The Ritz it aint - three nights in squallor

Having travelled halfway across the world and through twenty four countries, I had come to a decision, (which my fellow female travelling buddies had agreed with) - good looking men are few and far between in the world.  So, I was surprised and delighted to see a gorgeous man at customs, and handed my passport over to him with a glazed look in my eye and giggling like a delirious
school girl.

Luckily he didn't think I needed to be sectioned, stamped my passport, and let me into Australia.

I grabbed my back pack from the carousel, and took a taxi into town.  I arrived at the backpackers accommodation where I was staying for the next three nights, and headed for my room.  It certainly lived up to it's name, 'Maze', and I eventually got to my room having passed an incredible amount of other rooms, and plenty of people milling around, a total difference from the odd
person that used to stay in the hostels we stayed in whilst in New Zealand.  This was a hostel on steroids.  I opened the door to my room, a room with a single bed, small round table and fold-away chair, a frosted glass window that opened about 2 inches at the bottom, and a stench that can only be described as a rotting corpse.  The only accessories in the room was a small stick on mirror and a couple of hooks on the wall.  I shared the bathroom with about four hundred others, a bathroom that was screaming out for a bit of Mr Muscle's attention.

As it was late, I got ready for bed and spent the next six hours listening to weirdos and freaks wander about the hostel, and looked about my horrible room and understood what it would be like to be in prison.  I decided I would be spending as little time as possible in this hell hole. 

I re-acquainted myself with Sydney, and soon realised that the backpackers I was staying in was slap bang in the middle of where I'd stayed when I had been to Sydney twice before.  Lovely hotels, with comfy beds and clean sheets, and en-suite bathrooms. A far cry from the hovel I was in now. 

I visited the aquarium and spent the morning wandering round admiring the Dugongs, they were very cute and totally enchanting.

It was strange being on my own, and I kept looking around for someone to talk to, but there was no-one there.  A funny feeling after being in other peoples company for the last seven months.

Shark model in the aquarium

Octopus clinging to the glass

Look at those lips!

Cute little face!

Shark swimming overhead

Massive Dugong

A gorgeous Dugong

The rest of my time in Sydney was spent visiting the Maritime museum, the Sydney observation building, the opera house, harbour bridge, Paddy's market and Darling Harbour. 

Sydney Harbour Bridge - a climb I did 5 years ago

Observation building

Playing the didgeridoo

This ones for you Mel!

It was soon time to leave my prison cell, and in the middle of the night, I headed to the airport.  I was on the first flight out of Sydney headed to Dubai, and my final destination before home, and looking forward to ten nights there with my Dad and his wife.  Before that, a fourteen hour flight, five movies, four seats to lie across, comfy pillow and blanket, and food and drink delivered to my seat. The most comfort I'd had for three days!