Helllllllooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok I have been absolutely rubbish at writing any form of a journal over the last 2 months!! This is because I have been having so much fun and generally look like this most of the time. This is because I am either in awe of what I am looking at or where I am. Or I look like this because I am really happy (or drunk!!).

I left Byron Bay on 28th November after generally playing cards, reading, chilling and other nameless activities! I travelled to Sydney on the Oz Experience Bus with my friend Steph with a couple of stops in between. First off was Surf Camp where I totally sucked at surfing! Oh my god I was possibly the most rubbish person there! However, I tried my best considering my surf board was twice the size of me so took all my effort just to get through the waves before even attempting to clambour on the thing and then try and stand up. The instructors did try and help me but there was no way I was standing on that board as I hated the thought of the falling off part. At one point I fell off 3 times in a row, nearly drowning on each turn and so the only option left to me was to burst into tears as I couldnt breathe and was so frustrated, make my way out of the water and watch everyone else master the skill of surfing. Oh well, I tried thats the main thing! Also had an awesome storm during the evening while we were at surf camp so watched that on the beach, the sky was brilliant shades of purple and black it was beautiful if not a little terrifying that there was fork lightening and we were sat in a tin shack!

Next day, back on the bus and next stop Barrington Tops National Park where we were greeted by loads of pretty faced wallabys, they were so cute. The National Park was beautiful, a mass of green vegetation and the Barrington River a million miles from anywhere and we were the only people staying in that particular area. Dinner was all you can eat pizza, so what was I going to eat as I hate pizza........... pizza! I ate pizza people! But not as you know it, we could order it to be made as we wanted so I had mine with no cheese and it has inspired me to know that I never need to fear pizza resturants again, brilliant! That night I sat outside in a hot tub with a glass of punch, the rest of the people on the bus while watching the stars and thinking this is bliss.

The next day we made the 6 or so hour journey to SYDNEY baby!!!! I was so excited, I could not stop smiling and singing, I was so near to Sydney, the place I had in my mind as I was planning this trip and saving my money. As we drove into Sydney our bus driver Jason (legend!) told us to all shut our eyes and think back to when we were planning our trips and what we pictured in our heads when we thought of Sydney (all the things I had already been thinking) and then told us to open our eyes, there before us were the Harbour Bridge and the Opera House, I burst into tears!!! I was so happy, it really hit home for me that I was in Australia, I had bravely travelled all this way by myself, I had done it. I was and am so proud of myself.

Well since that moment I have been having an absolute ball here, I love Sydney it has to be one of my favorite cities in the world. We all went out the first night to a bar called The Gaff and I was the most drunk I had been in since arriving in Australia so my next full day in Sydney was spent in bed suffering with an extremely bad hangover, bad Rachel! Spent alot of nights out in Sydney since but not been that drunk thankfully. Favourite bar here is Scruffy Murphys, an irish bar full of backpackers and have had lots of good nights here dancing the night away and avoiding all the sleezy european men that follow you round telling you, you are so beautiful after you have seen them tell at least 10 girls before you the same thing!

Anyway enough about bars and men! Drinking is not the only thing I have been doing here although it has been quite a feature! I am currently living with my cousin Alison and her boyfriend Matt and they have been so lovely to me, really looked after me but are quite horrified by how late I stay out and what time I get up, oh dear!

While in Sydney I have visited

Circular Quay and the Rocks, where the Harbour Bridge and Opera House are.

Darling Harbour

Chinese Gardens (beautiful)

The Aquarium (stingrays have smiley faces on their underneath)

Bondi, Coogee, Manly Beaches - Manly is my favourite

The Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves - one word breathtaking. The landscape here was so so so beautiful, I cant describe to you how beautiful. But featured cliffs, so many varieties of plant life, eculyptus trees, waterfalls and was stunning. Steph and I went on the steepest train in the world, at one point you are going up a 52 degree incline sat in a train, with only a wire roof and no seatbelt, I have described it as like being Alice and coming out of the Rabbit Hole, I was terrified and clinging onto the roof! Then we went to the Jenolan Caves and saw awesome rock fromations, stalagmites and Stalagtites. In one of the chambers our tour guide played some classicial music and the acoustics were fantastic, lots of goosebumps. You can also get married in the caves, interesting!

I have been to see a show in the Opera House which featured songs from a variety of musicals and also appeared Karl Kennedy from Neighbours. I had previously wrongly thought the guy was a legend but he was such an idiot in this show, he went down like a lead balloon. He sang a song about being a love doctor and it was awful. Especially when the next act was James Morrison (not the English singer) this guy played jazz trumpet, sax and trombone. He played Summertime on jazz trumpet and it gave me goose bumps, the sound he produced was amazing, Steph and I were blown away by him.

Christmas here was weird. The cold is a must when it comes to christmas I have decided, and I like the build up we have in the UK. I had a really brilliant xmas though spent with Matt's family (my cousins boyfriend) they made me feel so included and I got to play games with his 2 neices and nephew aged 6, 3 and 1 1/2 which was cool.

New Years Eve, Sydney Harbour one word PHENOMENAL !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was with 4 of the girls I have met travelling, Steph, Ellie, Liz and Lex and also James (Hugh Grant) and we were all sat in the Botanical Gardens overlooking the Harbour Bridge and Opera House. We were sat there from 12 noon until roughly 1.00 am! We got there early to make sure that we had a good spot, which we did. Spent the afternoon on the vino, playing cards, eating hot dogs, playing sharades and getting excited! As it turned dark a red question mark appeared on the bridge and at 9.00pm the first set of Firworks went off and we went crazy! We were screaming and shouting, they were fantastic. Then a red coat hanger appeared on the bridge as the nickname of the bridge is 'the hanger' and a red diamond also appeared as 2007 is the bridge's 75th birthday. The tension was building for the big firework display at midnight and we were not disappointed. BLOODY FANTASTIC!!!!!!!! There were fireworks going off all around us, on the bridge, boats, by the opera house and off the sky scraper bulidings around us. We went crazy, screaming, yelling, jumping and then started off humming auld langs eye at the top of our voices as no-one knew the words. However, I think people around us may have thought we were crazy as they were not doing the same thing as us! We were the loudest ones there and it wasnt like england where you hug and kiss everyone and everyone sings auld langs eye but oh well we didnt care! Then as we were walking out the gardens as I was screaming "Happy New Year Im in the future and your in the past" to my dad (who was on the phone) I was given 2 free hot dogs.... bonus! Ha ha!

Dear me this is long, hope your still reading. That bit I just wrote was a good bit!!

In the last few weeks i have been spending my time with the group of people I met when I was in Cairns, the Boho crew. It has been so good to catch up with them all as we all get on so well and have so much fun together. However, they are now starting to trickle away as they move on in their travels or return home. It is sad to see them go and the group shrink and I am jealous that they are either moving on or going home as I would like to do the same. I would love to be able to visit England for a week and then come back to Oz.

So currently I am trying to cut down on nights out and get a job as my money is fastly running away from me. I have met up with a few agencies and hope to be working within the near future boo hoo! I put on a shirt and trousers last week and I wanted to cry! I dont want to work! I like just travelling around, seeing different sights, meeting different people and enjoying the sunshine! I have decided that I dont want to get older and have responsibilites just yet!

Almost forgot went to see Tenacious D a couple of nights ago in concert, they were soooooo good, one of the best shows I have seen. Well I say seen, but spent most of the night stretching to see over all the tall people infront of me! The show featured giant mushrooms, the metal, the anti christ, charlie chaplain the KFC man and the Devil!

Anyway, that is a very long journal entry and I have probably lost most of you to sleep by now! But just know one thing I am enjoying my time immensley!

Hope you are all well, thanks for the emails, texts e.t.c. Miss you so much. Dont think Im not interested in what you are doing I love hearing any news you may have.

Lots of Love Rachel xxxxxxxxxxxxx