Yep

Well, it's pretty obvious I'm absolutely terrible at keeping this thing up to date, so I've got a few days of recapping to do...

Australia Day was last Wednesday, and like any good holiday it must be celebrated with copious amounts of booze and drunken shenanigans.  I was headed for a relaxing day on the beach when I was sidetracked by a street performer swallowing a 5 foot long balloon just down the street from a couple guys playing a didgeridoo with techno bumping in the background. Pretty intense. I then got a call from some fellow backpackers who are staying in another hostel down the road to hang out in the botanical gardens for a few minutes.  A few boxes of Australia's finest wine were reluctantly cracked open and the rest of the day was a bit of a blur.

Sydney Harbour Bridge from the Botanical Gardens

Sydney Opera House

Fireworks over Darling Harbour

A few days ago I took a train up into the Blue Mountains... ya.

Three Sisters

Achtung!!!

Saw this guy playing a cello (maybe?) in a graffitied park in the middle of nowhere

It's rotated, but you get the idea...

On Sunday a few of us did the walk from Coogee Beach to Bondi Beach.  I read it's only supposed to take about an hour and a half at most to do.  We did it in just under 4 hours...  Not sure how it happened, but but the time we made it to Bondi the sun was already on it's way down and it was getting a little chili.  Awesome views though.

On Monday I hopped on a train to Newcastle for the International Women's Ice Hockey Tournament.  The tournament goes on from February 1st through the 6th, so I've got plenty of time to waste away on the beach.  And I saw my first Australian Lifeguard rescue today.  It wasn't very exciting, but I couldn't help but to laugh.

Rescue in progress

The rescue-ees on the right