Travelling Companions, The Blue Mountains &The Orchestra

With the many wonderful people I have met through my travels, probability dictates I will also meet a few awful ones or at the very least, annoying...

My first encounter was on my jeep trip into The Blue Mountains. There were six of us altogether...two couples, me and Jen...another woman travelling alone for a few weeks and mostly on tours.. I can remember once reading a book about travelling solo and the author talking about how your new found energy, desire to remain travelling alone without the restrictions of another and I suppose selfishness is put to the test when another person, you don't quite 'click' with, imposes on your travel plans. It is never a case of...I'm travelling alone, so are you, hey why don't we do things together?

Before I continue, The Blue Mountains were stunning! I consider myself very lucky to have been with a guide who had lived there all his life and loved the area with a passion...We left the tourist trails behind and he took us to these little known places with breathtaking scenery.. The mountains are actually blue, the eucalyptus trees reflect in the sunlight a hint of blue.. We also went to this wonderful wildlife retreat and I met a ranger on the way on carrying a baby kangaroo! He let me hold it and I really didn't want to give it back.........

Jen was not really annoying until we went out that evening... Don't get me wrong, it was great to have someone of a similar age to go out for cocktails and a meal along Darling Harbour but the whole travelling experience has allowed me to embrace the truly interesting people with great depth and reject those that waste my time...

I've realised, many of these 'interesting' people do not say very much, they leave you to discover the great things about them...like Claudia and the Professor in Hong Kong... Unfortunately, the annoying talk about themselves constantly about the inane and boring...Jen talked about herself constantly and at the end of most sentences was an expletive....her talk was to the extent where your words were projected and returned with great force..she was on her mission to say whatever she needed to say and anything you said was an interference...I'm sure we have all met at least one person like that before..

Lastly, her time keeping was awful... I can be a few minutes late and it is a trait, when shown, I hate in myself but half an hour late on a regular basis, is really not good enough..

I brought up the lateness and constant talking in conversation (in the two second gap I had). This is something I would not normally do...perhaps I'm less tolerant of people who are so rude and self involved...

She wanted to spend some of the next day with me but I had other plans..Feeling mean, I said I'd be going for a drink after the orchestra ...she could come..

It is a good job I got on with my drink I promised myself after the Opera House...again she was over half an hour late......... She had one saving grace... We were both being given a tale of woe by a man at a bar and it was becoming quite annoying.. She created a fiction with another man a short distance away from us and he saved us from any further need to endure it! Infact, this same man was the owner of a fantastic club in the heart of Sydney...it was a wonderful mix of Edwardian and modern furniture and had a brilliant mix of disco and 80s music. It was great to dance...it seems so long since I last had a good dance...

Now I'm across the road from my hotel...relieved to be alone again and hopeful new frienships will be as great as my early experiences or, quite frankly, I'd prefer to be alone...

The orchestra was a wonderful ending to my stay in Sydney and Australia..it was a real mix..some traditional pieces by Mozart and a modern piece with aboriginal singing and instruments...the piano strings were plucked by a fishing line and the piano was played simultaneously...amazing!

Earlier that day, I had also HOURS in the "Powerhouse Museum'. I thought this museum was so interesting and a must to anyone who would like London's Science and Design Museum rolled into one on a grand scale. I particularly like the exhibitions on theatre design and space...Did you know urine is recycled and pumped back into the air conditioning system for space travel?!!!

I also browsed China Town and a superb fish and vegetable market by the harbour.

I am keen to move on now...I don't think Australia has really fed my soul like Hong Kong and Malysia did...I think I am completely in love with the east...but I did find Sydney interesting...it was definately everything I thought it was not..for that, it was surprising and Sydney harbour and Opera House is a sight to behold...but onwards..I'm dreading the long flight!