In Sydney, I met many other young travelers who were doing the same thing that I was doing.
| From: Jeff Nyveen To: my friends and family Date: Saturday, January 1, 2000 4:52pm Subject: Y2K What a celebration... Went to Sydney Harbour last night, found a good place to stand under the Sydney Harbour bridge for the first fireworks show at 9pm, and then found a good view of the Opera House for the midnight show. The place was a madhouse. I got out there at about 7pm and the police had already sectioned off anything remotely near the Opera House. Trying to make my way out of there and towards the bridge, I got pushed around, knocked over (almost landing on a baby carriage), and almost got into a couple of fights. People senselessly pushing in line or in a crowd really pisses me off (inherited that gene from my father). Finally made my way into the Harbor and got a front row seat along the water's edge. Some guy next to me was already set up with his video camera and tripod. Had no idea what the official time was (I heard about five separate countdowns from the crowd) till I turned around and saw the numbers being projected onto the side of a building, 3..2..1.. When the clock struck twelve, people went nuts and the fireworks started. I was half-expecting to vaporize in blinding flash of white light, or at least see the Opera House or apartment building blow up, but everything was fantastic. Everyone was into it, everyone was drunk, and everyone was happy. People were so passionate about it. I almost got weepy. Went back to my hostel to meet up with my Swiss friend Karin for a rooftop celebration and some "sausages" (not hot dogs) and chicken legs on the "barbie." Shortly afterward, I fell asleep in the lounge. When I woke up, Wade had already left to catch a flight to Honolulu, to celebrate New Years once again in Hawaii. Easy for him to do since he works for an airline. I arose just in time to see the celebrations in London, grabbed some lunch, and then watched the ball drop in New York like I have every year. To my surprise, no problems anywhere. I was half-expecting some explosions in Times Square, or for the satellite feed to abruptly cut off, but everything went perfectly. Then they replayed the fireworks show over Sydney Harbour, and it was fantastic. I realized I missed out on quite a bit. The fireworks shot from the bridge were phenomenal. Now I gotta get back to the hostel and see if I can catch the celebration in Houston, which should start in about 21 minutes. Too cold for Bondi Beach today. Maybe tomorrow. Or maybe one of the strip joints in King's Cross. I was introduced to a fat, gross-looking girl named Jennifer a few nights ago. She's from Edmonton but has been down here for 2 months and works at 4 (four) of the local strip joints. According to her, they are hardly strip joints, but rather brothels. More details as they become available. Jon: No, there is no Mason Road in Sydney. Mason Road is a distinct Katy phenomenon, a suburban anomaly. Leslie: Haven't had enough beer to make any real comparisons, sampling only VB, Fosters, and Toohey's. I'll try some more and let you know. BTW they don't have ANY American beers in any of the bars I have been to. Summer: Hope you feel better. Haven't sampled any of the prostitutes yet but I will let you know. Dad: I saw the dancers, but they were so far away from where I was standing that they didn't look too impressive. Also missed out on a lighted boat parade due to my vantage point. Not that I'm really into lighted boat parades, but it would have been nice to see everything. Until next time, Jeff |
| From: Jeff Nyveen To: my friends and family Date: Sunday, January 2, 2000 12:50pm Subject: Time to Move On Have been moved into a dorm room with three extremely smelly Germans. One of them might be Indian, but I'm not sure since he's always rolled up in his sheets smelling up the place. The stench is almost unbearable. It smells like rotten vomit. And this particular room has its own bathroom, which doesn't help. I will try to sleep through the stench tonight and find a new place tomorrow. It's Saturday night and things were slow around King's Cross. The New Years crowd has left, and most of the bars and clubs are dead. I don't think there's much more for me to see around here, so I might try moving to Glebe, another district that people are recommending for tourists. Bought the millenium paper today and will scour the classifieds this evening. Until next time, Jeff |
| From: Jeff Nyveen To: my friends and family Date: Sunday, January 2, 2000 5:08pm Subject: Finding a Place Finding a flat is proving to be very difficult. I called 10 of the most promising numbers in the classifieds, and there was no answer 9 times. The other was an answering machine. What's the deal? I'd really like to find a job because my funds are depleting fast. But to get a job I need to know what part of the city I am living in. I checked out a house in Glebe a couple of days ago, which was very reasonably priced and in a nice location. Free local phone calls, which would make using the Internet a snap. When I got there, I met Greta, a very nice lady who was renting out one of the bedrooms of her house. All seemed perfect until she said that I'd be sharing the smallish bedroom with 3 other people. On the way out the door I saw her kid, covered with mud, crawling into the refrigerator. My next bright idea is to contact the University of Sydney. It is summer break for them, and they might rent out their dorms to travellers this time of year. And being a university, they might even offer free Internet access. If the university doesn't pan out, I don't know where to go next. I don't think I can stay where I am much longer. Being in Sydney alone is tough. Everyone else in the hostel seems to have come with friends, and when I go out at night, it seems like everyone has come in groups. Some more Sydney oddities: -You have to hail a bus like a cab. It doesn't just stop for you because you're standing on the corner with a backpack. I was dumbstruck when a bus flew by me at 60 mph yesterday afternoon.Tonight I am going to spoil myself and eat at Govinda's, a Thai restaurant with a built-in movie theater here in King's Cross. Until next time, Jeff |
Bondi Beach the day after New Year's. Packed.
Felicia. Cool girl. She was a waitress at Govinda's, a local Indian restaurant. She let me stay at her place for a few days.
| From: Jeff Nyveen To: my friends and family Date: Monday, January 3, 2000 7:31pm Subject: Govinda's and Bondi Spent a larger part of yesterday afternoon traversing King's Cross, looking for Govinda's. Whoever put the addresses on these buildings should be shot. Most buildings don't have any number at all, but the ones that do go up, down, and then up again. I walked past a guitar-strumming fellow sitting on the sidewalk five times. He was singing "I was walkin' down the street" over and over again. When I was about to give hope, I spotted Govinda's from the corner of my eye. Govinda's was a really neat place. Walking in, there was a shelf stacked with books on chanting, reincarnation, and astral projection. I sat down, helped myself to the Indian buffet, and learned a thing or two about Hare Krishna. Turns out my waitress, Felicia, was from Vancouver. I talked to her a bit about our homeland. I then went upstairs to the theatre and was amazed to see rows of soft pillows instead of chairs. I wish there were theatres like this back home. Many people had already gathered inside and were snuggling together. I, being alone, stood at the top of the stairs and kind of looked around for a moment, wondering which stranger I should snuggle with for the next two hours. I spotted a cushion in the corner and took it all to myself. A group of kids then made their way up the stairs and joined me on my cushion. An English girl named Sara sat next to me on the cushion, and we talked for a bit before the movie started. The movie was eXistenZ. Very strange, very gross movie by David Cronenburg. Not sure why they'd want to show that one in a restaurant. But I had already eaten, so I enjoyed it. After that I met up again with Felicia and went to a bar in King's Cross. This lightweight had about 4 VB's and was toasted. Went to Bondi Beach today. It was a perfect afternoon: sunny, warm, clear. The sand is white (like in the Bahamas), the water is deep blue and crystal clear. Only problem is that the water is insanely cold, and I could only go in up to my thighs before chickening out. The beach was packed. I even got to see some kid smash up his face while surfing. Blood everywhere. I have pictures. Now I'm back in my hostel. One of my roommates just walked in. He's not German, I don't think he's Indian, but he's *definitely* the one who smells. I left the windows open all day to air the room out, and it smelled half-decent when I got back. But with him here it's just no use. Tomorrow Wade returns from Hawaii so I might move back into a room with him. Steve: Used my first public bathroom today, and the toilet flushes the same way. Just gushes out and sucks it all straight down. I think somebody here doesn't want me to find out the truth. Leslie: I have confirmed, through concentrated visual inspection, that at least 2 of the 40 prostitutes here in King's Cross are indeed men. Jeff |
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