Sydneyside - the Aussie Adventure begins!

Australian currency - much more colorful and interesting than we have at home.  How can you not love a currency that has a platypus on the 20 cent coin???

Sadly, this may have been one of the highlights of my unscheduled 2 day stopover in Sydney.  After a 15 hour flight and a week of partying like a rockstar in LA, I spent a large portion of my visit sleeping.  I did manage to drag myself out of bed long enough to notice that Sydney was about as appallingly expensive as NYC.  A cheap "schooner" of beer (less than a pint!!!) averaged about $5.  My hostel in King's Cross, one of the more *colorful* areas of the city, was $32 a night - obviously a much better deal than your average hotel room, but definitely on the high end in the world of backpackers.

I was disappointed to discover that Bad Religion had a show scheduled for the evening of the day I was due to depart.  They were playing as part of the Soundwave festival which ran over a few days.  I met some British & American guys who worked with some of the bands at the closest bar with A/C.  Did I mention it's bloody hot here???

I did accomplish two important things, despite my hours spent snoozing - I managed to open my Australian bank account, and of far greater importance, set up my local phone number!  Hooray!  If anyone feels like running up the long distance bill, just email me for my new #.  I'm also typically on Skype at least once a day.

Review of Jackaroo Hostel :
http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g255060-d1950653-r125919075-Jackaroo_Hostel-Sydney_New_South_Wales.html#UR125919075