Dec 9 - A Walk to Remember

Today we (Sarah, Brennan and me) had to check out of the YHA and then walk over to our new hostel (Base) where we'll be for the next three nights. We stored the luggage because we couldn't check in until 2. So we walked down to the Darling Harbour and then over to the Rocks area. Did a big loop and got back to the hostel just after 2, where Enrico met us. Today is Enrico's birthday, so we went in search of cake. After a Subway stop to fuel up for the day (hadn't eaten until this point, so it was much needed) we walked until we came to a custom cake shop and each got a slice. Enrico paid despite our protest, but apparently it's a tradition in Italy for the birthday boy to buy drinks (or in this case, cake) for the friends, as opposed to the other way around in Canada. We went to Hyde Park and sat on the grass to eat the cake and relax for awhile. Today is really humid and hot, so the break was much needed after walking around for a decent while now. After the cake, we walked around the city for another while longer then went for dinner at a pub. Some mediocre pasta down the hatch and then we parted ways with Enrico, who flies back to Italy tomorrow and had yet to pack up his stuff tonight. The plan is to meet up with him again in Italy (he lives in Milan) with our original 6 travelling group from New Zealand sometime around April. Brennan, Sarah and I went back to the hostel and hung out, watching old tv episodes, reading magazines and surfing the net. Felt good to sit down after walking probably over 20 KM today. There's a free bus to Coogee beach and a free BBQ there for people at Base tomorrow at 1, so we'll probably hit that up, and I want to go to Hays job agency in the morning to see what they can match me with in terms of a job.