Cham pop numero deux...

Come in country number five: What's your name and where do you come from?

I'm back in Australia again - the country where the first seeds of the idea for this trip were planted 18 months ago...  I was walking down Swanston Street in Melbourne enjoying fresh sushi rolls from one of the many sushi stalls and feeling more relaxed than I had been in a very long time.  I didn't know exactly what I needed to do then, but I knew just moving house wasn't going to be enough.  I didn't feel the need to move to Australia as some of my friends had done, but I knew I wanted to come back and see a lot more of this place.

Roll forwards 18 months and I am having the best time of my life.  Absolutely no regrets about leaving work or selling up.  I could say I wish I had done it sooner, but that wouldn't be entirely true.  I wouldn't be the person I am now, if I had.  I wouldn't be doing for the same reasons, or in the same style.  I have met a lot of people of pre- and post-uni age so far.  I admire the 18 and 19 year olds - I don't think I was that brave then - but they are also quite naive in some ways and have a very different perspective on travel.  I've also met a few thirty-somethings like me who have worked for a while and got sucked into the career path at the expense of their social life, had a long relationship that hasn't worked out for whatever reason, or simply looked up and asked what on earth happened to the last five or ten years?  But whatever the reason, I would recommend this trip to anyone who considers it.

My little cousin Hannah and her partner David have moved from Melbourne to Sydney, so I arranged to meet up with them for dinner on my first night.  They were meeting some friends from Melbourne who were in town on business, so we met up at a great little Mexican place called Mejico on Pitt Street.  Fran had just made a big sale that day so was in the mood to celebrate.  We had to wait over an hour for a table, so decided to have champagne and our starters in the bar area.  This was a comfy area with low tables, stools made out of polished logs and lots of throw cushions.  The waiter brought us an icebucket and five glasses, but when he went to open the champagne it errupted! The cork flew out the second he removed the wire cage, hitting him on the jaw and ricocheting off the wall above the people at the next table.  The poor guy was so flustered that all he could do was hold the bottle over the ice bucket while it fizzed over.  He was so embarrassed that he brought us another bottle, even though we had only lost a glass worth out of the first bottle.  David and Keith were drinking beer and Hannah was driving, so that left Fran and I to manage a bottle and a half of champagne between us... what a shame!

It was a great night and a lovely welcome back to Sydney! Thanks very much to Hannah, David, Fran and Keith for letting me tag along to your night out.