Welcome To The Land of OZ.....
Traveling to Australia is not your typical vacation, it is transformative, energy charged and a little overwhelming at first. This trip is for those who truly love tor travel and experience a part of the world that most Americans will never see. It requires planning, time and SAVING SAVING SAVING. If you are traveling from the Eastern United States, tickets will range anywhere from 1400.00 to 1800.00 dollars. I suggest using Airfare Watchdog to keep your eye on rates and help you save a few hundred dollars.
A few things to consider when planning your trip are to remember they are a day ahead of us here in the U.S and the flight will take you anywhere from 18 to 22 hours. Why is this important you ask? Because if you are booking your travel simply off of calendar dates you may short change your travel. Another thing to remember is that Australia is in the Southern Hemisphere, which means our winter is their summer. Australia is predominantly tropical but they will experience summer in the southern mountains like in Katoomba. If you are traveling in the Northern Hemisphere winter plan your trip for the northern half of Australia. Give yourself enough time while you are there, this is not a trip to take for a week long vacation. Australia is an extremely large country and requires you to travel great distances between attractions.
My journey to Australia in 2008 was meaningful to me in more than one way. It was a celebration of the transition I had made in my life from darkness to light. In 2001, I had been involved in a serious car accident that resulted in being badly burned over 54% of my body and a recovery time of 2.5 years. I dramatically slipped into the depths of alcoholism and a severe addiction to pain medication. In 2007, I decided to take my life back and entered into recovery and a month prior to my trip to Australia I celebrated 1 year sober from all substances. Recovery gave me my life back and brought me halfway around the world for an experience that would transform my adult life.
My best friend and I planned our trip and backpacked through Australia for over a month. We did very little planning in regards to what we would see while we were there, we trusted the TAO and moved through OZ as if being guided by a spiritual chaperone.
Landing in Sydney.....
I landed in Sydney a week prior to my friends arrival and got to experience the overwhelming feeling similar to claustrophobia, knowing I was on the other side of the world, alone and completely vulnerable. This was a feeling I have only felt one other time in my life and that was while I was laying on a highway after being in a car explosion. I got through customs made it outside and asked a cab driver to take to me the nearest hotel so I could catch my bearing. After being on a plane for that long, I needed a hot shower and nap to get myself centered again. I started to research where we would stay during our visit in Sydney and came across the YHA Youth Hostel organization in Australia. We stayed at the Sydney Central Hostel and would absolutely recommend staying here. It was clean, centrally located to everything and full of other backpackers from all over the world. Upon my arrival, it was important for me to seek out an AA meeting. I was able to do a little research and when I found one that seemed close I went to the lobby and asked them to call me a cab. I told the cab driver where I needed to go and he looked at me like and asked if I was sure I wanted to go there. Seemed a little strange but on we went.
He dropped me off and asked if I wanted him to wait, I turned down his offer and carried on down the street. I walked to the addressed that was listed online and as I got closer I noticed a very large rainbow on the window, Rainbow Recovery it said. Not completely having my wits about me I walked up to the building and realized this was a LGBT meeting. Not that I mind the LGBT community, but I didn't want to invade their private space and began to walk off only to be called on by others walking up. They were very polite and invited me in, it was a great meeting and I am glad to have that experience.
Overall I was impressed with Sydney, coming from New York myself I could see how Sydney was trying to adopt some of the feel of the Big Apple. The Harbor Bay Bridge reminded me of the Brooklyn Bridge and large park near the Harbour brought back memories of Central Park. The people were extremely friendly, the night life was vibrant and it wasn't anything out of the ordinary to pass by celebrities on the street.
Climbing Three Sisters in Katoomba....
From Sydney we took a train west to Katoomba.