zerosleeps

Well it’s Sunday, and that means that I’ve been in Sydney for one week now. You want to know something? I’m having a really hard time warming to this place. It’s hot, and it’s busy, and it’s dirty, and everything comes with a catch.

For example, phone cards for calling the UK are plentiful, but every single one of them requires you pay the cost of a local phone call for the duration of your international call. And just try paying for that phone card, because if you dare to attempt to use a cash machine, it will almost certainly charge you. Want to use your mobile to call someone instead? Go right ahead, but even if they don’t answer or are engaged, you’ll be charged the connection fee.

I’m thoroughly hacked off at having gone from having everything I needed and wanted, with room to spare, to having nothing, and not being able to fathom how this weird country works.

Life sucks when you don’t have an Internet connection to hand. And you know what else sucks? Hostels. More on that later though.

I’ve got so much to write about, and plenty little gems of wisdom about moving to Australia to post here, but I’ll get to them (and the obligatory photos) when things are more settled. That shouldn’t be long now though, because I’m moving into a kick-ass apartment tomorrow. Woop woop!

Watch this space.

Not much to say I’m afraid. Everything that can be done from outside Australia has been done.

Today feels just like the day before going on holiday: check bags are packed, everything is charged, got the right bits of paper etc.

It’s hard to believe that this is my last afternoon in the UK for… well for a while.

Not much to report today. The transfer of funds from my UK account to my new Australian bank account was successful, and I have set up an appointment with my new bank to sort out full access to my A$.

And it’s snowing here today. Not nice snow though, wet snow. Roll on Saturday.

Flights booked? Check.

Flying from Glasgow to Sydney on Saturday 3rd April. In the air for a total of 21 hours 10 minutes, and on the ground at Dubai for 105 minutes. And we’ll be flying as Sydney enters their summer time, so I have no idea what day it’ll be when we get there…

Hotel booked? Check.

First 2 nights accommodation is booked. Will sort out more once we’re there and we can view places. Hostels are cheap, and we’ve heard good things about them, but will form our own opinions once we can visit them in person.

Travel from Sydney Airport to hotel? Check.

New South Wales’ Transport Info website is excellent, and I must admit I squealed a little when I clicked on a train station in Google Maps and discovered that it too tells you which trains run to which stations, at what times. Amazing!