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Hi All!!
Well this will be a bit of a long blog as we have been too busy out having fun to be writing blogs so I hope you don't get too bored!!
So on Tuesday we went to Luna Park which is kind of like an old 1930's theme park, it was pretty cool. They had some cool rides that kind of looked really easy but were awful, this upside down thing that only held u in by your stomach which was quite scary. They also had a thing that we only spotted on the way out after we had eaten which you lent against the wall and it spun really fast and then the floor fell out from underneath and you were just stuck to the wall, Chloe felt sick but Craig and I went on it again and then felt ill. Chloe and I went on this kid ride together which was so scary as you felt like u were going off the edge and there was one of those things where heaviest person sits on the outside and it goes round really fast, poor Craig was totally squashed with us against him!! They had lots of bumpy slides and funny roundabouts that you had to try and stay on it was really good, Craig was totally petrified on the Ferris wheel but we loved the rest. It started to rain so we left and got the train down to the cinema but nothing we wanted to see was on so we went and saw Madagascar 2 which was pretty good, well I slept through half of it but from what I saw it was good. As it was cheap Tuesday on the way home we got Domino's for dinner!
Wednesday was Christmas Day which started with the drama of the hire car confirmation not having come through and then we called a million places and couldn't find anything and then eventually got one at the airport at Thrifty so we headed out and picked it up. We got a new Toyota Corolla, I did the driving as I like doing it and Craig doesn't, it was a really nice car, another automatic too. After we left the airport we had no map so pretty much drove about in circles till we found our way out. Then we went to the shopping centre and got the last of our Christmas presents and some food for over Christmas and stuff. There was no Barbie stuff left so we went and tried another Woolies and got some aluminium trays and coal type stuff to create a make shift Barbie lol!! After we went home and got changed and went for dinner at an Indian restaurant in Dulwich Hill which was really nice. Then off to my usual event of calling the travel agents who owe me money and asking where it is and then telling me its done then the bank telling me there is no sign but this time the bank managed to work out that the refunds were waiting on my card and as it was cancelled they needed to know it was actually me before they could realise it. They said they would try and do it then or it would have to be Monday!!
The next day was Christmas Day so we got up and drove down to Cronulla which was easier than the day before lol! We got to the beach and it was quite small, we couldn't park too close to the longer bit but it was good all the same. It was quite cloudy and we looked quite the plums walking along the beach with Santa hats on and big hampers full of presents and food. We opened all our pressies on the beach and then had some picnic food and a wee swim but had to get out as there was bluebottle jellyfish. We sat on the beach for a while and then the sun actually came out for the first time in days and it was roasting. We went up off the beach and started our Barbie up and had some food. After a while we drove back and got some wine and went and sat in the park round the corner as it was still roasting. There was this guy with a Labrador and we just came over and sat with us and he was as camp as could be but seemed to be a bit in denial. He had just got his dog Jessie as it was a failed guide dog and she was so cute and moulted everywhere, reminded us of Vinnie, so cute. The guy said he had to be back home as his wife and in laws were making lunch or something and then at one point his dog pulled him right over onto his stomach and halfway down a hill and he said, I quote 'Girlfriend, that is so not sexy', it was hilarious!! After we went and called home and were passed around with everyone still thinking that it costs a fortune so being as quick as possible lol!!
On Boxing day we got up and drove into Newtown to have some breakfast in this place Craig and I like as we went a few times with Kirsty and then we went to the airport to take back the car. Then we sat at arrivals and watched peoples reunions lol. Then we went into the city and to the cinema but Benjamin Button was full so we saw Bedtime Stories which was really good. Then we went home and I made a roast for our traditional dinner but the turkey was fake and took longer than it said so the veg was like water and there was no Bisto so it was not the best!
On Saturday we got up and went to Wildlife World at Darling Harbour. It was quite good, a lot of it was just bugs and stuff which Chloe and I didn't like but Craig loved. We got to clap a koala and get a photo taken and we saw some kangaroos and a koala with a baby on its back, it was so sweet. After we had a look around the harbour and then changed our flights to the earliest day we could leave which turns out to be 5th January. After we walked up and decided to have a look at The Sheraton where we were going to stay for New Year and it looked minted with bell boys and everything, we couldn't wait to get there!! After we went to Hyde Park and there was a guy playing bagpipes, he was not very good but still it was nice to hear. After at night I went and called the bank as usual as the money was not in and spoke to a manager who said it would be in the next day even though it was Sunday.
The next day we got up and got the ferry to Manly, it looked really nice and peaceful but not like I had expected to we walked a bit further and come across a massively crowded beach with waves so we had a dip in the sea but its impossible to enjoy as even though swimmers always have a small portion of the beach boogie boards still go in this bit and every time you come over a wave you are worried when you resurface you will be smacked in the head by a passing board. It was really nice at Manly a nice cosmopolitan feel, we had a walk about and had a lunch at a nice place on the harbour. There was a nice smaller beach with no waves at this side so we set up here and Chloe and I went for a look around the shops as I wanted a Roxy purse since Fiji and we both got one! When we got back I started packing for the Sheraton and then I went and called the bank as the money was still not in so I made out I was sleeping rough but they said that all they could do was put '100 in my bank and that they fraud department were not in and that it should be in the next day. Which was not good enough as Chloe and I were meant to be going shopping with our Christmas money but I had spent mine while I was waiting on the refund money.
The next day we all headed out into the city and Chloe and I went off to do our shopping and we went to the bank so she could take out money to lend me and her bank card didn't work so that would have been because she was abroad and had not told them. We called the bank and set up telephone banking and then Chloe said 'Eva, what shall I make my password'' and then the guy said he couldn't go ahead with it as there was third party there wh knew her password. So we called back again and set it up and then transferred the money to my ban as mine works, then we went to the ATM and couldn't get $600 out so we went and called the bank to see what was wrong with my bank card and they said nothing so we went back and tried less of an amount which it gave us as it hadn't worked before as I had taken money out earlier so couldn't get as much out as I wanted. Idiots!! So after that we eventually started shopping, we both got Uggs after running the girl ragged in the shop, we then got Chloe's ipod and took it back 5 minutes later making up some excuse about having bought the wrong thing as the Apple shop had it for the same price and if she got that she couldn't get anything else so decided to get it another day! I got 6 pairs of shoes for $85!! Its dead cheap here for clothes and stuff. At night the money was still not in so I went and called the bank and kicked up fuss and demanded to stay on the phone while they did it but the manager was a meeting and she said she would try and get it done, I was raging, they have been telling me its been done for days and it would be in any day now and it turns out it was never actually done so I said I would call back in an hour and we played stop the bus lol. When I called back they said they had told me it was done and would be in within 24 hours promised so this time I felt like I kind of had a feeling that it might actually be in!
On Tuesday we got up and did some packing, we packed everything as we decided that we did not want to come back and stay at Ryan's after the Sheraton for the few days we needed as he is very annoying and had been shouting and paying the guitar till 3am the night before and is generally a bit of an idiot which I did not want to mention too much before in case he somehow read the blog while we were still there, as if you type my name in on google the log on STA comes up. He seemed quite nice when we moved in but then seemed to become more and more of a plum as time went on, the main thing we hated was this book he had about disease that said its all in your head, so a big argument we had one day about cancer being in people's heads because they have past guilt and don't let go and dont change their lifestyles, he has obviously never had anything like that happen to him. He didn't have a job and just sat on the internet dating site, shouts stuff at the TV whilst your watching, if you were watching anything with music in it he played along when you were trying to watch, ate our food, used our phones and moaned if we used 50c on the phone card. He had been in the jail as well and must have 'found God' there and went on about that all the time. His girlfriend's brother and his girlfriend were in a car accident and he was critical and she died so he stopped talking to his girlfriend as he said she hadn't called or something, eh no wonder, also he said they deserved it for mucking about in a car, also he completely had no respect for woman and would be crude to his bird on the phone while we were there to embarrass her and then say crude jokes to Craig and things while I was there. In short he is basically a complete idiot, he was ok at times but in general we are just so glad to be out of there!! Anyway we got all our stuff together, binned most of our food and took our bed clothes with him as I didn't want to leave anything there as he is a garbage grabber literally as well so I knew he would enjoy free stuff. It was so embarrassing going to the Sheraton with about a million plastic backs and all our luggage, thank God for bell boys!! We got to reception and sock horror, even this could not go right for us, they said they did not have any note of our reservation. I had to go and print it all out again and about half an hour later a girl found it somewhere. Thank God for that as everywhere would be full by now and we had no where near enough money to pay for anywhere else. We got to our room and it had a lovely gold and brass bathroom but they had kind of mucked up the room as it was meant to be 2 doubles but it was 3 singles but we were not bothered it was s nice to have luxury. We went out and checked the bank but it wasn't 24 hours yet and still wasn't in. We went to the cinema but there was only rubbish seats left for Benjamin Button so we just went for lunch and then back to the hotel. I was going to sort all my stuff out but got in the bath and fell asleep as I have not had a bath in months and totally needed one!! Then Craig and I went down to the internet while Chloe had a bath and there was loads of people in the lobby so we asked someone what was going on and they said Paris Hilton had arrived to stay there and would be going back out soon. So I ran back inside and called Chloe and she didn't believe me she thought Craig was having her on. She came down and then we realised we all had no camera, after a while of standing and nothing much happening it was about 6.15pm and we were meant to be meeting my Dad's cousin Beth for dinner at 7pm. Craig got a bit bored and decided to get ready but first he brought down the camcorder and camera. A wee while later the bulbs all started going off and we looked up and this lassie who looked her double came out and got in a Ferrari and everyone was laughing, it even made the news. Its quite sad they have documented Paris's every move while she has been here. Anyway a wee while later I was standing with my key out as if to say 'Do not ask me to move, I stay here', then all the staff had us held back and some people came out, I think her sister first then she came out and everyone just kind of ran forward so I got some good footage as I was right at the front and Chloe got a photo too, she even stopped to pose. We were all excited as we were dying to see someone famous in New York and now we finally had in Sydney!! We went up to The Rocks and met Beth, we even had 5 minutes to spare, and she treated us to dinner in a lovely Italian with a nice view of the harbour, it was really nice, we had a big sharing platter for desert which was excellent. After we took a walk along the sea front but it was a bit busy for drinks so we just walked Beth back and got a taxi back to the hotel and to check the ATM. We went to one and it said I had nothing which we knew was wrong so went to the bank that I usually use and it was in!! We all jumped about and hugged and screamed and did high fives!! We just went back to the room and did some packing.
The next day we got up and Chloe and I went to get my tartan dress and the matching skirts that Chloe brought did not fit me. Chloe got her ipod and I tried to unsuccessfully change a pair of shoes then got some picnic food and ice and back to the room. Craig had got stools for the same price as we had seen chairs for and some of the bottom of them were cracked so we made them worse then Craig took them back to change them. In the lift we met a woman who hugged us when we said we were Scottish, the alarm bells were going on in the lift and everything as she had her foot in the door as she told us about her trip there lol. Then the next task was to disguise all our drink in the cooler so we put everything in plastic coloured bottles under loads of ice and headed out. Then we headed to Mrs Marquies Point, all the good areas where you can see the fireworks don't allow you to take your own drink but we didn't want to pay the ridiculous prices they charge. We got to the queue and we had heard it was a couple of hours at some points but it turned out it was actually 4 hours and once we got down a bit where it looked like it just turned and came back instead it went all the way round the outside of a playing field and came back up, nightmare!! It moved all the time as well so you couldn't stop and eat or anything. At the beginning of the queue Chloe and I got a row off some woman who was telling us our kilts were not real but Craig's was and we could get proper ones in Queensland, we were like WE KNOW WE ARE SCOTTISH!! We met Rob and his son Steve in the queue, they were really nice if not a bit odd. He talked like his son was either not right or not there, 'Steve has been to Thailand', he was so controlling for example, 'Steve, pick up the bag, undo the zip and take out the sun cream, no Steve close it again so the drinks don't get warm, now pour some out, no Steve that's not enough now is it' Pour more out, do your arms first, remember your ears, no more on there, no more Steve, now put the cap on Steve and put it back in, remember to zip the back Steve' oh my God it was hilarious, he held an umbrella over the kid the whole way round to protect him from the sun, he was a bit over the top but nice enough. When we finally got in they just looked at our cooler and let us through. Nicole that I went to school with is here with her boyfriend Craig just now and she called me to meet but as we thought we couldn't drink there we were not going to go there so we hoped we would find her when we got in but at this bit alone there were 20,000 people anyway we found her but there was not much room there and Rob thought we should go back to a gap there had been further back so went back to get spots and then he actually came back for us as if we were with them. It was nice though to get a seat then the family fireworks were on at 9pm which we couldn't see any of as we didn't have a view of the barges on the water and the fireworks were all behind a tree so we couldn't see much. After them we went to see Nicole and there was a bit space so we all moved along and Rob and Steve got to watch X-men on the DVD player as 'Steve was good in the queue', it was much better along here amongst the atmosphere, there was loads of Scots as well and Craig kept starting Auld Lang Syne at one point the shouted Happy New Year and everyone shouted back but not the fifth or sixth time he did it lol!! There was a few fireworks from the water then everyone started the countdown from 4-3-2-1 then the bridge erupted in fireworks, it was really spectacular, everyone was screaming and shouting and hugging. It was really good. I'm not sure I liked a warm Christmas but a warm New Years Eve party is definitely better than freezing up Princes Street lol!
The next day we were all a bit delicate shall we say and I was sick as per usual, I think its because the wine supposedly was fish and egg in it, cheap rubbish!! Craig and Chloe went out for McD's and I had another bath then later Craig went out again for food and we watched some movies in the hotel and then later Chloe and I got some room service, and generally enjoyed the luxury of our room. At night we decided to go to the spa but the lift didn't stop there for some reason so we went into the stairwell to climb the last flight and got locked in, so we had to walk down 22 flights and Chloe had to go out the staff entrance while we climbed back up to our floor on the 8th to be let in and it turned out it was closed and that's why the lift never went there. We got back to the room and started packing, Chloe never had any room to take any of my stuff in her case so I gave her my Uggs and jammed the box full of clothes. Then filled the cardboard box we had got full and still had all my Christmas pressies left to wrap and send, when we went to the post office the next day the box cost me $100 for 3-4 months delivery!!
The next day we checked out and went to the cinema and finally saw Benjamin Button which was really good. Then back to the hotel to get our bags and off to the airport. Chloe's bag was 23kg exactly lol! Then had a juice and said bye to Chloe again which was sad as we had a nice time but at least its more than halfway now till we are home. We got a taxi back to Ryan's as he had called us and asked if we were going back as none of our stuff was there and we decided we would just go back as there was no hostels really and it was as cheap to pay Ryan for a week and have the facilities of a kitchen and washing machine etc and also he said he wasn't going to be there so we thought why not. At night we just had soup and watched TV and had an early night as we were shattered.
Yesterday we got up and did our washing and wrapped the rest of the pressies and took all our stuff to the post office in the city which was closed. Then we went to the internet to upload the million photos we had taken. Then we had Hungry Jacks for lunch which was minging and went to the cinema to see Marley and Me which I loved, I think anyone who likes dogs would love it, Dad you should go and see it, its great. After we went back to the flat and although Ryan had said he was going to be back that day after all he wasn't so we had the idea that we could pack and get up early and go to a hostel, it would cost the same in the long run but would mean we didn't have to give him extra. So we spent the night packing in preparation. and went to bed.
Today we got up with the alarm at 6am and got ready quickly and got the train into the city and found a hotel to drop our bags. I left Ryan $35, 2 nights stay minus his share of the electric bill. Better than the $200 full weeks rent he would have wanted for 3 nights if he had come home, but we don't have a contract so no harm done on our part, he is lucky we left anything! We had a wonder round Sydney to get the last of the stuff we needed for going away and had some lunch and now we are back at the hotel. I have not managed to get a rucksack cover s I don't know if I can take my newly acquired pillow and I couldn't find ear plugs. Having my bag on again has just confirmed that I still hate it too, I have chucked loads and it still seems to be so heavy. Yesterday the post office was closed so we got a box of our wee Chinese man friend in the shop we go to and packed everything in it and I think it is going to be another $100 on slow delivery for that too which we are going to have to take the airport post office as they are closed today, so I hope it opens before we depart, it should we fly at 10.30am. I thought I was doing quite well only spending half my Christmas money but it looks like the other half is going on postage lol!! We are now back in our Formula 1 hotel and are meeting Nicole and Craig for a drink tonight to swap some tips on destinations as we cross over here and are going to some of the same places. Then tomorrow we will be off to Johannesburg at which point my Dad will develop grey hair! Not particularly looking forward to the 14 hour flight as Chloe had turbulence on the way home and we have never had it in a 747 so had convinced ourselves it didn't happen and now we know it does ahhhh, thank God for in flight movies and Craig's pills lol! We cant wait to get there we are so looking forward to somewhere different. We have enjoyed Australia but have had a lot of dramas here with banks, hotels and a range of other things so we are hoping that will all be behind us when we leave lol! Also there are just too many Brits here, it kinda feels like Costa Del Sol a bit at times also on the other hand we are used to it here now and will be chucked back into the deep end when we leave which may be a bit of a shock but we cant wait, this is one of the bits we have been looking forward to most.
I hope everyone had a nice Christmas and New Year and thanks to all my family who sent over Christmas presents, you should receive yours in about March/April lol, sorry!!
Africa here we come!!
Lots of Love
Eva and Craig xxx
P.S. If you are still reading, well done!! Imagine now long it took to write lol'.
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