Part 4:The Cross

Before I get into this last post here, I'd like to throw this in here: In today's world, where there's social networking all over the internet and in every facet of people's lives, it becomes so much easier to run across people from your past, which in most occasions is a good thing, but in most cases it reminds me more and more of how compared to so many people that I see, getting married, having kids, getting good jobs and growing up, it makes me reflect more on what I'm doing with my life, whereas a couple years ago, I never would've looked back. It kinda reminds me of Weezer's song where they sing: The world has turned and left me here; Just where I was before you appeared, and in your place an empty space has filled the void behind my face. I know I have nothing to be ashamed of in my life, but sometimes the light of reality can be harsh and bright.

The subject of people coming and going leads well into the last part of the story from my trip to Sydney. I had spent most of the trip just taking everything in. Sydney is one of the most beautiful cities I've ever seen. It's amazing what can happen when a government spends it's money on beautification instead of destruction. That's not a political statement as much as it is a fact. If you want to see what I mean, just come down to Sydney. There's hundreds of zoos and aquariums for education of their unique land, and the entire harbour area is strewn with art and water works where parents can bring their kids to play. There's large expanses of grass in the middle of it all with plenty of trees for shade where anyone can kick back and spend the entire day reading a book, watching people bustle about by the water. Absolutely gorgeous.

For the next two days, I didn't really do anything. I walked around town, sitting in cafes and watching people. Most of the time I might even call it boring, and maybe it was just the fact that I was out on my own in a new place, but a wave of happiness swelled over me. It had been forever since I had felt so awake and alert. I had a permanent smile on my face.

On the last night that I had there, I was completely content with just taking it easy, so I jumped into bed and listened to music, starting to drift off, when the door opened. One of the girls that was staying in the room peeked her head in and we both said hi. I still hadn't said a single word to these girls. We sat there in silence as I listened to my music, but as she kept looking around the room with a bored face, I felt like being social and started up talking to her. Her english was a little broken, but it didn't really matter because I could still see how absolutely beautiful she was. I was already kicking myself for not talking to her sooner. She was really nice and reached into a bag she had and offered me a wine cooler. Surely.

It turns out that all three of the girls were getting really bored in the town and were looking for a fun night out. Apparently they thought I was going to help them out with that, so I thought I'd give it a try. It really isn't hard to find something to do in our part of town: Kings Cross.

It used to be a nice part of town, evidenced by the Ferrari and Maserati dealerships right next to our hostel, but in recent years, it's become known as the red light district throughout Sydney. You walk up the main street from our hostel and not more than 200 yards away, you hit the gigantic Coca-Cola sign, a pre-requisite for any large city in the world. If you turn right, that's the gay district. Not what I said, it's basically advertised as such. Even if you just walk down the street, it's pretty much assumed that you're gay, something I found out from all the glances I got. If you turn left at the big sign, that's where you find the strip clubs, hookers, sex shops and a really good fruit and yogurt stand.

The girls wanted to go dancing so we found a nice club and settled in and started having a few drinks. We were talking and laughing and having an awesome time. I could tell that one of the girls kinda liked me, so when they wanted to get up and dance, even though every past experience in my life was telling me "no", the look on her face said "yes". I got up and we started dacing around like idiots, or at least I looked like an idiot, and they looked like idiots because they were with me, but after a few songs, the girl that seemed to like me (her name is Frida by the way) and I started dancing together and after a while, we were making out like a couple of little kids getting their first kiss (though I hope it was a lot more graceful).

For the rest of the night, we were inseperable. After we left the club, and were walking back, we were talking shit and everything each of us said always seemed to make the other laugh hysterically. We all got a snack and walked back to the hostel, and while the other girls went inside to go to bed and talk to guys in the common room, Frida and I stayed outside and watched the hookers as they came back from their night out. They looked exhausted and spent, yet even right in front of our eyes, more guys would pick them up. It was disgusting and embarassing and funny as hell. We sat there outside until the sun came up (which wasn't really that long at all) and then went in to bed.

The next morning, we had to be checked out by 10, so we didn't get much sleep. My mind was still gone, and I was slightly tipsy from the night before, but I still had a huge smile on my face. Frida's whole family also had to be checked out that morning to go to another hotel in town, and since my flight left late that night, they were nice enough to let me hang out with them for the day. I can't explain how much fun it was, especially with their father's extremely broken english: "I will move you". When it came time to leave, I was just sick and tired of goodbyes. I'd said too many of them on the trip, and I never wanted to say it to any of the people I'd met, but I guess I had to get back to Byron and get on with it.