New Years Eve in Sydney ... The Highlights, and the Lowlights

Am now back in Perth. Yesterday, I thought I would keep track of my New Years celebrations in Sydney and give you the excitement or lackthereof for the day......

9:30am: Wakeup call ..... Laura and JP are heading out the door for brekkie at McDonald's. Where else would you go? I pass and go with the cereal option. Uncle Toby's ..... haven't done a cereal blog on that one yet ......

10:45am: I paid the old landlord man the extra money it cost us to upgrade from a 2 bedroom to 2 bedroom with a cott. ..... Guess who got the cott when we switched rooms???

11:45am: We end up at a local mall. We check out the Surf shops to look at the overpriced Billabong and Quiksilver boardies, then stop at the grocery store to pick up snacks for the evening.

3:00pm: We catch the bus for the CBD

3:30pm: We reach Circular Quay and say our goodbyes. I wanted to headed to the East part of the city, and Laura and JP wanted to go North.

3:35pm: I get through my first security checkpoint. "Any glass or knives?" ... "No, but I have a glass knife" ..... I get handed a garbage bag, and I'm through!

3:40pm: Another checkpoint ..... how many more of these do I have to go through .... I've now made it right up to the Opera House!

3:45pm: Inside the Opera House Gates, I realize I won't be able to reach Mrs Macquaries Point. Doh. They completely lock off the the Park next to the city. You know how parks can be dangerous for people viewing fireworks.... grass, open spaces, fits lots of people.... not a good fireworks recipe.

Mrs Macquaries Point

Botanic Gardens

4:05pm: After a bit of an unwanted hike, I make it to my 3rd checkout point. This one is more organized than the usually "Bottlenose" lines. I feel like I am being lead to a slaughterhouse going back and forth in the gated line. I probably did 2kms just in that line.

4:24pm: (Orr:Havlat) Someone in the crowd yells "Go Blackhawks". We make eye contact and give each other the thumbs up. This is the best New Years Eve Ever!!!!!

4:30pm: I walk around the area to see the vantage points I can get to to watch the fireworks. It is an absolute wasteland. People are sprawled everywhere in as little clothing as possible (I'm not complaining). There were tents, picnic blankets, towels, chairs everywhere. This site wouldn't let people in til 10am, but where Laura and JP went, people were camping out overnight, or just putting rocks on their towels and "Reserving" their places.

Laura and JP hung out here at Cremorne Point

4:40pm: I find a spot in the shade and by the toilets. Perfect!

5:00pm: I realise the lineups for the toilets are getting so extremely long that it might be best to wait on the other side away from everyone. 7 more hours to go!!!

5pm - 8:50pm: I sleep, I eat, I rest, I read, I lie, I talk on the phone. Not a lot happens. I watch lots of guys head to bushes, to cliffs, to trees to relieve themselves. Some even went up against a fence and peed into the stands of an outdoor swimming pool. Ewwwww. Surprisingly, girls were not shy about heading to the bushes. It would take about 30 to 40 minutes to go to the toilet. I chose not to drink alcohol as I didn't want to deal with any bladder issues.

A Bat .... there are heaps of Bats in Sydney, they take over the skies at night!

8:50pm: I get up, and head for the point. There is a "Family Fireworks" at 9pm.

8:55pm: More people (boys and girls) peeing in the bushes everywhere. I reckon they didn't put enough toilets (Portaloos) for the area.

9:00pm: At this point the people who have spent nearly 11 hours sprawled on the lawn stand up. The surface area touching the grass goes from lots to little, and spaces open to walk right up to any point you want. The 9pm fireworks aren't anything special. Just a little warmup and some action for the kiddies. (No bridge effects). Thus I didn't really care much about them and spent the time warming up the camera.

9:10pm: I head back to my usual area and watch the mass exodus of people. Thousands are leaving. Mainly with kids, but still, if you have sat for 11 hours, what's another 3. That's ok for me. More space to find a good view for the big ones.

9:30pm: I am able to walk up to a few areas with gorgeous views and no one there. Since there were still 2:30 hours to go, I decide to head back to my usual place.

9:45pm: Back to my spot, I sit reading some book "The Collectors" that Laura gave me, and have a banana. Major mistake ......

10:30pm: After lying for a while, my stomach started to not feel well. I stood up. Uh oh, definately not well. I race to find some bushes. Up comes the banana!!!!! Mmmmmmm.

11:00pm: After thinking I had recovered and the banana had come up, incident #2 occurs. Gross!!!! What a bad night.

11:40pm: Ok, I feel better, time to get my place in the mob..... not a bad location.

11:45pm: Will these fireworks start already

11:50pm: I'm doing ok, really, really, I am.

11:55pm: Ok, head spinning a bit, it's getting very very hot. 5 minutes to go. One more Dot on the Hour Glass. The theme was "Time of our lives"

11:59pm: 1 more minute, almost there ...... Then

11:59:30pm: Uh oh ..... I take off for an exit as quickly as possible through the mobs of people. Fortunately, since the area has big trees, there are spots where no one goes because they have no view.

12:00am: CRAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

12:00:30am: Determined not to let the sickness (which is being blamed on eating too many cashews) ruin the night. I fight my back through the crowd. Actually I just walk along a path to my spot before I left. JP said I should have just thrown up on people and then I would have had the best view as everyone scatters away. The things you think of after the event.....

12:00:30am: Back in Action








12:12am: Fireworks end. The masses head off.

12:20am: I am booting it by people as they step in horse manure and slow down to wipe it off (true story). I have a 6 km walk ahead of me.

12:25am: Decide to take a shortcut across the park and spot the bus I would take home if I were to take the bus..... I run for it and am the 2nd to last person on. In Sydney, they only allow 15 standing passengers. There is still heaps of room, but the bus takes off.

12:45am: Back in the hotel

1:45am: Laura and JP make it home ok. Fortunately, they didn't eat too many cashews. Turns out they did what absolutely no one else in the city did. They drove to the other side, parked and walked down to walk the fireworks. That really is unheard of.

Hope you enjoy the stories, and weren't too grossed out. Like sand through the hourglass, so is the Time of Our Lives!!!!