A Quick Turnaround..

Since my last post things have only gotten better down under. I know that I had complained, as I enjoy doing, to some of you about being a tad lonely and sick of the city but that soon changed (in fact the very afternoon after I spoke to most of you). With a little help/advice from a friend I lived with in Greece, I realized that the only reason I was a bit lonely was because I was simply not putting myself out there for a real opportunity to met people but that soon changed. In the last four days or so I've met so many people from all over the globe and surprisingly I've met most of them at a pub in the early afternoon, I know mom just what you wanna hear. The first guy I met was actually wearing a Cubs hat which started a long conversation. He was in town for the night with his girlfriends family from Canada and desperately needed a male companion for the night so I met up with them and partied the night away. I was even inching my way closer to the 27 year old sister when Jay and his girlfriend got in a huge fight and ended that for me.

The next night I went on a pub crawl around Sydney which was an amazing time. Not only did they provide a cool atmosphere but they also had they're own Funky Bus which, I'm sorry to say beat Marty (our short bus) in the whammytown category (the thing had its own dancefloor inside!). And not only that, but some of the dance clubs I went to were so unbelievable; these people were bringing funk that even Kevin Cash couldn't mimic. That night I met people from all over traveling through Australia and have been in steady contact with them since and am hoping to meet up with them again a little further north next week.

Yesterday I met up with Fiona, a woman I met last year through Tom Thrall, for a tour around the stunning Blue Mountains. The trees in the park create a blue haze that was truely amazing, especially as the sun went further down. We hiked for miles and miles and my eyes were witness to some of the most amazing sites I've ever seen. From scaling underneath mamouth waterfalls, seeing wildlife, and the stunning blue haze it is a must see for anyone that will ever go to Sydney. Even the smells of the Mountain and the taste of the air was something I've never experienced before. Luckily for me Fiona knew the area very well and took us to the must see tourist sites and then for a local bushwalking path. Even the tourist parts were amazing (I rode in the steepest railcar in the world down a massive gorge, of which I have a video that I'll try and get up). Either way the pictures are worth a look but really do the Mountains no justice.



Right after my return from hiking I once again got invited to go with Paula and Greg to Bastille day, the day of the French Revolution. We went to an incredible French restaurant with a bunch of our neighbors and friends for some fancy four course French cuisine. Ron and John, our neighbors are some of the funniest characters I've ever seen with our night ending in a paper airplane fight with the unwilling table next to us after what had to be eight bottles of wine.

Earlier tonight after eating breakfast and washing Anne's car (an Irish friend of Paula's) I decided to save what daylight I had left and take a trip alone to Bondi Beach, about an hour on the bus through the city. I got there in plenty of time to soak up the great atmosphere, put my toes in the chilly sand and read a book. But it was when the sun was going down that the show really started. In So. Ill. we have some of the most colourful and breathtaking sunsets I've ever seen and Greece had some that weren't too shabby either, but the sunset at Bondi tonight was the most beautiful and breathtaking one I've seen in my life. The oranges, reds, blues, and purples were awinspiring; a place that I will never forget and will frequent much more. The pictures from the beach, especially the last few almost capture the essence of it's beauty.




The last few days, ever since talking to Johnny, have really turned my trip around as a whole from seeing beautiful sites to meeting new people I feel that I have really began to see Australia and learn Australian culture. I can not say enough how lucky I truely am to be in this position with so many people willing to help me out, whether it's Greg and Craig showing me the beaches, Fiona taking a day out of her busy schedule to take me about the Mountains, Paula's unrivaled hospitality, and the people I've been able to surround myself with; it has truely been an eye opening experience of which I am truely greatful.

Now I'm preparing for World Youth Day; a week full of Catholic propaganda as the Aussies are calling it, where around 500,000 'pilgrims' will descend upon the city. Although I'd rather be heading up north, Paula convinced me to stay for the week and after looking at the events looks like it should be worth-while, even if it is spent with religious zelots from around the world.

I've also started using a different picture website, the link is:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lucas.odom