Australia: the journey begins

After yet another one of my beloved midnight red-eye flights, I found myself basking in the blessedly familiar sights and sounds of the Western world: the bustling Sydney Airport, surrounded by throngs of travelers greeting loved ones, securing luggage and hurrying to catch taxis. Having landed in Australia without so much as a place to stay, let alone a specific plan of action, I wandered the airport terminal in a daze until I located a cafe and sat down for a cup of coffee to erase the sleepy fog from my brain. Deciding I couldn't simply stay in the airport for three weeks, and feeling slightly more awake from the jolt of caffeine, I set out to find myself lodging for the night. I located an accommodation board kiosk and, overwhelmed by the amount of choices, dialed the number for the first ad I saw -- The Original Backpackers Hostel in the lovably raffish Kings Cross neighborhood. As luck would have it, they had one bed left in a coed dorm room -- and like most serendipitious events in life, I couldn't have planned it better myself.

I arrived in Room 12 at the 'ungodly' hour of 10am, and the entire room of backpackers was still fast asleep, presumably from a late night out. Clearly I was in the right place. As they awoke from the dead, I met my new roommates: my lower bunkmate Chris, the two Pauls, Dean the Canadian, the wonderfully flamboyant Ben and Becky from the UK, and last but not least an extremely attractive Irish guy -- Mark. After introductions all around and a short deliberation, we decided to head to the shores of Bondi Beach for an afternoon in the sun. The night ended with my introduction to the backpackers favorite Australian drink: Goon, the ever-so-classy (and cheap) boxed wine which I may or may not have purposefully poured in my new Irish friend's lap. -sigh- So much for good impressions.

Day 2 in Sydney took me on an errand expedition with Mark, who
-- apparently in the spirit of forgiveness -- decided to accompany me while I purchased my Greyhound bus ticket for my adventure up the east coast of Australia. Even more surprisingly (given the fact that just the previous night I had doused his new jeans in cheap white wine), we made plans to get together upon my arrival back in Sydney several weeks later.

Next stop: Byron Bay!