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It’s been a jam packed couple of weeks as we’ve strived to squeeze every last drop out of Australia for Matt’s Antipodean Adventure. Ok, so we’ve not hugged a koala, visited Ayres rock, thrown a boomerang or met Rolf Harris but the things we’ve done… – oh the things we’ve done.

SuperBowl Eight Hundred – Indianapolis Colts versus the Chicago Bears. We found an Indianapolis T-shirt in our room so the allegiance was set. We went to Cheers bar in town (I think every American in Australia was in there), bought a round of Buds, I got a run down on the rules (it’s not like rugby) and we watched the game. The Yanks were going crazy punctuating every sentence with a Hi-5, then punctuating that Hi-5 with another.

It was a great morning. Rosey met some American girls who, as Bears fans, ribbed him no end about his Indianapolis T-shirt.

With the game finished (someone won) we hit town for some drunk shopping. The last time this happened I awoke with a fetching pair of womens sunglasses from H&M, this time I was lucky to escape with just a stuffed koala and kangeroo.

Eager not to let alcohol levels drop to dangerously sober levels we frequented Scubar that evening. Here we – HOLD THE PHONE! Tell your Dad…!

Us and some other people.

Woo! American sports rule! Hi-5! Hi-5!

Tags American girls Superbowl

Radical.

We’ve been staying at a place called the English Lodge, suitably named for all the Irish living here. There’s 20 odd rooms and a communal kitchen area, but despite this there’s not a whole lot of talking between the tenants, bar the occasional trans-corridor ‘hello’. People move in and out all the time, so when 3 girls moved into Room 3, we knew it was time to break down the communication barrier.

Lewis, Rosey and myself were sat in the kitchen having just finished our 18th consecutive pasta meal. I decided to initiate a brainstorming session, airing some ideas that might help us better ingratiate ourselves with Room 3. My two suggestions – Naked Book Club and Naked Watching a DVD – were not met with favour by either Lewis or Rosey. Clearly, it was going to take a little more work.

Over the coming days we chat to the girls at meal times; all three of them are friendly and it made a nice change to talking to the food.

One evening the guys and me are idly watching Australian Princess (a ridiculous program by the way), mulling over whether to ask the girls up when I decide the time is now. “Right! I’ll be back in a minute.”

I go downstairs and find them in the kitchen. I clear my throat. They turn around from what looks to be their 18th consecutive pasta meal. “Uh, hi, um, so we’ve got a DVD and were wondering if maybe, um, you wanted to come up and watch the DVD?” They consider it for a second. ‘Quick’ I thought, seal the deal – “And, uh, we usually wear clothes”. I thought I should make clear this was not one of my naked ideas. They said “yes”.

~

Last Saturday Matt arrived so we figured a night in the city would be appropriate. One of the girls mentioned she had some tickets to Sydney’s Home night club. It was a date. Here we are with Matt.

These are the girls; Katy, Louise and Frances. Delightful, and not without significant wife potential.

Home night club.

The boys from Swad.

Plus girls.

You can’t see it, but in this photo I’m gradually digging myself into a hole. Quite a deep one.

Suffice to say it was a good evening that unfolded into an interesting evening, but regardless it just shows that sometimes in order to make new friends all you have to do is rent a Scrubs DVD and promise to wear clothes.

Tags English Lodge girls Sydney

We’ve moved to a place called Petersham. We were sad to leave the Grand Pines tourist park as the lady in charge had been brilliant and took good care of us over Christmas. We didn’t know her name but ‘Mavis’ seemed to suffice. At one stage we had been lined up to move cabins but she decided we could stay put, promising she’d tell the guy who’d been due to move into our one “a story”. She didn’t embellish but I like to think the story included an enterprising kangeroo and a boy stuck down a well.

We went to a club in Sydney where we stumbled across Sally Fletcher and Leah Patterson-Baker out of Home and Away (aka Kate Ritchie and Ada Nicodemou). I don’t watch it but am assured they’re quite famous. After the snub from Carla Bonner, Lewis and Rosey were getting along with her real well. She even bit Rosey’s cheek. First Neighbours, now this, all we need now is to meet some butch lesbians from Prisoner Cell Block H and we’ll have the complete set.

Also, the guys have really embraced advanced keyboard and mouse technology to create an exhaustive – sometimes intriguing – multimedia rundown of our trip. Lewis’s MSN Space throws up some videos, a booklist and other goods whilst Rosey’s is just straight out of left field.

Tags Australia Sydney Travel