important things i learned about sydney in the first few days...

The buses do not announce the name of the stop and it is not written anywhere. I guess they assume that people know where to get off. This can pose as a slight problem for someone like me who is directionally challenged and new to the city.

There are 7% asians in australia and they are all in Sydney. i have met more people in my first few days from Japan and Korea than i have from australia.

The sun in Australia is stronger than it is anywhere else in the world. An Australian explained this to be from the lack of an ozone layer.

Hostels in Sydney don't sell towels. I had to settle for a towel with "bondi beach" written in huge letters. If that doesn't scream tourist, I don't know what does.



A large majority of australians have been to America at least once and loved it. They know more about the US government than most Americans.

The same goes for Europeans. A boy from the Netherlands told me that America is on their news everyday. I can't recall a time when the Netherlands has been mentioned in American news.

Last month there were 85 rescues on the beaches of sydney; 80 of them were tourists.

It gets windy on the beaches at night, very windy.

McDonalds are a lot nicer in Sydney. And Burger Kings are called "Hungry Jacks"

Australians have a difficult time differentiating the American and Canadian accent. Canadians seem to be offended by this.

The australian Prime Minister is Kevin Rudd, not Peter Rudd as I chose to call him. and he lives in a beautiful house overlooking the Harbour.

The muttle is the state flower of Australia and to me it looks like a pine cone.

There is 10 minutes every hour when a bar is not legally allowed to serve alcohol. Also, after midnight no straight shots are allowed to be sold.

In Sydney restaurants with a French name charge double the price. There is a restaurant at manly beach called le kiosk, meaning "the kiosk." You can imagine the prices.