I received my new suitcase last night. It turned out that they were unable to fix both suitcases, so Ed and I got two from a set. For some reason he got the larger one, so I am hoping I can fit everything into my "new" one. I got up early to have breakfast with people before they had to get on the coach for the airport. It was lovely talking with everyone - some are feeling sad about leaving but others are already focused on going home and resuming their routines. I am sure everyone wil be thinking about their next trip, especially as most of these people have traveled quite often. It has been a very good group to be with, and even though a couple have quirky personalities (as we all do!), we have really meshed and worked and played well together, and it is a bit sad to say goodbye after living together for such a long time. After talking to a few people I decided to take some good advice and get another small duffel so I won't have to worry about my suitcase being overstuffed.
Back in the lobby I hugged everyone and then got on the bus for a final goodbye. Just before I got onto the bus Roxy gave me a hug - we are making plans to have lunch sometime next week. I waved goodbye to the bus as it pulled off and then brought my things downstairs to store while I had a wander around. I walked to Paddy's Market, just at the edge of Chinatown. It is a huge covered area where you can find just about anything - T-shirts, jewelry, souvenirs, handbags, clothing, everything. There is also a whole section that has food, as well. I found a duffel and a few more bits, and headed back to the hotel to wait for Ethan. When he arrived we took my things and walked to Hyde Park to catch the bus to Coogee Beach. It is about a 30 minute bus ride and we passed the stadium and also Royal Randwick, the huge horseracing course. I could see that the area was pretty hilly, and can understand when Ethan says that his walk to UNSW is uphill for much of the way. We finally arrived in Coogee, which conveniently is the end of the bus line, and we walked across the street to Coogee Surfside Hostel where I checked in. There is a women's dorm that is basically a large common room with a bathroom, and there are two bunkbeds across from the bathroom. There are also two door leading to two other bedrooms, each with two bunkbeds as well. In my area the only place that was occupied was one of the bedrooms, and the other bedroom was my "private" room. I made good use of pillows and duvets from all the beds and managed to make it comfortable. It is definitely a different situation for me at this time in my life, but I think it will work just fine. The biggest problem for me initially was not being able to get the outside door open with my key - it is really temperamental and you have to keep twisting it until finally by some unexplainable miracle that doesn't seem to have anything to do with anything different you have been doing, the key magically turns and the door opens. The guy who runs the place said that everyone always thinks the keys don't work and that by the third day they don't have any problems. I would rather not wait until the third day... Ethan came with me when I went back and twice so far I have finally been able to open the door, so at least I am not imagining I will have to sleep outside. It is an Adventure, and as Ethan says, "You're only in Australia once".
Coogee looks like a nice place and the beach is beautiful. There are lots of young folks at the hostel so I am feeling just a smidge out of place, but Ethan is really sweet. He is so helpful and introduced me to his friends and it is just so nice to be with him and able to spend time together. His house is just down the block from me. I know he has school and work and also needs time with his mates, so I don't want him to feel he has to be with me every second.
After I got myself settled I went over to Ethan's and we got ready for our walk from Coogee to Bondi. It is about an hour walk with lots of up and downhill walking, but the path is paved so it is a good workout and tiring but not overly difficult. It was warm and sunny and we had a nice walk, pausing for photos of the views and sometimes to rest a bit. Parts of it reminded me a little of Cinque Terre with the up and down walking along the cliffsides. We were remembering that trip and how nice it was, and then we were remembering all the wonderful colleagues Dan had that made that trip so special for us. I felt sad to think that many of those connections will be lost.
At Bondi we watched the surfers a bit, but mostly we were starving and looking forward to having a delicious lunch at a place Ethan had been talking about called Sun Cafe. A friend had recommended it but Ethan hadn't been there yet. It seemed like it took forever to get there, and I am afraid I was just a teensy bit crabby, but in the end it was well worth it. We ate outside and it was just wonderful. When we finally got up we walked a little in the Jewish section (as it was after 4pm everything was closed for Shabbat). We went back to the main road and decided to take a taxi back to Coogee. We did our laundry and went shopping for some food for both of us. Ethan has a field trip tomorrow so he needed to have a lunch to take with him. We hung out at his house and watched some movies and then as I knew he needed to get up early for his field trip I left him at around 11:30.
Back at the hostel I found a couple of my "roomies" getting dressed up ready to go out. When I go into my room the door locks behind me, so it is a bit like being in a cell, but it feels private and hopefully will be quiet. It's an Adventure!
No comments:
Post a Comment