The big rush (older brother to the big relax)

And we spent it in a very similar way to our last night in Asia to be honest, although this time there was at least an element of originality about it. For our last night in Oz, we went to the cinema. Rock and effing Roll.

In our favour, it is the biggest Imax (and therefore I guess biggest screen) in the world so there’s no way an uber geek like me could miss out on it. We saw The Dark Knight, a film that thus far we had only seen on a super dodgy pirated copy on Koh Tao island, Thailand. Needless to say the pirated copy was the better off, hands down. It was annoying in the Imax how the screen was so big that when panoramic shots of the city came on the screen it felt as though you were flying in a helicopter, it was annoying in the Imax how the bass of the sound effects made your seat rumble, it was annoying how the screen was so big it almost felt 3D.

I am so full of crap.

Tomorrow we go to Fiji, or as Ozzy’s insist on calling it Fi-Gee. We’ve booked ourselves into a homestay at a lady called Dee’s house. It promises to be quite nice and a good way to get a snap shot of Fijian life. I closed my bank account today so have had all $700 of my balance burning a hole through my pocket, Lauren couldn’t close hers off today (something about ‘transactions pending’ ) so we’re forced into a mad-dash for it tomorrow morning before our flight leaves.

Can’t quite belive the tedium that is down under has come to an end. I’m so glad Lauren and I got through this without feeling entirely burnt out about traveling (and it has come close quite a few times.) It has been really, undeniably, rubbish. The notable exceptions being Sydney and the week in Noosa when Lauren’s family came out for new year.

Roll on now to the next big thing, South America and Guatemala.  !Sobrecogedor!

This is the pretty awesome view of the Opera House and bridge from our hostel window. It was also my first ever glimpse of one of the world’s most iconic pieces of architecture.

Just down at Circular Quay, where the opera house is, we came across some Aboriginal guys playing digeridoos and banging sticks and that, I obviously needed to go and join in. The illusion was ruined somewhat when one of them answered their mobile mid-performance.

Nice standard photo, no surprises here…

…Except this one surprise where Lauren is aparently being kissed by a shadow. I. Am. Ninja.

That night, we went for a few sherries with Adam and his friend Ali. We met Adam many, many months ago during our second week travling, on a very cramped, very slow, slow boat headed down the Mehkong River in Laos.

We also managed to bump into some friends from home, here’s Lauren with our friend Louise down at Darling Harbour. Who needs new friends when old ones keep insisting on coming to see us?

Darling Harbour by night. Sorry about the blurring, a few lager shandies must have gone to my head.

And then finally, as the dark hours draw in and it’s time for the sandman to come and sprinkle his slightly sinister sounding magic dust over our sleeping faces, there’s just time for one last photo, the view of the Sydney skyline from our hostel. Good stuff.

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