Dorm Living, The Arts & The Architecture

Today is Monday, Jan 24th at 11:05 am.  It is another beautiful day in NSW (New South Whales).  This weeek I set my sights on scheduling my future stays over the next few weeks remaining in Sydney.  I am currently checked into the Central Sydney YHA (Youth Hostel Association) I know I am not youth but it is the branding of the lodging.  It definitely sets the standard for the Hostel lodging environment.  The others of which there are gazillions, which is a wee bit more that a zillion of these facilities in Sydney.  This country definitely has one on every corner, kinda like gas stations back home.

I will be here a week and then i am moving down to the beach at Bondi.  I need time for my back to recover from the one day i went out to Bondi to to walk for coast and nearly fried my self in one afternoon.  The peeling is finally subsiding and I don't have to stop at every other tre and scratch my itching back like a wild animal in heat.  Such a lovely feeling.  i am using a 50 block that i brought with me and I still am darker than some of the aboriginals.  i don't know how these fair skinned Europeans and Asians do it. I will put that on my things to ask a stranger list.  That list is long and usually confined to where are you from, where have you been, how long are you staying and where are you going next.  Seems to be the standard greeting in this world of the street worldly mobile.    I am pleasantly surprised that I am not the oldest, single, most lost or excited person out here traveling.  The Central YHA where I am staying currently has a few elderly, families, school kids I mean teenagers on school trips, students (a lot from Korea and Asian locales that are doing some sort of work/study programs for school.  No wonder they are so smart as they are thrown out into the world to study and find work to support themselves all the while.  I am impressed.

This is my current home, bottom bunk on the right.  an 8-share, there are 2 more bunks around the corner from the storage lockers.  8 guys hanging out in the room the size of my living room, no closet, luggage on the floor, housekeeping nonexistent, the noises, smells and camaraderie of an animal house frat party.  Gotta love the experience.  My current roommates and they change almost daily, include a Korean (Chris-work/study), 3 Irish lads in their 20's with such strong accents I have to ask them to talk slowly and then I only get about every other word.  Nice kids here on a 1 year work visa.  All are fresh out of school and no work experience and all nervous about finding work.  My mentor self jumped in with some job search advise, like popping into the office towers and talking with the concierge as they will always know what is going on in the building.  Also to check with the hotel concierges or best of all the smokers outside of the buildings.  They smoke, they gossip, they are in the know.  I shared my story and my age and they all think it is amazing that I am able to travel and not work.  We talked about culture and real estate and sports (They did, I just agreed, what do I know about sports?!?!?!),  They all lived at home and decided that the work environment in Glasgow was so miserable that they had a better chance going away.  They are young, good kids that three of them and will find something if they just don't talk so fast.

i found a really neat art gallery on Oxford Street that had free wifi.  My favorite.  The packing around the computer has gotten old and really makes me feel touristy with the lugging the backpack but the few times I left it I regretted not having it when the wifi hot spot presented itself.  I stopped by the apple store on Sunday and they laughed at the fact that ATT has the strong hold it has in the States not allowing the wifi in the apple product to work without being in a hotspot.  Technology is my friend, technology is my friend.......on the good days!!

This one of the absolutely stunning pieces of art at the gallery.  It utilizes actual semi-precious stones to create the art.  The lifelike look was phenomenal.  There were also photos that utilized live actors in creating the ambiance of the pictures.  There had a video of the creative process.  the actors were people off the street put into makeup, dressed, and the scene was decorated around them...amazing transformation.

I went to Church on Sunday, a small Catholic church around the corner.  The beautiful tolling of the church bells ringing were my alarm clock and a quick shower put me in the pews right on time.  The church was beautiful and the service was hilarious.  A young priest was talking about the command to come and kept referencing the names of of Elizabeth and martin and come to find out they are the family pets 2 Labradors who also didn't see fit to come when commanded.  It was hilarious, probably only to me as I finally got that he was talking about pets not people.  Everyone else took it all in stride.  I was one of only 3 people under the age of feeble in the pews.  Guess not a lot of the backpacker set are up that early or committed to service.

I know you aren't supposed to take photo's in church but I believe that God asked us to tithe not only for the poor and outreach programs but for the general fund for the upkeep of these incredibly beautiful hoses of worship.  I think He is ok that I am sharing the beauty of His house with you. ;-)

It is really hard to schedule things to do because on my way to do them i get sidetracked...kinda like my writing.  So bare with me as my written accounts may also be a bit off track as i start down one path only to be sidetracked by a few other observations.  Like all big cities Sydney has some amazing building architecture.  i located a few brochures in the Hostel that provide maps of self guided walking tours.  I decided to head out and explore on my own.  it is funny when you are on vacation travel that stuff fascinates you that you normally walk right by in your own city.  I amaze myself that stopping and smelling the roses and actually looking at the sights of fascination or enjoying just sitting in a park and reading a book, stopping to listen to the street musician, enjoying the market place not just to shop but to observe and be entertained by the masses of people all in such a hurry to get somewhere or meet a deadline, people running to stay in shape or talking on their cell phone to some urgent meeting all the while realizing that if the world just stopped all that hurry scurry for just a few minutes that the world would not end, pause or fall off it's axis and that good people and things were happening all around them if they just stopped to take notice.  Amazing the eye opening experience of observation and time are.  I sat a watched some amazing musicians in the street, unlike our street people these folks actually have talent.  It reminds me more of the London area that escapes me right now where it is more of a festival, street party atmosphere rather than just a beggar on every corner.

With the mini concert set up of speakers, microphones and the lot they probably bring in more income that the lot of the rest of us.  Oh to be talented and living on the street....he probably owns the building he sits outside of playing....all the way to the bank.

I bought a pass to the historical homes and will venture to visit them this afternoon.  Australia Day is Wednesday so all the parks in the city are being set up for some celebration.  That will be my next update as I'm sure this city will have some excitement.  I head out to Bondi beach for a week as of Fridays nd that will be my week of beach laziness.  I will keep you posted.