Time has flown by. I'm now on my 2nd day in Sydney. Uluru was cool, but the sunset was pretty unremarkable. I guess that's the problem with seeing an image of a place so many times and then seeing it for real is just like looking at another postcard. Sunrise was cool though - much more fun watching it gradually glow as the sun comes up. I much more enjoyed my base walk (i'm totally against climbing Uluru) and you get a much better appreciation of its scale and all its eroded features. There were just 4 of us on the tour and our guide gave us so many cultural insights, it was fascinating (Dad - you would love the geology of this place). There had been loads of rain the morning before so we were really lucky to see a natural river around the base which apparently will only last a couple of days and happens once or twice a year. We saw some crazy climber who had come right off the track and was perched precariously over an edge. We thought he was a jumper and half expected to see an ambulance when we came back round. Freak. I was massively amused to learn that the aboriginal people at Uluru call white people mingers! Ha ha. It means 'ants' because the climbers look like ants on the rock, but i prefer the English usage! Another highlight was my guide saying "bizarro." I didn't think that word existed. The walk around Uluru and a very brief walk amongst the Olgas were my highlights, although my tour company were morons and kept turning up late so i missed the first 10 minutes of sunrise (quite significant when it last only 30 minutes) and messed up my itinerary so i got stuck with 2 boring Uluru sunsets when i could have had an Olgas sunset, which i was much more looking forward to. But hey, i've still seen a gorgeous sight.

Next was Canberra. It seems to be a national hobby to take the piss out of Canberra but i really liked it, despite it being freezing. It's like a massive campus, very green and spacious with lots of strolling areas and a beautiful fake lake. It's all autumnal coulrs at the moment, with blue skies and water and surrounded by mountains - kind of reminds me of Vancouver but with more hill-like scenery! It screams urban planning, but they've done a good job. I loved touring the parliament buildings and recognising borrowed elements but learning about the little changes and how they've incorporated the Australian environment into the architecture. I also loved that the old parliament building had the prime ministers office on the very corner of the building with full windows and overlooking a major road with a massive tree just metres away. How deliciously naive. I enjoyed the war memorial too, which was like a mini Imperial War Museum, and it was really good to see loads of artifacts and displays on Gallipolli so i could learn about it before ANZAC day, yesterday.

I took the bus to Sydney and subjected myself to hours of endless gum trees going past my window. After about 3 and half hours we dipped into a tunnel and when we came out there was suddenly a massive city filling the window. "Bizarro." I'm staying with friends in Sydney, one in the eastern suburbs, and then with a friend on the north shore. The eastern suburbs have an amazing view over the whole harbour, taking in all the city and its landmarks. Its incredible. I met up with both friends yesterday and went down to the main harbour area but didn't really see the sights as it rained all day, but that was fine coz it was ANZAC day and everyone was spending all day in pubs anyway. It was a really cool day. I thought ANZAC would be all solemn and stuff but it just seems to be an excuse to have a big "piss up." People were out in uniform just drinking and having fun playing the simplest of gambling games that is apparently illiegal to played on any day other than ANZAC. Today i'm just taking advantage of the sunshine and walking around the harbour and admiring the views before meeting my mates for lunch.
Sydney is cool.