Day 16 – Saturday 20th November - “I got to stroke a kangaroo”

Woke up to the face and voice of Mr Mike Hanlon. I had already been expecting it before it came to be honest.

We left for 9, got the train to Circular Quay, then the ferry just over the harbour to Taronga Zoo.

It had the most amazing thing at the entrance to the zoo. A cable car ride over the top of the whole zoo from the bottom of the hill up to the beginning at the top of the hill. You get to see so much of what you are about to see just by flying over it. Times like that actually having the camera I lost would have been extremely ideal.

The zoo was really good, most zoo’s are obviously all relatively the same, but at this one I got to stroke a kangaroo, saw some crazy mountain goats, a superb sea lion show, pythons, koala’s and a million different types of birds. I also got to see a Snow Leopard up close, which was a real surprise considering Australia is obviously hot?

Bex & Mike

It was $39 (£24) for the zoo entrance, cable car and ferry for a day out. Especially as I will probably only need to and want to do once. That’s a steal.

The weather was still amazing when we got back to the hostel at 6, just in time for the weekly hostel BBQ. Got some beer’s in. Saw Charlie preparing the BBQ in the kitchen and he told me that if you help out each week you get the rent for you room halved for the week. For 5 hours work on a Saturday of preparation, cooking and tidying up that is a good deal. If I’m ever free on a Saturday I’d happily do that.

BBQ was amazing as always. For $5 (£3) you can’t go wrong. Eat as much as you can handle of home made burgers, sausages, and chicken legs. So nice, so full. Chilled and chatted on the roof with a few drinks for the evening. Pretty much the definition of an Australian life.

I was meant to be going down to the Dubstep/Drum & Bass night tonight in the city. But the way the time had passed already I absolutely could not be bothered. I had really wanted to go as well but at $35 it didn’t seem like a good deal compared to what I’m used to paying back at home. I was meant to be flogging tickets for it as well but I knew that it was never going to happen, I hadn’t met a single person that was on the same page as me with music taste yet.

I text the promoter I’d met that I couldn’t afford $35. She replied with “GRRR Bloody Backpackers” then after a few texts she said I could come for free. That was a result; I kind of had no reason not to go now.

I went down, it was fairly dead, nothing on English nights, but the sound system was good and everybody loved it. Reso was amazing.

Apparently it was obvious that I was standing on my own as soon as I got in there because a girl and her mates invited me over to sit with them. Thought that was really nice of them, they were from New Zealand and Australia. Made it less awkward to watch on my own.