Australia Day 3: Leaving Sydney

This morning we "slept in" until 9:25, at which time we got up to pack and check out. We left our suitcases at reception so that we didn't have to lug them around with us all day. We got brunch at Joe's Cafe, where we had nice omelettes, toast and flat whites. It was a very enjoyable meal, just sitting, relaxing, reading magazines, and chatting. Afterwards, we made some phone calls before heading out. We strolled through a really cute area called Paddington. There were lots of cute shops and boutiques, but since it was Good Friday, none of them were open. So we literally just window-shopped. We eventually made our way back to Darling Harbour, where the "Hoopla Festival" was going on. We stopped to watch an acrobatic show there -- it was pretty cool watching these girls do acrobatics on a rope. We were both feeling pretty lethargic and decided to take it easy and just walk around the Harbourside Mall. Then, we walked around to the other side of the harbor, which we had yet to see. Our plan was to catch the 3:16 bus back towards the hostel, and we wanted to grab a snack beforehand. Now, keep in mind that over the past 2 days, we have walked by a bustling cafe approximately every 5 to 10 minutes. But of course, since we were actually looking for one right now, for the life of us, we couldn't find a single one. (Granted, we did find some places that were closed for the holiday, but that didn't help us at all.) We finally found one where we grabbed coffee and muffins to bring with us to the bus stop.
Ok...one guess what bus we wanted to take? That's right...the 311. We arrived about 15 before the bus was scheduled to come, so we sat down to leisurely eat our muffins. After about 5 minutes, we look up and see the 311 pulling up.....BUT....it did not stop! Apparently, the buses only stop if someone ON the bus presses the button to get off, or if someone at the stop waves the bus down. SO, surprise, surprise...we missed the 311. Another one came after about 25 more minutes and we weren't in a big rush, so it was no big deal. It was just kind of funny to us because of our rocky history with bus #311.

(These are pictures from Hyde Park, which was walked through to catch the bus.)

When we got back to the lovely Pink House, we got our bags and used the bathrooms. We wanted to take some pictures of the house to document our experience. This one girl saw us taking pictures in the bathroom (which I admit IS a little weird!) but she gave us the strangest look. Then when she saw us taking more photos downstairs, she went and told the owner about us! So then the owner comes up to us and asks us it we are staying at this hostel. We told her yes, and then she just said "Oh, that's interesting." It was a pretty funny situation.

The inside of the shower (notice the grime on the walls and floor):

The door to the girls' bathroom:

Kelly standing outside the building on our way out:

We waited outside for the airport shuttle to pick us up. We wound up having the shuttle all to ourselves! We were so ahead of schedule that we arrived at the airport 3 hours ahead of flight, even though it was only domestic. It was fine though, because we certainly would rather hang out at the airport than at the Pink House! So we just took our time, looking in the shops and getting dinner. We got kebabs, which are a staple quick-food here (both in NZ and Australia). You have a choice of meat (usually beef, chicken or lamb), and then it comes with lettuce, cheese, tomato, onion, hummus and a choice of sauces. All of this is wrapped up in a pita and if you are lucky, toasted (and by lucky I mean at the right kebab place). They are quite delicious and are available practically every 5 storefronts in Auckland. So now that you know about kebabs in general, let me tell you about this particular kebab experience: since it was Good Friday, Kel and I ordered our kebabs without meat, which I assure you is HIGHLY unusual. The man at the kebab place was very confused, but made us our kebabs anyway. They were very good and we were still hungry (our bus stop muffins having been our last "meal") so we went back for seconds. Now, the kebab man thought we were pretty funny. He even remembered what toppings we each had on ours and he charged us a dollar less this time!
When we got to the gate, our flight was delayed slightly. When we boarded, we walked on to the tarmac and entered from the rear of the plane. During the customary demonstration of what to do in an emergency, Kelly and I got yelled at by the flight attendant for talking...it's not like we were being obnoxiously loud or anything! The flight was fine and once we landed, everything went really smoothly. We got our bags, took a shuttle to the hostel and let ourselves into our room with a key that was left for us in the mailbox (it was after reception hours). We were actually IN our room in less than an hour from the time we landed.

This hostel, Cairns City Backpackers, is a much better situation than the Pink House. It's still a hostel, of course, but a SIGNIFICANT improvement from our previous accommodation!