Mar 2007

Hi folks,

Its been a while but we are back on the road after slogging our guts off for 2.5 months and it feels great!!!
We left Sydneyshire on Friday evening after picking up our little car and headed off into the great unknown (not before ali had stalled 12 times whilst reverse parking)
First stop was the blue mountains. We stayed in a place called Katoomba which was absolutely jam packed with crustaceans (our new word for crusties!)
Hostel was a shock to say the least. Walking in, we spied a chandelier in reception and thought we had hit the big time (we ended up staying in a scout hut!) Saying that, we had an eight bed dorm to ourselves which was sweet, but we returned on the second night to find the door open and a drunk local passed out in another bed! The snoring was so loud that neither pol or i could bear it!
As for the blue mountains themselves, wonderful! we went to a place called scenic world (how corny!) which consisted of three scenic transport rides and a hell of a lot of Japs! Got some top pics and we nearly got snapped ourselves as we changed into shorts half way round thinking no-one was watching!
Departing Krustyville, we headed off past the hunter valley where we scored some great wine and some chocolate port! (how rock and roll are we!?) Headed to an old industrial town called newcastle which bore an uncanny resemblance to Grimsby and Hull, needless to say, we went to bed early and left around 8am!
On the way up to Byron Shire, there was not much to see. We did bump into a Koala Hospital and took some great pics of half stoned Koala's sleeping!
Byron Bay. What can we say about it... well, if will is reading, we can kinda understand why you got lost there... it's a hippy heaven, full of weed smoking surfers who just chill on the beach all day and party at night! We met our pal, katie there (she was working in a hippy commune called the arts factory - recommended!) and chilled on the beach as the sun went down and the locals played didgeridoos and bongo's! what bliss!
We are now in Surfers paradise (paradise being somewhat of a lie!) but we intend on aving a beer or two and a larf whilst at it!
We shall update on tonights antics asap!

Peace love and a big phat kiss

Polly and ali

x

Mardi Gras. Fat Tuesday as the French call it. Shame it happens on a Saturday and there wasn't much eating of food being done..

We were told to expect something big.. and wow. Sydney sure knows how to throw a street party. People started arriving at 3pm and by 4 there was a small army of young and old lining Oxford Street waiting for the festivities to begin.
Alas, we were unable to see much of the parade that night as the sheer numbers prevented us from having a clear view (oh and waiting for the girls to get ready meant we arrived late!) So after half an hour of photographing backs of heads we called it a night and headed to the first of the nights venues.. After being ID'd and almost kneecapped by a swarthy Maori doorman with a metal detector (Apparently it was a bit of an unsavoury part of the City!) i nervously wandered into the pub, half expecting a scene from Trainspotting (the one where Begbie throws a pint glass off the balcony and hits someone on the head!) It actually turned out to be a bog standard boozer! Set out over three floors, it had a smattering of pool tables and the obligatory gambling den filled with chainsmoking, lizard skinned men and women.
After a quick drink, we were herded off by one of the loud mouthed Southern Ladies in the Group to find a proper party (she literally herded us. im not kidding!) So off we went, dodging the endless crowds of drag queens, fairies and hot panted men along Oxford Street before we joined the back of a rather large queue outside a place called the Gaff. Here's where it turned nasty.. really nasty.
After paying the $10 entrance fee, we were ushered into a largish bar which had "the Venga Bus" blasting out of the speakers.. Need i say more?
After an hour or so and several plastic schooners of Fosters things weren't looking any better. We sat next to glass panel which looked out onto the sweaty dancefloor and were promptly entertained some of the states that were trying to dance.
After an hour of DUMFF DUMMFF DUMFF we headed outside to grab some air and to clear our heads and to survey the Post Mardi Gras carnage that littered Oxford Street. by this time it was about midnight and the cleanup operation had begun. A Fleet of open lorries had arrived and their crews (rather scary looking men with big tatoos) started to pick up all the beer crates. Now, i wasnt aware of this at the time but sean (our old landlord from Melbourne) told us that people steal the beer crates and then make a fortune selling them to the vertically challenged!
After ten minutes or so of random abuse from a group of German guys, we tried to head back into the club but were rudely informed that we had to join the back of the queue! So we did the honourable thing and walked off!
And that pretty much summed up our Mardi Gras experience!