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Sydney, Australia 5/17/02
Sydney, Australia 5/17/02
“And then depression set in.” My trip is over. I’ve gone through all the check points here at the Sydney International Airport. The packs are checked through. My hand case has been searched. I’ve made my declarations so to speak and every piece of metal on my person has been accounted for. Now I just have to sit here at gate 53 and think about all that I’ve seen in the past 2 weeks, what I missed, and what I miss back home.
Oh how I love to travel! I wish I had two lives to live. One would be “to affect the quality of the day.” The other would be to travel….non-stop. This trip has turned me onto the whole “Backpacker” world too. Hostels were great and they made me feel like when we would take trips and just sleep on the beach in our college days. It’s more of an experience that just staying at a hotel.
Spending this time with Dave was great too. Its funny how simply spending time with great friends never gets old. I could have traveled like that for another 2 months and never gotten tired of the company. Just sitting around with him, no matter the setting, is fun.
Our conversations ranged from the serious to the amusing. We joked about how we were “Poser Backpackers” because we had jobs, a rental car, and Dave’s golf clubs in the trunk. I’m sure the list of “You know you are a poser Backpacker when….” will continue to grow.
There was lots of camp memories shared. He made me recall several funny things that I had not thought of in years and probably never would have. I guess when you spend 5 summers together there are just too many memories to keep them all fresh in your mind. How I could forget Steven Bauer’s “Golden Screw” story I’ll never know. When Dave brought it up I think I laughed for an hour and I could vividly remember Steve telling the story at campfires. I could even picture him standing and yelling the punch line like I had seen it yesterday. “AND HIS BUTT FELL OFF!” God that cracked me up!
How I could completely forget something like that frightens me. I wonder how many other classic memories are in my head lying dormant and I wonder if anything will ever spark them into action.
Of course with Dave there was talk of the future too. Where we are go
ing? What’s our 5, 10, 20 year plans. Dave is doing very well for himself, especially in his career, and living abroad is a great experience. One that I will probably never have but I’m sure it’s been tough on him living in Wollongong, so far from home.
He’s made friends here of course and I had the pleasure of going out with most of them last night. Great people and we had a blast by the way. It was Dave’s 29th Birthday and the beer, shots, and cocktails flowed freely at several of Sydney’s pubs until the early morning hours.
- pause -
I have now started the long flight home. Seat 39H is treating me pretty well and I’m trying to keep my mind off the thought that I have about 18 hours in the air before I reach Miami. I suppose I should relish this time to just sit, read, and think. Come Monday its catch up time in the office and hitting the running path hard in final preparation for the big run on June 2.
Oh what a time I’ve had. Ah Hell, oh what a time I always have! Thanks to my friends and family it’s rare that a day goes by that I’m not smiling. Thanks Dave, not just for your generosity and a free flight to Australia, but for being a dear friend and allowing me two great weeks with you.
MJF
“And then depression set in.” My trip is over. I’ve gone through all the check points here at the Sydney International Airport. The packs are checked through. My hand case has been searched. I’ve made my declarations so to speak and every piece of metal on my person has been accounted for. Now I just have to sit here at gate 53 and think about all that I’ve seen in the past 2 weeks, what I missed, and what I miss back home.
Oh how I love to travel! I wish I had two lives to live. One would be “to affect the quality of the day.” The other would be to travel….non-stop. This trip has turned me onto the whole “Backpacker” world too. Hostels were great and they made me feel like when we would take trips and just sleep on the beach in our college days. It’s more of an experience that just staying at a hotel.
Spending this time with Dave was great too. Its funny how simply spending time with great friends never gets old. I could have traveled like that for another 2 months and never gotten tired of the company. Just sitting around with him, no matter the setting, is fun.
Our conversations ranged from the serious to the amusing. We joked about how we were “Poser Backpackers” because we had jobs, a rental car, and Dave’s golf clubs in the trunk. I’m sure the list of “You know you are a poser Backpacker when….” will continue to grow.
There was lots of camp memories shared. He made me recall several funny things that I had not thought of in years and probably never would have. I guess when you spend 5 summers together there are just too many memories to keep them all fresh in your mind. How I could forget Steven Bauer’s “Golden Screw” story I’ll never know. When Dave brought it up I think I laughed for an hour and I could vividly remember Steve telling the story at campfires. I could even picture him standing and yelling the punch line like I had seen it yesterday. “AND HIS BUTT FELL OFF!” God that cracked me up!
How I could completely forget something like that frightens me. I wonder how many other classic memories are in my head lying dormant and I wonder if anything will ever spark them into action.
Of course with Dave there was talk of the future too. Where we are go
ing? What’s our 5, 10, 20 year plans. Dave is doing very well for himself, especially in his career, and living abroad is a great experience. One that I will probably never have but I’m sure it’s been tough on him living in Wollongong, so far from home.He’s made friends here of course and I had the pleasure of going out with most of them last night. Great people and we had a blast by the way. It was Dave’s 29th Birthday and the beer, shots, and cocktails flowed freely at several of Sydney’s pubs until the early morning hours.
- pause -
I have now started the long flight home. Seat 39H is treating me pretty well and I’m trying to keep my mind off the thought that I have about 18 hours in the air before I reach Miami. I suppose I should relish this time to just sit, read, and think. Come Monday its catch up time in the office and hitting the running path hard in final preparation for the big run on June 2.
Oh what a time I’ve had. Ah Hell, oh what a time I always have! Thanks to my friends and family it’s rare that a day goes by that I’m not smiling. Thanks Dave, not just for your generosity and a free flight to Australia, but for being a dear friend and allowing me two great weeks with you.
MJF
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