Way too long overdue

Alright so I'm sorry it has taken me so long to update this. Idk what happened really, I just forgot to update it and then it was always on my mind to do but I never got around to it. And again, I'm sorry I didn't update it because for a lot of you this is really your only way of following my travels and knowing what I'm up to. So for that I am also sorry again.

Well anyway, its been like five weeks since I last posted so I'm gonna try and give you guys the abridged version of what I've done without leaving anything out. When I last posted, I was in Newcastle telling you all about soccer and whatnot. Well, after that I did a week long Australia introduction week that was basically a week tour around Sydney. It was with a group and we did all the touristy things in downtown Sydney but then also did a Sydney Harbor boat tour and a one day surf lesson, which changed everything. After that lesson I signed up for a five day surf trip from Sydney to Byron Bay that stopped at a couple of places on the way. That Wednesday and Thursday we stopped at this place called Spot X, which is basically like a vacation campground for surfing that feels like a resort. And when I got there, I didn't want to leave. So after we got to Byron Bay, I went to the main office of the company that did the trip and signed up for a four week surf camp. And everything was going really well too; getting up and surfing early every morning and then going back out in the afternoon and then just chilling and drinking almost every night. I was living the life... until I unfortunately broke my rib. Which was probably the worst possible injury I could have gotten as far as surfing goes. So that ended my outstanding, however short, surf career.

Demoralized because I could no longer surf, I headed up the coast a little to the Gold Coast. I was there for a week and stayed with one of my friends from Miami who just finished doing a semester over here at Griffith University. While staying with her, I got to see what Australian college life is like and it's basically like living at a resort full of college students. The only catch obviously is the fact that you have to go to class, but that seems to be the last of everyone's concerns. Anyway, after a week in Gold Coast I came back to Sydney and have been here for four days now. My plan from here on out is to find a place to live and then get a job and stay in Sydney for a few months and then see what I want to do from there.

Well that's about it from me! And as far as posting in the future goes, I probably won't be updating the blog every other day like I said I originally would. But expect two posts per week at the least, probably more if there's a lot going on.

Beaches and Soccer

Hey guys so not much has happened in the past two days but still enough to warrant a post. So yesterday we went to the Newcastle Jets vs Melbourne Heart soccer game in Newcastle. And eh it wasn't anywhere near the level of soccer we have even in America. The gameplay was very choppy and there was a lot more fighting than I've ever seen in soccer. The game was highly contested all the way to the end, with a lot of bullshit goals and yellow cards along the way. Newcastle ended up winning 3-2 literally in the last second by yet another bullshit goal. After the game we went out to dinner on the boardwalk in downtown Newcastle and left much to be desired. So overall a very slightly below average day.

Today was much different and much better. I literally slept until 10 (the first time I had slept past 5) and for once woke up feeling well rested. Then, for lunch we drove north to Nelson Bay which is about an hour north of Newcastle and it wasn't much to write home about. But then we took a drive through wine country in Hunter Valley and that was awesome. Hunter Valley is home to probably about a hundred wineries, each with its own individual touch. My dad and I stopped at Brokenwood Wines, which boasts Australia's third rated wine. After tasting our fair share, we walked away with a good amount for ourselves. 

Well, I know that wasn't that interesting but oh well. Hopefully the next two days will be more exciting.

Manly and the Blue Mountains

Hey guys,

So we left off with me getting a phone number and all that on Wednesday. Later that day, my dad and I met up with a contact of my dad's who lives in the Sydney area (Manly to be exact). Manly, along with Bondi, is one of Sydney's premier beaches for surfing and everything else, so it was awesome to be able to get to check it out only two days into my time in Australia. Getting to Manly we had to take a ferry across the Sydney Harbor and I got some great pictures again of the Opera House and Harbor Bridge as the boat carried us away from the city. Then, in Manly, we took a little drive up to the cliff on the coast at the Sydney Harbor National Park and the sights and everything were absolutely breathtaking. After absorbing all of that, we headed back to the Harbor and had a couple of beers on the wharf. Let me tell you, it felt so good to be able to actually legally enjoy a beer. And that was all for Wednesday.

Thursday was a different story. After failing (for the second time) to get my phone contract updated, we drove out to the town of Katoomba in the heart of the Blue Mountain National Park. After checking into a fairly rustic cabin up in the Park, we set off for our first of two bushwalks (Australian for hikes). Unfortunately, there was an unbelievable mist and fog that day so we literally could only see maybe twenty feet in front of us but I managed to still find a way to get some quality pictures. After drying off and resting our legs from the two and a half hour trek, we headed into town to get our first real taste of Australian cuisine. At the Savoy restaurant, I had my first kangaroo. And while it was no NY Strip Steak, it was pretty damn delicious. Then after retiring for the night, we woke up early this morning and took another bushwalk, this time through the "Grand Canyon" on the Blue Mountains. On our way out of the door, we were greeted by an Australian king parrot that was literally just chlling on our doorstep. Anyway, while this canyon doesn't compare at all to the Canyon in Arizona, it was an amazing hike nonetheless. In the first half hour, we walked through forest, then rainforest, then canyon floor, and then we finally up to a gorgeous waterfall. Because I can't put my pictures up yet, check out this month's National Geographic issue and their piece on the Blue Mountains. If you aren't lucky enough to be subscribed, well, just wait for my pictures to go up I guess.

Anyway, that's about it! Tomorrow we're off to Newcastle to watch Melbourne Heart FC take on the Newcastle Jets, and then we're just gonna let the road take us on more of an exploration of Australia.

Until next time, cheers!

First Post!

Alright guys sorry it took so long for me to get this up and going but I made it safely to Australia! And I finally found somewhere that I can use the internet and not have to pay for it. But there is so much that I have to update you all on. For those of you who don't know, I'm here with my dad right now but he's only here for a week or so, so whenever I say "we," I', referring to my day and I. Anyway, the flight across the Pacific kinda sucked but it helped that they had movies on movies on the airplane so that made it go by pretty quickly (or at least as quickly as a 15 hour flight can be). But then we landed in Sydney. And I knew right away that I was going to love it here. Everything here is awesome, and right when we got off the plane we headed toward the beaches. Driving along side of Bondi and Coogee beaches was amazingly picturesque, and then driving into Sydney we were taken aback by the skyline. Obviously, like the tourists we are, we made a beeline for the Opera House and the Harbor Brigde and got some quality pictures there. Unfortunately I forgot the cord to my computer for my camera so until I get that I can't upload any of my pictures. After that, we took a walk around Sydney and really took in the city. The closest thing I can equate it to is a city like San Francisco or like a really really really big version of the shopping area of M Street in Georgetown. While walking around, it was really great to see a lot of American stores and shops. There are 7-11's, McDonald's, and even Westfield malls all over the place here (we even saw a three story Apple store). And while there was so much more we wanted to do, we checked into our hotel and tried taking a nap but ended up falling asleep for the night at the very late hour of 3 pm. This morning was more for the important things, I set up an Australian phone number (6145 674 560 for any of you who want to call me), a bank accout, and I have a mailing address! If anyone wants to send me a letter or package (I'm talking to you specifically here, Mom), my address is: Stephen Mooers, #19069
c/o Traveller's Contact Point, Level 7, Dymock's Building
428 George St. Sydney NSW 2000

Alright well that's pretty much it! I'm trying to work out BBM, Facebook, and Twitter still working on my phone so until I figure that out my only way to talk to anyone will be during the limited time I would be able to use the internet because pretty much evrerywhere it costs money.

If any of you have any questions just post a reply to this and I'll do my best to respond to it as quickly as possible, or just email or Facebook me.

I'll do my best to update this every other day so stay tuned to future updates!

Until then,

Cheers!