A few years ago I was afforded 20 days of paid time off work in one period. Combining this time with the Christmas and New Years holidays (plus the weekends), I was able to create a 32 day vacation. I knew with this length of time, quite unheard of for working Americans, it would be in my best interest to go as far as possible. I had my heart set on returning to Vietnam, so after 8 days there, I flew to Australia, cheaper to get to from Asia because of the closer proximity.
I can’t say I was initially ecstatic about visiting Australia. Knowing it was an affluent and predominately white society did not really excite me. I wondered how could it possibly be much different from home and was a bit nervous about the amount of money I’d be spending. Well, in actuality, I greatly enjoyed my visit, and found the country to have very unique attributes. And yes, it was expensive, but not to the same extent as New Zealand. I visited Sydney, Melbourne, and Tasmania, each stop better than the last. As an added bonus, I was able to reunite with some Australian friends along the way.
I’ve learned from my travels that you aren’t going to jive with every city. Unfortunately the place that fell a bit short for me was Sydney. This was for a few reasons: The weather was absolutely miserable, with record-breaking rain during my 4 days. My hostel was super basic in amenities and rather anti-social. Additionally, the person I was traveling with during this leg was a major buzzkill who spent the entire time on Tinder (yes, it was the last time we traveled together). Regardless of these shortcomings, weather is unpredictable and I could’ve researched a better place to sleep. I’d love to return for a hike of the Blue Mountains, and to walk the urban Bondi to Coogee beach walk.
On the other hand, by the time I got to Melbourne, I was back to traveling on my own and the city greeted me with clear weather and chill vibes. The dark cloud had literally been lifted. I fell in love with the funky architecture and warm energy, and the friendly atmosphere at my hostel was a huge plus. I also found Melbourne to be the dream city for photography. I enjoyed my time to the extent that I briefly looked into getting an Australian work visa!
Tasmania was my final stop in Oz, and I was surprised to learn that none of my Australian friends had yet to visit! Scroggy (who I met in Bogota) joined me and we road-tripped and camped on the island state over 3 days. ‘Tassie’ is remote, stunningly beautiful, and full of wallabies (believe it or not, I didn’t see a single kangaroo in Australia – WTF). It’s magical and I consider it one of the best places I’ve ever visited.
So while Sydney was not my favorite place, Melbourne rocked my world, and Tasmania inspired the nature lover in me beyond measure. All in all, from my short 10-day trip, I learned that Australia is a very special place and I’m so happy that I was able to visit. Following Australia, I spent 8 days in New Zealand, and that story is to be continued.