Sydney – hostel to hotel

Even though I was in my own room staying in a backpackers I did soon get very tired of staying in a hostel. I mean I did have over six months of it on my travels… so by the time I reached Sydney I was ready to get my own place. I just wanted a bit of consistency and to get to know some people for longer than a week or two.

It did take me a while to find an house that suited what I was after ��" I did have a few rules I tried to stick to. Number one I wasn’t sharing a room, number 2 they all had to be guys because guys are less complicated and easier to live with ��" not that I have a vast experience of living with girls but that’s just my opnion ��" and number three they were not allowed to be Irish.

Number three might sound strange given that I am from Ireland. Its not that I hate my fellow countrymen and women its just that I didn’t travel half way round the world to live with people from my own country. I could quite easily do that in Belfast!

Using this set of rules as a guide I ended up looking at about 12 different places in all. Some were just rubbish, some were quite nice but the people didn’t seem to be the sort that I would get along with. In the end I settled for a place in Bondi Junction, partly out of desperation to get out of the hostel and partly because I liked the look of the place.

It had 3 guys in it ��" check ��" from different parts of the world, not Ireland ��" check ��" and I had my own room. So it checked all the boxed so I had a gamble and took it. The only problem was it would take another 2 weeks before it became available, but the hostel didn’t seem so bad after that because I had a date when I was leaving so it was bearable. I do also have to say that the staff in it the hostel where great ��" bar one of the nights guys who irritated me by his mere presence, impressive right. I have only ever meet two people with this quality and I would prefer not to meet a third.

Anyway moving swiftly on It took quite a while to get to grips with all the services offered by my new job, though I did eventually get there. One of the most difficult things I have found it being cheerful in the morning, this is difficult at the best of times for me but especially if I haven’t had my coffee… then it’s impossible.

So anyone who comes in first thing in the morning is not in my good books and probably thinks I am a very grumpy person ��" which is true, first thing in the morning at least.

One of the definite perks of the job is that I get to sample the trips that we offer. So I have a hit list of whale watching, harbour boat cruise, Sydney bridge climb, surfing weekend, Hunter Valley, Blue Mountains, Skydive and a few others I have my eye on 

Its good for me as a traveller because I get to see quite a bit of Sydney and the surrounding area for free. But the good must be mixed with the bad and I have to say sometimes working by yourself is boring and a little lonely ��" even if you do have a lot of people coming in and out all the time. I also need to get a ipod doc for the speakers because the radio stations over here are starting to do my head in a little. At least if I had that I could put on a decent play list of songs.

Ultimately though the good outweighs the bad by a considerable margin for the job I am doing. I mean what other job can you have a look out the window at the beach and if I was to get a surfboard go for a surf at lunch time? Tough life eh 

The house I moved into worked out really well. All the housemates are sound but ironically it’s the Chinese guy who I get on best with, socialable and a good laugh. The Kiwi guys is also dead on but he isn’t around that much because he works shifts from 2-10 and finally the guy from Australia is a bit of a recluse and doesn’t come out of his room much. But he does give me quite a few movies to watch so he is definitely not all bad! Its also great just to be able to close the door to room��" with your double bed!!! ��" and wake up with nobody else in the room. That may sound stupid but if you have staying in hostels with 8-10 people staying in a room for over six months you will appreciate what I am saying.

What else to update your on…. Ahhh yes, I have started to play for a six aside team every Thursday night, which while it gives me a football fix that I badly need its not the same as an eleven aside match back home. We have won our three opening games quite comfortably and sit proudly at the top of the league ��" a place I don’t intend on moving from either. I have set myself a probably unrealistic target of 5 goals in the next ten games and for those of you who have seen my shooting this is a very tough target indeed. More chance of winning the lottery probably but I will give it a shot. We have kept 2 cleans sheets so I am happy to keep that going as well!

I decided against joining a gym in the end because it was too expensive ��" over a hundred dollars a month (50 quid +) ��" and instead run back from work most days ��" 5k ��" and go to the outdoor gym in Bondi for some press ups, sit-ups, pull ups and all that jazz. Its keeping me in reasonable condition but I think I might try and up the distance I am running a bit and also the amount of reps I can do. Time will tell if this goal becomes a reality.

Living in a hostel,

Is a bit like being in a zoo,

You get all sorts in you bedroom

And you always have to que for the loo

You see your fair share of strangers

Who have no manners and are rather rude

Making you think there is a reason for firearms

And they tend to put you in a mood

I look back at my time in hostels

And am glad that it’s in the past

I have my own room for a change

But I am aware that that won’t last

I know I will be moving on in the future
and I will see hostels once again

But as long as I continue to sleep like a log

It should be a time of limited pain,

Although I will keep my ear plugs handy all the same