Saturday Soliloquy #16



It's been a while since I was able to work on this series.  I hope to have it here for a while now.  :)

Now on to Australia.  Those are stories my eldest daughter asks for second only to Japan.  Japan is basically done, so... here we are.

My plane took off for Australia about a year after I left for Japan.  I met my future husband about a month after I got back to the states from Australia (January 2011).  He departed for a 6 month deployment a couple months before I left for Australia (in May 2011).    I departed at the end of July.

Before I left for Oz, I planned out my whole trip from flight to arrival in Perth (the city of my school: Edith Cowan).  I purchased a pass for bus travel anywhere on the continent (only caveat: you can not go back once you've gone in one direction unless going back the way you've come is the only option).

I flew into Sydney.  I was blessed by some of my luggage being lost on the trip.  I didn't feel totally blessed until I was out and walking in the city... then I realized what a hassle it would've been to have ALL of my stuff with me.  As it was, my hiking packs barely fit into the locker I paid for until I could check into my room.

I stayed at a Hostel very near the center of town.  Yes, hostel.  Not hotel.  The main difference is that a hostel is more for community than a hotel.  Sometimes, you share rooms with others.  Usually, you have to pick up your linens when you check in, make your own bed.  The don't usually provide towels or any other toiletries (though some do have toilet paper).  The kitchens are communal with lockers in which you can keep your own food.  Anything you keep in the fridge, you must label or it's up for grabs.  There is a whole room intended for hangout out and getting to know others.  Often, a TV is in that room.  Maybe wifi.  It was very cool.

Stay Tuned for more next week!  :)