Uluru at Sunset on our recent trip to the Outback

All Settled In

So we have been here in Sydney for a little over 3 months now. Working, living, basically just existing. Taking a much needed break between long travels, and just finding our place in a new city. Our apartment is spectacular. After searching the suburbs high and low for a decent place while residing in the friendly neighborhood of Kings Cross, we finally, miraculously stumbled upon our new home. It was probably mid-week-two of our apartment hunting, and we were living in a 6 bed dorm room in the heart of the seedy street walker district. Our hopes were so low that we almost were convinced that western union-ing money to a man named Rev. Richard in South Africa was a good idea. I called my mom from the little cafe we came to love called Roy's, and spent a good hour (and most of my remaining cell phone credit) crying. But for some reason, I think that it was all a test. Something that needed to happen in order for us to slowly raise our budget, and lower our standards. So that the moment we saw the ad for our apartment, and talked to the guy, I gave him my best "all our eggs are in your basket" kind of speech, and pretty much took the place sight unseen. And, quite frankly it was what we had been through the two weeks before that made it possible for us to love, and work out a way to afford living here in the CBD. It is the most centrally located place I have ever lived. Right at the bottom of Hyde park, we are two blocks away from Museum Station, and only two stops away from where I work at Circular Quay. Now that we are settled, I can't wait to start planning our next adventure. For a long time we were set on China. Pouring ourselves into Lonely Planet guide books and scouring the Internet for deals. But that dream is just a bit too far out of reach with the Olympics starting in August. The tickets are just too expensive and the visa situation is just too complicated. We have made the educated decision (like many travelers in our situation right now) to put the China trip on the back burner for a later date, and find a new destination. As of now it looks like Vietnam, maybe with a bit of a side trip to Cambodia, if we can work out the travel between the two. Vietnam should be fairly simple, they have a good rail network, and cheap flights from one end to the other. Cambodia on the other had has some of the worst roads in the world, which not only are bumpy and windy, but also flood during the "wet" season, and of course, that is the season we are looking at going.