Diapers & Night Life in Sydney

You read that right. Sydney is both the “family stop” on my world tour as well as my “party stop” (we’ll come to that later). My sister and her husband live in Sydney since 8 years and are parents of three: two girls, one boy. They are four, two and one year old and…surprise, surprise… a real handful.

I am replacing the family’s Au Pair while I am here and yes, I have romanticized the situation heavily before I came. Honestly: Oh my f***ing god!!!! This is CRAZY!!! If you ever felt like being stuck in a hamster wheel in your job…having three kids that age make you feel like your job was a blissful stay in a spa.

The worst part: when you have kids, they are constantly THERE. They just don’t disappear if you need “time for yourself”. They also don’t disappear if you need to keep the household under control. Even if you work for them already – let’s say preparing dinner – that does not mean they appreciate it and make an effort to make your life easier by sitting in the corner drawing a nice picture until you’ve finished steaming those vegetables. No. You look away for a second and they start dumpster diving, play with poo in the loo or tear books from the library apart. While you wash the hands of the little one and put the books out of reach, the vegetables get burnt. While you try to save some of the vegetables, somebody pees their pants. While you change clothes and mop the floor, someone else falls over and hits their chin. While you dry those tears, the two others get into a fight over who may play with the duplo castle. While you’re trying to find a compromise around the castle, the little one reminds you loudly that his milk is due – and it is due NOW.

I also underestimated that upbringing is something that has to happen literally ALL THE TIME, because those little rascals test their limits every single second they’re awake. I feel embarrassed to admit that I thought that there would be situations maybe twice per day, where you really have to insist and say no to them. Maybe once in the supermarket and once at home when they want to watch “Frozen” for the 5th time in a row. But you have to say “no, don’t do this, don’t do that” so many times per day that you end up feeling like the most annoying naysayer and killjoy on planet earth.

No wonder I had to find something to say “yes” to, to compensate for all the “no’s” during the daytime. So, I said “yes” to Sydney’s night life, although “night” is a bit exaggerated and should be replaced with “evening”. While you start considering to go out around midnight in Berlin, the pubs in Sydney’s CBD ring a bell at 11 pm to announce the last round of drinks. And what’s up with scanning my ID and taking a picture of me entering a club? Thank god, I had a few drinks before coming and in addition to that the 1-hour wait in that line made me humble enough to just ignore the uproar in the brain region responsible for my sense of privacy. Anyhow, Sydney is slowly getting closer to Melbourne with regards to that “there’s something going on here and it’s cool, man” vibe. In the CBD alone there are so many bars which are worth visiting that I decided to extend my stay in Australia.

So far, I visited the following:

• The Barbershop: you can get a haircut in the barbershop in the front, but you can also head straight up the stairs, through the “secret” door to the bar. There are so many people behind that door that you realize it is not exactly a secret, but well, I still like the feel of it. The cocktails are tasty and one of the bartenders has an impressive moustache.
• The Baxter Inn: if you are at the Barbershop already, walk out of the back door, wait in the line to the left to enter the Baxter Inn and enjoy a wide selection of whiskeys (not that I know what I am talking about…).
• Uncle Ming’s: you need to eat something before you start drinking? Uncle Ming’s is your place if you like dumplings. And don’t worry about food being stuck between your teeth, it’s so dark in there, nobody will see it.
• Mojo Record Bar: if you come early enough, you can buy records, too.
• Stitches: another good one for eating. But you can also just grab a beer at the bar counter.
• Grandma’s: Wow, staff is so nice here! I cannot wait to get another delicious cocktail in this little bar.
• The Glenmore: Located in The Rocks, this place is very popular. Don’t be afraid to go there alone. On the rooftop with its great view over Sydney’s skyline you’ll quickly meet people to have a chat with.
• Opera Bar: not really an insider tip, but a must do for at least one drink. The pizzas were also a lot better than I thought.
• Pocket Bar: located in Darlinghurst, this little gem has plenty of sofas and good food, too.
• Dove & Olive Hotel: this one’s in Surry Hills with good bar food, nice beers and Rugby on the screens.
• The Norfolk: another one in Surry Hills and worth a visit if you’re in the area.
• The Bourbon: Have I been here? At least my Foursquare history says I have, so it might be that pub that I only remember vaguely. Not a surprise, it is located in King’s Cross, where being drunk is part of the experience. Never say “King’s Cross” btw, just say “the Cross” and you’ll sound more like a local.

I have also been to a bar in Newtown, but my Foursquare history seemed to have a glitch that evening and did not capture the location, so I cannot remember the name. The only club I visited so far was “Hugos“. Quote of that evening: “This is not a place where you find a wife.” ‘Nuff said. And how could I forget the very memorable crazy Berlin-like warehouse party in Marrickville? I cannot… those pictures will be engraved in my brain forever.

Unfortunately, I won’t be able to continue my exploration at this pace. Just today I discovered major credit card fraud on my bank account. Some bastards are spending my money in Bali right now. Manipulated ATMs should go to hell! No cash for 4 weeks! Let’s see how far I get with those 50 AUS$ which I still have in my pocket.

4 nights in Cairns

“So that’s the feeling when your backpack does not appear on the belt…” I thought to myself. I did not feel too bad. Just tired from my overnight flight from Bali.

At the Virgin information desk I was told that it would be on the next flight from Brisbane where I had to catch my connecting flight to Cairns and I was relieved that they at least knew exactly where it was. First I considered waiting for it at the airport, but then I decided to just give them my hostel address and take the airport shuttle to my accommodation. After the purchase of a small bottle of water, a banana bread and a flat white I had spent as much money as I used to spent during a whole week in Southeast Asia, so staying at the airport any longer would have left me financially ruined.

I arrived at the Traveller’s Oasis and the reviews on Hostelworld.com had not promised too much. What a nice, clean place with helpful staff, a pool, plenty of space to hang out, cooking and laundry facilities….in short: a backpacker’s dream! I booked a tour to the Great Barrier Reef right away, paid the mall across the street a short visit to get my Australian Prepaid SIM card sorted and then waited for my luggage. For. A. Very. Long. Time.

But eventually it arrived, even in one piece. In the meantime, I had made friends in the hostel. This reminded me of a hypothesis I had formulated together with travellers in Cambodia:

Hypothesis 1: “It is easier to meet people when travelling in Australia compared to Southeast Asia.” (I also wrote a ‘lesson learnt‘ about this, attempting to analyze why).

Already the first few hours at my new destination supported H1: it is SO MUCH easier.

Another hypothesis which I made during all those hours I waited for my backpack (I had plenty of time to look around and stare at people):

Hypothesis 2: “The typical male backpacker in Australia looks a lot neater than the typical male backpacker in Southeast Asia.”

No more of those filthy beards (who for god’s sake came up with this dreadful trend anyway?!), no bloodshot eyes that have seen too many full moon parties and no dirty, ripped clothes. No thin children arms, either, telling the observer about all those countless hours spent in the gym in front of the mirror in the free weights section.

Hypothesis 3: “At least every second backpacker in Australia is German.”

Wait. This is not a hypothesis. This is a fact.

After a good night in my cozy bed in a 4 bed dorm, I woke up energized, ready for my trip to the Outer Great Barrier Reef with Silverswift.

To summarize this trip in a nutshell:

Great boat. Great staff. Great sting suit. Great snorkel sites. Great Barrier Reef. Great heavy seas on the way back.

Once you’ve snorkelled here, everything else is lame.

The vessel took us to 3 different sites, all of them very different from one another. I did not take any pictures, but yeah, it pretty much looked like this. Go there, if you can and don’t touch the corals!

Luckily there were people around me who took some underwater shots, which means I have proof I was there. This proof also destroys all my hopes that I might look better than average with a mask and sting suit.

Excursus: In this picture you also see that I have reddish hair, which brings me to a very odd phenomenon: my hair, especially all the strands around my face – which were a tiny bit bleached – turned ginger in Southeast Asia. When I look at pictures taken in India – my first stop – I am still blond. Now, I am a full-blown redhead. And I did nothing, I swear. I just washed it (maybe not enough?). Can’t wait to go to the hairdresser here to ask about it, as Google wasn’t really helpful to explain what happened. I want my blond identity back!

Back to my Cairns adventures: the rest of my stay was all about running along the esplanade, enjoying the Australian vibe, passing out when looking at price tags, visiting Rusty’s Fruit Market, going out, watching rugby on huge screens, drinking beer and whisky coke, having fun, chilling in a hammock at the pool curing the hangover, laughing with my new friends at the hostel and sharing travel stories.

4 nights in Cairns… probably not enough. But, if it can’t get any better, you should stop – didn’t my parents teach me this? I cannot say I followed this advice very often, but changing my flight was also not an option.

Next up: visiting my sister, my brother-in-law and my 2 nieces and 1 nephew in Sydney. The ‘family stop’ on my world tour.

What happened next will shock you. 😉

Bali <3

Bali… awwwwwww, I immediately get a dreamy face when I only think of it! I know that so many people talk shit about Bali. People! Please! If you only visit Kuta, no wonder you don’t like the place!

To be fair, my Bali home base Ubud is also far away from not being touristy. When you drink a coffee in Hanoman Street, you see all those women walking up and down with “Eat, Pray, Love” written on their forehead in invisible ink. Me being one of them.

Ubud is full of healthy food, people who take yoga very seriously, lovely giftshops, temples…and Balinese ceremonies. The Balinese culture and religion is so rich and complex that I would not even dare to start explaining anything about it. The sheer number of religious events that need to be prepared and performed is unbelievable. It’s probably not exaggerated to say that an average Balinese women dedicates 50% of her time preparing offerings for the gods and participate in ceremonies.

In one of my last posts I wrote how long-term travelling is not a holiday…but my time in Bali most definitely felt like one. One of the main reasons was that I just joined other people’s itineraries. I met a chatty American from California in my homestay, who was on an art collecting mission in Bali. With him, a friend in the mid sixties and his girlfriend we went to Nusa Penida, a island in the south of Bali. Nusa Penida is quite big, you can find it on Google maps, there are boats going there once in a while. It has a relaxed vibe, hills, cliffs, hidden beaches and the most friendly inhabitants you can possibly imagine. Still, it has not been discovered by tourists yet. Nusa Penida therefore was one of my highlights. Riding the scooter up and down the hills avoiding potholes, waving at all the locals along the way, discovering secret bays, swimming, snorkelling, eating in a jungle restaurants which does not exactly look like a restaurant, mixing beer with sprite … that’s living! 🙂

  

After Nusa Penida, the next stop was Nusa Lembongan, a lot smaller but more developed and with many more tourists… and surf! Hence, I took my first surfing lesson. Oh wow. I am extremely talented. I catch the waves like a pro. And then I surf them on my knees. Who wants to stand up if you can surf a wave on your knees…cough, cough. Lembongan comes with many options to spend money on food. And that’s what we did….and the holiday feeling continued.

From Lembongan we took a ferry back to Bali. This ferry had big loudspeakers on the sundeck and I enjoyed myself very much listening to the worst party songs of 2015. It reminded me that I had to go out dancing very soon, otherwise my dancing energy would boil over.

Candidasa was the next paradise we called home for 2 nights. We stayed in extremely lovely bungalows in the middle of palm trees, access to the water, open air bathrooms and a view towards Nusa Penida. It was so beautiful that I already forgot that I also had a food poisoning there. Who cares about that if it’s over in just 12 hours?

For the last night in Southeast Asia, Ubud was the destination again, for another yoga session at Intuitive Flow and big portions of healthy food at the KAFE and SOMA.

For my overnight flight to Australia I got to the airport too early and on top of my generous buffer time my plane experienced a substantial delay…sigh. It was my shortest flight to Australia ever, but after the long wait it felt quite long and uncomfortable. Luckily, I was able to catch my connecting flight in Brisbane despite my delay. When I arrived in Cairns, hooray, my luggage didn’t show up on the belt.

How ironic, that this happened only when I got back to the First World!

Hello Australia!