four beaches total: Bondi beach to Tamarama, Bronte, Covelly (there's Gordon's Bay between Covelly and Coogee, but there's no actual beach, it's mostly rocks and docks), and Coogee. In between Bronte and Covelly, part of the beach walkway/path were damaged from storms in July 2016. They're in the process of repairing the walkway, so the path detours through the Waverly Cemetery. It's a very large cemetery reminiscent of many of the cemeteries you see in New Orleans. Most of the graves were raised, most likely due to the water table being so low (like that in New Orleans). I didn't take any pictures because the walk through the cemetery was pretty somber and it didn't feel appropriate. Very humbling and pretty, though! It was sad to see some resting places falling into disarray, but such is life sometimes. 

The walk from Bondi to Coogee was beautiful and stunning. It gives you appreciation for the beaches of Australia. 10 outta 10, would walk again. 

Bonus picture of a business seagull on the docks by my office. I like to think seagulls walking really quickly on the docks are headed to important business meetings. This guy was thinking about commerce and flight planning.

A Seagull Meeting. They're getting ready to discuss their mergers and acquisitions. Merging into the water, acquiring people's food.

Douglas Doesn't Wear Shoes

But I do...

And I have a tendency to wear them until they fall apart. Which is good. That's how you should wear shoes. 

However, I no longer have a vehicle, so my shoes (statistically speaking) get a lot more miles (kilometers) on them then they're used to. I've been in Australia for nearly three months now, walking a minimum of 10-20 minutes every day to and from the train station. Texas shoes are not meant to handle that kind of wear and tear. And eventually

This happens:

Sorry for sharing my dirty shoes with you, but I literally walked holes in my shoes in a three month period. I was going to go shopping over this past weekend, but I was sick the whole time. I invested in some super glue, while I was out at the grocery store purchasing soup and change for laundry (still have to be an adult even though you're sick), that specifically advertised working on rubber, and I said, "Neato burrito, that'll patch my sandals right up until I can go shopping for new shoes on Sunday."

I wore my sandals to work today, and halfway through the morning, the glue's hold breaks and so does my sandal. I embarrassingly approach my boss and ask if I could leave early to go buy shoes because I am out of appropriate shoes to wear to work. Luckily, my boss is pretty awesome, and understands the need for high quality footwear for the walking commuter. Shout out to Alex.

Four o'clock rolls around, I head out with my broken flip flop to the Pitt Street Mall. I got turned around about five different times, lied to one of those charity sales people (I told him that I had already donated to whatever refugee charity he was working for. I don't have the funds to save the refugees, and I don't want to listen to your spiel my FLIP FLOP IS BROKEN), got turned around again in my haste to escape the guilt tripping charity sales pitch, and finally found my way to the mall(s).

The Malls.

So in the Sydney City Centre (that's how it's spelled here) there are a few different shopping centers: Pitt Street Mall, the Queen Victoria Building, The Galleries, Town Hall Station Mall, and Westfield Mall. ALL of these malls are connected to each other via underground walkways. So it's very easy to get turned around and no longer know which shopping center you're residing. I've made a low detail map so you can see the approximate connecting tunnels running through each of the malls.

The red lines are the connecting tunnels (approximately). Please do not use my map for actual navigation through the underground walkways of the CBD. Also thank you Google for the maps. Also you can get to the Sydney Tower from Westfield. I'll have to check that out one weekend.

Shoe shopping becomes a very daunting task when you're faced with so many malls to choose from! I stuck with the Westfield Mall and found Rubi Shoes. The staff was friendly, talked about my issues with not finding a half-size (being a true half-sizer), and what best shoe would fit my needs. Pro-tip: If you're between two sizes, go with the smaller size. It may be a bit snug, but it will stretch out. The problem with the bigger sizes, is they still stretch out, and you're left with shoes a whole size and a half larger than what you need. Rubi Shoes also had a sale! I was able to buy two pairs of shoes for $30. 

They have holes for my toes! I also bought a pair just like them in brown!

So after I finally got some shoes, I wandered around a few stores. Here's some fancy hats I saw at Myers (Pitt Street Mall)!

These hats reminded me of my friend Gwenlyn who always wears such fancy hats to church (and fancy occasions, of course). Each one cost well over a Thousand Aussie Dollars, so I'm sorry I can't bring a fancy hat back home to you Gwenlyn.

And a rather interesting designer ensemble. 

That's a top and a skirt. Not sure what they're marketing for, but it's not me.

As it started pouring rain, I made my way back towards Town Hall Station through the QVB. I passed by a true sight for sore eyes:

DONUTS!!!! 

OMG They're beautiful

After about two minutes of debating between a jelly filled donut and the monstrosity of what I thought was the Just In Time Donut (Please ask me personally for an explanation of my thought processes). But I totally read it wrong. It's the "Justin Time" Donut! As in It's time for Justin Bieber to come to Australia because apparently he is doing a tour here? Yeah. I didn't get it either.

The chocolate underpants were the tastiest.

Even with me reading the name wrong, the donut was way delicious. It has crumbled Oreos, white chocolate shavings, and milk chocolate underpants! 10/10 would buy donuts again. 

In conclusion: Wear shoes for commuting (they call sneakers trainers, so I'll start wearing those), pack more than two pairs of shoes for work (that aren't heels), and buy more donuts. Also, Douglas is not a working Llama, so he had to stay home for this round of photos.

I've Been a Slacker

Whoops.... 

A month went by and I forgot to write another blog... My bad...

It's been a bit busy for Douglas and I (mainly me because Douglas doesn't have thumbs to type with). Here is a brief update on what I've been up to for the last month

1. Started a job at PriceWaterhouseCoopers (Whoa).
2. Met some amazing people through work and the sharehouse I'm living in
3. Figured out/mastered the train system 
4. Somewhat learned how to become an independent adult (who still has to use spell check to spell "independent")
5. Gotten sick, again

In fact, I have a cold right now! Yaaaay. 

So here is a picture of PwC's old building at Darling Park:

You might say "Sarah, what do you mean by 'old building'?" Well, you've asked a very good question. PwC Just moved from the building they've been leasing since 1997 (with the original furniture) to this amazing new building:

PwC is on the left, the tall red building. There are other businesses there, we're just on the floors 6 - 17

Working for PwC has been a blast! Even though being a Data Administrator is not very glamorous, it's an amazing opportunity to work with such a prestigious firm (Back to grammar: it took me four tries to spell "prestigious" correctly. Those sneaky extra I's). My coworkers are amazing, my work environment is stunning. And look at that bad ass architecture! That is one beautiful building. Right on Darling Harbour, with astounding views, great places to eat, and a wonderful relaxed environment.

Shout out to my recruiter, Jessica, with Hays Recruiting for helping me find this job! 

So, work is good. Coworkers are even better. 

I've met some awesome people through my share-house. All the people I have met thus far have been so inclusive and kind. They make sure to invite me to meet friends, go to parties, and always make sure I'm enjoying myself. Thank you Mareike (who goes by Maz) and Wendy for being such awesome first time friends in Australia!

I've tried some "interesting" apps to try and meet people. I've met one person who wasn't a total creeper and I genuinely enjoy talking to, who had as much trouble as myself meeting real/not crazy people to talk to ('sup Joshua). Needless to say, don't use friend-finding apps to find friends, you're gonna have a bad time. 

When I first started working at PwC, it took me a good two weeks to figure out the Town Hall train station. Which is completely underground, so I have a difficult time telling which way is North, South, East, or West. My coworker Edison gave me great directions "Just go left!" And eventually I figured out which left he was referring to. Right before PwC moved to Barangaroo (isn't that such a fun name to say... "Ba-rain-ga-roo"). Town Hall is such a complicated train station there isn't even a map of the interior levels that I can find online anywhere! But, it's the place to go for shopping. You can get to the Town Hall Mall, the Queen Victoria Building Mall (beautiful architecture there), and The Galleries Mall. All underground! And they all connect to other Malls, Underground! 

Truly stunning on the inside. Completed in 1898, it's a truly stunning time capsule of Australian Architecture. Source: visitsydney.com.au

10 outta 10, would recommend the malls in Downtown Sydney.

I've also achieved paying my rent on time for two months, successfully requesting a transfer to another property with more people so I can become a social butterfly (eek), and haven't starved! Yay being an adult. I'm even sick and still feeling frighteningly optimistic. Shout out to my parents for raising me to be an independent woman who don't need no man while she's in Australia.

Also, it's just a cold. I should be fine by Monday hopefully.

I've had a bit of a rough few days. My favorite sandals (they're called thongs here) snapped in half, my favorite pair of ballet flats have developed a hole in the bottom of them, and the pair I bought to replace them are just a smidgen too small and give me blisters. Did you know: Australia uses the same shoe sizing system as the US? Did you also know: most shoe stores don't carry half sizes? Dear people who have lived in Australia their whole lives, I'm so sorry you cannot find shoes to wear.

I have some more stories I need to tell, so I'll do my best to write small blog posts here and there. Make sure to subscribe to the email updates so you can hear from me every time I update my blog! Which will hopefully be more than once a month!

Douglas Goes to the Movies/A Comparison of Australia to the US

As I sit, watching public television, free to watch on the Australian network, one of the most violent and controversial Quentin Tarantino movies of all time, completely unedited for adult content, language, or gore, I reflect on some of the differences between Australia and the United States. 

Source: Django Unchained

It never occurred to me that it would be normal to air Django Unchained on public television. While a fantastic movie, an accurate portrayal of slavery and violence of the times (while not always historically accurate) I never would have expected it on something other than an HBO or similar pay per view channel. Granted, it came on at 9 PM, and while fairly late, I was surprised to see it on he air. I digress. It's a fantastic movie and one of my favorite Tarantino films, I highly recommend you watch it. 

Another big difference I've found in Australia are specialty stores. So, there are grocery stores, but mostly you can only buy house hold items and, you guessed it, groceries. Big department stores aren't common in the city, most grocery stores don't sell much alcohol, and if you find a clothing store that is not in the mall, it's likely a boutique and fairly expensive. But K-Mart and Target exist, which is the best thing ever.

One of the things I was most looking forward to was meeting local Australians and discovering their heritage. I should have realized that Sydney is not known for being a place of many Australians but rather, many people who have moved to Australia from Elsewhere. But I have met a few Australians and many of them have been kind, cordial, and have a very dry sense of humor. 

Good news though, I found a job! I'm working at PricewaterhouseCoopers as a Data Administrator for the Data Quality Team. Which is a fancy way of saying I'm helping clean up a database to prepare for a new database. But, it's good job, it pays well, and it'll cover my rent, living expenses, and help replenish my depleting savings account. Big difference in Sydney to Dallas: the minimum wage is just over $17 an hour, and the minimum wage I can make on my particular working visa is $22/hour. Paying a living wage has its benefits, but there are some fall backs to it. For instance:

• Restaurants are generally more expensive because employees aren't paid tips commonly 
• Even fast food can be quite pricey, because the minimum wage is so high. 
• The cost of living is very high, my apartment's rent is $425 per week (including utilities)
• Also, everything is per week. Utilities, Rent, Etc.
• Also, I found out from my coworker Edison I'm being ripped off, a little late now though. I've already signed my lease for six months. Live an learn. 
• Sydney is the 2nd most expensive place to live in the world, next to London. Should've tried Melbourne first. 

Other minor differences between the United States and Australia: 

• Mayonnaise is more like Miracle Whip in terms of flavor. 
• Burger King is called Hungry Jacks
• The Whopper comes with Miracle Whip mayo on it, and that is just wrong and an abomination of nature and I doubt I'll ever go to Burger King/Hungry Jacks again
•  Seriously? Miracle Whip?? What is wrong with this place

• Instant Coffee: Way Popular. I prefer it because I can make it less bitter and strong than normal brewed coffee.
• Dollar bills aren't minted here. But they do have dollar coins. 
• Most of the coins have animals on them! The dollar coins have kangaroos

• The bills that are minted have plastic in them.
• If a building was built before there was AC, then it will most likely not have central heating and air. The electrical infrastructure of Australia is quite behind, so installing HVAC is quite expensive, and running it costs even more. 
• Wifi is way slow. 
• Some movie theaters have self-serve concessions. Douglas and I went and saw Passengers and Split this week.
• Instead of answering the phone "Hi, how are you?" You ask "Hi, how you goin'?" 
• And you must end the phone call very chipper and say "Cheers!" like getting off the phone is the most exciting part of your day
• That part is very strange to me...

Douglas was quite comfy for the Passenger's movie. He liked it, but thought it lacked a bit of ingenuity. Douglas said it was quite predictable

So far my experience in Oz has been a good one, if not a bit expensive. I've quite enjoyed it and I'm glad to have found a job. And I've finally met one of my housemates and we've become good friends. Her name is Maz and she's very nice I'm going to finish watching Django I think, and then go to bed. 

CHEERS HAVE A GOOD NIGHT, BYYYEEE. :D */click\*