Sydney - OzIntro part 1

So today we moved rooms into our OzIntro special-room-with-a-view dorm which we are sharing with our fellow girly intro-ers for the next week after a false early start. Harsh.



After we chucked our crap in the new room, we were rounded up by our 'leader' guy called Ben (the only Aussie on OzIntro - go figure) and he drove us in the mini bus into Sydney, starting at the Botanical Gardens. We took a stroll around the gardens, out to the picture taking point for tourists in front of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House! WOO tourist moment! Was very cool and a bit weird to finally see them, and finally be here in Australia! Loved it though. Took about 12 versions of the same pic (with a few line up changes) before continuing.



Later on in the walk we saw a cockatoo parrot thing perched on a wooden carving and Ben magic-d up some bread to coax it down. Once he got hold of one, about 5 turned up out of nowhere! Also included were a few rainbow birds (I don't have a clue what the species names are of these birds, so you instead get descriptions such as 'rainbow bird') which took a shining to a guy in our group called Vlad.

As we moved on to the end of the gardens we also saw HUGE spiders and a shitload of bats. Nice. I could literally see their ginger hair and it was a bit... eesh. I've never really encountered bats but I'm still not particularly a fan..



After the gardens we walked through a LOT of joggers around to the Opera House which was cool and around to where we were taking a jet boat ride. I don't really know what I was expecting but whatever I thought I was expecting - this wasn't it! Ben said we wouldn't need the purple supplied ponchos (because we're hard, obv) and that we should leave our shoes and socks on the dock. Now, I LOVE sarcasm. But sometimes, I cannot read it on other people. But never-the-less, left the shoes on the dock and got into the boat. Well. Sam and I opted for a seat near the back of the boat, thinking we would get less splashed there but our plans were thwarted when we were moved to the SECOND row! and there are four seats in the second row and two in the first so we were pretty much as in the firing line as the front two passengers (Gregg and Louise).

The journey out from the dock was pretty peaceful and chilled out, enjoyable. And then. THE SPEED. The boat just started flying off around the place before heading STRAIGHT for the ripples left by another boat, braked hard and splashed us with an INSANE amount of water! At which point, my jeans had become 10 stone heavy jeggings and my hair resembling that of a drowned dog. Sexy.

Even though I was clinging on for dear life with one hand, and pushing my glasses to my face with another, I really enjoyed it! We were in the boat for a massive 45 mins, after 20 of which, although I was freezing, the passing air had almost dried me out and the splashing continued for the rest of the ride.

I have never been so cold but managed the drive home in the bus and a rinse in a hot shower before trudging over to the local hotel/restaurant places called The Palace for Schnitzel and chips. Yum. :)

Off to open our bank accounts and stuff before taking a trip to the aquarium tomorrow.