Sydney

When I first arrived in Australia, I was in Sydney with my old friend Albert who had moved there earlier in the year. After he returned to Canada for a family wedding, we arranged to go back around the same time. We stayed with some of his family out in the Western suburbs. 

When I decided to venture out to a hostel in Bondi (some famous beach, I would later learn), he hung back until I found a room to rent near the city for the summer, and invited him to join me.

I found Sydney very challenging to get into. I managed to discover a few places but for the most part it seemed that you needed to know the right people to get into it, and it will cost you approximately 9 arms and 3 legs to pay for it all.

It was actually after I left Sydney after a few months when I started to meet people from there who convinced me of its merit. It can seem like Sydney has no soul and I still feel like a weekend is more than enough time, but I am willing to be open minded, and I'll share the few bits I enjoyed and the tough parts as well as things to be aware of should you decide to move there.

Cost of living, finding a home, getting work

Paddington- Palace Cinemas

Newtown

Annandale Hotel

Spectrum

Oxford Arts Factory

www.twothousand.com.au

Kings Cross

After a couple of months, a terrible "tin-man" style sunburn, and an even worse case of bedbugs (that Al managed to dodge), we moved out and Alby moved above the restaurant he cooked in and I eagerly moved on to Melbourne, via sleeper train! Just like the Darjeeling Limited-- only less Indian.

Photo taken at the cliffs on the Beach Walk between Bondi and Tamarama

November 2007