Last few days on the other side of the world...

Dan flew home on Monday so my last week was spent traveling how I initially planned: alone. I realized through the past two months traveling with Dan I had grown accustomed to traveling with someone else so going back to traveling alone was a bit of an adjustment.

I decided to try couchsurfing on my own the first two nights to save some money. After having attended numerous couchsurfing events and couchsurfing once with Dan in New Zealand I thought I was ready to try it on my own. I stayed with Zee, a guy in his early thirties recommended to me by Dan. Zee was a great host- he picked me up at the bus station, showed me the best places to eat around town and even offered to give up his own bed so I didn't have to sleep on the futon in the living room. I couldn't possibly take his own bed away from him so I spent my two nights sleeping on the futon with his two cats at my feet. I couldn't have asked for a better host my first time couchsurfing alone.


My last few days have been spent actually going into all the shops that I forced myself to pass during my time in Sydney. I spent less money than I anticipated during my time here, so I had some extra to spend. Turns out the shops that had looked so great as I sadly passed them by, weren't that great afterall. Most trends here evolve from the States and Australia seems to be just a few months behind.

Wednesday night I checked into the cheapest hostel I could find in Central Sydney. After a full day of shopping I cooked some dinner and went to the room to read (I have become an avid reader- book exchanges are great!) Apparently I must have passed out as I was reading because the next thing I remember is a guy walking in the room and saying hello, and me somehow replying from a subconscious state. He asked if he woke me and I replied "no" so he continued talking. He then asked if I were traveling alone and I replied "no" and began searching the room confused as to where Dan had gone because I had just been talking to him. This is when I realized that I had been having a dream where in it I was talking to Dan. I must have been awoken half-way through my dream, thus making me confused. But not as confused as the guy I was talking to. The guy looked around the room until I corrected myself and told him that I was traveling alone. I tried to redeem myself and prove I wasn't nuts by continuting the conversation in a now awake state. I asked what time it was and he replied that it was midnight and he was on his way out and he asked if I wanted to join. I don't know what provoked it, but for some reason I replied "yes." We ended up going to a local backpackers bar and having a great time.

Today I will spend most of the day shopping for souveneirs before I return home tomorrow. My flight leaves Sydney at 10:15am Sydney time and after 22 hours somehow arrives in NY at 5:15pm. Thus making it the longest day of my life...