So, we have come to the end of our time in Sydney, and Kim and I have just got back from Coogee after leaving Harry and Izzy in our lovely hostel. I'll fill you in on what we've been up to since Tuesday... WEDNESDAY I returned from the internet cafe yesterday and Harry and I decided that we would go for a swim another time so, it was to our delight that we woke up this morning with rays of sunshine poking through the blinds. I was first up for free brekkie, putting in a solid performance with 10 pieces of toast and two bowls of cereal. I then waited for everyone else to wake up, yet Harry and Izzy were determined to stay cocooned for as long as possible, so it was Kim and me who led the way and went out for a quick walk along the cliff top. It was really nice to be able to walk around and not have to worry about jumpers or looming grey clouds, and it was not long before I was all in favour of going back to the hostel and cashing in my tracksuits and trainers for shorts and flip flops (or 'thongs' as they say here)! We went back to the hostel, I changed while Kim found Harry and Izzy, and we went back out to make the most of the precious sun! After more walking along the beach and the cliff top, Harry and I found a natural swimming pool and seized the opportunity for a swim. We hurried back to the hostel to change again, this time into swimming shorts, and were in the pool two minutes later feeling very pleased with ourselves. After our aquatic fun, we bought dinner, which was to be a homemade chilli, and trooped back to the hostel in high spirits. Dinner was a success and the high spirits must have got to our heads, because we decided to go for a night out. With jugs of beer at a mere $5, the night passed faultlessly, and we crashed into bed at a fairly respectable hour in the morning! THURSDAY I was first one up as usual and, judging by the previous night, I was not expecting to see anyone at breakfast either! The morning passed as expected, with only a timid looking Izzy showing her face for a bowl of cereal before retiring once more to the comfort of her bed. Once again the sun was out and after getting up to date on all the week's sporting action on Foxtel, I decided to do something radical... That's right, I went for a run!! I changed quietly in our room into the most suitable running attire I had with me, and set off at about 12:03pm. (Yes it does have to be precise!) Everything went surprisingly smoothly as I ran along the cliff paths, not really knowing where I was going, or how long it was going to take me, or why I was even doing it, but hey, it seemed like a good idea at the time! I ran until I saw a suitable turning around spot, which turned out to be a small obelisk atop a small hill, marking some sort of peninsula or sacred site. Anyway, I did not stop to read up on it, just turned right back around and went back the way I had come. I hit Coogee beach again at 1:34pm, so it was almost certainly the most amount of exercise I had done in some considerable time, and I was just walking up to the shops to buy a bottle of water when I bumped into Harry and Izzy, who were just out getting 'brunch'/'linner'. We sat on the beach while Izzy wrote her diary until Harry and I got restless, when we decided to go and find a pump for the mini rugby ball that Harry had come into possession of in New Zealand. With rugby ball in hand we were quickly amused for a good hour, after which Kim, who had been doing a few odd-jobs that afternoon, arrived on the scene. We sat down, chatted for a bit, and went back to the rugby ball. In the meantime, Harry had had a brainwave when we were contemplating what to have for dinner. We had cream to use up and there was free rice in the hostel kitchen, so a sauce, some chicken, an onion, a tin of tomatoes, and a takeaway naan bread later and we were all set for the curry of the century! We modified the 'butter chicken' sauce to give it an extra kick, marinated the chicken for about an hour, and fried the rice in the leftover curry sauce to come up with possibly the most satisfying meal I have had all holiday! The end result was two thoroughly stuffed, but extremely happy stomachs, and we sat back to watch 'Lost' and 'The Amazing race' before heading to bed, Kim and I doing some last minute packing for check out the next morning. FRIDAY I went all out on the free breakfast this morning as it was our last morning at the hostel, with the final tally coming to a total of 11 pieces of toast and 3 bowls of cereal. After checking out, we didn't actually leave the hostel until about midday when we got a bus to Bondi Junction, the 'hip' shopping part of Bondi that provided alternative entertainment when one couldn't go to the beach! The girls were on a mission to find 'bondi beach' hoodies, so Harry and I left them to that while we wandered aimlessly down the high street, briefly popping into the British sweet shop for a few reminders of our home confectionery. We stopped for lunch at a small cafe and we learned that the girls were still unsuccessful in their search for hoodies. After lunch we were left to guard the bags in the cafe while Kim and Izzy went for their last resort by taking a bus down to bondi beach and searching there! They returned both sporting triumphant smiles and pink 'Bondi' hoodies, so we were given the all clear to leave for the city. We said goodbye to Harry and Izzy, who were staying a little longer in Coogee, and trudged off to the bus station. Half an hour later we were checking into our city hostel, which is a deal less luxurious than the one in Coogee, and headed straight back out for the internet. I think tonight will be a fairly tame affair as we have to be on a bus at 6:20am tomorrow morning to start our adventure up the east coast of Oz! And so, it is with heavy heart that I bid you farewell from Sydney. I hope you have enjoyed reading about what I have enjoyed in the flesh, and hopefully it will have inspired you to come and see it for yourselves... Lotsa love Tom xx